WorldWideScience

Sample records for understands individual development

  1. Career Development Practitioners as Advocates for Transgender Individuals: Understanding Gender Transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sangganjanavanich, Varunee Faii

    2009-01-01

    Assisting transgender individuals is a concern for career development practitioners because there is a lack of knowledge on this topic. The complexity of gender reassignment surgery brings challenges and unique needs to this population, throughout gender transition, and requires career development practitioners to understand these challenges and…

  2. Individual differences in children's emotion understanding: Effects of age and language

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pons, Francisco; Lawson, J.: Harris, P.; Rosnay, M. de

    2003-01-01

    Over the last two decades, it has been established that children's emotion understanding changes as they develop. Recent studies have also begun to address individual differences in children's emotion understanding. The first goal of this study was to examine the development of these individual...... differences across a wide age range with a test assessing nine different components of emotion understanding. The second goal was to examine the relation between language ability and individual differences in emotion understanding. Eighty children ranging in age from 4 to 11 years were tested. Children...... displayed a clear improvement with age in both their emotion understanding and language ability. In each age group, there were clear individual differences in emotion understanding and language ability. Age and language ability together explained 72% of emotion understanding variance; 20% of this variance...

  3. Understanding individual routing behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Antonio; Stanojevic, Rade; Papagiannaki, Dina; Rodriguez, Pablo; González, Marta C

    2016-03-01

    Knowing how individuals move between places is fundamental to advance our understanding of human mobility (González et al. 2008 Nature 453, 779-782. (doi:10.1038/nature06958)), improve our urban infrastructure (Prato 2009 J. Choice Model. 2, 65-100. (doi:10.1016/S1755-5345(13)70005-8)) and drive the development of transportation systems. Current route-choice models that are used in transportation planning are based on the widely accepted assumption that people follow the minimum cost path (Wardrop 1952 Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. 1, 325-362. (doi:10.1680/ipeds.1952.11362)), despite little empirical support. Fine-grained location traces collected by smart devices give us today an unprecedented opportunity to learn how citizens organize their travel plans into a set of routes, and how similar behaviour patterns emerge among distinct individual choices. Here we study 92 419 anonymized GPS trajectories describing the movement of personal cars over an 18-month period. We group user trips by origin-destination and we find that most drivers use a small number of routes for their routine journeys, and tend to have a preferred route for frequent trips. In contrast to the cost minimization assumption, we also find that a significant fraction of drivers' routes are not optimal. We present a spatial probability distribution that bounds the route selection space within an ellipse, having the origin and the destination as focal points, characterized by high eccentricity independent of the scale. While individual routing choices are not captured by path optimization, their spatial bounds are similar, even for trips performed by distinct individuals and at various scales. These basic discoveries can inform realistic route-choice models that are not based on optimization, having an impact on several applications, such as infrastructure planning, routing recommendation systems and new mobility solutions. © 2016 The Author(s).

  4. Developing Social Interaction and Understanding in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Groupwork Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKay, Tommy; Knott, Fiona; Dunlop, Aline-Wendy

    2007-01-01

    Background: Difficulties with social interaction and understanding lie at the heart of the communication disorder that characterises the autism spectrum. This study sought to improve social communication for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by means of a groupwork intervention focusing on social and emotional perspective-taking,…

  5. Understanding physical activity in individuals with prediabetes: an application of social cognitive theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Lorian M; Raine, Kim D; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Vallance, Jeff K; Sharma, Arya M; Spence, John C

    2016-01-01

    Despite well-documented evidence implicating physical activity (PA) in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, the overwhelming majority of individuals with prediabetes are not physically active enough. The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of the social cognitive theory (SCT) in understanding PA behaviour in individuals with prediabetes. Individuals with prediabetes (N = 232) completed a mailed questionnaire assessing demographics, self-reported PA (MET.min/wk) and SCT constructs for PA MET.min/wk. For PA MET.min/wk, scheduling and task efficacy both had significant effects on PA (β = .30 and .22, respectively). Goal formation also had a direct effect on PA for scheduling, coping and task efficacy (β = .20, .34 and .30, respectively). Task, coping and scheduling efficacy explained a significant portion of the variance in PA behaviour. Overall, SCT appears to have merit as a model for understanding PA in individuals with prediabetes. Further evaluative inquiry is needed to establish support for the use of the SCT as a framework for developing, implementing and evaluating PA behaviour change interventions in this population.

  6. Understanding of the Impact of Leadership Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Leadership development is big business. But the size of the investment notwithstanding, it has been pointed out that the programs and activities devoted to leadership development are often based on little more than anecdotes, personal experience, and guesses about what might be effective......—for the individual and for the organization. In other words, leadership development can too often be an act of blind faith. In this blog I report on my preliminary work on understanding the conditions that might affect the impact of leadership development initiatives....

  7. Imaging Brain Development: Benefiting from Individual Variability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megha Sharda

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Human brain development is a complex process that evolves from early childhood to young adulthood. Major advances in brain imaging are increasingly being used to characterize the developing brain. These advances have further helped to elucidate the dynamic maturational processes that lead to the emergence of complex cognitive abilities in both typical and atypical development. However, conventional approaches involve categorical group comparison models and tend to disregard the role of widespread interindividual variability in brain development. This review highlights how this variability can inform our understanding of developmental processes. The latest studies in the field of brain development are reviewed, with a particular focus on the role of individual variability and the consequent heterogeneity in brain structural and functional development. This review also highlights how such heterogeneity might be utilized to inform our understanding of complex neuropsychiatric disorders and recommends the use of more dimensional approaches to study brain development.

  8. Individual differences in children's understanding of inversion and arithmetical skill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilmore, Camilla K; Bryant, Peter

    2006-06-01

    Background and aims. In order to develop arithmetic expertise, children must understand arithmetic principles, such as the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, in addition to learning calculation skills. We report two experiments that investigate children's understanding of the principle of inversion and the relationship between their conceptual understanding and arithmetical skills. A group of 127 children from primary schools took part in the study. The children were from 2 age groups (6-7 and 8-9 years). Children's accuracy on inverse and control problems in a variety of presentation formats and in canonical and non-canonical forms was measured. Tests of general arithmetic ability were also administered. Children consistently performed better on inverse than control problems, which indicates that they could make use of the inverse principle. Presentation format affected performance: picture presentation allowed children to apply their conceptual understanding flexibly regardless of the problem type, while word problems restricted their ability to use their conceptual knowledge. Cluster analyses revealed three subgroups with different profiles of conceptual understanding and arithmetical skill. Children in the 'high ability' and 'low ability' groups showed conceptual understanding that was in-line with their arithmetical skill, whilst a 3rd group of children had more advanced conceptual understanding than arithmetical skill. The three subgroups may represent different points along a single developmental path or distinct developmental paths. The discovery of the existence of the three groups has important consequences for education. It demonstrates the importance of considering the pattern of individual children's conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills.

  9. Developmental and Individual Differences in Understanding of Fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegler, Robert S.; Pyke, Aryn A.

    2013-01-01

    We examined developmental and individual differences in 6th and 8th graders' fraction arithmetic and overall mathematics achievement and related them to differences in understanding of fraction magnitudes, whole number division, executive functioning, and metacognitive judgments within a crosssectional design. Results indicated that the difference…

  10. A neurogenetics approach to understanding individual differences in brain, behavior, and risk for psychopathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdan, R; Hyde, L W; Hariri, A R

    2013-03-01

    Neurogenetics research has begun to advance our understanding of how genetic variation gives rise to individual differences in brain function, which, in turn, shapes behavior and risk for psychopathology. Despite these advancements, neurogenetics research is currently confronted by three major challenges: (1) conducting research on individual variables with small effects, (2) absence of detailed mechanisms, and (3) a need to translate findings toward greater clinical relevance. In this review, we showcase techniques and developments that address these challenges and highlight the benefits of a neurogenetics approach to understanding brain, behavior and psychopathology. To address the challenge of small effects, we explore approaches including incorporating the environment, modeling epistatic relationships and using multilocus profiles. To address the challenge of mechanism, we explore how non-human animal research, epigenetics research and genome-wide association studies can inform our mechanistic understanding of behaviorally relevant brain function. Finally, to address the challenge of clinical relevance, we examine how neurogenetics research can identify novel therapeutic targets and for whom treatments work best. By addressing these challenges, neurogenetics research is poised to exponentially increase our understanding of how genetic variation interacts with the environment to shape the brain, behavior and risk for psychopathology.

  11. Sources of Individual Differences in Children's Understanding of Fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Rose K.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Geary, David C.; Jordan, Nancy C.; Gersten, Russell; Siegler, Robert S.

    2014-01-01

    Longitudinal associations of domain-general and numerical competencies with individual differences in children's understanding of fractions were investigated. Children (n = 163) were assessed at 6 years of age on domain-general (nonverbal reasoning, language, attentive behavior, executive control, visual-spatial memory) and numerical (number…

  12. Individual shareholders’ understanding of the content of interim reports of South African listed retail companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan GI Oberholster

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available A number of studies conducted, and reports published, by international and local accounting bodies have found that the proliferation of disclosures in financial reports has hampered users’ understanding of these reports. The reports by accounting bodies also indicate that these users prefer more concise financial reports. These findings, in conjunction with a dearth of recent questionnaire-based research on whether individual shareholders understand the content of financial reports, resulted in this study on whether individual shareholders understand the content of interim reports. The study provides empirical proof that a sound knowledge of business, accounting and economic matters is a prerequisite for understanding interim reports in the case of individual shareholders. The results of the study indicate that individual shareholders have a limited understanding of the content of interim reports as a whole, and that a good knowledge of business and economic matters and of accounting results in an improved understanding of the content of interim reports. In particular, specialisation in accounting in undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, professional qualifications, and work experience in the financial field improve the understanding of individual shareholders.

  13. Developing an agent-based model on how different individuals solve complex problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ipek Bozkurt

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Research that focuses on the emotional, mental, behavioral and cognitive capabilities of individuals has been abundant within disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, among others. However, when facing complex problems, a new perspective to understand individuals is necessary. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an agent-based model and simulation to gain understanding on the decision-making and problem-solving abilities of individuals. Design/Methodology/approach: The micro-level analysis modeling and simulation paradigm Agent-Based Modeling Through the use of Agent-Based Modeling, insight is gained on how different individuals with different profiles deal with complex problems. Using previous literature from different bodies of knowledge, established theories and certain assumptions as input parameters, a model is built and executed through a computer simulation. Findings: The results indicate that individuals with certain profiles have better capabilities to deal with complex problems. Moderate profiles could solve the entire complex problem, whereas profiles within extreme conditions could not. This indicates that having a strong predisposition is not the ideal way when approaching complex problems, and there should always be a component from the other perspective. The probability that an individual may use these capabilities provided by the opposite predisposition provides to be a useful option. Originality/value: The originality of the present research stems from how individuals are profiled, and the model and simulation that is built to understand how they solve complex problems. The development of the agent-based model adds value to the existing body of knowledge within both social sciences, and modeling and simulation.

  14. Understanding spatial connectivity of individuals with non-uniform population density.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Pu; González, Marta C

    2009-08-28

    We construct a two-dimensional geometric graph connecting individuals placed in space within a given contact distance. The individuals are distributed using a measured country's density of population. We observe that while large clusters (group of individuals connected) emerge within some regions, they are trapped in detached urban areas owing to the low population density of the regions bordering them. To understand the emergence of a giant cluster that connects the entire population, we compare the empirical geometric graph with the one generated by placing the same number of individuals randomly in space. We find that, for small contact distances, the empirical distribution of population dominates the growth of connected components, but no critical percolation transition is observed in contrast to the graph generated by a random distribution of population. Our results show that contact distances from real-world situations as for WIFI and Bluetooth connections drop in a zone where a fully connected cluster is not observed, hinting that human mobility must play a crucial role in contact-based diseases and wireless viruses' large-scale spreading.

  15. Understanding the Self in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD: A Review of Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ann X. Huang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available When the system of self is explored in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs, it is important to measure it via both their own perceptions of the self and their understanding of others’ perceptions on themselves at a multidimensional level. This paper reviews existing research in this area using a three-dimension approach. Researchers have found that impairments in the self-system are usually correlated with these individuals’ social and cognitive functioning levels: high functioning individuals with ASD who have higher IQ are found to have better awareness of their limitations in social and communication domains than those with lower IQ. Many researchers believe that there are impairments in the psychological (but not physical self in individuals with ASD, such as theory of mind deficits due to social and communicative impairments. On the other hand, some researchers argue that individuals with ASD have selective rather than global impairments in the self. In other words, the impairment usually lies in a specific aspect of functioning in individuals with ASD. Insights from the review of existing literature on this topic may be able to shed some lights on the development of effective intervention programs to improve social communication deficits in this population.

  16. The Development of Mature Capabilities for Understanding and Valuing Technology through School Project Work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schallies, Michael; Wellensiek, Anneliese; Lembens, Anja

    This paper describes a German project that developed students' capabilities for understanding and valuing biotechnology and genetic engineering, focusing on practical fieldwork with schools by an interdisciplinary team. The paper identifies the characteristics of individual and structural preconditions and their development during active project…

  17. Sources of Individual Differences in Children’s Understanding of Fractions

    OpenAIRE

    Vukovic, Rose K.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Geary, David C.; Jordan, Nancy C.; Gersten, Russell; Siegler, Robert S.

    2014-01-01

    Longitudinal associations of domain-general and numerical competencies with individual differences in children’s understanding of fractions were investigated. Children (n = 163) were assessed at 6 years of age on domain-general (nonverbal reasoning, language, attentive behavior, executive control, visual-spatial memory) and numerical (number knowledge) competencies; at 7 years on whole-number arithmetic computations and number line estimation; and at 10 years on fraction concepts. Mediation a...

  18. Understanding, Developing, and Writing Effective IEPs: A Step-by-Step Guide for Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierangelo, Roger; Giuliani, George A.

    2007-01-01

    Creating and evaluating Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities is a major responsibility for teachers and school leaders, yet the process involves legal components not always understood by educators. In "Understanding, Developing, and Writing Effective IEPs," legal and special education experts Roger…

  19. All for one and one for all: understanding health professionals' experience in individual versus collaborative online learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacNeill, Heather; Telner, Deanna; Sparaggis-Agaliotis, Alexandra; Hanna, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) may facilitate continuing interprofessional education while overcoming barriers of time and place for busy health care professionals. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences, advantages, and challenges of group versus individual online learning. Fifteen multidisciplinary health professionals participated in a 12-week online course on either diabetes or traumatic brain injury. This consisted of background e-modules and a longitudinal build-a-case exercise, done either individually or as a group. Focus group sessions exploring participants' experiences after course completion and at 4 months were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed for recurring themes. Participant reflection homework and video-recorded group sessions were used for triangulation of results. Individual learners appreciated the flexibility and control, but experienced decreased motivation. Group learners appreciated the immediate feedback from their co-learners and felt social pressure to come to the weekly sessions prepared but expressed challenges in determining group goal-setting for the session. Both groups felt they learned about interprofessional roles; however, group learners described a richer learning experience and understanding of interprofessional roles through the online collaboration exercise. The intense resources necessary for interprofessional CSCL, including time, faculty development, and technological issues, are described. CSCL is a valuable educational strategy in online learning. While individual online learning may be better suited for short and simple educational interventions such as knowledge acquisition, CSCL seems to allow for richer and deeper learning in complex and interprofessional educational experiences. However, strategies, resources, and faculty development required to enhance CSCL need to be addressed carefully. © 2014 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society

  20. Genomic tools for behavioural ecologists to understand repeatable individual differences in behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bengston, Sarah E; Dahan, Romain A; Donaldson, Zoe; Phelps, Steven M; van Oers, Kees; Sih, Andrew; Bell, Alison M

    2018-06-01

    Behaviour is a key interface between an animal's genome and its environment. Repeatable individual differences in behaviour have been extensively documented in animals, but the molecular underpinnings of behavioural variation among individuals within natural populations remain largely unknown. Here, we offer a critical review of when molecular techniques may yield new insights, and we provide specific guidance on how and whether the latest tools available are appropriate given different resources, system and organismal constraints, and experimental designs. Integrating molecular genetic techniques with other strategies to study the proximal causes of behaviour provides opportunities to expand rapidly into new avenues of exploration. Such endeavours will enable us to better understand how repeatable individual differences in behaviour have evolved, how they are expressed and how they can be maintained within natural populations of animals.

  1. Developing high-performance cross-functional teams: Understanding motivations, functional loyalties, and teaming fundamentals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, M.A.

    1996-08-01

    Teamwork is the key to the future of effective technology management. Today`s technologies and markets have become too complex for individuals to work alone. Global competition, limited resources, cost consciousness, and time pressures have forced organizations and project managers to encourage teamwork. Many of these teams will be cross-functional teams that can draw on a multitude of talents and knowledge. To develop high-performing cross-functional teams, managers must understand motivations, functional loyalties, and the different backgrounds of the individual team members. To develop a better understanding of these issues, managers can learn from experience and from literature on teams and teaming concepts. When studying the literature to learn about cross-functional teaming, managers will find many good theoretical concepts, but when put into practice, these concepts have varying effects. This issue of varying effectiveness is what drives the research for this paper. The teaming concepts were studied to confirm or modify current understanding. The literature was compared with a {open_quotes}ground truth{close_quotes}, a survey of the reality of teaming practices, to examine the teaming concepts that the literature finds to be critical to the success of teams. These results are compared to existing teams to determine if such techniques apply in real-world cases.

  2. Exploring Faculty Developers' Experiences to Inform Our Understanding of Competence in Faculty Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Lindsay; Leslie, Karen; Panisko, Danny; Walsh, Allyn; Wong, Anne; Stubbs, Barbara; Mylopoulos, Maria

    2018-02-01

    Now a mainstay in medical education, faculty development has created the role of the faculty developer. However, faculty development research tends to overlook faculty developers' roles and experiences. This study aimed to develop an empirical understanding of faculty developer competence by digging deeper into the actions, experiences, and perceptions of faculty developers as they perform their facilitator role. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided observations of faculty development activities, field interviews, and formal interviews with 31 faculty developers across two academic institutions from 2013 to 2014. Analysis occurred alongside and informed data collection. Themes were identified using a constant comparison process. Consistent with the literature, findings highlighted the knowledge and skills of the faculty developer and the importance of context in the design and delivery of faculty development activities. Three novel processes (negotiating, constructing, and attuning) were identified that integrate the individual faculty developer, her context, and the evolution of her competence. These findings suggest that faculty developer competence is best understood as a situated construct. A faculty developer's ability to attune to, construct, and negotiate her environment can both enhance and minimize the impact of contextual variables as needed. Thus, faculty developers do not passively experience context; rather, they actively interact with their environment in ways that maximize their performance. Faculty developers should be trained for the adaptive, situated use of knowledge.

  3. Development of Trivia Game for speech understanding in background noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Kathryn; Ringleb, Stacie I; Sandberg, Hilary; Raymer, Anastasia; Watson, Ginger S

    2015-01-01

    Listening in noise is an everyday activity and poses a challenge for many people. To improve the ability to understand speech in noise, a computerized auditory rehabilitation game was developed. In Trivia Game players are challenged to answer trivia questions spoken aloud. As players progress through the game, the level of background noise increases. A study using Trivia Game was conducted as a proof-of-concept investigation in healthy participants. College students with normal hearing were randomly assigned to a control (n = 13) or a treatment (n = 14) group. Treatment participants played Trivia Game 12 times over a 4-week period. All participants completed objective (auditory-only and audiovisual formats) and subjective listening in noise measures at baseline and 4 weeks later. There were no statistical differences between the groups at baseline. At post-test, the treatment group significantly improved their overall speech understanding in noise in the audiovisual condition and reported significant benefits in their functional listening abilities. Playing Trivia Game improved speech understanding in noise in healthy listeners. Significant findings for the audiovisual condition suggest that participants improved face-reading abilities. Trivia Game may be a platform for investigating changes in speech understanding in individuals with sensory, linguistic and cognitive impairments.

  4. Individual moral development and moral progress

    OpenAIRE

    Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

    2017-01-01

    At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is not only possible but even a common feature of human development things become blurry, however. For what do we mean by ‘progress’? And what constitutes moral progress? Does the idea of individual m...

  5. Sources of Individual Differences in Children’s Understanding of Fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Rose K.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Geary, David C.; Jordan, Nancy C.; Gersten, Russell; Siegler, Robert S.

    2014-01-01

    Longitudinal associations of domain-general and numerical competencies with individual differences in children’s understanding of fractions were investigated. Children (n = 163) were assessed at 6 years of age on domain-general (nonverbal reasoning, language, attentive behavior, executive control, visual-spatial memory) and numerical (number knowledge) competencies; at 7 years on whole-number arithmetic computations and number line estimation; and at 10 years on fraction concepts. Mediation analyses controlling for general mathematics ability and general academic ability revealed that numerical and mathematical competencies were direct predictors of fraction concepts whereas domain-general competencies supported the acquisition of fraction concepts via whole-number arithmetic computations or number line estimation. Results indicate multiple pathways to fraction competence. PMID:24433246

  6. Development of an Individual Work Performance Questionnaire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koopmans, L.; Bernaards, C.M.; Hildebrandt, V.H.; van Buuren, S.; van der Beek, A.J.; de Vet, H.C.W.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the current study is to develop a generic and short questionnaire to measure work performance at the individual level – the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). The IWPQ was based on a four-dimensional conceptual framework, in which individual work performance consisted

  7. Understanding how individuals perceive carbon dioxide. Implications for acceptance of carbon dioxide capture and storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Itaoka, K.; Saito, A. [Mizuho Information and Research Institute, Tokyo (Japan); Paukovic, M.; De Best-Waldhober, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Petten (Netherlands); Dowd, A.M.; Jeanneret, T.; Ashworth, P.; James, M. [The Global CCS Institute, Canberra (Australia)

    2012-06-15

    Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) presents one potential technological solution for mitigating the atmospheric emission of carbon dioxide sources. However, CCS is a relatively new technology with associated uncertainties and perceived risks. For this reason, a growing body of research now focuses on public perceptions and potential for societal acceptance of CCS technology. Almost all explanations of CCS technology make reference to carbon dioxide, with an assumption that the general public understands CO2. It has become apparent that the general public’s knowledge and understanding of CO2’s properties influences how they engage with CO2 emitting industries and CCS technologies. However, surprisingly little research has investigated public perceptions, knowledge, and understanding of CO2. This investigation attempts to fill that gap. This report describes an investigation of how citizens of three countries (Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands) perceive CO2. Furthermore, it attempts to relate individual perceptions of CO2 to perceptions of CCS, and to determine how information provision about the underlying properties and characteristics of CO2 influences individual attitudes towards low carbon energy options, particularly CCS. In brief, the research had four ultimate aims. It aimed to: Explore the public’s knowledge and understanding of the properties of CO2; Examine the influence of that knowledge on their perceptions of CO2 and CCS; Investigate how information provision about the underlying properties and characteristics of CO2 influences individual attitudes towards CCS; and Identify if any differences between countries exist in relation to values and beliefs, knowledge of CO2’s properties, and CCS perceptions.

  8. Supporting Teachers' Understandings of Function through Online Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverman, Jason

    2017-01-01

    This article explores one segment of an extended research and development project that was conducted to better understand the ways online teacher professional development can support teachers' development of deep and connected mathematical understandings. In particular, this article discusses teachers' understandings of the concept of…

  9. The Development of Individualized Education Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William H. Blackwell

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available There are more than 6.6 million students with disabilities in U.S. public schools who receive special education services, which means that there are 6.6 million Individualized Education Programs (IEPs that have been developed and are being implemented at any given time. Each IEP represents real cost in educational opportunity, relationship building between families and schools, time, and resource allocation. Given this information, it is important to examine what we have learned from research on the development of IEPs, and to begin charting a new direction for research and practice related to IEP development. This literature review examines published, peer-reviewed research studies that have examined IEP development since the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA. The review concludes with a discussion of how findings from previous research on IEP development can inform future research agendas, educator practice, and federal and state policies.

  10. Personal construct psychology: a theory to help understand professional development, a philosophy to support it.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brocklehurst, Paul R

    2010-10-01

    The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to personal construct psychology as a theory to help understand the process of change in facilitative and mentoring relationships. Continuing professional development is critical if practitioners are to keep up to date with new ideas, techniques, and materials. However, is it important not only to consider what is learnt, it is also important to understand the how of learning in order to develop an approach that leads to lifelong learning. Mentoring, coaching, and appraisal are all facilitative processes that aim to encourage professionals to engage with their own development. This leads to differing degrees of both behavioural and attitudinal change. As a result, it is useful to have a theory that can help an individual to understand these changes and to identify any difficulties that are associated with them. Personal construct psychology has long been recognised as a potential framework for personal development. It has been used extensively in a broad range of domains, including clinical and educational psychology, management, and psychotherapy. Personal construct psychology is a useful theory for understanding the facilitative process because it enables the facilitator to form a conceptual framework to comprehend behavioural and attitudinal change. Its underlying philosophical approach also supports lifelong learning, given its emphasis on an enquiring mind and reflection, both of which are key to continuing professional development.

  11. Beyond Sally's missing marble: further development in children's understanding of mind and emotion in middle childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagattuta, Kristin Hansen; Kramer, Hannah J; Kennedy, Katie; Hjortsvang, Karen; Goldfarb, Deborah; Tashjian, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    Research on the development of theory of mind (ToM), the understanding of people in relation to mental states and emotions, has been a vibrant area of cognitive development research. Because the dominant focus has been addressing when children acquire a ToM, researchers have concentrated their efforts on studying the emergence of psychological understanding during infancy and early childhood. Here, the benchmark test has been the false-belief task, the awareness that the mind can misrepresent reality. While understanding false belief is a critical milestone achieved by the age of 4 or 5, children make further advances in their knowledge about mental states and emotions during middle childhood and beyond. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of children's sociocognitive abilities in older age groups is necessary to understand more fully the course of ToM development. The aim of this review is to outline continued development in ToM during middle childhood. In particular, we focus on children's understanding of interpretation-that different minds can construct different interpretations of the same reality. Additionally, we consider children's growing understanding of how mental states (thoughts, emotions, decisions) derive from personal experiences, cohere across time, and interconnect (e.g., thoughts shape emotions). We close with a discussion of the surprising paucity of studies investigating individual differences in ToM beyond age 6. Our hope is that this chapter will invigorate empirical interest in moving the pendulum toward the opposite research direction-toward exploring strengths, limitations, variability, and persistent errors in developing theories of mind across the life span. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Importance of Career Development for Individuals and Organizations

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    Mustafa Serbes

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Career development and planning is very significant to carry the organizations from current to the higher levels as well as professional and personal developments of the individuals. In terms of career, it can be said that the individuals and the organizations who invest in the career development can keep up with the others in the market. This paper tries to shed a light upon the importance of career development and shows basic traits of the career development.

  13. Coping Styles: A Better Understanding of Stress and Anxiety in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Conditions Through Sport and Exercise Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina Roncaglia

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present an understanding of the coping mechanisms and coping styles adopted by individuals on the Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC by looking to draw parallels with sports performance psychology and how different sources of stress and anxiety can lead to the adoption of different coping styles. Firstly, an overview of current understanding of what constitute a stressor and how this can affect an individual is presented from sport and exercise psychology literature. Secondly, a model of coping styles is illustrated with the aim to shed light at how different perceptions of levels of stress and anxiety are managed both on an individual and group level. Thirdly, within the context of this understanding, some examples about how to support individuals on the ASC will be illustrated. Finally, implications for future research and reflection will be presented by highlighting the importance of teaching and learning coping and tolerance skills as part of a comprehensive and holistic psycho-educational program.

  14. An Investigation of the Development of Pre-Service Teacher Assessment Literacy through Individualized Tutoring and Peer Debriefing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odo, Dennis Murphy

    2016-01-01

    Many pre-service teachers lack deep understanding of assessment concepts and have low selfefficacy for using assessments but pre-service on-campus programs have been shown to support their assessment literacy development. Likewise, individualized tutoring has helped pre-service candidates improve instructional practice and peer debriefing has been…

  15. Poor understanding? Challenges to Global Development Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Buchanan

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available As members of a global community, we cohabit a metaphorically shrinking physical environment, and are increasingly connected one to another, and to the world, by ties of culture, economics, politics, communication and the like. Education is an essential component in addressing inequalities and injustices concerning global rights and responsibilities. The increasing multicultural nature of societies locally, enhanced access to distal information, and the work of charitable organisations worldwide are some of the factors that have contributed to the interest in, and need for, understanding global development education. The project on which this paper reports sought answers to the question: to what extent and in what ways can a semester-long subject enhance and extend teacher education students’ understandings of and responses to global inequalities and global development aid? In the course of the project, a continuum model emerged, as follows: Indifference or ignorance ➝ pity and charity ➝ partnership and development among equals. In particular, this paper reports on some of the challenges and obstacles that need to be addressed in order to enhance pre-service teachers’ understandings of global development education. The study, conducted in Australia, has implications for global development education in other developed nations.

  16. Understanding the Sustainability of Private Development Initiatives

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kinsbergen, Sara; Schulpen, Lau; Ruben, Ruerd

    2017-01-01

    In the Netherlands, there is a large group of small-scale, voluntary development organisations, referred to as Private Development Initiatives (PDIs). By classifying PDI interventions based on their potential sustainability, we aim to enhance our understanding of PDIs as alternative development

  17. Behaviour as a Lever of Ecological Transition? Understanding and Acting on Individual Behaviour and Collective Dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Solange; Gaspard, Albane

    2017-01-01

    Beyond broad policy declarations, the implementation of ecological transition - which consists mainly in curbing consumption of energy and raw materials in our societies - requires substantial behavioural change at the collective, but also, quite obviously, the individual level. Yet, though there is general consensus around the principle of embarking on the path to transition, things get more complicated when it comes to changing our practices and habits. Can we act on individual behaviour and collective dynamics in respect of this particular aim of ecological transition, and, if so, how are we to go about it? Solange Martin and Albane Gaspard have examined this question for the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) and offer us the fruit of their labours here. They show, for example, how the social and human sciences help to understand behaviour both at the individual level and in its collective dimensions, and they outline different possible lines of action to modify it. But, given the entanglement between various levels, it is essential, if we are to act effectively on behaviour, to combine approaches, tools and actors, and to analyse and understand social practices thoroughly before implementing political projects or measures

  18. Individual-based analysis opens new insights into understanding population structure and animal behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Planes, Serge; Lemer, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    Studying the movement of individuals in the wild has always been a challenge in ecology. However, estimating such movement is essential in life sciences as it is the base-line for evaluating connectivity, a major component in developing management and conservation plans. Furthermore, movement, or migration, is an essential parameter in population genetics, as it directly affects genetic differentiation. The development of highly variable markers has allowed genetic discrimination between individuals within populations and at larger scales, and the availability of high-throughput technologies means that many samples and hence many individuals can be screened. These advances mean that we can now use genetic identification for tracking individuals, and hence follow both survival and reproductive output through the life cycle. The paper by Morrissey & Ferguson (2011, this issue) is a demonstration of this new capability, as authors were able to infer the movement of salmonid fish initially captured as juveniles, and later as reproductively mature adults.

  19. Leadership development of individuals with developmental disabilities in the self-advocacy movement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, J

    2010-11-01

    Exploring the life stories of leaders in the self-advocacy movement can expand our knowledge about leadership development of individuals with developmental disabilities. A better understanding of this process may assist with supporting the movement and leadership development of youth with disabilities. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 leaders in the self-advocacy movement within the USA in order to explore their life stories. Purposeful sampling contributed to a diverse sample of leaders. A grounded theory approach led to the identification of major themes and factors associated with their leadership development. Four major themes emerged: (1) disability oppression and resistance; (2) environmental supports and relationships; (3) leadership skills; and (4) advanced leadership opportunities. Findings have conceptual and practical relevance for future interventions and research. © 2010 The Author. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  20. Between individual agency and structure in HIV prevention: understanding the middle ground of social practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kippax, Susan; Stephenson, Niamh; Parker, Richard G; Aggleton, Peter

    2013-08-01

    When HIV prevention targets risk and vulnerability, it focuses on individual agency and social structures, ignoring the centrality of community in effective HIV prevention. The neoliberal concept of risk assumes individuals are rational agents who act on information provided to them regarding HIV transmission. This individualistic framework does not recognize the communities in which people act and connect. The concept of vulnerability on the other hand acknowledges the social world, but mainly as social barriers that make it difficult for individuals to act. Neither approach to HIV prevention offers understanding of community practices or collective agency, both central to success in HIV prevention to date. Drawing on examples of the social transformation achieved by community action in Australia and Brazil, this article focuses on this middle ground and its role in effective HIV prevention.

  1. Understanding users in product development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geert Jensen, Birgitte

    2012-01-01

    , the guideline contain a step by step process to develop easy‐to‐open packaging. The guideline is constructed in a way that allows the enterprise to pick and choose in respect to the enterprise´s needs and competences. The main focus in the development of the guidelines has been to produce a tool that function...... observations is a tool for user understanding and that the first step towards better packaging, goes through consensus in the organization regarding the need for more easy‐opening packaging....

  2. Adolescent Anxiety : Development, Individual Vulnerability, and Social Relationships

    OpenAIRE

    Nelemans, S.

    2015-01-01

    The general aim of this dissertation was to extend current knowledge on the development of adolescent anxiety in the general population, by (1) examining developmental patterns of anxiety and individual differences in these patterns from childhood throughout adolescence, as well as concurrent associations with psychosocial functioning in several other domains, (2) exploring individual vulnerabilities that may be associated with the development of adolescent anxiety, and (3) examining how aspe...

  3. Individual piglets' contribution to the development of tail biting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zonderland, J.J.; Kemp, B.; Bracke, M.B.M.; Hartog, den L.A.; Spoolder, H.A.M.

    2011-01-01

    Conflicting hypotheses exist about the contribution of individual pigs to the development of a tail-biting outbreak, but there is limited quantitative information to support or dismiss them. This study aims to quantify the development of tail-biting behaviour at pen and individual piglet level,

  4. Understanding the development of temporary agency work in Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    B.A.S. Koene (Bas); J. Paauwe (Jaap); J.P.M. Groenewegen (John)

    2004-01-01

    textabstractThis article develops an explanatory framework for understanding the growth and development of temporary agency work (TAW) and the related industry. The analysis shows that explanations based on economic logic are helpful in understanding the choice of TAW in general. These explanations,

  5. Individual-Based Compulsive Sexual Behavior Scale: Its Development and Importance in Examining Compulsive Sexual Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efrati, Yaniv; Mikulincer, Mario

    2018-04-03

    Compulsive sexual behavior comprises individual-based (e.g., sexual fantasies, compulsive sexual thoughts, masturbation) and partnered (e.g., interpersonal sexual conquests, repeated infidelity) facets. Most instruments for assessing compulsive sexual behavior, however, focus less on the individual-based facet and specifically on fantasies and compulsive thoughts. In the current research, we developed and validated an individual-based compulsive sexual behavior scale (I-CSB). In Study 1 (N = 492), the factorial structure of the I-CSB was examined. In Study 2 (N = 406), we assessed I-CSB's convergent validity. In Study 3 (N = 112), we examined whether the I-CSB differentiates between individuals who suffer from compulsive sexual behavior and those who do not. Results revealed a four-factor structure for individual-based compulsive sexual behavior that is associated with an intense inner conflict regarding sexuality (high arousal contrasting with high sexual anxiety), and that accounts for approximately 75% of the differences between people with compulsive sexual behavior and controls. Results are discussed in light of the need for a broader understanding of compulsive sexual behavior.

  6. Educational Leadership ? understanding and developing practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hargreaves, Andy; Fink, Dean; Southworth, Geoff

    institutions. Different stakeholders bring different interests into policy debate, practice and research on leadership.The articles in this book explore and discuss the theme of 'Educational leadership: Understanding and developing practice' from the following perspectives.- Leadership and change- Leadership...

  7. Annotation: Understanding the Development of Psychopathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viding, Essi

    2004-01-01

    Background: Psychopaths are not only antisocial, but also have a callous and unemotional personality profile. This article selectively reviews evidence that psychopathic personality traits are an important factor in understanding and predicting the development of persistent antisocial conduct. Cognitive neuroscience research and more tentative…

  8. Individual Freedom and Institutional Frameworks in Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Nicholas

    2012-01-01

    In this article I explore Amartya Sen's contention that individual freedom represents both the objective of development and the means through which development is to take place. Examining the conceptualisation of freedom central to Sen's capability approach, I distinguish between two notions of freedom, autonomy and agency, where the former…

  9. Development and Analysis of an Instrument to Assess Student Understanding of GOB Chemistry Knowledge Relevant to Clinical Nursing Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Corina E.; Hyslop, Richard M.; Barbera, Jack

    2015-01-01

    The General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Knowledge Assessment (GOB-CKA) is a multiple-choice instrument designed to assess students' understanding of the chemistry topics deemed important to clinical nursing practice. This manuscript describes the development process of the individual items along with a psychometric evaluation of the…

  10. Individual differences and the development of perceived control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, E A; Zimmer-Gembeck, M J; Connell, J P

    1998-01-01

    Research on individual differences demonstrates that children's perceived control exerts a strong effect on their academic achievement and that, in turn, children's actual school performance influences their sense of control. At the same time, developmental research shows systematic age-graded changes in the processes that children use to regulate and interpret control experiences. Drawing on both these perspectives, the current study examines (1) age differences in the operation of beliefs-performance cycles and (2) the effects of these cycles on the development of children's perceived control and classroom engagement from the third to the seventh grade. Longitudinal data on about 1,600 children were collected six times (every fall and spring) over 3 consecutive school years, including children's reports of their perceived control and individual interactions with teachers; teachers' reports of each student's engagement in class; and, for a subset of students, grades and achievement tests. Analyses of individual differences and individual growth curves (estimated using hierarchical linear modeling procedures) were consistent, not only with a cyclic model of context, self, action, and outcomes, but also with predictors of individual development over 5 years from grade 3 to grade 7. Children who experienced teachers as warm and contingent were more likely to develop optimal profiles of control; these beliefs supported more active engagement in the classroom, resulting in better academic performance; success in turn predicted the maintenance of optimistic beliefs about the effectiveness of effort. In contrast, children who experienced teachers as unsupportive were more likely to develop beliefs that emphasized external causes; these profiles of control predicted escalating classroom disaffection and lower scholastic achievement; in turn, these poor performances led children to increasingly doubt their own capacities and to believe even more strongly in the power of

  11. Understanding Resilience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gang eWu

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Resilience is the ability to adapt successfully in the face of stress and adversity. Stressful life events, trauma and chronic adversity can have a substantial impact on brain function and structure, and can result in the development of PTSD, depression and other psychiatric disorders. However, most individuals do not develop such illnesses after experiencing stressful life events, and are thus thought to be resilient. Resilience as successful adaptation relies on effective responses to environmental challenges and ultimate resistance to the deleterious effects of stress, therefore a greater understanding of the factors that promote such effects is of great relevance. This review focuses on recent findings regarding genetic, epigenetic, developmental, psychosocial and neurochemical factors that are considered essential contributors to the development of resilience. Neural circuits and pathways involved in mediating resilience are also discussed. The growing understanding of resilience factors will hopefully lead to the development of new pharmacological and psychological interventions for enhancing resilience and mitigating the untoward consequences.

  12. Individual moral development and moral progress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

    At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is

  13. Individual Moral Development and Moral Progress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

    2017-01-01

    At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is

  14. 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...

  15. TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF NURSING KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Le Thi Thanh Tuyen

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available As nurses, we seek to better understand how to apply nursing knowledge in our daily practice. Nowadays, the term philosophy is widening used in many areas, including nursing. However, there is existence of unclear understanding about nursing knowledge development derived from standpoint of philosophical and methodological perspectives. This article discusses about this issue and mainly focus on empiricism, postpositivistic view, the philosophy of Buddhism and an example related to asthma.

  16. Towards a better understanding of unethical consumer behavior : the influence of individual characteristics, situational circumstances and emotional experiences in consumers' ethical decision-making processes

    OpenAIRE

    Steenhaut, Sarah

    2006-01-01

    In sum, we may conclude that – although many questions are still to be resolved – the present dissertation contributes to a better understanding of unethical consumer behavior by further enhancing the theory development of consumers’ ethical decision-making processes by conceiving and testing (1) additional individual characteristics, (2) situational circumstances, and (3) emotional experiences (along with other issue-related influences), and considering the potential mediating and moderating...

  17. Understanding the role of individual consumer-provider relationships within assertive community treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanhope, Victoria; Matejkowski, Jason

    2010-08-01

    The widespread adoption of assertive community treatment has resulted in a shift from an individual model to a team model of case management. The shift has had implications for individual relationships between case managers and consumers, but still little is known about how these relationships develop in teams. This exploratory mixed methods study looked at how case managers and consumers negotiate individual relationships within a team model. Quantitative methods identified high and low service intensity relationships between consumers and case managers and qualitative methods explored and compared these relationships. Consumers in high service intensity relationships described a preference for certain case managers and the burden of working with multiple people. Case managers invested high service intensity relationships with special therapeutic value, articulated the challenges of coordinating care across the team, and utilized team limit setting techniques. In contrast, low service intensity relationships were more likely to reflect integration with the entire team. Findings suggest that teams need to consider how individual relationships enhance care for their consumers and how to nurture these relationships while maintaining the support necessary for case managers and consumers.

  18. Development of an Online Smartphone-Based eLearning Nutrition Education Program for Low-Income Individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stotz, Sarah; Lee, Jung Sun

    2018-01-01

    The objective of this report was to describe the development process of an innovative smartphone-based electronic learning (eLearning) nutrition education program targeted to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education-eligible individuals, entitled Food eTalk. Lessons learned from the Food eTalk development process suggest that it is critical to include all key team members from the program's inception using effective inter-team communication systems, understand the unique resources needed, budget ample time for development, and employ an iterative development and evaluation model. These lessons have implications for researchers and funding agencies in developing an innovative evidence-based eLearning nutrition education program to an increasingly technology-savvy, low-income audience. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Redefining Individual Growth and Development Indicators: Oral Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradfield, Tracy A.; Besner, Amanda C.; Wackerle-Hollman, Alisha K.; Albano, Anthony D.; Rodriguez, Michael C.; McConnell, Scott R.

    2014-01-01

    Language skills developed during preschool contribute strongly to later reading and academic achievement. Effective preschool assessment and intervention should focus on core components of language development, specifically oral language skills. The Early Language and Literacy Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) are a set of…

  20. Experience during development triggers between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urszán, Tamás János; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Nagy, Gergely; Hettyey, Attila; Török, János; Herczeg, Gábor

    2018-05-12

    1.Behavioural consistency within and across behaviours (animal personality and behavioural syndrome, respectively) have been vigorously studied in the last decade, leading to the emergence of 'animal personality' research. It has been proposed recently that not only mean behaviour (behavioural type), but the environmentally induced behavioural change (behavioural plasticity) might also differ between individuals within populations. 2.While case studies presenting between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity have started to accumulate, the mechanisms behind its emergence are virtually unknown. We have recently demonstrated that ecologically relevant environmental stimuli during ontogeny are necessary for the development of animal personality and behavioural syndromes. However, it is unknown whether between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity is hard-wired or induced. 3.Here, we tested whether experience with predation during development affected predator-induced behavioural plasticity in Rana dalmatina tadpoles. We ran a common garden experiment with two ontogenetic predation treatments: tadpoles developed from hatching in either the presence or absence of olfactory predator stimuli. Then, we assayed all tadpoles repeatedly for activity and risk-taking both in the absence and presence of olfactory predator stimuli. 4. We found that (i) between-individual variation in predator-induced behavioural plasticity was present only in the group that developed in the presence of olfactory stimuli from predators and (ii) previous experience with predatory stimuli resulted in lower plastic response at the group-level. The latter pattern resulted from increased between-individual variation and not from universally lower individual responses. We also found that experience with predation during development increased the predictability (i.e. decreased the within-individual variation unrelated to environmental change) of activity, but not risk-taking. In line

  1. Student understanding development in chemistry concepts through constructivist-informed laboratory and science camp process in secondary school

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathommapas, Nookorn

    2018-01-01

    Science Camp for Chemistry Concepts was the project which designed to provide local students with opportunities to apply chemistry concepts and thereby developing their 21st century skills. The three study purposes were 1) to construct and develop chemistry stations for encouraging students' understandings in chemistry concepts based on constructivist-informed laboratory, 2) to compare students' understandings in chemistry concepts before and after using chemistry learning stations, and 3) to study students' satisfactions of using their 21st century skills in science camp activities. The research samples were 67 students who attended the 1-day science camp. They were levels 10 to 11 students in SumsaoPittayakarn School, UdonThani Province, Thailand. Four constructivist-informed laboratory stations of chemistry concepts were designed for each group. Each station consisted of a chemistry scenario, a question, answers in tier 1 and supporting reasons in tier 2, and 4 sets of experimental instruments. Four to five-member subgroups of four student groups parallel participated in laboratory station for an hour in each station. Student activities in each station concluded of individual pretest, group prediction, experimental design, testing out and collection data, interpreting the results, group conclusion, and individual post-test. Data collection was done by station mentors using two-tier multiple choice questions, students' written work and interviews. Data triangulation was used for interpreting and confirming students' understandings of chemistry concepts which divided into five levels, Sound Understanding (SU), Partial Understanding (PU), Specific Misconception (SM), No Understanding (NU) and No Response (NR), before and after collaborating at each station. The study results found the following: 1) four constructivist-laboratory stations were successfully designed and used to investigate student' understandings in chemistry concepts via collaborative workshop of

  2. Narratives with Robots: The Impact of Interaction Context and Individual Differences on Story Recall and Emotional Understanding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iolanda Leite

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Role-play scenarios have been considered a successful learning space for children to develop their social and emotional abilities. In this paper, we investigate whether socially assistive robots in role-playing settings are as effective with small groups of children as they are with a single child and whether individual factors such as gender, grade level (first vs. second, perception of the robots (peer vs. adult, and empathy level (low vs. high play a role in these two interaction contexts. We conducted a three-week repeated exposure experiment where 40 children interacted with socially assistive robotic characters that acted out interactive stories around words that contribute to expanding children’s emotional vocabulary. Our results showed that although participants who interacted alone with the robots recalled the stories better than participants in the group condition, no significant differences were found in children’s emotional interpretation of the narratives. With regard to individual differences, we found that a single child setting appeared more appropriate to first graders than a group setting, empathy level is an important predictor for emotional understanding of the narratives, and children’s performance varies depending on their perception of the robots (peer vs. adult in the two conditions.

  3. Auditory and Cognitive Factors Underlying Individual Differences in Aided Speech-Understanding among Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larry E. Humes

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed to address individual differences in aided speech understanding among a relatively large group of older adults. The group of older adults consisted of 98 adults (50 female and 48 male ranging in age from 60 to 86 (mean = 69.2. Hearing loss was typical for this age group and about 90% had not worn hearing aids. All subjects completed a battery of tests, including cognitive (6 measures, psychophysical (17 measures, and speech-understanding (9 measures, as well as the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing (SSQ self-report scale. Most of the speech-understanding measures made use of competing speech and the non-speech psychophysical measures were designed to tap phenomena thought to be relevant for the perception of speech in competing speech (e.g., stream segregation, modulation-detection interference. All measures of speech understanding were administered with spectral shaping applied to the speech stimuli to fully restore audibility through at least 4000 Hz. The measures used were demonstrated to be reliable in older adults and, when compared to a reference group of 28 young normal-hearing adults, age-group differences were observed on many of the measures. Principal-components factor analysis was applied successfully to reduce the number of independent and dependent (speech understanding measures for a multiple-regression analysis. Doing so yielded one global cognitive-processing factor and five non-speech psychoacoustic factors (hearing loss, dichotic signal detection, multi-burst masking, stream segregation, and modulation detection as potential predictors. To this set of six potential predictor variables were added subject age, Environmental Sound Identification (ESI, and performance on the text-recognition-threshold (TRT task (a visual analog of interrupted speech recognition. These variables were used to successfully predict one global aided speech-understanding factor, accounting for about 60% of the variance.

  4. Cultural Narratives: Developing a Three-Dimensional Learning Community through Braided Understanding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heck, Marsha L.

    2004-01-01

    Paula Underwood's "Learning Stories" braid together body, mind, and spirit to enable understanding that does not easily unravel. They tell of relationships among individual and community learning that parallel other ancient and contemporary ideas about learning in caring communities. Underwood's tradition considers learning sacred; everyone's…

  5. Individual differences in cocaine addiction: maladaptive behavioural traits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Homberg, J.R.; Karel, P.G.A.; Verheij, M.M.M.

    2014-01-01

    Cocaine use leads to addiction in only a subset of individuals. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these individual differences in the transition from cocaine use to cocaine abuse is important to develop treatment strategies. There is agreement that specific behavioural traits increase the risk

  6. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AGE SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Е. М. Revenko

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is scientific substantiation of the importance of the individual characteristics of the age specific youth development which will result in the rational modelling of students’ physical education.Methodology and research methods. The methods involve collection of experimental data carried out by means of evaluation of motor abilities and general intelligence of students. Motor abilities of students were studied by measuring of strength (dead lift dynamometry, strength endurance (pull-up, speed and power abilities (standing jump, as well as speed ability (running 30, 60 or 100 m, depending on age, aerobic endurance (running 1000 or 3000 m, depending on age. The dynamics of integral physical preparedness (DIPP of each student was calculated by calculation the arithmetic mean values of the growth rates of the development of motor abilities. Assessment of General Intelligence (GI of the 8th, 10th and 11th-grades school pupils as well as the 1st to 3rd year students was carried out through the test of R. Amthauer in the adaptation of L. A. Yazykova, and school pupils of the 6th grade were assessed through the Intelligent Test (GIT.Results. Discrepancies in the dynamics of the mental and motor areas development of maturing personality, which are interpreted as individual characteristics of the age specific development are experimentally revealed. Individual psychological differences leading to the different susceptibility to the development of motor and intellectual abilities appearing in adolescence and early adolescence are analysed. A leading role of activity in formation of the individual characteristics of the age specific development is substantiated. The conclusion of necessity to formulate to the students differing in individual characteristics of the age specific development differentiated in the complexity requirements and motor tasks in the course of physical training is made.Scientific novelty. For the first time

  7. Pre-Class Planning for Individualized Accounting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clayton, Dean; Brooke, Joyce Ann

    1974-01-01

    Pre-class planning of individualized accounting is involved with goals, objectives, and activities developed and selected by the teacher in providing compatibility between accounting content and teaching strategy. A systematic arrangement of activities should be developed so that students can understand and apply accounting principles at their own…

  8. Understanding MBA Consumer Needs and the Development of Marketing Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dailey, Lynn; Anderson, Murphy; Ingenito, Cristina; Duffy, David; Krimm, Paul; Thomson, Scott

    2006-01-01

    The need to develop marketing strategies in higher education is evident. In order to develop effective strategies, marketers must understand the basic needs that their product fulfills. Exploratory research was utilized to identify and better understand the needs that motivate consumers to pursue an MBA degree. This paper emphasizes the importance…

  9. Individual Readiness for Organizational Change and Its Implications for Human Resource and Organization Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Myungweon; Ruona, Wendy E. A.

    2011-01-01

    Individual readiness for organizational change reflects the concept of "unfreezing" proposed by Lewin (1947/1997b) and is critical to successful change implementation. Understanding the conditions conducive to individual readiness for organizational change, instead of the more traditional focus on resistance to change, can be useful for designing…

  10. Questioning in Distributed Product Development Teams: Supporting Shared Understanding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cash, Philip; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

    2015-01-01

    globally distributed NPD activities. Poor shared understanding can ultimately result in delays and rework. One major antecedent of shared understanding development is question asking. This work uses a quasiexperimental study to test the impact of questioning support on different types of distributed teams...

  11. Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levey, Sandra; Polirstok, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom offers comprehensive coverage of the language development process for pre- and in-service teachers while emphasizing the factors that further academic success in the classroom, including literacy skills, phonological awareness, and narrative. With chapters written by respected…

  12. Development of a New Measurement Tool for Individualism and Collectivism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shulruf, Boaz; Hattie, John; Dixon, Robyn

    2007-01-01

    A new measurement tool for individualism and collectivism has been developed to address critical methodological issues in this field of social psychology. This new measure, the Auckland Individualism and Collectivism Scale (AICS), defines three dimensions of individualism: (a) responsibility (acknowledging one's responsibility for one's actions),…

  13. A Cultural-Historical Model to Understand and Facilitate Children's Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Pui Ling

    2015-01-01

    Parents and educators strive to help their children to develop optimally. Given the diversity of values and practices among dynamic modern populations it is important to understand all the dimensions that affect the development of children in their communities. A cultural-historical lens facilitates such a holistic understanding. Taking this lens,…

  14. Attitudes towards "disorders of sex development" nomenclature among affected individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Emilie K; Rosoklija, Ilina; Finlayson, Courtney; Chen, Diane; Yerkes, Elizabeth B; Madonna, Mary Beth; Holl, Jane L; Baratz, Arlene B; Davis, Georgiann; Cheng, Earl Y

    2017-12-01

    Although now commonly used in medicine, the updated "disorders of sex development" (DSD) nomenclature formally introduced in 2006 has never been universally accepted by members of the affected community, particularly advocacy groups. Use of this nomenclature by medical professionals may unintentionally negatively affect access to healthcare and research for individuals with DSD conditions. Among individuals affected by various DSD diagnoses, this study sought to (1) evaluate attitudes towards potentially controversial DSD terminology, (2) determine potential impact of terminology on how affected individuals access healthcare, and (3) explore alternate terms. A web-based survey was developed in collaboration with the AIS-DSDSG (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome-DSD Support Group) leadership. AIS-DSDSG members (caregivers and affected individuals) were surveyed about attitudes towards DSD, potential impact on healthcare utilization, and alternate terms. A qualitative analysis of reasons for using/avoiding specific terms was performed. Surveys were completed by 202 out of 580 (35%) AIS-DSDSG members (61% affected, 39% caregivers; 16% non-gender binary; age range of affected individuals 0-86 years). Only 24% use disorder of sex development to describe themselves/their child. A majority (69%) had a negative emotional experience because of clinical use of nomenclature; 81% changed their care because of it. Preferred and non-preferred terms for clinical care and research are illustrated in the figure. Preferred diagnostic terms were intersex, variation in sex development, and difference of sex development (55%, 52%, and 50% liked/strongly liked, respectively). Disorder of sex development was not preferred (17% liked/strongly liked). About one-third reported that they would not attend a clinic named the Disorder of Sex Development Clinic. Overall, 81% provided qualitative comments; flexible terminology use was a key theme. These study findings are consistent with previous

  15. Supporting the development of shared understanding in distributed design teams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

    2017-01-01

    Distributed teams are an increasingly common feature of engineeringdesign work. One key factor in the success of these teams isthe development of short- and longer-term shared understanding.A lack of shared understanding has been recognized as a significantchallenge, particularly in the context o...... directly comparing homogeneous and heterogeneousteams in the engineering design context. This has implicationsfor how distributed teams can be more effectively supportedin practice, as well as how shared understanding can be facilitated inengineering design.......Distributed teams are an increasingly common feature of engineeringdesign work. One key factor in the success of these teams isthe development of short- and longer-term shared understanding.A lack of shared understanding has been recognized as a significantchallenge, particularly in the context...... of globally distributed engineeringactivities. A major antecedent for shared understanding isquestion asking and feedback. Building on question-asking theorythis work uses a quasi-experimental study to test the impact of questioningsupport on homogeneous and heterogeneous teams. Theresults show significant...

  16. Understanding and Managing Process Interaction in IS Development Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bygstad, Bendik; Nielsen, Peter Axel

    2012-01-01

    Software-based information systems must be developed and implemented as a part of business change. This is a major challenge, since business change and the development of software-based information systems usually are performed in separate processes. Thus, there is a need to understand and manage...... critical events in the case, what led to the events, and what the consequences are. We discuss the implications for information systems research and in particular we discuss the contribution to project management of iterative and incremental software development.......Software-based information systems must be developed and implemented as a part of business change. This is a major challenge, since business change and the development of software-based information systems usually are performed in separate processes. Thus, there is a need to understand and manage...

  17. Understanding and Managing Process Interaction in IS Development Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bygstad, Bendik; Nielsen, Peter Axel

    2005-01-01

    Increasingly, information systems must be developed and implemented as a part of business change. This is a challenge for the IS project manager, since business change and information systems development usually are performed as separate processes. Thus, there is a need to understand and manage......-technical innovation in a situation where the organisational change process and the IS development process are parallel but incongruent. We also argue that iterative software engineering frameworks are well structured to support process interaction. Finally, we advocate that the IS project manager needs to manage...... the relationship between these two kinds of processes. To understand the interaction between information systems development and planned organisational change we introduce the concept of process interaction. We draw on a longitudinal case study of an IS development project that used an iterative and incremental...

  18. Increasing Understanding and Social Acceptance of Individuals with Disabilities through Exploration of Comics Literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGrail, Ewa; Rieger, Alicja

    2016-01-01

    Research supports the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms as a way to boost academic and social development, not only for children with disabilities, but also for typically developing children. A wide variety of perspectives and abilities in the classroom builds empathy, understanding, and creativity--all…

  19. Exploring Faculty Developers’ Experiences to Inform Our Understanding of Competence in Faculty Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leslie, Karen; Panisko, Danny; Walsh, Allyn; Wong, Anne; Stubbs, Barbara; Mylopoulos, Maria

    2018-01-01

    Purpose Now a mainstay in medical education, faculty development has created the role of the faculty developer. However, faculty development research tends to overlook faculty developers’ roles and experiences. This study aimed to develop an empirical understanding of faculty developer competence by digging deeper into the actions, experiences, and perceptions of faculty developers as they perform their facilitator role. Method A constructivist grounded theory approach guided observations of faculty development activities, field interviews, and formal interviews with 31 faculty developers across two academic institutions from 2013 to 2014. Analysis occurred alongside and informed data collection. Themes were identified using a constant comparison process. Results Consistent with the literature, findings highlighted the knowledge and skills of the faculty developer and the importance of context in the design and delivery of faculty development activities. Three novel processes (negotiating, constructing, and attuning) were identified that integrate the individual faculty developer, her context, and the evolution of her competence. Conclusions These findings suggest that faculty developer competence is best understood as a situated construct. A faculty developer’s ability to attune to, construct, and negotiate her environment can both enhance and minimize the impact of contextual variables as needed. Thus, faculty developers do not passively experience context; rather, they actively interact with their environment in ways that maximize their performance. Faculty developers should be trained for the adaptive, situated use of knowledge. PMID:28678104

  20. Siblings of individuals with first-episode psychosis: understanding their experiences and needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sin, Jacqueline; Moone, Nicki; Harris, Paul

    2008-06-01

    The growth of early intervention in psychosis services (EIPS) has prompted needed research to provide a robust evidence base to underpin practice. The typical service model embraces key psychosocial interventions, including family interventions. A literature review revealed a number of relevant studies that recognized the role of siblings in families affected by severe mental illness or mental impairment, but little was found about the impact of first-episode psychosis on siblings. To address this apparent oversight, we conducted a study to gain an understanding of sibling experiences. Ten siblings (ages 16 to 30) with a brother or sister diagnosed with first-episode psychosis took part in individual semi-structured interviews. The key findings were grouped in regard to emotional impact, relationships in the family, and siblings' roles and coping patterns. The study also revealed that families are able to identify positive gains out of a fundamentally negative experience.

  1. How College Students Understand Their Self-Control Development: A Qualitative Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cliburn Allen, Cara; Glanzer, Perry

    2017-01-01

    Recent research has shown the importance of the positive benefits of high-levels of self-control for both individuals and society. Yet, we know only a limited amount about how college students understand and apply self-control. This qualitative study examined how a national sample of 75 students defined self-control, whether or not they believed…

  2. Sex determination and disorders of sex development according to the revised nomenclature and classification in 46,XX individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kousta, Eleni; Papathanasiou, Asteroula; Skordis, Nicos

    2010-01-01

    There have been considerable advances concerning understanding of the early and later stages of ovarian development; a number of genes have been implicated and their mutations have been associated with developmental abnormalities. The most important genes controlling the initial phase of gonadal development, identical in females and males, are Wilms' tumor suppressor 1 (WT1) and steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). Four genes are likely to be involved in the subsequent stages of ovarian development (WNT4, DAX1, FOXL2 and RSPO1), but none is yet proven to be the ovarian determining factor. Changes in nomenclature and classification were recently proposed in order to incorporate genetic advances and substitute gender-based diagnostic labels in terminology. The term "disorders of sex development" (DSD) is proposed to substitute the previous term "intersex disorders". Three main categories have been used to describe DSD in the 46,XX individual: 1) disorders of gonadal (ovarian) development: ovotesticular DSD, previously named true hermaphroditism, testicular DSD, previously named XX males, and gonadal dysgenesis; 2) disorders related to androgen excess (congenital adrenal hyperplasia, aromatase deficiency and P450 oxidoreductase deficiency); and 3) other rare disorders. In this mini-review, recent advances concerning development of the genital system in 46,XX individuals and related abnormalities are discussed. Basic embryology of the ovary and molecular pathways determining ovarian development are reviewed, focusing on mutations disrupting normal ovarian development. Disorders of sex development according to the revised nomenclature and classification in 46,XX individuals are summarized, including genetic progress in the field.

  3. An evaluation of the National Public Health Leadership Institute--1991-2006: part I. Developing individual leaders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umble, Karl E; Baker, Edward L; Woltring, Carol

    2011-01-01

    Public health leadership development programs are widely employed to strengthen leaders and leadership networks and ultimately agencies and systems. The year-long National Public Health Leadership Institute's (PHLI) goals are to develop the capacity of individual leaders and networks of leaders so that both can lead improvement in public health systems, infrastructure, and population health. To evaluate the impact of PHLI on individual graduates using data collected from the first 15 cohorts. Between 1992 and 2006, PHLI graduated 806 senior leaders from governmental agencies, academia, health care, associations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and other organizations. Of 646 graduates located, 393 (61%) responded to a survey, for an overall response rate of 49% (393/806). PHLI has included retreats; readings, conference calls, and webinars; assessments, feedback, and coaching; and action learning projects, in which graduates apply concepts to a work challenge aided by peers and a coach. A survey of all graduates and interviews of 34 graduates and one other key informant. PHLI improved graduates' understanding, skills, and self-awareness, strengthened many graduates' connections to a network of leaders, and significantly increased graduates' voluntary leadership activities at local, state, and national levels (P supportive peers and ideas, and bolstered confidence and interest in taking on leadership work. Nearly all graduates remained in public health. Some partially attributed to PHLI their promotions into more senior positions. Leadership development programs can strengthen and sustain their impact by cultivating sustained "communities of practice" that provide ongoing support for skill development and innovative practice. Sponsors can fruitfully view leadership development as a long-term investment in individuals and networks within organizations or fields of practice.

  4. Understanding the development of international environmental agreements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stærdahl, Jens

    There are many different theoretical schools concerned with how international regimes develop, and each supplies its own interpretation focusing on one or a few aspects of the process. Such ‘one shot’ explanations may be fruitful for scientific debate, but less useful as conceptual frameworks...... for practitioners and planners manoeuvring in a complex world. On the basis of a review of selected theories of international and environmental regulation, this article initiates the development of a conceptual framework for understanding the development of internationalenvironmental agreements. The point...... of departure for developing the model is the actor-structure debate within social science and theory of international relations. Based on critical realism, a framework is developed specifying the relation between collective action problem situations and negotiation situations. It is argued that the main...

  5. Individual-Based Modeling of Tuberculosis in a User-Friendly Interface: Understanding the Epidemiological Role of Population Heterogeneity in a City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prats, Clara; Montañola-Sales, Cristina; Gilabert-Navarro, Joan F; Valls, Joaquim; Casanovas-Garcia, Josep; Vilaplana, Cristina; Cardona, Pere-Joan; López, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    For millennia tuberculosis (TB) has shown a successful strategy to survive, making it one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. This resilient behavior is based not only on remaining hidden in most of the infected population, but also by showing slow evolution in most sick people. The course of the disease within a population is highly related to its heterogeneity. Thus, classic epidemiological approaches with a top-down perspective have not succeeded in understanding its dynamics. In the past decade a few individual-based models were built, but most of them preserved a top-down view that makes it difficult to study a heterogeneous population. We propose an individual-based model developed with a bottom-up approach to studying the dynamics of pulmonary TB in a certain population, considered constant. Individuals may belong to the following classes: healthy, infected, sick, under treatment, and treated with a probability of relapse. Several variables and parameters account for their age, origin (native or immigrant), immunodeficiency, diabetes, and other risk factors (smoking and alcoholism). The time within each infection state is controlled, and sick individuals may show a cavitated disease or not that conditions infectiousness. It was implemented in NetLogo because it allows non-modelers to perform virtual experiments with a user-friendly interface. The simulation was conducted with data from Ciutat Vella, a district of Barcelona with an incidence of 67 TB cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2013. Several virtual experiments were performed to relate the disease dynamics with the structure of the infected subpopulation (e.g., the distribution of infected times). Moreover, the short-term effect of health control policies on modifying that structure was studied. Results show that the characteristics of the population are crucial for the local epidemiology of TB. The developed user-friendly tool is ready to test control strategies of disease in any city in the

  6. Understanding access and use of technology among youth with first-episode psychosis to inform the development of technology-enabled therapeutic interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Baki, Amal; Lal, Shalini; D-Charron, Olivier; Stip, Emmanuel; Kara, Nadjia

    2017-02-01

    Computers, video games and technological devices are part of young people's everyday lives. However, their use in first-episode psychosis (FEP) treatment is rare. The purpose of this study was to better understand the access and use of technology among individuals with FEP, including gaming activities, to inform future development of technology-enabled therapeutic applications. Self-administered survey on use of technological tools in 71 FEP individuals. PCs/laptops were used by all participants; cellphones/smartphones by 92%, consoles by 83% (mainly male and younger participants). Women texted and used social networks more frequently; men played games (mainly action) more often. The younger individuals reported playing games frequently (32% daily) with less use of the Web and social networks (favourite: Facebook). These data will be useful for developing Web-based psychoeducation tools and cognitive remediation video games for youth with FEP. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  7. Individual differences in the development of scientific thinking in kindergarten

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Graaf, J. van der; Segers, P.C.J.; Verhoeven, L.T.W.

    2018-01-01

    The present study examined the development of and individual variation in scientific thinking in kindergarten. We measured experimentation, evidence evaluation, and domain knowledge at two times in kindergarten (T1 and T2) in a sample of 100 five to six-year-olds. To explain individual differences,

  8. The Contribution of Cognitive Factors to Individual Differences in Understanding Noise-Vocoded Speech in Young and Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Rosemann

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Noise-vocoded speech is commonly used to simulate the sensation after cochlear implantation as it consists of spectrally degraded speech. High individual variability exists in learning to understand both noise-vocoded speech and speech perceived through a cochlear implant (CI. This variability is partly ascribed to differing cognitive abilities like working memory, verbal skills or attention. Although clinically highly relevant, up to now, no consensus has been achieved about which cognitive factors exactly predict the intelligibility of speech in noise-vocoded situations in healthy subjects or in patients after cochlear implantation. We aimed to establish a test battery that can be used to predict speech understanding in patients prior to receiving a CI. Young and old healthy listeners completed a noise-vocoded speech test in addition to cognitive tests tapping on verbal memory, working memory, lexicon and retrieval skills as well as cognitive flexibility and attention. Partial-least-squares analysis revealed that six variables were important to significantly predict vocoded-speech performance. These were the ability to perceive visually degraded speech tested by the Text Reception Threshold, vocabulary size assessed with the Multiple Choice Word Test, working memory gauged with the Operation Span Test, verbal learning and recall of the Verbal Learning and Retention Test and task switching abilities tested by the Comprehensive Trail-Making Test. Thus, these cognitive abilities explain individual differences in noise-vocoded speech understanding and should be considered when aiming to predict hearing-aid outcome.

  9. [Development and validation of a questionnaire about the main variables affecting the individual investor's behavior in the Stock Exchange].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascual-Ezama, David; San Martín Castellanos, Rafael; Gil-Gómez de Liaño, Beatriz; Scandroglio, Bárbara

    2010-11-01

    Development and validation of a questionnaire about the main variables affecting the individual investor's behavior in the Stock Exchange. There is a considerable lack of information about the methodology usually used in most of the studies about individual investor's behavior. The studies reviewed do not show the method used in the selection of the items or the psychometric properties of the questionnaires. Because of the importance of investment in the Stock Exchange nowadays, it seems relevant to obtain a reliable instrument to understand individual investor's behavior in the Stock Exchange. Therefore, the goal of the present work is to validate a questionnaire about the main variables involved in individual investors' behavior in the Stock Exchange. Based on previous studies, we elaborated a questionnaire using the Delphi methodology with a group of experts. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha=.934) and validity evidence of the questionnaire show that it may be an effective instrument and can be applied with some assurance.

  10. Adolescent Anxiety : Development, Individual Vulnerability, and Social Relationships

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nelemans, S.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/357399722

    2015-01-01

    The general aim of this dissertation was to extend current knowledge on the development of adolescent anxiety in the general population, by (1) examining developmental patterns of anxiety and individual differences in these patterns from childhood throughout adolescence, as well as concurrent

  11. 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...

  12. Risk Perception for Developing Diabetes among Non-diabetic Individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belkis Vicente Sánchez

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus have increased in recent decades and this trend is expected to continue. Objective: to determine the risk perception for developing type 2 diabetes among non-diabetic individuals. Methods: a cross-sectional study involving non-diabetic individuals in the catchment area of the doctor-and-nurse office No.15 of the Manuel Fajardo Polyclinic in Cienfuegos was conducted between May 2013 and June 2014. The universe consisted of 1145 people, and the sample included 323 individuals of different age groups selected by sex. The variables studied were: age, sex, body mass index, nutritional assessment, and having a perceived risk when they answered 70 % of questions correctly. The arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Chi-square test, and risk estimation were calculated with a 95 % confidence interval. Results: individuals aged 25 to 34 years and females predominated. Fifty nine point two percent of the study participants knew of their risk. Eighty one point one percent understood that diabetes is preventable and 93.5 % stated that it is their responsibility to prevent its development. Thirty five point two percent of women considered normal-weight/thin fully agreed on the importance of physical activity and diabetes prevention. Eighty point five percent of women and 78.5 % of men answered positively to the question about obesity and diabetes. Conclusions: study participants knew of their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although a large number of them attributed all responsibility for prevention to the health personnel.

  13. Hiring, Developing, and Organizing Individual Employees for New Product Development versus Product-related Service Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Mette Præst; Schleimer, Stephanie

    should be hired. For the latter case, these employees’ individual careers must be developed internally once hired. The paper therefore carries important implication for the innovation management literature and related human resource practices at different organizational levels.......This study examines how manufacturing firms should organize their human resources by maximizing the value of individual employees for different forms of innovations. In particular, it examines the hiring, developing, and structural organization of human resources for optimizing different innovation...... the value of human resource hiring and developing practices for new product development success; organizations will find it more beneficial to invest predominantly in employees with the highest possible educational level, whilst for product-related service innovations; employees with more general skills...

  14. Individual-level outcomes from a national clinical leadership development programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Declan; Fealy, Gerard; McNamara, Martin; Casey, Mary; Connor, Tom O; Doyle, Louise; Quinlan, Christina

    2013-08-01

    A national clinical leadership development programme was instituted for Irish nurses and midwives in 2010. Incorporating a development framework and leadership pathway and a range of bespoke interventions for leadership development, including workshops, action-learning sets, mentoring and coaching, the programme was introduced at seven pilot sites in the second half of 2011. The programme pilot was evaluated with reference to structure, process and outcomes elements, including individual-level programme outcomes. Evaluation data were generated through focus groups and group interviews, individual interviews and written submissions. The data provided evidence of nurses' and midwives' clinical leadership development through self and observer-reported behaviours and dispositions including accounts of how the programme participants developed and displayed particular clinical leadership competencies. A key strength of the new programme was that it involved interventions that focussed on specific leadership competencies to be developed within the practice context.

  15. Motivational Pathways to STEM Career Choices: Using Expectancy-Value Perspective to Understand Individual and Gender Differences in STEM Fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ming-Te; Degol, Jessica

    2013-12-01

    The United States has made a significant effort and investment in STEM education, yet the size and the composition of the STEM workforce continues to fail to meet demand. It is thus important to understand the barriers and factors that influence individual educational and career choices. In this article, we conduct a literature review of the current knowledge surrounding individual and gender differences in STEM educational and career choices, using expectancy-value theory as a guiding framework. The overarching goal of this paper is to provide both a well-defined theoretical framework and complementary empirical evidence for linking specific sociocultural, contextual, biological, and psychological factors to individual and gender differences in STEM interests and choices. Knowledge gained through this review will eventually guide future research and interventions designed to enhance individual motivation and capacity to pursue STEM careers, particularly for females who are interested in STEM but may be constrained by misinformation or stereotypes.

  16. Through the eyes of professional developers: Understanding the design of learning experiences for science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, Tara Eileen

    Professional development is important for improving teacher practice and student learning, particularly in inquiry-oriented and technology-enhanced science instruction. This study examines professional developers' practices and their impact on teachers' classroom instruction and student achievement. It analyzes professional developers designing and implementing a five-year professional development program designed to support middle school science teachers. The professional developers are four university-based researchers who worked with sixteen science teachers over three years, setting program goals, facilitating workshops, providing in-classroom support for teachers, and continually refining the program. The analysis is guided by the knowledge integration perspective, a sociocognitive framework for understanding how teachers and professional developers integrate their ideas about teaching and learning. The study investigates the professional developers' goals and teachers' interpretations of those goals. It documents how professional developers plan teacher learning experiences and explores the connection between professional development activities and teachers' classroom practice. Results are based on two rounds of interviews with professional developers, audio recordings of professional developers' planning meetings and videotaped professional development activities. Data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, teacher reflections during professional development activities, and results from student assessments. The study shows the benefit of a professional development approach that relies on an integrated cycle of setting goals, understanding teachers' interpretations, and refining implementation. The professional developers based their design on making inquiry and technology accessible, situating professional development in teachers' work, supporting collaboration, and sustaining learning. The findings reflect alignment of the design goals with the

  17. Continuing professional development and the charity paradigm: interrelated individual, collective and organisational issues about continuing professional development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munro, Kathleen M

    2008-11-01

    This paper aims to highlight some issues and tensions that currently challenge the profession, individual nurses and their employers when considering the need for continuing professional development. The Nursing and Midwifery Council states the professional requirements for continuing professional development. However the nature and type required seems to be determined by the individual on the one hand and the organisation on the other, rather than an integral part of professional activity within the context of work. This can lead to a mismatch between personal and organisational goals. Views emerged from participants in a previous case study that focused on learning through work, about support available to nurses for professional development. The perceptions of nurses and their managers about learning through work were explored, using semi structured interviews, picture mapping and structured interviews. The 'Charity Paradigm' is presented as an outcome of major issues within an organisation. It underpins negative perceptions of individuals about employer support of continuing professional development. It is suggested that there is a need for collaborative collective approaches to structured development in order to meet both individual and organisational needs. This is also advocated in order to achieve life long learning and transformational learning within an organisation. The tension between individual personal ambitions and employer demands can adversely affect the professional development of the practitioner and the organisation that employs them. The personal perspectives of nurses and managers about learning within their organisation are therefore important to acknowledge in terms of positive and negative influences. It is also necessary to recognise the contribution of the employer as well as the identifiable charitable contribution of individual practitioners and the input from external contributors to the organisation.

  18. Aging and individual differences in binding during sentence understanding: evidence from temporary and global syntactic attachment ambiguities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Payne, Brennan R; Grison, Sarah; Gao, Xuefei; Christianson, Kiel; Morrow, Daniel G; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A L

    2014-02-01

    We report an investigation of aging and individual differences in binding information during sentence understanding. An age-continuous sample of adults (N=91), ranging from 18 to 81 years of age, read sentences in which a relative clause could be attached high to a head noun NP1, attached low to its modifying prepositional phrase NP2 (e.g., The son of the princess who scratched himself/herself in public was humiliated), or in which the attachment site of the relative clause was ultimately indeterminate (e.g., The maid of the princess who scratched herself in public was humiliated). Word-by-word reading times and comprehension (e.g., who scratched?) were measured. A series of mixed-effects models were fit to the data, revealing: (1) that, on average, NP1-attached sentences were harder to process and comprehend than NP2-attached sentences; (2) that these average effects were independently moderated by verbal working memory capacity and reading experience, with effects that were most pronounced in the oldest participants and; (3) that readers on average did not allocate extra time to resolve global ambiguities, though older adults with higher working memory span did. Findings are discussed in relation to current models of lifespan cognitive development, working memory, language experience, and the role of prosodic segmentation strategies in reading. Collectively, these data suggest that aging brings differences in sentence understanding, and these differences may depend on independent influences of verbal working memory capacity and reading experience. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Metamemory Development: Understanding the Role of Similarity in False Memories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaswal, Vikram K.; Dodson, Chad S.

    2009-01-01

    Research on the development of metamemory has focused primarily on children's understanding of the variables that influence how likely a person is to remember something. But metamemory also involves an understanding of why people occasionally misremember things. In this study, 5- and 6-year-olds (N = 38) were asked to decide whether another…

  20. F167. ACCESS, UNDERSTAND, APPRAISE AND APPLY TO / OF HEALTH INFORMATION AND HEALTH LITERACY IN INDIVIDUALS AT-RISK FOR PSYCHOSIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seves, Mauro; Haidl, Theresa; Eggers, Susanne; Rostamzadeh, Ayda; Genske, Anna; Jünger, Saskia; Woopen, Christiane; Jessen, Frank; Ruhrmann, Stephan

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Background Numerous studies suggest that health literacy (HL) plays a crucial role in maintaining and improving individual health. Furthermore, empirical findings highlight the relation between levels of a person’s HL and clinical outcomes. So far, there are no reviews, which investigate HL in individuals at-risk for psychosis. The aim of the current review is to assess how individuals at risk of developing a first episode of psychosis gain access to, understand, evaluate and apply risk-related health information. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze and synthesize a variety of study types including qualitative and quantitative studies. Search strategy, screening and data selection have been carried out according to the PRISMA criteria. The systematic search was applied on peer-reviewed literature in PUBMED, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Studies were included if participants met clinical high risk criteria (CHR), including the basic symptom criterion (BS) and the ultra-high risk (UHR) criteria. The UHR criteria comprise the attenuated psychotic symptom criterion (APS), the brief limited psychotic symptom criterion (BLIPS) and the genetic risk and functional decline criterion (GRDP) Furthermore, studies must have used validated HL measures or any operationalization of the HL’s subdimensions (access, understanding, appraisal, decision-making or action) as a primary outcome. A third inclusion criterion comprised that the concept of HL or one of the four dimensions was mentioned in title or abstract. Data extraction and synthesis was implemented according to existing recommendations for appraising evidence from different study types. The quality of the included studies was evaluated and related to the study results. Results The search string returned 10587 papers. After data extraction 15 quantitative as well as 4 qualitative studies and 3 reviews were included. The Quality assessment evaluated 12 publications as

  1. Understanding of the Impact of Leadership Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    ’s a lot of money. But the size of the investment notwithstanding, it has been pointed out that the programs and activities devoted to leadership development are often based on little more than anecdotes, personal experience, and guesses about what might be effective—for the individual......Leadership development is big business. It is estimated to be a $14 billion industry in the United States. In my country, Denmark, with approximately 5.7 million people, the amount spent on adult continuing education, which includes leadership development, is estimated to be $4.5 billion. That...... and for the organization. I did some preliminary research about what conditions in the workplace may promote the impact of leadership development. In my study of managers in the Danish public sector, I looked at nine possible conditions that the transfer literature suggested were likely to be important in this...

  2. Understanding the Everyday Practice of Individualized Education Program Team Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartmann, Elizabeth S.

    2016-01-01

    The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 states that individualized education program (IEP) teams are composed of members with distinct identities, roles, expertise, and histories. Although team members must work together to implement educational and related services for learners with special needs, little is known about…

  3. The evolution of individuality revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radzvilavicius, Arunas L; Blackstone, Neil W

    2018-03-25

    Evolutionary theory is formulated in terms of individuals that carry heritable information and are subject to selective pressures. However, individuality itself is a trait that had to evolve - an individual is not an indivisible entity, but a result of evolutionary processes that necessarily begin at the lower level of hierarchical organisation. Traditional approaches to biological individuality focus on cooperation and relatedness within a group, division of labour, policing mechanisms and strong selection at the higher level. Nevertheless, despite considerable theoretical progress in these areas, a full dynamical first-principles account of how new types of individuals arise is missing. To the extent that individuality is an emergent trait, the problem can be approached by recognising the importance of individuating mechanisms that are present from the very beginning of the transition, when only lower-level selection is acting. Here we review some of the most influential theoretical work on the role of individuating mechanisms in these transitions, and demonstrate how a lower-level, bottom-up evolutionary framework can be used to understand biological complexity involved in the origin of cellular life, early eukaryotic evolution, sexual life cycles and multicellular development. Some of these mechanisms inevitably stem from environmental constraints, population structure and ancestral life cycles. Others are unique to specific transitions - features of the natural history and biochemistry that are co-opted into conflict mediation. Identifying mechanisms of individuation that provide a coarse-grained description of the system's evolutionary dynamics is an important step towards understanding how biological complexity and hierarchical organisation evolves. In this way, individuality can be reconceptualised as an approximate model that with varying degrees of precision applies to a wide range of biological systems. © 2018 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

  4. Supporting Parents with Two Essential Understandings: Attachment and Brain Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berger, Eugenia Hepworth

    1999-01-01

    Readiness to learn is a constant state. Two critical aspects of early childhood provide parents sufficient understanding of their child's development: attachment and brain development. Children develop attachments to caregivers but need consistent parental care and love. Human brains continue to quickly grow during the first two years of life.…

  5. Development and application of an optogenetic platform for controlling and imaging a large number of individual neurons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Ali Ibrahim Ali

    The understanding and treatment of brain disorders as well as the development of intelligent machines is hampered by the lack of knowledge of how the brain fundamentally functions. Over the past century, we have learned much about how individual neurons and neural networks behave, however new tools are critically needed to interrogate how neural networks give rise to complex brain processes and disease conditions. Recent innovations in molecular techniques, such as optogenetics, have enabled neuroscientists unprecedented precision to excite, inhibit and record defined neurons. The impressive sensitivity of currently available optogenetic sensors and actuators has now enabled the possibility of analyzing a large number of individual neurons in the brains of behaving animals. To promote the use of these optogenetic tools, this thesis integrates cutting edge optogenetic molecular sensors which is ultrasensitive for imaging neuronal activity with custom wide field optical microscope to analyze a large number of individual neurons in living brains. Wide-field microscopy provides a large field of view and better spatial resolution approaching the Abbe diffraction limit of fluorescent microscope. To demonstrate the advantages of this optical platform, we imaged a deep brain structure, the Hippocampus, and tracked hundreds of neurons over time while mouse was performing a memory task to investigate how those individual neurons related to behavior. In addition, we tested our optical platform in investigating transient neural network changes upon mechanical perturbation related to blast injuries. In this experiment, all blasted mice show a consistent change in neural network. A small portion of neurons showed a sustained calcium increase for an extended period of time, whereas the majority lost their activities. Finally, using optogenetic silencer to control selective motor cortex neurons, we examined their contributions to the network pathology of basal ganglia related to

  6. Intention Understanding in Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boria, Sonia; Fabbri-Destro, Maddalena; Cattaneo, Luigi; Sparaci, Laura; Sinigaglia, Corrado; Santelli, Erica; Cossu, Giuseppe; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

    2009-01-01

    When we observe a motor act (e.g. grasping a cup) done by another individual, we extract, according to how the motor act is performed and its context, two types of information: the goal (grasping) and the intention underlying it (e.g. grasping for drinking). Here we examined whether children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are able to understand these two aspects of motor acts. Two experiments were carried out. In the first, one group of high-functioning children with ASD and one of typically developing (TD) children were presented with pictures showing hand-object interactions and asked what the individual was doing and why. In half of the “why” trials the observed grip was congruent with the function of the object (“why-use” trials), in the other half it corresponded to the grip typically used to move that object (“why-place” trials). The results showed that children with ASD have no difficulties in reporting the goals of individual motor acts. In contrast they made several errors in the why task with all errors occurring in the “why-place” trials. In the second experiment the same two groups of children saw pictures showing a hand-grip congruent with the object use, but within a context suggesting either the use of the object or its placement into a container. Here children with ASD performed as TD children, correctly indicating the agent's intention. In conclusion, our data show that understanding others' intentions can occur in two ways: by relying on motor information derived from the hand-object interaction, and by using functional information derived from the object's standard use. Children with ASD have no deficit in the second type of understanding, while they have difficulties in understanding others' intentions when they have to rely exclusively on motor cues. PMID:19440332

  7. Intention understanding in autism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Boria

    Full Text Available When we observe a motor act (e.g. grasping a cup done by another individual, we extract, according to how the motor act is performed and its context, two types of information: the goal (grasping and the intention underlying it (e.g. grasping for drinking. Here we examined whether children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD are able to understand these two aspects of motor acts. Two experiments were carried out. In the first, one group of high-functioning children with ASD and one of typically developing (TD children were presented with pictures showing hand-object interactions and asked what the individual was doing and why. In half of the "why" trials the observed grip was congruent with the function of the object ("why-use" trials, in the other half it corresponded to the grip typically used to move that object ("why-place" trials. The results showed that children with ASD have no difficulties in reporting the goals of individual motor acts. In contrast they made several errors in the why task with all errors occurring in the "why-place" trials. In the second experiment the same two groups of children saw pictures showing a hand-grip congruent with the object use, but within a context suggesting either the use of the object or its placement into a container. Here children with ASD performed as TD children, correctly indicating the agent's intention. In conclusion, our data show that understanding others' intentions can occur in two ways: by relying on motor information derived from the hand-object interaction, and by using functional information derived from the object's standard use. Children with ASD have no deficit in the second type of understanding, while they have difficulties in understanding others' intentions when they have to rely exclusively on motor cues.

  8. The Children's Social Understanding Scale: construction and validation of a parent-report measure for assessing individual differences in children's theories of mind.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahiroglu, Deniz; Moses, Louis J; Carlson, Stephanie M; Mahy, Caitlin E V; Olofson, Eric L; Sabbagh, Mark A

    2014-11-01

    Children's theory of mind (ToM) is typically measured with laboratory assessments of performance. Although these measures have generated a wealth of informative data concerning developmental progressions in ToM, they may be less useful as the sole source of information about individual differences in ToM and their relation to other facets of development. In the current research, we aimed to expand the repertoire of methods available for measuring ToM by developing and validating a parent-report ToM measure: the Children's Social Understanding Scale (CSUS). We present 3 studies assessing the psychometric properties of the CSUS. Study 1 describes item analysis, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and relation of the scale to children's performance on laboratory ToM tasks. Study 2 presents cross-validation data for the scale in a different sample of preschool children with a different set of ToM tasks. Study 3 presents further validation data for the scale with a slightly older age group and a more advanced ToM task, while controlling for several other relevant cognitive abilities. The findings indicate that the CSUS is a reliable and valid measure of individual differences in children's ToM that may be of great value as a complement to standard ToM tasks in many different research contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

  9. Understanding general practice: a conceptual framework developed from case studies in the UK NHS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Checkland, Kath

    2007-01-01

    General practice in the UK is undergoing a period of rapid and profound change. Traditionally, research into the effects of change on general practice has tended to regard GPs as individuals or as members of a professional group. To understand the impact of change, general practices should also be considered as organisations. To use the organisational studies literature to build a conceptual framework of general practice organisations, and to test and develop this empirically using case studies of change in practice. This study used the implementation of National Service Frameworks (NSFs) and the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract as incidents of change. In-depth, qualitative case studies. The design was iterative: each case study was followed by a review of the theoretical ideas. The final conceptual framework was the result of the dynamic interplay between theory and empirical evidence. Five general practices in England, selected using purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews with all clinical and managerial personnel in each practice, participant and nonparticipant observation, and examination of documents. A conceptual framework was developed that can be used to understand how and why practices respond to change. This framework enabled understanding of observed reactions to the introduction of NSFs and the new GMS contract. Important factors for generating responses to change included the story that the practice members told about their practice, beliefs about what counted as legitimate work, the role played by the manager, and previous experiences of change. Viewing general practices as small organisations has generated insights into factors that influence responses to change. Change tends to occur from the bottom up and is determined by beliefs about organisational reality. The conceptual framework suggests some questions that can be asked of practices to explain this internal reality.

  10. Social Understanding of High-Ability Children in Middle and Late Childhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boor-Klip, Henrike J.; Cillessen, Antonius H. N.; van Hell, Janet G.

    2014-01-01

    Despite its importance in social development, social understanding has hardly been studied in high-ability children. This study explores differences in social understanding between children in high-ability and regular classrooms, specifically theory of mind (ToM) and perception accuracy, as well as associations between individual characteristics…

  11. Identification of individuals' value and norms: One missing link to understanding new product success factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harmsen, Hanne; Bove, Karsten

    and product and market characteristics to include aspects like individual and organisational skills, knowledge, values, and norms. We also argue that the focus on the mentioned aspects have limited the possibility of implementing the normative advice. Combining new product development literature with recent...

  12. Children's developing understanding of what and how they learn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobel, David M; Letourneau, Susan M

    2015-04-01

    What do children know about learning? Children between 4 and 10 years of age were asked what they thought the word learning meant and then engaged in a structured interview about what kinds of things they learned and how they learned those things. Most of the 4- and 5-year-olds' responses to these questions indicated a lack of awareness about the nature of learning or how learning occurs. In contrast, the 8- to 10-year-olds showed a strong understanding of learning as a process and could often generate explicit metacognitive responses indicating that they understood under what circumstances learning would occur. The 6- and 7-year-olds were in a transitional stage between these two levels of understanding. We discuss the implications of this development with children's theory-of-mind development more generally. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Teamwork in perioperative nursing. Understanding team development, effectiveness, evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farley, M J

    1991-03-01

    Teams are an essential part of perioperative nursing practice. Nurses who have a knowledge of teamwork and experience in working on teams have a greater understanding of the processes and problems involved as teams develop from new, immature teams to those that are mature and effective. This understanding will assist nurses in helping their teams achieve a higher level of productivity, and members will be more satisfied with team efforts. Team development progresses through several stages. Each stage has certain characteristics and desired outcomes. At each stage, team members and leaders have certain responsibilities. Team growth does not take place automatically and inevitably, but as a consequence of conscious and unconscious efforts of its leader and members to solve problems and satisfy needs. Building and maintaining a team is certainly work, but work that brings a great deal of satisfaction and feelings of pride in accomplishment. According to I Tenzer, RN, MS, teamwork "is not a panacea; it is a viable approach to developing a hospital's most valuable resource--people."

  14. Personalized medicine for individuals with Down syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCabe, Linda L; McCabe, Edward R B

    2011-01-01

    As the cost of whole genome analysis decreases, we have the opportunity to explore the interactions of various gene changes in an individual that lead to their particular phenotype. This will provide the ability to move from the epidemiologic study of groups, in which, the individuals are treated collectively and homogenously, to personalized medicine, and a model in which the individual is recognized and treated as a distinct entity. We will be applying personalized medicine to individuals with Down syndrome in order to understand and develop biomarkers for increased risk of co-morbidities. Personalized medicine will change the "culture of intractability" of Down syndrome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Language preference and development of dementia among bilingual individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMurtray, Aaron; Saito, Erin; Nakamoto, Beau

    2009-10-01

    In bilingual individuals, regression to a primary language may be associated with development of cognitive impairment and increased risk for development of dementia. This report describes two bilingual patients who presented with early symptoms of dementia after regression to their primary language. The results of this study may help clinicians identify aging bilingual patients who are beginning to develop cognitive impairment or dementia and suggest that further studies on the long term cognitive effects of bilingualism and interactions with the aging process are indicated.

  16. Universality and correlations in individuals wandering through an online extremist space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Z.; Zheng, M.; Vorobyeva, Y.; Song, C.; Johnson, N. F.

    2018-03-01

    The "out of the blue" nature of recent terror attacks and the diversity of apparent motives highlight the importance of understanding the online trajectories that individuals follow prior to developing high levels of extremist support. Here we show that the physics of stochastic walks, with and without temporal correlation, provides a unifying description of these online trajectories. Our unique data set comprising all users of a global social media site reveals universal characteristics in individuals' online lifetimes. Our accompanying theory generates analytical and numerical solutions that describe the characteristics shown by individuals that go on to develop high levels of extremist support and those that do not. Going forward, it is conceivable that a deeper understanding of these temporal and many-body correlations may eventually contribute to the important task of better countering the spread of radical propaganda online.

  17. Conceptual Models of the Individual Public Service Provider

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lotte Bøgh; Pedersen, Lene Holm; Bhatti, Yosef

    are used to gain insight on the motivation of public service providers; namely principal-agent theory, self-determination theory and public service motivation theory. We situate the theoretical discussions in the context of public service providers being transferred to private organizations......Individual public service providers’ motivation can be conceptualized as either extrinsic, autonomous or prosocial, and the question is how we can best theoretically understand this complexity without losing too much coherence and parsimony. Drawing on Allison’s approach (1969), three perspectives...... theoretical – to develop a coherent model of individual public service providers – but the empirical illustration also contributes to our understanding of motivation in the context of public sector outsourcing....

  18. Understanding the individual to implement the ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Taylor D; Algera, Dirk A; Gallagher, Austin J; Hawkins, Emily; Horodysky, Andrij; Jørgensen, Christian; Killen, Shaun S; McKenzie, David J; Metcalfe, Julian D; Peck, Myron A; Vu, Maria; Cooke, Steven J

    2016-01-01

    Ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management (EAFMs) have emerged as requisite for sustainable use of fisheries resources. At the same time, however, there is a growing recognition of the degree of variation among individuals within a population, as well as the ecological consequences of this variation. Managing resources at an ecosystem level calls on practitioners to consider evolutionary processes, and ample evidence from the realm of fisheries science indicates that anthropogenic disturbance can drive changes in predominant character traits (e.g. size at maturity). Eco-evolutionary theory suggests that human-induced trait change and the modification of selective regimens might contribute to ecosystem dynamics at a similar magnitude to species extirpation, extinction and ecological dysfunction. Given the dynamic interaction between fisheries and target species via harvest and subsequent ecosystem consequences, we argue that individual diversity in genetic, physiological and behavioural traits are important considerations under EAFMs. Here, we examine the role of individual variation in a number of contexts relevant to fisheries management, including the potential ecological effects of rapid trait change. Using select examples, we highlight the extent of phenotypic diversity of individuals, as well as the ecological constraints on such diversity. We conclude that individual phenotypic diversity is a complex phenomenon that needs to be considered in EAFMs, with the ultimate realization that maintaining or increasing individual trait diversity may afford not only species, but also entire ecosystems, with enhanced resilience to environmental perturbations. Put simply, individuals are the foundation from which population- and ecosystem-level traits emerge and are therefore of central importance for the ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management.

  19. Seeking to understand lived experiences of personal recovery in personality disorder in community and forensic settings - a qualitative methods investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shepherd, Andrew; Sanders, Caroline; Shaw, Jenny

    2017-08-01

    Understandings of personal recovery have emerged as an alternative framework to traditional ideas of clinical progression, or symptom remission, in clinical practice. Most research in this field has focussed on the experience of individuals suffering with psychotic disorders and little research has been conducted to explore the experience of individuals with a personality disorder diagnosis, despite the high prevalence of such difficulties. The nature of the personality disorder diagnosis, together with high prevalence rates in forensic settings, renders the understanding of recovery in these contexts particularly problematic. The current study seeks to map out pertinent themes relating to the recovery process in personality disorder as described by individuals accessing care in either community or forensic settings. Individual qualitative interviews were utilised to explore the lived experience of those receiving a personality disorder diagnosis and accessing mental health care in either community or forensic settings. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify shared concepts and understanding between participants. Fourty-one individual participant interviews were conducted across forensic and community settings. Recovery was presented by participants as a developing negotiated understanding of the self, together with looked for change and hope in the future. Four specific themes emerged in relation to this process: 1. Understanding early lived experience as informing sense of self 2. Developing emotional control 3. Diagnosis as linking understanding and hope for change 4. The role of mental health services. Through considering personal recovery in personality disorder as a negotiated understanding between the individual, their social networks and professionals this study illustrates the complexity of working through such a process. Clarity of understanding in this area is essential to avoid developing resistance in the recovery process. Understanding of

  20. Developing Thinking and Understanding in Young Children: An Introduction for Students. Second Edition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robson, Sue

    2012-01-01

    Developing "Thinking and Understanding in Young Children" presents a comprehensive and accessible overview of contemporary theory and research about young children's developing thinking and understanding. Throughout this second edition, the ideas and theories presented are enlivened by transcripts of children's activities and conversations taken…

  1. Understanding human DNA sequence variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, K K; Pakstis, A J; Speed, W C; Kidd, J R

    2004-01-01

    Over the past century researchers have identified normal genetic variation and studied that variation in diverse human populations to determine the amounts and distributions of that variation. That information is being used to develop an understanding of the demographic histories of the different populations and the species as a whole, among other studies. With the advent of DNA-based markers in the last quarter century, these studies have accelerated. One of the challenges for the next century is to understand that variation. One component of that understanding will be population genetics. We present here examples of many of the ways these new data can be analyzed from a population perspective using results from our laboratory on multiple individual DNA-based polymorphisms, many clustered in haplotypes, studied in multiple populations representing all major geographic regions of the world. These data support an "out of Africa" hypothesis for human dispersal around the world and begin to refine the understanding of population structures and genetic relationships. We are also developing baseline information against which we can compare findings at different loci to aid in the identification of loci subject, now and in the past, to selection (directional or balancing). We do not yet have a comprehensive understanding of the extensive variation in the human genome, but some of that understanding is coming from population genetics.

  2. What the Dynamic Systems Approach Can Offer for Understanding Development: An Example of Mid-childhood Reaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golenia, Laura; Schoemaker, Marina M; Otten, Egbert; Mouton, Leonora J; Bongers, Raoul M

    2017-01-01

    The Dynamic Systems Approach (DSA) to development has been shown to be a promising theory to understand developmental changes. In this perspective, we use the example of mid-childhood (6- to 10-years of age) reaching to show how using the DSA can advance the understanding of development. Mid-childhood is an important developmental period that has often been overshadowed by the focus on the acquisition of reaching during infancy. This underrepresentation of mid-childhood studies is unjustified, as earlier studies showed that important developmental changes in mid-childhood reaching occur that refine the skill of reaching. We review these studies here for the first time and show that different studies revealed different developmental trends, such as non-monotonic and linear trends, for variables such as movement time and accuracy at target. Unfortunately, proposed explanations for these developmental changes have been tailored to individual studies, limiting their scope. Also, explanations were focused on a single component or process in the system that supposedly causes developmental changes. Here, we propose that the DSA can offer an overarching explanation for developmental changes in this research field. According to the DSA, motor behavior emerges from interactions of multiple components entailed by the person, environment, and task. Changes in all these components can potentially contribute to the emerging behavior. We show how the principles of change of the DSA can be used as an overarching framework by applying these principles not only to development, but also the behavior itself. This underlines its applicability to other fields of development.

  3. 45 CFR 1308.19 - Developing individualized education programs (IEPs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN... present level of functioning in the social-emotional, motor, communication, self-help, and cognitive areas... to assure that the parents understand the purpose and proceedings and that they are encouraged to...

  4. Teaching Teaching & Understanding Understanding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2006-01-01

    "Teaching Teaching & Understanding Understanding" is a 19-minute award-winning short-film about teaching at university and higher-level educational institutions. It is based on the "Constructive Alignment" theory developed by Prof. John Biggs. The film delivers a foundation for understanding what...

  5. Context-dependent individual behavioral consistency in Daphnia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heuschele, Jan; Ekvall, Mikael T.; Bianco, Giuseppe

    2017-01-01

    The understanding of consistent individual differences in behavior, often termed "personality," for adapting and coping with threats and novel environmental conditions has advanced considerably during the last decade. However, advancements are almost exclusively associated with higher-order animals......, whereas studies focusing on smaller aquatic organisms are still rare. Here, we show individual differences in the swimming behavior of Daphnia magna, a clonal freshwater invertebrate, before, during, and after being exposed to a lethal threat, ultraviolet radiation (UVR). We show consistency in swimming...... that of adults. Overall, we show that aquatic invertebrates are far from being identical robots, but instead they show considerable individual differences in behavior that can be attributed to both ontogenetic development and individual consistency. Our study also demonstrates, for the first time...

  6. The scope and consequences of metaphoric thinking: Using individual differences in metaphor usage to understand how metaphor functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetterman, Adam K; Bair, Jessica L; Werth, Marc; Landkammer, Florian; Robinson, Michael D

    2016-03-01

    People often think, feel, and behave metaphorically according to conceptual metaphor theory. There are normative sources of support for this theory, but individual differences have received scant attention. This is surprising because people are likely to differ in the frequency with which they use metaphors and, therefore, the frequency with which they experience the costs and benefits of metaphoric thinking. To investigate these ideas, a 5-study program of research (total N = 532) was conducted. Study 1 developed and validated a Metaphor Usage Measure (MUM), finding that people were fairly consistent in their tendencies toward literal thought and language on the one hand versus metaphoric thought and language on the other. These differences were, in turn, consequential. Although metaphor usage predicted susceptibility to metaphor transfer effects (Studies 2 and 3), it was also linked to higher levels of emotional understanding (Studies 4 and 5). The findings provide support for several key premises of conceptual metaphor theory in the context of a new measure that can be used to track the consequences of metaphoric thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Communicative foreign language education for development of individual in different cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solovieva, T.S.

    2001-01-01

    Social changes in community and also in principles of education, psychology of activity and philosophy lead to changes in views on human as a whole, on place of individual in society and on definition of individual itself, on essence of education and on foreign language as business communication mean and separate discipline. In this article the development of the individual in the sphere of nuclear industry and technology is considered on the example of Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering as the model of totality of all these factors. (author)

  8. How student teachers’ understanding of the greenhouse effect develops during a teacher education programme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margareta Ekborg

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a longitudinal study on how student teachers’ understanding of the greenhouse effect developed through a teacher education programme in mathematics and science for pupils aged 7-13. All student teachers, who were accepted to the programme one year, were followed trough 2.5 years of the programme. The student teachers took science courses in which they were taught about the greenhouse effect.Data was collected by questionnaires three times. The results show that a majority of the student teachers developed an adequate understanding of the greenhouse effect during the teaching programme. Several of the students developed further in the second science course. However a rather big group of students with poor understanding did not develop any further in the second science course and no one demonstrated full understanding. Different ways of collecting data and categorising responses affected how the students’ understanding was interpreted.

  9. Chemical Reactions: What Understanding Do Students with Blindness Develop?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Amy L. Micklos; Bodner, George M.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the understanding of chemical equations developed by three students with blindness who were enrolled in the same secondary-school chemistry class. The students were interviewed while interpreting and balancing chemical equations. During the course of these interviews, the students produced diagrams using Braille symbols that…

  10. Children's Aural and Kinesthetic Understanding of Rhythm: Developing an Instructional Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Adam D.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of aural and kinesthetic rhythm skill development in elementary school-age children. In this study, I examined my curriculum model for rhythm understanding, which included creating and implementing assessments of movement skills in meter and rhythm. The research questions were: 1.…

  11. The Development of Siblings' Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glasberg, Beth A.

    2000-01-01

    Sixty-three siblings (and their parents) of individuals with autism or related disorders were interviewed to determine their cognitive sophistication about autism. Although children's reasoning became more mature with age, it tended to develop at a delayed rate compared to norms for illness concepts. Parents tended to overestimate their child's…

  12. Understanding the Role of Cultural Intelligence in Individual Creativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yunlu, Dilek G.; Clapp-Smith, Rachel; Shaffer, Margaret

    2017-01-01

    Employing creative cognition theory, this study investigates the relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) and creativity. Using data from 394 full-time employees, metacognitive, cognitive, and motivational forms of CQ were found to have positive relationships with individual creativity. In addition, the positive effect of cognitive CQ on…

  13. Individual Differences in the Extent and Development of Aggressive Cognitive-Associative Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushman, Brad J.

    1996-01-01

    Extends L. Berkowitz's neoassociationist aggression model by considering the role of personality variables. Experiment one tested the hypothesis that high-trait-aggressive individuals have more developed aggressive cognitive-associative networks than low-trait-aggressive individuals. In experiment two, participants rated the stimulus words used in…

  14. Increased susceptibility of blood type O individuals to develop anemia in Plasmodium vivax infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Resende, Sarah Stela; Milagres, Vanessa Gonçalves; Chaves, Daniel Gonçalves; Fontes, Cor Jesus Fernandes; Carvalho, Luzia Helena; Sousa, Tais Nobrega; Brito, Cristiana Ferreira Alves de

    2017-06-01

    Plasmodium vivax has been reported to cause severe malaria, and one of the main resulting complications is anemia. Considering that P. vivax infects only young erythrocytes, anemia has been associated with the destruction of infected and non-infected erythrocytes. However, few studies have focused on understanding the relationship between the pathogenesis of P. vivax malaria and human genetic polymorphisms. Although ABO groups seem to influence the outcome of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the association between P. vivax and ABO blood groups has been minimally investigated. Thus, we investigate the correlation between ABO blood groups and anemia induced by P. vivax infection. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms at the ABO gene were genotyped by PCR-RFLP and Real-Time PCR in P. vivax-infected subjects. The ABO blood types were associated with the hematological data of the patients. Our main finding was that type O infected-individuals showed lower levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit compared to type A-infected individuals. The correlation between ABO blood groups and hemoglobin levels remained significant when a multiple linear regression was applied with the possible confounding effects of clinical-epidemiologic variables taken into account. The finding that type O individuals have a higher frequency of anemia is a first step to understand the mechanisms involved in malaria anemia, which could be associated to increased destruction of type O erythrocytes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Guiding Students to Develop an Understanding of Scientific Inquiry: A Science Skills Approach to Instruction and Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Elisa M.

    2014-01-01

    New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations—for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls—and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level. PMID:24591508

  16. Guiding students to develop an understanding of scientific inquiry: a science skills approach to instruction and assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Elisa M

    2014-01-01

    New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations-for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls-and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level.

  17. Subject- and Experience-Bound Differences in Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Sustainable Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, C.; Gericke, N.; Höglund, H.-O.; Bergman, E.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the results of a nationwide questionnaire study of 3229 Swedish upper secondary school teachers' conceptual understanding of sustainable development in relation to their subject discipline and teaching experience. Previous research has shown that teachers have difficulties understanding the complex concept of sustainable…

  18. Understanding ethnopharmacolgy: implications for cultural relativism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidhizar, Ruth; Giger, Joyce Newman

    2008-07-01

    It is commonly accepted that people differ culturally. In the Giger and Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model, cultural differences are evident in communication, spatial relationships and needs, social organizations (church, family, kinships, and clubs), time orientation, the ability or desire to control the environment, and biological variations (Giger & Davidhizar, 2008). While many individuals appreciate that there are differences between cultures, what is less well recognized is that people also vary according to biological variations depending on their racial and ethnic group. In the last 15 years, information about biological variations has rapidly expanded and that knowledge is essential in order to understand and provide care to individuals from another culture or another racial and ethnic group. Attention to biological variations related to race and ethnicity, the last component of the Giger and Davidhizar Transcultural Nursing Assessment Model, is a critical phenomenon that needs to be assessed in order to develop and implement a culturally sensitive plan of care in an effort to understand ethnopharmacolgy.

  19. Public Understanding of Sustainable Development: Some Implications for Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, William

    2015-01-01

    A number of recent surveys of public opinion claim that there is now widespread acceptance of the need for sustainable development, and that the general public, through its social and consumer activity is already successfully engaged. However, in all this, the focus has primarily been on individual and family behaviours such as recycling and…

  20. Understanding Female Students' Physics Identity Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazari, Zahra

    2017-01-01

    While the gender gap in physics participation is a known problem, practical strategies that may improve the situation are not well understood. As physics education researchers, we draw on evidence to help inform us of what may or may not be working. To this end, physics identity has proven to be a useful framework for understanding and predicting participation in physics. Drawing on data from national surveys of college students, case studies in physics classes, and surveys of undergraduate women in physics, we identify strategies that are predictive of female students' physics identity development from their high school and undergraduate physics experiences. These findings will be discussed as well as future directions for using this research to increase the recruitment of women to physics-related careers. NSF Grant # 1431846.

  1. Modelling individual difference in visual categorization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Jianhong; Palmeri, Thomas J

    Recent years has seen growing interest in understanding, characterizing, and explaining individual differences in visual cognition. We focus here on individual differences in visual categorization. Categorization is the fundamental visual ability to group different objects together as the same kind of thing. Research on visual categorization and category learning has been significantly informed by computational modeling, so our review will focus both on how formal models of visual categorization have captured individual differences and how individual difference have informed the development of formal models. We first examine the potential sources of individual differences in leading models of visual categorization, providing a brief review of a range of different models. We then describe several examples of how computational models have captured individual differences in visual categorization. This review also provides a bit of an historical perspective, starting with models that predicted no individual differences, to those that captured group differences, to those that predict true individual differences, and to more recent hierarchical approaches that can simultaneously capture both group and individual differences in visual categorization. Via this selective review, we see how considerations of individual differences can lead to important theoretical insights into how people visually categorize objects in the world around them. We also consider new directions for work examining individual differences in visual categorization.

  2. Gender identity, gender assignment and reassignment in individuals with disorders of sex development: a major of dilemma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, A D; Ristori, J; Fanni, E; Castellini, G; Forti, G; Maggi, M

    2016-11-01

    Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) are a wide range of congenital conditions characterized by an incongruence of components involved in sexual differentiation, including gender psychosexual development. The management of such disorders is complex, and one of the most crucial decision is represented by gender assignment. In fact, the primary goal in DSD is to have a gender assignment consistent with the underlying gender identity in order to prevent the distress related to a forthcoming Gender Dysphoria. Historically, gender assignment was based essentially on surgical outcomes, assuming the neutrality of gender identity at birth. This policy has been challenged in the past decade refocusing on the importance of prenatal and postnatal hormonal and genetic influences on psychosexual development. (1) to update the main psychological and medical issues that surround DSD, in particular regarding gender identity and gender assignment; (2) to report specific clinical recommendations according to the different diagnosis. A systematic search of published evidence was performed using Medline (from 1972 to March 2016). Review of the relevant literature and recommendations was based on authors' expertise. A review of gender identity and assignment in DSD is provided as well as clinical recommendations for the management of individuals with DSD. Given the complexity of this management, DSD individuals and their families need to be supported by a specialized multidisciplinary team, which has been universally recognized as the best practice for intersexual conditions. In case of juvenile GD in DSD, the prescription of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, following the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society guidelines, should be considered. It should always be taken into account that every DSD person is unique and has to be treated with individualized care. In this perspective, international registries are crucial to improve the

  3. Measuring the development of conceptual understanding in chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claesgens, Jennifer Marie

    The purpose of this dissertation research is to investigate and characterize how students learn chemistry from pre-instruction to deeper understanding of the subject matter in their general chemistry coursework. Based on preliminary work, I believe that students have a general pathway of learning across the "big ideas," or concepts, in chemistry that can be characterized over the course of instruction. My hypothesis is that as students learn chemistry they build from experience and logical reasoning then relate chemistry specific ideas in a pair-wise fashion before making more complete multi-relational links for deeper understanding of the subject matter. This proposed progression of student learning, which starts at Notions, moves to Recognition, and then to Formulation, is described in the ChemQuery Perspectives framework. My research continues the development of ChemQuery, an NSF-funded assessment system that uses a framework of the key ideas in the discipline and criterion-referenced analysis using item response theory (IRT) to map student progress. Specifially, this research investigates the potential for using criterion-referenced analysis to describe and measure how students learn chemistry followed by more detailed task analysis of patterns in student responses found in the data. My research question asks: does IRT work to describe and measure how students learn chemistry and if so, what is discovered about how students learn? Although my findings seem to neither entirely support nor entirely refute the pathway of student understanding proposed in the ChemQuery Perspectives framework. My research does provide an indication of trouble spots. For example, it seems like the pathway from Notions to Recognition is holding but there are difficulties around the transition from Recognition to Formulation that cannot be resolved with this data. Nevertheless, this research has produced the following, which has contributed to the development of the Chem

  4. Generating or developing grounded theory: methods to understand health and illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woods, Phillip; Gapp, Rod; King, Michelle A

    2016-06-01

    Grounded theory is a qualitative research methodology that aims to explain social phenomena, e.g. why particular motivations or patterns of behaviour occur, at a conceptual level. Developed in the 1960s by Glaser and Strauss, the methodology has been reinterpreted by Strauss and Corbin in more recent times, resulting in different schools of thought. Differences arise from different philosophical perspectives concerning knowledge (epistemology) and the nature of reality (ontology), demanding that researchers make clear theoretical choices at the commencement of their research when choosing this methodology. Compared to other qualitative methods it has ability to achieve understanding of, rather than simply describing, a social phenomenon. Achieving understanding however, requires theoretical sampling to choose interviewees that can contribute most to the research and understanding of the phenomenon, and constant comparison of interviews to evaluate the same event or process in different settings or situations. Sampling continues until conceptual saturation is reached, i.e. when no new concepts emerge from the data. Data analysis focusses on categorising data (finding the main elements of what is occurring and why), and describing those categories in terms of properties (conceptual characteristics that define the category and give meaning) and dimensions (the variations within properties which produce specificity and range). Ultimately a core category which theoretically explains how all other categories are linked together is developed from the data. While achieving theoretical abstraction in the core category, it should be logical and capture all of the variation within the data. Theory development requires understanding of the methodology not just working through a set of procedures. This article provides a basic overview, set in the literature surrounding grounded theory, for those wanting to increase their understanding and quality of research output.

  5. The Effect of Literature on Personality Development of Individuals Using Some Variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatlilioglu, Kasim

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this work is to investigate whether literature has effect on the personality development of individuals or not. This works aims to provide answers to the following research questions: "Does literature have effect on individuals' general harmony level, their social cohesion levels, personal harmony level, self-actualization level,…

  6. Individual Microentrepreneurs: A Study of Their Actions and Perceptions in Response to the Requirements of Sustainable Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilton dos Santos Portugal

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the actions and perceptions of small individual entrepreneurs and is justified by the socioeconomic importance of this new business characterization and the projection of the growth of its formalization, which depicts figures and percentages of significant contribution to the development of the country. In order to understand the sustainable management standards, the study was characterized as descriptive, quantitative, opting for the survey, with the application of structured questionnaires in a sample of 391 entrepreneurs in the micro region of Varginha (MG. From the results it was possible to show a low involvement of small individual entrepreneurs with social and environmental issues. They showed a lack of guidelines aimed at environmental preservation and a lack of interest in volunteering. However, perceptions of the adoption of actions aimed at preserving the environment being able to ensure better living conditions for future generations were frequent; so were the belief that attitudes towards the improvement and welfare of the human being may provide advantages for the company.

  7. Development of Individualized Anti-Metastasis Strategies by Engineering Nanomedicines

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Qianjun; Guo, Shengrong; Qian, Zhiyong; Chen, Xiaoyuan

    2015-01-01

    Metastasis is deadly and also tough to treat as it is much more complicated than the primary tumour. Anti-metastasis approaches available so far are far from being optimal. A variety of nanomedicine formulas provide a plethora of opportunities for developing new strategies and means for tackling metastasis. It should be noted that individualized anti-metastatic nanomedicines are different from common anti-cancer nanomedicines as they specifically target different populations of malignant cells. This review briefly introduces the features of the metastatic cascade, and proposes a series of nanomedicine-based anti-metastasis strategies aiming to block each metastatic step. Moreover, we also concisely introduce the advantages of several promising nanoparticle platforms and their potential for constructing state-of-the-art individualized anti-metastatic nanomedicines. PMID:26056688

  8. A review and framework for understanding the potential impact of poor solid waste management on health in developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziraba, Abdhalah K; Haregu, Tilahun Nigatu; Mberu, Blessing

    2016-01-01

    The increase in solid waste generated per capita in Africa has not been accompanied by a commensurate growth in the capacity and funding to manage it. It is reported that less than 30% of urban waste in developing countries is collected and disposed appropriately. The implications of poorly managed waste on health are numerous and depend on the nature of the waste, individuals exposed, duration of exposure and availability of interventions for those exposed. To present a framework for understanding the linkages between poor solid waste management, exposure and associated adverse health outcomes. The framework will aid understanding of the relationships, interlinkages and identification of the potential points for intervention. Development of the framework was informed by a review of literature on solid waste management policies, practices and its impact on health in developing countries. A configurative synthesis of literature was applied to develop the framework. Several iterations of the framework were reviewed by experts in the field. Each linkage and outcomes are described in detail as outputs of this study. The resulting framework identifies groups of people at a heightened risk of exposure and the potential health consequences. Using the iceberg metaphor, the framework illustrates the pathways and potential burden of ill-health related to solid waste that is hidden but rapidly unfolding with our inaction. The existing evidence on the linkage between poor solid waste management and adverse health outcomes calls to action by all stakeholders in understanding, prioritizing, and addressing the issue of solid waste in our midst to ensure that our environment and health are preserved. A resulting framework developed in this study presents a clearer picture of the linkages between poor solid waste management and could guide research, policy and action.

  9. LENDING PROJECT IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL INDIVIDUAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN MOLDOVA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurelia LITVIN

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Economic development within rural areas of the Republic of Moldova is affected by multiple issues which cross the agricultural individual sector development. One of the main factors that would influence positively the development of agriculture is investment. Investment plays an important role on the country's economy, representing the material support of its economic and social development. It ensures the permanent capital increase, advances the technical and economic efficiency of existing ones and creates new places of employment. In this context, investment is the decisive element of economic growth, of the intensive, qualitative and effective factors promotion.

  10. Children's understanding of area concepts: development, curriculum and educational achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Trevor G; Parkinson, Kellie

    2010-01-01

    As one part of a series of studies undertaken to investigate the contribution of developmental attributes of learners to school learning, a representative sample of forty-two students (age from 5 years and 3 months to 13 years and 1 month) was randomly selected from a total student population of 142 students at a small private primary school in northern Australia. Those children's understandings of area concepts taught during the primary school years were assessed by their performance in two testing situations. The first consisted of a written classroom test of ability to solve area problems with items drawn directly from school texts, school examinations and other relevant curriculum documents. The second, which focused more directly on each child's cognitive development, was an individual interview for each child in which four "area" tasks such as the Meadows and Farmhouse Experiment taken from Chapter 11 of The Child's Conception of Geometry (Piaget, Inhelder and Szeminska, 1960, pp. 261-301) were administered. Analysis using the Rasch Partial Credit Model provided a finely detailed quantitative description of the developmental and learning progressions revealed in the data. It is evident that the school mathematics curriculum does not satisfactorily match the learner's developmental sequence at some key points. Moreover, the children's ability to conserve area on the Piagetian tasks, rather than other learner characteristics, such as age and school grade seems to be a precursor for complete success on the mathematical test of area. The discussion focuses on the assessment of developmental (and other) characteristics of school-aged learners and suggests how curriculum and school organization might better capitalize on such information in the design and sequencing of learning experiences for school children. Some features unique to the Rasch family of measurement models are held to have special significance in elucidating the development/attainment nexus.

  11. 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.    

  12. Understanding road users’ expectations : an essential step for ADAS development.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Houtenbos, M. Jagtman, H.M. Hagenzieker, M.P. Wieringa, P.A. & Hale, A.R.

    2006-01-01

    This article indicates the need for understanding road users’ expectations when developing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Nowadays, technology allows more and more opportunities to provide road users with all sorts of information or even actively support aspects of the driving task.

  13. Developing and Understanding Intelligent Contexts for Playing and Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lasse Juel; Helms, Niels Henrik

    2009-01-01

    of tangible learning media and develop didactic approaches for teachers in primary school and furthermore to use the user experiences in a structured process where children participated in the innovation process. This has raised a fundamental question: How should we understand the relationship between......This short paper outlines experiences and reflections on the research and development project “Octopus” in order to describe and illustrate how intelligent context facilitates and embody learning. The framework is a research and development project where we have tried to work with new kinds......, embodiment, intelligent contexts, structure and flow. This paper does this through Bachtins concept of “Chronotopos” or how time and space influence and structure experience and learning....

  14. Development of offensive individual game skills and offensive game combinations in ice hockey

    OpenAIRE

    Janek, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Title: Development of offensive individual game skills and offensive game combinations in ice hockey Goals: The main aim of this thesis is to gather theoretical information about development and improvement of offensive individual game skills and offensive game combinations in ice hockey and suggest essential and key exercises of this issue. Methods: The thesis was primarily written with the use of searching method based on information from available expert literature, electronic sources and ...

  15. Complexity in Individual Trajectories toward Online Extremism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Cao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Society faces a fundamental global problem of understanding which individuals are currently developing strong support for some extremist entity such as ISIS (Islamic State, even if they never end up doing anything in the real world. The importance of online connectivity in developing intent has been confirmed by recent case studies of already convicted terrorists. Here we use ideas from Complexity to identify dynamical patterns in the online trajectories that individuals take toward developing a high level of extremist support, specifically, for ISIS. Strong memory effects emerge among individuals whose transition is fastest and hence may become “out of the blue” threats in the real world. A generalization of diagrammatic expansion theory helps quantify these characteristics, including the impact of changes in geographical location, and can facilitate prediction of future risks. By quantifying the trajectories that individuals follow on their journey toward expressing high levels of pro-ISIS support—irrespective of whether they then carry out a real-world attack or not—our findings can help move safety debates beyond reliance on static watch-list identifiers such as ethnic background or immigration status and/or postfact interviews with already convicted individuals. Given the broad commonality of social media platforms, our results likely apply quite generally; for example, even on Telegram where (like Twitter there is no built-in group feature as in our study, individuals tend to collectively build and pass through the so-called super-group accounts.

  16. Understanding And Developing Innovative Products And Services: The Essential Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Adrian; McAloone, Timothy Charles

    2006-01-01

    Innovation is synonymous with successful development and implementation, and therefore peculiar to innovation is that it has to prove itself on the market before we can deem it innovative. This paper suggests an approach for understanding the principles for innovative products which is based, not...

  17. Quadriceps rate of torque development and disability in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Hope C; Troy Blackburn, J; Ryan, Eric D; Luc-Harkey, Brittney A; Harkey, Matthew S; Padua, Darin A; Pietrosimone, Brian

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine associations between self-reported function (International Knee Documentation Committee Index), isometric quadriceps strength and rate of torque development in individuals with a unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Forty-one individuals [31% male, BMI mean 25 (SD 4) kg/m 2 , months post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction mean 49 (SD 40)] completed the self-reported function and isometric quadriceps function testing. Rate of torque development was assessed at 0-100ms (early), 100-200ms (late) ms, and peak following the onset of contraction. Associations were examined between rate of torque development, strength, and self-reported function. Linear regression was used to determine the unique amount of variance explained by the combination of rate of torque development and strength. Higher rate of torque development 100-200ms is weakly associated with higher self-reported function in individuals with a unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (r=0.274, p=0.091); however, rate of torque development 100-200ms does not predict a significant amount of variance in self-reported function after accounting for strength (ΔR 2 =0.003, P=0.721). Quadriceps strength has a greater influence on self-reported function compared to rate of torque development in individuals with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with time from surgery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Understanding leadership in the environmental sciences

    OpenAIRE

    Evans, L.; Hicks, C.; Cohen, P.; Case, P.; Prideaux, M.; Mills, D.

    2015-01-01

    Leadership is often assumed, intuitively, to be an important driver of sustainable development. To understand how leadership is conceptualised and analysed in the environmental sciences and to discover what this research says about leadership outcomes, we conducted a review of environmental leadership research over the last ten years. We find that much of the environmental leadership literature we reviewed focuses on a few key individuals and desirable leadership competencies. It also reports...

  19. Development of children’s early understanding of numeric structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasilyeva, Marina

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Understanding of the base-10 structure of multi-digit numbers is one of the critical aspects in early mathematics learning. It has been documented that children from different countries vary in their use of base-10 representations. Questions concerning potential sources of this variability have been debated for decades. One commonly posited explanation is that some languages provide explicit cues about the structure of multi-digit numbers, facilitating the development of base-10 representations. In the present study, we tested this view against an alternative view, positing that variability in children’s learning of numeric structure may reflect differences in their experiences with numbers. The study examined kindergartners and first-graders from four countries: Taiwan, South Korea, the USA, and Russia. Results showed that the use of base-10 representations by American first-graders increased dramatically over the last decades, following changes in curricular guidelines. First-graders across the four countries showed some differences in performance (however, not consistent with the language account, whereas kindergartners performed comparably despite the differences in their languages. The results suggest that the nature of early math instruction may be critical for children’s developing understanding of numeric structure.

  20. Threshold concepts as barriers to understanding climate science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walton, P.

    2013-12-01

    Whilst the scientific case for current climate change is compelling, the consequences of climate change have largely failed to permeate through to individuals. This lack of public awareness of the science and the potential impacts could be considered a key obstacle to action. The possible reasons for such limited success centre on the issue that climate change is a complex subject, and that a wide ranging academic, political and social research literature on the science and wider implications of climate change has failed to communicate the key issues in an accessible way. These failures to adequately communicate both the science and the social science of climate change at a number of levels results in ';communication gaps' that act as fundamental barriers to both understanding and engagement with the issue. Meyer and Land (2003) suggest that learners can find certain ideas and concepts within a discipline difficult to understand and these act as a barrier to deeper understanding of a subject. To move beyond these threshold concepts, they suggest that the expert needs to support the learner through a range of learning experiences that allows the development of learning strategies particular to the individual. Meyer and Land's research into these threshold concepts has been situated within Economics, but has been suggested to be more widely applicable though there has been no attempt to either define or evaluate threshold concepts to climate change science. By identifying whether common threshold concepts exist specifically in climate science for cohorts of either formal or informal learners, scientists will be better able to support the public in understanding these concepts by changing how the knowledge is communicated to help overcome these barriers to learning. This paper reports on the findings of a study that examined the role of threshold concepts as barriers to understanding climate science in a UK University and considers its implications for wider

  1. High field superconductor development and understanding project, Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larbalestier, David C.; Lee, Peter J.

    2009-07-15

    Over 25 years the Applied Superconductivity Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provided a vital technical resource to the High Energy Physics community covering development in superconducting strand for HEP accelerator magnet development. In particular the work of the group has been to develop the next generation of high field superconductors for high field application. Grad students Mike Naus, Chad Fischer, Arno Godeke and Matt Jewell improved our understanding of the microstructure and microchemistry of Nb3Sn and their impact on the physical and mechanical properties. The success of this work has led to the continued funding of this work at the ASC after it moved to the NHMFL and also to direct funding from BNL for some aspects of Nb3Sn cable evaluation.

  2. Towards an Understanding of Enabling Process Knowing in Global Software Development: A Case Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zahedi, Mansooreh; Babar, Muhammad Ali

    2014-01-01

    Shared understanding of Software Engineering (SE) processes, that we call process knowing, is required for effective communication and coordination and communication within a team in order to improve team performance. SE Process knowledge can include roles, responsibilities and flow of informatio...... challenges of lack of process knowing and how an organization can enable process knowing for achieving the desired results that also help in increasing social interactions and positive behavioral changes......Shared understanding of Software Engineering (SE) processes, that we call process knowing, is required for effective communication and coordination and communication within a team in order to improve team performance. SE Process knowledge can include roles, responsibilities and flow of information...... over a project lifecycle. Developing and sustaining process knowledge can be more challenging in Global Software Development (GSD). GSD distances can limit the ability of a team to develop a common understanding of processes. Anecdotes of the problems caused by lack of common understanding of processes...

  3. The Impact of an Instructional Intervention Designed to Support Development of Stochastic Understanding of Probability Distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conant, Darcy Lynn

    2013-01-01

    Stochastic understanding of probability distribution undergirds development of conceptual connections between probability and statistics and supports development of a principled understanding of statistical inference. This study investigated the impact of an instructional course intervention designed to support development of stochastic…

  4. Understanding energy technology developments from an innovation system perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borup, M.; Nygaard Madsen, A. [Risoe National Lab., DTU, Systems Analysis Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Gregersen, Birgitte [Aalborg Univ., Department of Business Studies (Denmark)

    2007-05-15

    With the increased market-orientation and privatisation of the energy area, the perspective of innovation is becoming more and more relevant for understanding the dynamics of change and technology development in the area. A better understanding of the systemic and complex processes of innovation is needed. This paper presents an innovation systems analysis of new and emerging energy technologies in Denmark. The study focuses on five technology areas: bio fuels, hydrogen technology, wind energy, solar cells and energy-efficient end-use technologies. The main result of the analysis is that the technology areas are quite diverse in a number of innovation-relevant issues like actor set-up, institutional structure, maturity, and connections between market and non-market aspects. The paper constitutes background for discussing the framework conditions for transition to sustainable energy technologies and strengths and weaknesses of the innovation systems. (au)

  5. Developing and Understanding Intelligent Contexts for Playing and Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lasse Juel; Helms, Niels Henrik

    of tangible learning media and develop didactic approaches for teachers in a primary school and furthermore to use the user experiences in a structured process where children participated in the innovation process. This has raised a fundamental question: How should we understand the relationship between....... This paper therefore aims at illustrating how and why the “Octopus” works and functions in a learning community (school) and discus the relations between distinctions, embodiment, intelligent contexts, structure and flow. This paper introduces a new reading of pervasive learning environments as the “Octopus......” through M.M. Bachtins concept of “Chronotopos” or how time and space influence and structure experience and learning.  We have adapted this theory that originally is about literature in order to find new ways of understanding the time and place relation in learning....

  6. Understanding College Students' Civic Identity Development: A Grounded Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Matthew R.

    2017-01-01

    This article presents the results of a study designed to understand the development of college students' civic identity--that is, an identity encompassing their knowledge, attitudes, values, and actions regarding civic engagement. Grounded theory was used to examine the experiences and attitudes of 19 college seniors who manifested strong civic…

  7. Contrasting Expectations of Individuals and Collectivists: Achieving Effective Group Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waltman, John L.; Bush-Bacelis, Jean L.

    1995-01-01

    Techniques for training students of international business to understand collectivism and individualism, both as they affect classroom interaction and as they may affect intercultural relations in business, are presented. Tools are offered for adapting group projects given to individualists in individualist cultures to help them develop a…

  8. An evolutionary ecology of individual differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dall, Sasha R. X.; Bell, Alison M.; Bolnick, Daniel I.; Ratnieks, Francis L. W.

    2014-01-01

    Individuals often differ in what they do. This has been recognised since antiquity. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary significance of such variation is attracting widespread interest, which is burgeoning to an extent that is fragmenting the literature. As a first attempt at synthesis, we focus on individual differences in behaviour within populations that exceed the day-to-day variation in individual behaviour (i.e. behavioural specialisation). Indeed, the factors promoting ecologically relevant behavioural specialisation within natural populations are likely to have far-reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences. We discuss such individual differences from three distinct perspectives: individual niche specialisations, the division of labour within insect societies and animal personality variation. In the process, while recognising that each area has its own unique motivations, we identify a number of opportunities for productive ‘crossfertilisation’ among the (largely independent) bodies of work. We conclude that a complete understanding of evolutionarily and ecologically relevant individual differences must specify how ecological interactions impact the basic biological process (e.g. Darwinian selection, development and information processing) that underpin the organismal features determining behavioural specialisations. Moreover, there is likely to be covariation amongst behavioural specialisations. Thus, we sketch the key elements of a general framework for studying the evolutionary ecology of individual differences. PMID:22897772

  9. Sensitivity and Awareness: A Guide for Developing Understanding among Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McPhee, Norma H.; Favazza, Paddy C.; Lewis, Eleanore Grater

    This guide is designed specifically as a resource for classroom teachers, librarians, or consultants who are concerned with helping children develop an understanding and an ease with people who are different, especially people with disabilities. The book includes materials to be used in sensitivity and awareness discussion sessions based on 12…

  10. Communicative foreign language education for development of individual in different cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solovieva, T.S.

    2000-01-01

    In this article the development of the individual in the sphere of nuclear industry and technology is considered on the example of Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering as the model of totality of all these factors. (authors)

  11. Any Small Change?: Teacher Education, Compassion, Understandings and Perspectives on Global Development Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varadharajan, Meera; Buchanan, John

    2017-01-01

    Increased migration of people(s), goods, ideas and ideologies necessitate global understanding, empathies and responses on the part of teachers and their students. This paper investigates the effects on 100 primary pre-service teachers' understandings of and attitudes toward a semester-long course exploring, inter alia, global development. The…

  12. Developing Internet interventions to target the individual impact of stigma in health conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neil Thomas

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available A number of health problems are associated with significant stigma, a social phenomenon in which individuals become the object of negative stereotypes. In addition to experiencing negative reactions from others, stigmatised individuals and groups can experience harmful consequences when they internalise these negative prevailing attitudes. The objective of this paper was to consider the potential to develop Internet-based health-related interventions explicitly targeting the effects of stigma on the individual. A review of the literature was conducted to synthesise current conceptualisations of stigma and self-stigma across a number of groups, and to identify current intervention developments. Self-stigma reduction strategies developed for in-person services include cognitive reframing, myth busting, contact with other members of the stigmatised group, and disclosure promotion. The development and provision of interventions targeting self-stigma within an online environment is in its infancy. Our review considers there to be particular potential of online interventions for this target, associated with the capacity of the Internet to promote having contact with peers within one’s stigmatised group, and for user interaction and empowerment. We conclude that self-stigma is a domain in which there is significant potential for innovation with health-related interventions, and provide a number of recommendations for online intervention development.

  13. A territorial understanding of sustainability in public development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peti, Marton, E-mail: mpeti@vati.hu

    2012-01-15

    Sustainability theories in European Union (EU) development policies are facing significant challenges: it is difficult to transmit context-specific, publicly communicable messages; the recent development policies strengthen the concurrent development paradigm of economic growth and competitiveness; 'climate change' became a more popular environmental integration term than sustainability in the last few years. However, due to the recent crises of the economic growth, there is a great chance to reintroduce a sustainability-based development. A territorial/regional understanding of sustainability can also be an answer for the current challenges, a platform for refreshing the concept with relevant, specific messages that are close to the everyday life. This paper summarises the 'territorial system'-based basic principles of territorial sustainability in a model called AUTHARSIIV (AUTonomy, HARmony, Solidarity, Innovation, Identity and Values). This is a supplementary sustainability content specified for the context of spatial/regional development or planning. The paper also examines the presence of 'general and territorial sustainability' in regional development programmes, and case studies on applying the territorial sustainability principles in planning, assessment, and implementation. According to the results, sustainability is rarely adapted to the conditions of a given sector or a region, and the territorial aspect of sustainability is underrepresented even in territorial programmes. Therefore, the paper proposes a new planning and assessment system that is based on a set of regionally legitimate sustainability values.

  14. A territorial understanding of sustainability in public development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Péti, Márton

    2012-01-01

    Sustainability theories in European Union (EU) development policies are facing significant challenges: it is difficult to transmit context-specific, publicly communicable messages; the recent development policies strengthen the concurrent development paradigm of economic growth and competitiveness; ‘climate change’ became a more popular environmental integration term than sustainability in the last few years. However, due to the recent crises of the economic growth, there is a great chance to reintroduce a sustainability-based development. A territorial/regional understanding of sustainability can also be an answer for the current challenges, a platform for refreshing the concept with relevant, specific messages that are close to the everyday life. This paper summarises the ‘territorial system’-based basic principles of territorial sustainability in a model called AUTHARSIIV (AUTonomy, HARmony, Solidarity, Innovation, Identity and Values). This is a supplementary sustainability content specified for the context of spatial/regional development or planning. The paper also examines the presence of ‘general and territorial sustainability’ in regional development programmes, and case studies on applying the territorial sustainability principles in planning, assessment, and implementation. According to the results, sustainability is rarely adapted to the conditions of a given sector or a region, and the territorial aspect of sustainability is underrepresented even in territorial programmes. Therefore, the paper proposes a new planning and assessment system that is based on a set of regionally legitimate sustainability values.

  15. Measuring and Comparing Academic Language Development and Conceptual Understanding via Science Notebooks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huerta, Margarita; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael

    2016-01-01

    The authors of this quantitative study measured and compared the academic language development and conceptual understanding of fifth-grade economically disadvantaged English language learners (ELL), former ELLs, and native English-speaking (ES) students as reflected in their science notebook scores. Using an instrument they developed, the authors…

  16. Understanding the structure of skill through a detailed analysis of Individuals' performance on the Space Fortress game.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towne, Tyler J; Boot, Walter R; Ericsson, K Anders

    2016-09-01

    In this paper we describe a novel approach to the study of individual differences in acquired skilled performance in complex laboratory tasks based on an extension of the methodology of the expert-performance approach (Ericsson & Smith, 1991) to shorter periods of training and practice. In contrast to more traditional approaches that study the average performance of groups of participants, we explored detailed behavioral changes for individual participants across their development on the Space Fortress game. We focused on dramatic individual differences in learning and skill acquisition at the individual level by analyzing the archival game data of several interesting players to uncover the specific structure of their acquired skill. Our analysis revealed that even after maximal values for game-generated subscores were reached, the most skilled participant's behaviors such as his flight path, missile firing, and mine handling continued to be refined and improved (Participant 17 from Boot et al., 2010). We contrasted this participant's behavior with the behavior of several other participants and found striking differences in the structure of their performance, which calls into question the appropriateness of averaging their data. For example, some participants engaged in different control strategies such as "world wrapping" or maintaining a finely-tuned circular flight path around the fortress (in contrast to Participant 17's angular flight path). In light of these differences, we raise fundamental questions about how skill acquisition for individual participants should be studied and described. Our data suggest that a detailed analysis of individuals' data is an essential step for generating a general theory of skill acquisition that explains improvement at the group and individual levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Mapping What Young Students Understand and Value Regarding Sustainable Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manni, Annika; Sporre, Karin; Ottander, Christina

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a study carried out to investigate how 10-12 year old Swedish students understand and value the issue of sustainable development. The responses from open-ended questions in a questionnaire have been analyzed through a content analysis based on a phenomenographic approach. The results show that there are…

  18. Supporting Staff to Develop a Shared Understanding of Science Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sampey, Carol

    2018-01-01

    Assessment is not something that stands alone and teachers need support to develop their understanding of both assessment practices and the subject being assessed. Teachers at Shaw Primary School were fortunate to take part in the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project and, in this article, the outlines how science and assessment can…

  19. Developing improved MD codes for understanding processive cellulases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowley, M F; Nimlos, M R; Himmel, M E; Uberbacher, E C; Iii, C L Brooks; Walker, R C

    2008-01-01

    The mechanism of action of cellulose-degrading enzymes is illuminated through a multidisciplinary collaboration that uses molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and expands the capabilities of MD codes to allow simulations of enzymes and substrates on petascale computational facilities. There is a class of glycoside hydrolase enzymes called cellulases that are thought to decrystallize and processively depolymerize cellulose using biochemical processes that are largely not understood. Understanding the mechanisms involved and improving the efficiency of this hydrolysis process through computational models and protein engineering presents a compelling grand challenge. A detailed understanding of cellulose structure, dynamics and enzyme function at the molecular level is required to direct protein engineers to the right modifications or to understand if natural thermodynamic or kinetic limits are in play. Much can be learned about processivity by conducting carefully designed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the binding and catalytic domains of cellulases with various substrate configurations, solvation models and thermodynamic protocols. Most of these numerical experiments, however, will require significant modification of existing code and algorithms in order to efficiently use current (terascale) and future (petascale) hardware to the degree of parallelism necessary to simulate a system of the size proposed here. This work will develop MD codes that can efficiently use terascale and petascale systems, not just for simple classical MD simulations, but also for more advanced methods, including umbrella sampling with complex restraints and reaction coordinates, transition path sampling, steered molecular dynamics, and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations of systems the size of cellulose degrading enzymes acting on cellulose

  20. Unifying ecology and macroevolution with individual-based theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosindell, James; Harmon, Luke J; Etienne, Rampal S

    2015-05-01

    A contemporary goal in both ecology and evolutionary biology is to develop theory that transcends the boundary between the two disciplines, to understand phenomena that cannot be explained by either field in isolation. This is challenging because macroevolution typically uses lineage-based models, whereas ecology often focuses on individual organisms. Here, we develop a new parsimonious individual-based theory by adding mild selection to the neutral theory of biodiversity. We show that this model generates realistic phylogenies showing a slowdown in diversification and also improves on the ecological predictions of neutral theory by explaining the occurrence of very common species. Moreover, we find the distribution of individual fitness changes over time, with average fitness increasing at a pace that depends positively on community size. Consequently, large communities tend to produce fitter species than smaller communities. These findings have broad implications beyond biodiversity theory, potentially impacting, for example, invasion biology and paleontology. © 2015 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and CNRS.

  1. Project B.E.S.T.: Language Development Handbook. Kentucky's Individualized Kindergartens (KIK).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kentucky State Dept. of Education, Frankfort. Bureau of Education for Exceptional Children.

    Project BEST (Building Educational and Social Skills Through Training) seeks to develop social skills in students. As a first step, high-risk kindergarten students attending school in Spencer County, Kentucky, were identified through systematic screening and assessment procedures and a curriculum was developed to meet the individual needs of the…

  2. Development of brain synchronisation within school-age--individual analysis of resting (α) coherence in a longitudinal data set.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gmehlin, Dennis; Thomas, Christine; Weisbrod, Matthias; Walther, Stephan; Resch, Franz; Oelkers-Ax, Rieke

    2011-10-01

    Given evidence that synchronisation of neuronal activity may be a correlate of cognition, we examined EEG coherence as function of age and inter-electrode distance in healthy children and adolescents in order to elucidate basic information for a better understanding of developmental disorders associated with deficits in cognitive functions. Based on a 64-channel eyes closed resting EEG we combined local and global coherence measures in order to reduce volume conduction and reference effects. We used a two point longitudinal design in order to analyze intraindividual change during school-age (n=40; 6-18 years). Coherence was analyzed within individually adjusted frequency bands and around iPF (= individual alpha peak frequency). Both local and global resting coherence was largest in the alpha range and particularly around iPF. Local synchronisation was larger in the left compared with the right hemisphere. Controlling for increases in iPF, synchronisation increased with age, with global changes being most pronounced in the alpha range. Moreover age-related changes suggest an earlier development in girls. Our data provides evidence that both local and global functional integration increases during normal development within school-age. This general pattern - combined with more specific effects of sex and frequency - may help to specify deviations in developmental disorders. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allison eGraebner

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available A major question in systems neuroscience is how a single population of neurons can interact with the rest of the brain to orchestrate complex behavioral states. The hypothalamus contains many such discrete neuronal populations that individually regulate arousal, feeding, and drinking. For example, hypothalamic neurons that express hypocretin (Hcrt neuropeptides can sense homeostatic and metabolic factors affecting wakefulness and orchestrate organismal arousal. Neurons that express agouti-related protein (AgRP can sense the metabolic needs of the body and orchestrate a state of hunger. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT can detect the hypertonicity of blood and orchestrate a state of thirst. Each hypothalamic population is sufficient to generate complicated behavioral states through the combined efforts of distinct efferent projections. The principal challenge to understanding these brain systems is therefore to determine the individual roles of each downstream projection for each behavioral state. In recent years, the development and application of temporally precise, genetically encoded tools have greatly improved our understanding of the structure and function of these neural systems. This review will survey recent advances in our understanding of how these individual hypothalamic populations can orchestrate complicated behavioral states due to the combined efforts of individual downstream projections.

  4. Development of detection method for individual environmental particles containing alpha radioactive nuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esaka, Konomi; Yasuda, Kenichiro; Esaka, Fumitaka; Magara, Masaaki; Sakurai, Satoshi; Usuda, Shigekazu; Nakayama, Shinichi

    2006-01-01

    Artificial radioactive nuclides have been emitted from various sources and have fallen on the surface of the earth as fine particles. Although the characterization of the individual fallout particles is very important, their analysis is difficult. The purpose of this study is to develop a new detection method for individual objective particles containing radioactive nuclides in the environment. The soil or sediment sample was confined in a plastic film and the locations of objective particles were identified with alpha tracks created in a solid-state detectors (BARYOTRAK, Fukuvi Chemical, Ltd) stuck to the both sides of the plastic film. A piece of the film containing the objective particle was cut with a nitrogen laser for following individual particle analysis. This procedure allowed us to detect the objective particle from innumerable number of particles in the environment and characterize the individual particles. (author)

  5. Learning pathology using collaborative vs. individual annotation of whole slide images: a mixed methods trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahota, Michael; Leung, Betty; Dowdell, Stephanie; Velan, Gary M

    2016-12-12

    Students in biomedical disciplines require understanding of normal and abnormal microscopic appearances of human tissues (histology and histopathology). For this purpose, practical classes in these disciplines typically use virtual microscopy, viewing digitised whole slide images in web browsers. To enhance engagement, tools have been developed to enable individual or collaborative annotation of whole slide images within web browsers. To date, there have been no studies that have critically compared the impact on learning of individual and collaborative annotations on whole slide images. Junior and senior students engaged in Pathology practical classes within Medical Science and Medicine programs participated in cross-over trials of individual and collaborative annotation activities. Students' understanding of microscopic morphology was compared using timed online quizzes, while students' perceptions of learning were evaluated using an online questionnaire. For senior medical students, collaborative annotation of whole slide images was superior for understanding key microscopic features when compared to individual annotation; whilst being at least equivalent to individual annotation for junior medical science students. Across cohorts, students agreed that the annotation activities provided a user-friendly learning environment that met their flexible learning needs, improved efficiency, provided useful feedback, and helped them to set learning priorities. Importantly, these activities were also perceived to enhance motivation and improve understanding. Collaborative annotation improves understanding of microscopic morphology for students with sufficient background understanding of the discipline. These findings have implications for the deployment of annotation activities in biomedical curricula, and potentially for postgraduate training in Anatomical Pathology.

  6. Understanding the Conceptual Development Phase of Applied Theory-Building Research: A Grounded Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storberg-Walker, Julia

    2007-01-01

    This article presents a provisional grounded theory of conceptual development for applied theory-building research. The theory described here extends the understanding of the components of conceptual development and provides generalized relations among the components. The conceptual development phase of theory-building research has been widely…

  7. The Life Cycle of the Child Care Center -- Understanding Center Growth and Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bess, Gary; Ratekin, Cindy

    2001-01-01

    Identifies the seven stages of the life cycle for child care centers: entrepreneurial; development; formalization; maturity; stagnation; death; and renewal. Suggests that critical transition points exist for organizational development, and that, if they are aware of and understand each stage of development, administrators may intervene at those…

  8. The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan Merkel

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology.

  9. The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merkel, Susan

    2012-01-01

    The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology.

  10. Individualized Physical 3-dimensional Kidney Tumor Models Constructed From 3-dimensional Printers Result in Improved Trainee Anatomic Understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knoedler, Margaret; Feibus, Allison H; Lange, Andrew; Maddox, Michael M; Ledet, Elisa; Thomas, Raju; Silberstein, Jonathan L

    2015-06-01

    To evaluate the effect of 3-dimensionally (3D) printed physical renal models with enhancing masses on medical trainee characterization, localization, and understanding of renal malignancy. Proprietary software was used to import standard computed tomography (CT) cross-sectional imaging into 3D printers to create physical models of renal units with enhancing renal lesions in situ. Six different models were printed from a transparent plastic resin; the normal parenchyma was printed in a clear, translucent plastic, with a red hue delineating the suspicious renal lesion. Medical students, who had completed their first year of training, were given an overview and tasked with completion of RENAL nephrometry scores, separately using CT imaging and 3D models. Trainees were also asked to complete a questionnaire about their experience. Variability between trainees was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and kappa statistics were used to compare the trainee to experts. Overall trainee nephrometry score accuracy was significantly improved with the 3D model vs CT scan (P renal mass. Physical 3D models using readily available printing techniques improve trainees' understanding and characterization of individual patients' enhancing renal lesions. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. Understanding quantum physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spillner, Vera

    2011-01-01

    This thesis presents a bundle definition for 'scientific understanding' through which the empirically equivalent interpretations of quantum mechanics can be evaluated with respect to the understanding they generate. The definition of understanding is based on a sufficient and necessary criterion, as well as a bundle of conditions - where a theory can be called most understandable whenever it fulfills the highest number of bundle criteria. Thereby the definition of understanding is based on the one hand on the objective number of criteria a theory fulfills, as well as, on the other hand, on the individual's preference of bundle criteria. Applying the definition onto three interpretations of quantum mechanics, the interpretation of David Bohm appears as most understandable, followed by the interpretation of Tim Maudlin and the Kopenhagen interpretation. These three interpretations are discussed in length in my thesis. (orig.)

  12. Tools to Understand Structural Property Relationships for Wood Cell Walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph E. Jakes; Daniel J. Yelle; Charles R. Frihart

    2011-01-01

    Understanding structure-property relationships for wood cell walls has been hindered by the complex polymeric structures comprising these cell walls and the difficulty in assessing meaningful mechanical property measurements of individual cell walls. To help overcome these hindrances, we have developed two experimental methods: 1) two-dimensional solution state nuclear...

  13. Towards a Pedagogy for Clinical Education: Beyond Individual Learning Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinchin, Ian M.; Baysan, Aylin; Cabot, Lyndon Bruce

    2008-01-01

    The development of teaching in higher education towards a more learner-orientated model has been supported by the literature on individual learning differences and on learning styles in particular. This has contributed to the evolution of university pedagogy away from a medieval transmission model than runs counter to contemporary understanding of…

  14. Development of children's understanding of connections between thinking and feeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flavell, J H; Flavell, E R; Green, F L

    2001-09-01

    Two studies assessed the development of children's understanding that thoughts and feelings are closely interlinked. These studies showed that, unlike 8-year-olds and adults, 5-year-olds seldom explained a sudden change in emotion that had no apparent external cause by appeal to the occurrence of a thought. They also tended not to recognize that a person who is feeling sad is probably also thinking sad thoughts, or that people may be able to make themselves feel happy just by thinking of something happy. These results are consistent with evidence that young children tend to be unaware of the stream of consciousness and have poor introspective skills. A possible developmental sequence leading to an understanding of these thought-feeling links is proposed.

  15. Development of the individual agencies within international organizations: comparative-personological view

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Т. О. Калмиков

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Problem setting: Personalized activity of individuals holding offices of individual organs in the structure of international organizations is an essential part of the activities of these organizations. Meanwhile, today legal science researches this problem mainly in the context of the development of separate branches of international law. Recent research and publications analysis: From Max Weber, the development of individual organs was studied as a question how one transforms institutions that are led by high-profile individuals into institutions that have a life and energy of their own". Current international legal research in this regard provided by  H. H. Koh, F. Benua-Romer, H. Klebes, R. Kicker and the others. There are no relevant Ukrainian legal studies on this issue today. Paper objective: The purpose of the article is to review the issue on the example of a relatively new international bodies - the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. The features of organs, crucial for the study are: the features of appointment (election of candidate, term of his office and special activities scheduled for each of these positions. Paper main body: Comparing the Institute of the High Commissioner and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe in personological view, we note that the personal characteristics and expert practices of the first, second and third Council of Europe Commissioner largely matches with the same first three (in same order United Nations High Commissioners for Human Rights. This fact suggests that the election of candidates for these positions is a part of strategic transformation of the body. There is a reason to believe that the strategy of the international organizations, not only related to their desire to be effectively involved in actions within their mandate, but also with the desire to increase their influence in comparison with the

  16. Theory of mind development in Chinese children: a meta-analysis of false-belief understanding across cultures and languages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, David; Wellman, Henry M; Tardif, Twila; Sabbagh, Mark A

    2008-03-01

    Theory of mind is claimed to develop universally among humans across cultures with vastly different folk psychologies. However, in the attempt to test and confirm a claim of universality, individual studies have been limited by small sample sizes, sample specificities, and an overwhelming focus on Anglo- European children. The current meta-analysis of children's false-belief performance provides the most comprehensive examination to date of theory-of-mind development in a population of non-Western children speaking non-Indo-European languages (i.e., Mandarin and Cantonese). The meta-analysis consisted of 196 Chinese conditions (127 from mainland China and 69 from Hong Kong), representing responses from more than 3,000 children, compared with 155 similar North American conditions (83 conditions from the United States and 72 conditions from Canada). The findings show parallel developmental trajectories of false-belief understanding for children in China and North America coupled with significant differences in the timing of development across communities-children's false-belief performance varied across different locales by as much as 2 or more years. These data support the importance of both universal trajectories and specific experiential factors in the development of theory of mind.

  17. P300 in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Cláudia Mirandola Barbosa Reis

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Behavioral and electrophysiological auditory evaluations contribute to the understanding of the auditory system and of the process of intervention.OBJECTIVE: To study P300 in subjects with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss.METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional prospective study. It included 29 individuals of both genders with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss without other type of disorders, aged 11 to 42 years; all were assessed by behavioral audiological evaluation and auditory evoked potentials.RESULTS: A recording of the P3 wave was obtained in 17 individuals, with a mean latency of 326.97 ms and mean amplitude of 3.76 V. There were significant differences in latency in relation to age and in amplitude according to degree of hearing loss. There was a statistically significant association of the P300 results with the degrees of hearing loss (p = 0.04, with the predominant auditory communication channels (p < 0.0001, and with time of hearing loss.CONCLUSIONS: P300 can be recorded in individuals with severe and profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss; it may contribute to the understanding of cortical development and is a good predictor of the early intervention outcome.

  18. 34 CFR 361.45 - Development of the individualized plan for employment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... special education services is developed— (i) In consideration of the student's IEP; and (ii) In accordance...) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE VOCATIONAL... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Development of the individualized plan for employment...

  19. Understanding Emerging Impacts and Requirements Related to Utility-Scale Solar Development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartmann, Heidi M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Grippo, Mark A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Heath, Garvin A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Macknick, Jordan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Karen P. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Sullivan, Robert G. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Walston, Leroy J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Wescott, Konstance L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2016-09-01

    Utility-scale solar energy plays an important role in the nation’s strategy to address climate change threats through increased deployment of renewable energy technologies, and both the federal government and individual states have established specific goals for increased solar energy development. In order to achieve these goals, much attention is paid to making utility-scale solar energy cost-competitive with other conventional energy sources, while concurrently conducting solar development in an environmentally sound manner.

  20. Understanding individual resilience in the workplace: the international collaboration of workforce resilience model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Clare S; Breen, Lauren J; Cusack, Lynette; Hegney, Desley

    2015-01-01

    When not managed effectively, high levels of workplace stress can lead to several negative personal and performance outcomes. Some professional groups work in highly stressful settings and are therefore particularly at risk of conditions such as anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. However, some individuals are less affected by workplace stress and the associated negative outcomes. Such individuals have been described as "resilient." A number of studies have found relationships between levels of individual resilience and specific negative outcomes such as burnout and compassion fatigue. However, because psychological resilience is a multi-dimensional construct it is necessary to more clearly delineate it from other related and overlapping constructs. The creation of a testable theoretical model of individual workforce resilience, which includes both stable traits (e.g., neuroticism) as well as more malleable intrapersonal factors (e.g., coping style), enables information to be derived that can eventually inform interventions aimed at enhancing individual resilience in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new theoretical model of individual workforce resilience that includes several intrapersonal constructs known to be central in the appraisal of and response to stressors and that also overlap with the construct of psychological resilience. We propose a model in which psychological resilience is hypothesized to mediate the relationship between neuroticism, mindfulness, self-efficacy, coping, and psychological adjustment.

  1. The impact of usability reports and user test observations on developers understanding of usability data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høegh, Rune Thaarup; Nielsen, Christian Monrad; Pedersen, Michael Bach

    2006-01-01

    of the system. This article presents results from an exploratory study of 2 ways of providing feedback from a usability evaluation: observation of user tests and reading usability reports. A case study and a field experiment were used to explore how observation and usability reports impact developers......' understanding of usability data. The results indicate that observation of user tests facilitated a rich understanding of usability problems and created empathy with the users and their work. The usability report had a strong impact on the developers' understanding of specific usability problems and supported...

  2. Dynamic use of geoscience information to develop scientific understanding for a nuclear waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, N.G.W.; Tsang, C.F.

    1990-01-01

    The development and safety evaluation of a nuclear waste geologic repository require a proper scientific understanding of the site response. Such scientific understanding depends on information from a number of geoscience disciplines, including geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geomechanics and hydrogeology. The information comes in four stages: (1) general regional survey data base, (2) surface-based testing, (3) exploratory shaft testing, and (4) repository construction and evaluation. A discussion is given on the dynamic use of the information through the different stages. We point out the need for abstracting, deriving and updating a quantitative spatial and process model (QSPM) to develop a scientific understanding of site responses as a crucial element in the dynamic procedure. 2 figs

  3. Exploring the relation between individual moral antecedents and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition for sustainable development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ploum, Lisa; Blok, Vincent; Lans, Thomas; Omta, Onno

    2018-01-01

    When dealing with complex value-driven problems such as sustainable development, individuals need to have values and norms that go beyond the appropriation of tangible business outcomes for themselves. This raises the question of the role played by individual moral antecedents in the entrepreneurial

  4. Effect of culture medium volume and embryo density on early mouse embryonic development: tracking the development of the individual embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Shan-Jun; Xu, Chang-Long; Wang, Jeffrey; Sun, Ying-Pu; Chian, Ri-Cheng

    2012-07-01

    To determine the optimal volume or density of embryos for the well-of-the-well (WOW) system in order to track the development of individual embryos and to determine whether the WOW system can reverse the negative impact of culturing embryos singly. (1) Mouse embryos (groups of nine at the 2-cell stage) were cultured in 6.25 μl, 12.50 μl, 25.00 μl and 50.00 μl of droplets of culture medium under paraffin oil; (2) Groups of three, six, nine and twelve embryos at the 2-cell stage were cultured in 50 μl of droplet of culture medium under paraffin oil; (3) Groups of nine embryos at the 2-cell stage were cultured in 50 μl of droplet under paraffin oil with or without nine micro-wells made on the bottom of the Petri dish into each of which were placed one of the nine embryos (WOW system). Also single 2-cell stage embryos was cultured individually in 5.5 μl of droplet of culture medium under paraffin oil with or without a single micro-well made on the bottom of the Petri dish (WOW system for single culture). At the end of culture, the percentages of blastocyst development, hatching and hatched blastocysts were compared in each group. The blastocysts were fixed for differential staining. The blastocyst development was significantly higher (P WOW system. The blastocyst development was not improved when single embryo cultured individually in a micro-well was compared to single embryo cultured individually without micro-well. The total cell numbers of blastocysts were significantly higher in group embryo culture than single embryo culture regardless of whether the WOW system was used. In addition, the total cell numbers of blastocysts were significantly higher (P WOW system than without. Group embryo culture is superior to single embryo culture for blastocyst development. The WOW system with 50 μl of droplet of culture medium can be used to track the individual development of embryo cultured in groups while preserving good embryonic development. The reduced

  5. Exploring Faculty Developers’ Experiences to Inform Our Understanding of Competence in Faculty Development

    OpenAIRE

    Baker, Lindsay; Leslie, Karen; Panisko, Danny; Walsh, Allyn; Wong, Anne; Stubbs, Barbara; Mylopoulos, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Now a mainstay in medical education, faculty development has created the role of the faculty developer. However, faculty development research tends to overlook faculty developers’ roles and experiences. This study aimed to develop an empirical understanding of faculty developer competence by digging deeper into the actions, experiences, and perceptions of faculty developers as they perform their facilitator role. Method A constructivist grounded theory approach guided observations of ...

  6. Dynamic use of geoscience information to develop scientific understanding for a nuclear waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, N.G.W.; Tsang, C.F.

    1990-01-01

    This paper discusses the development and safety evaluation of a nuclear waste geologic repository. Scientific understanding dependent upon information from a number of geoscience disciplines is described. A discussion is given on the dynamic use of the information through the different stages. The authors point out the need for abstracting, deriving and updating a quantitative spatial and process model (QSPM) to develop a scientific understanding of site responses as a crucial element in the dynamic procedure

  7. UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING ROLE OF PUBLIC SECTOR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tillema, Sandra; Mimba, Ni Putu S. H.; Van Helden, G. Jan

    This article develops a framework for understanding changes in the demand for and supply of performance information in public sector organizations in less developed countries (LDCs). New Institutional Sociology (NIS) is used to argue that pressures from specific stakeholders stimulate organizations

  8. Factors contributing to the longitudinal development of social participation in individuals with cerebral palsy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tan, Siok Swan; van der Slot, Wilma M A; Ketelaar, Marjolijn; Becher, Jules G.; Dallmeijer, Annet J.; Smits, Dirk Wouter; Roebroeck, Marij E.

    2016-01-01

    Aims We aimed to determine factors associated with the longitudinal development of social participation in a Dutch population of individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) aged 1–24 years. Methods and procedures For this multicentre prospective longitudinal study, 424 individuals with CP aged 1–24 years

  9. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action: Understanding the MRV framework for developing countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sharma, Sudhir

    The objective of the publication is to enhance the knowledge of the policymakers and decision makers in developing countries on MRV systems,including requirement of operationalizing such a system. The paper is also aimed at increasing the understanding of MRV aspects among sectoral experts and de...

  10. Understanding the Role of the Immune System in the Development of Cancer: New Opportunities for Population-Based Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaud, Dominique S; Houseman, E Andres; Marsit, Carmen J; Nelson, Heather H; Wiencke, John K; Kelsey, Karl T

    2015-12-01

    Understanding the precise role of the immune system in cancer has been hindered by the complexity of the immune response and challenges in measuring immune cell types in health and disease in the context of large epidemiologic studies. In this review, we present the rationale to study immunity in cancer and highlight newly available tools to further elucidate the epidemiologic factors driving individual variation in the immune response in cancer. Here, we summarize key studies that have evaluated the role of immunologic status on risk of cancer, discuss tools that have been used in epidemiologic studies to measure immune status, as well as new evolving methodologies where application to epidemiology is becoming more feasible. We also encourage further development of novel emerging technologies that will continue to enable prospective assessment of the dynamic and complex role played by the immune system in cancer susceptibility. Finally, we summarize characteristics and environmental factors that affect the immune response, as these will need to be considered in epidemiologic settings. Overall, we consider the application of a systems biologic approach and highlight new opportunities to understand the immune response in cancer risk. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  11. Determinants of developing widened spatial QRS-T angle in HIV-infected individuals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dawood, Farah Z; Roediger, Mollie P; Grandits, Greg

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: A widened electrocardiographic spatial QRS-T angle has been shown to be predictive of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected individuals. However, determinants and risk factors of developing widened QRS-T angle over time in this population remain unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Spatial...... QRS-T angle was automatically measured from standard electrocardiogram of 1444 HIV-infected individuals without baseline widened spatial QRS-T angle from the Strategies for Management of Antiretroviral Therapy [SMART], a clinical trial comparing two antiretroviral treatment strategies [Drug...... Conservation (DC) vs. Viral Suppression (VS)]. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between baseline characteristics and incident widened spatial QRS-T angle (a new angle>93° in males and>74° in females). During 2544 person-years of follow-up, 199 participants developed...

  12. African American Transgender Women's Individual, Family, and Organizational Relationships: Implications for Nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornelius, Judith B; Whitaker-Brown, Charlene D

    2017-06-01

    Guided by the relational cultural theory, we conducted a qualitative study to examine the relationship experiences of African American transgender women living in North Carolina. A convenience sample of 15 transgender women participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews, guided by an investigator-developed interview guide, were used to explore the personal experiences of transgender women on individual, family, and organizational levels. The findings provide a scheme for understanding the process through which transgender women's relationships hinder or enhance their ability to connect with individuals, family, and organizations. Nurses can use these findings to better understand the connectedness that occurs or does not occur in transgender women's relationships and provide culturally competent care to empower them to become resilient.

  13. INDIVIDUAL ABILITIES AND LIFELONG LEARNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleksandr Yu. Burov

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes new and emerging technologies in education, learning environments and methods that have to satisfy lifelong learning, from school age to retirement, on the basis of the psychophysiological model of the cognitive abilities formation. It covers such topics as: evaluation of a human (accounting schoolchildren, youth and adults features abilities and individual propensities, individual trajectory of learning, adaptive learning strategy and design, recommendation on curriculum design, day-to-day support for individual’s learning, assessment of a human learning environment and performance, recommendation regards vocational retraining and/or further carrier etc.. The specific goal is to facilitate a broader understanding of the promise and pitfalls of these technologies and working (learning/teaching environments in global education/development settings, with special regard to the human as subject in the system and to the collaboration of humans and technical, didactic and organizational subsystems.

  14. Understanding care farming as a swiftly developing sector in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hassink, J.

    2017-01-01

    Care farming or social farming is a swiftly developing sector across Europe. Care farms combine agricultural production with health and social services. The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in care farming. The aim of this study was to better understand how the new sector of care farming

  15. Children's Developing Understanding of Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mawson, Brent

    2010-01-01

    The issue of children's conceptions of technology and technology education is seen as important by technology educators. While there is a solid body of literature that documents groups of children's understandings of technology and technology education, this is primarily focused on snapshot studies of children aged 11 and above. There is little…

  16. Understanding the role of nutrition in the brain and behavioral development of toddlers and preschool children: identifying and addressing methodological barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosales, Francisco J; Reznick, J Steven; Zeisel, Steven H

    2009-10-01

    The preschool years (i.e. 1-5 years of age) is a time of rapid and dramatic postnatal brain development (i.e. neural plasticity), and of fundamental acquisition of cognitive development (i.e. working memory, attention and inhibitory control). Also, it is a time of transition from a direct maternal mediation/selection of diet-based nutrition to food selection that is more based on self-selection and self-gratification. However, there have been fewer published studies in preschool children than in infants or school-aged children that examined the role of nutrition in brain/mental development (125 studies versus 232 and 303 studies, respectively during the last 28 years). This may arise because of age-related variability, in terms of individual differences in temperament, linguistic ability, and patterns of neural activity that may affect assessment of neural and cognitive development in pre-school children. In this review, we suggest several approaches for assessing brain function in children that can be refined. It would be desirable if the discipline developed some common elements to be included in future studies of diet and brain function, with the idea that they would complement more targeted measures based on time of exposure and understanding of data from animal models. Underlining this approach is the concept of 'window of sensitivity' during which nutrients may affect postnatal neural development: investigators and expert panels need to look specifically for region-specific changes and do so with understanding of the likely time window during which the nutrient was, or was not available.

  17. Ausubel's understanding of concept development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janković Aleksandar P.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents one of relatively new cognitivistic learning and cognition theories - the theory by American psychologist David Ausubel. We consider this theory to be very usable for teaching beginners or for cognition process. It is of utmost importance that first or elementary concepts concerning natural and social phenomena a pupil aquires need to be accurate, understandable and properly connected in a cause-effect sequence of conceptual systems so that items of knowledge aquired can be stable and usable. For correct understanding of Ausubel's claims concerning processes and procedures involved in the acquisition of elementary concepts, which is central to this investigation, it is necessary to address problems and questions concerning the following: the process of aquisition or construction of first concepts; how to base verbal learning; how is subsuming achieved, that is connecting of new and previously acquired concepts; what is the relation of this theory with other cognitivistic theories of learning, and, finally, what are critical views or evalutions which can make this theory truly productive in relation to teaching.

  18. Developing Conceptual Understanding of Fractions with Year Five and Six Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, Judith

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents findings from classroom observations of one teacher (Beth). It focusses on the development of conceptual understanding of fractions with her students, articulated in Kieren's sub-constructs (Kieren, 1980,1988), and Hansen's progressions (Hansen, 2005). The study covers three lessons within a six week unit. Findings from this…

  19. Understanding gene functions and disease mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuchs, Helmut; Aguilar-Pimentel, Juan Antonio; Amarie, Oana V.

    2018-01-01

    Since decades, model organisms have provided an important approach for understanding the mechanistic basis of human diseases. The German Mouse Clinic (GMC) was the first phenotyping facility that established a collaboration-based platform for phenotype characterization of mouse lines. In order...... to address individual projects by a tailor-made phenotyping strategy, the GMC advanced in developing a series of pipelines with tests for the analysis of specific disease areas. For a general broad analysis, there is a screening pipeline that covers the key parameters for the most relevant disease areas...

  20. Recent developments in the understanding of pion-nucleus scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, M.B.

    1983-01-01

    A development of the theory of pion-nucleus scattering is given in a field theoretical framework. The theory is designed to describe pion elastic scattering and single- and double-charge exchange to isobaric analog states. An analysis of recent data at low and resonance energies is made. Strong modifications to the simple picture of the scattering as a succession of free pion-nucleon interactions are required in order to understand the data. The extent to which the experiment is understood in terms of microscopic theory is indicated. 71 references

  1. Global gene expression profiling of individual human oocytes and embryos demonstrates heterogeneity in early development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Shaw

    Full Text Available Early development in humans is characterised by low and variable embryonic viability, reflected in low fecundity and high rates of miscarriage, relative to other mammals. Data from assisted reproduction programmes provides additional evidence that this is largely mediated at the level of embryonic competence and is highly heterogeneous among embryos. Understanding the basis of this heterogeneity has important implications in a number of areas including: the regulation of early human development, disorders of pregnancy, assisted reproduction programmes, the long term health of children which may be programmed in early development, and the molecular basis of pluripotency in human stem cell populations. We have therefore investigated global gene expression profiles using polyAPCR amplification and microarray technology applied to individual human oocytes and 4-cell and blastocyst stage embryos. In order to explore the basis of any variability in detail, each developmental stage is replicated in triplicate. Our data show that although transcript profiles are highly stage-specific, within each stage they are relatively variable. We describe expression of a number of gene families and pathways including apoptosis, cell cycle and amino acid metabolism, which are variably expressed and may be reflective of embryonic developmental competence. Overall, our data suggest that heterogeneity in human embryo developmental competence is reflected in global transcript profiles, and that the vast majority of existing human embryo gene expression data based on pooled oocytes and embryos need to be reinterpreted.

  2. How Well Do Students in Secondary School Understand Temporal Development of Dynamical Systems?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forjan, Matej; Grubelnik, Vladimir

    2015-01-01

    Despite difficulties understanding the dynamics of complex systems only simple dynamical systems without feedback connections have been taught in secondary school physics. Consequently, students do not have opportunities to develop intuition of temporal development of systems, whose dynamics are conditioned by the influence of feedback processes.…

  3. Development of two tier test to assess conceptual understanding in heat and temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winarti; Cari; Suparmi; Sunarno, Widha; Istiyono, Edi

    2017-01-01

    Heat and temperature is a concept that has been learnt from primary school to undergraduate levels. One problem about heat and temperature is that they are presented abstractly, theoretical concept. A student conceptual frameworks develop from their daily experiences. The purpose of this research was to develop a two-tier test of heat and temperature concept and measure conceptual understanding of heat and temperature of the student. This study consist of two method is qualitative and quantitative method. The two-tier test was developed using procedures defined by Borg and Gall. The two-tier test consisted of 20 question and was tested for 137 students for collecting data. The result of the study showed that the two-tier test was effective in determining the students’ conceptual understanding and also it might be used as an alternative for assessment and evaluation of students’ achievement

  4. Understanding Democracy and Development Traps Using a Data-Driven Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranganathan, Shyam; Nicolis, Stamatios C.; Spaiser, Viktoria; Sumpter, David J.T.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Methods from machine learning and data science are becoming increasingly important in the social sciences, providing powerful new ways of identifying statistical relationships in large data sets. However, these relationships do not necessarily offer an understanding of the processes underlying the data. To address this problem, we have developed a method for fitting nonlinear dynamical systems models to data related to social change. Here, we use this method to investigate how countries become trapped at low levels of socioeconomic development. We identify two types of traps. The first is a democracy trap, where countries with low levels of economic growth and/or citizen education fail to develop democracy. The second trap is in terms of cultural values, where countries with low levels of democracy and/or life expectancy fail to develop emancipative values. We show that many key developing countries, including India and Egypt, lie near the border of these development traps, and we investigate the time taken for these nations to transition toward higher democracy and socioeconomic well-being. PMID:26487983

  5. Understanding Democracy and Development Traps Using a Data-Driven Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranganathan, Shyam; Nicolis, Stamatios C; Spaiser, Viktoria; Sumpter, David J T

    2015-03-01

    Methods from machine learning and data science are becoming increasingly important in the social sciences, providing powerful new ways of identifying statistical relationships in large data sets. However, these relationships do not necessarily offer an understanding of the processes underlying the data. To address this problem, we have developed a method for fitting nonlinear dynamical systems models to data related to social change. Here, we use this method to investigate how countries become trapped at low levels of socioeconomic development. We identify two types of traps. The first is a democracy trap, where countries with low levels of economic growth and/or citizen education fail to develop democracy. The second trap is in terms of cultural values, where countries with low levels of democracy and/or life expectancy fail to develop emancipative values. We show that many key developing countries, including India and Egypt, lie near the border of these development traps, and we investigate the time taken for these nations to transition toward higher democracy and socioeconomic well-being.

  6. Individualized teaching aimed at stimulating the development of talent and creativity in students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arsić Zvezdan M.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The time in which we live is characterized by rapid and conflicting changes as well as the development of all segments of social life. Access to the civilization of knowledge whose objectives, processes, and outcomes confirm that the human factor is becoming a leading cause of progress, requires redefinition of the relationship between society and schools. In the process of the cultural development, there is a need for talented and creative members of society who are going to be prepared for the leading roles through the educational system. However, in the teaching process, the gifted and creative students very often face a number of difficulties and problems that interfere with their optimal development. They are primarily victims of ignorance and disregard of individual differences among children of the same age, even children with the same IQ. For this reason, the main focus of this paper is on creating the conditions that can contribute to overcoming the problems that gifted and creative students encounter in the present circumstances of the organization and application of the process. Individualized instruction is a reasonable basis for success in this area, since it allows the contents, organization, methods and means of teaching, and learning adapt to individual differences, needs and abilities of students.

  7. P300 in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Ana Cláudia Mirandola Barbosa; Frizzo, Ana Claudia Figueiredo; Isaac, Myriam de Lima; Garcia, Cristiane Fregonesi Dutra; Funayama, Carolina Araújo Rodrigues; Iório, Maria Cecília Martinelli

    2015-01-01

    Behavioral and electrophysiological auditory evaluations contribute to the understanding of the auditory system and of the process of intervention. To study P300 in subjects with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss. This was a descriptive cross-sectional prospective study. It included 29 individuals of both genders with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss without other type of disorders, aged 11 to 42 years; all were assessed by behavioral audiological evaluation and auditory evoked potentials. A recording of the P3 wave was obtained in 17 individuals, with a mean latency of 326.97ms and mean amplitude of 3.76V. There were significant differences in latency in relation to age and in amplitude according to degree of hearing loss. There was a statistically significant association of the P300 results with the degrees of hearing loss (p=0.04), with the predominant auditory communication channels (p<0.0001), and with time of hearing loss. P300 can be recorded in individuals with severe and profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss; it may contribute to the understanding of cortical development and is a good predictor of the early intervention outcome. Copyright © 2014 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  8. An ontogenetic perspective on individual differences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Senner, N.R.; Conklin, J.R.; Piersma, T.

    2015-01-01

    Phenotypic differences among individuals can arise during any stage of life. Although several distinct processes underlying individual differences have been defined and studied (e.g. parental effects, senescence), we lack an explicit, unified perspective for understanding how these processes

  9. Creating Socionas : Building creative understanding of people's experiences in the early stages of new product development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Postma, C.E.

    2012-01-01

    This work presents the research into Creating Socionas, a step-by-step approach to building creative understanding of user experience in the early stages of new product development (NPD). Creative understanding is the combination of a rich, cognitive and affective understanding of the other, and the

  10. UNDERSTANDING VISITOR EXPERIENCES AND MOTIVATIONS IN SUBURBAN TAIPEI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiung-Tzu Lucetta TSAI

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This research is aimed to cultivate higher-qualified human resources within the tourism field and provide plaining and developing direction based on the understanding of tourism features in San-ying area. There is a growing research interest in understanding the individual consumer's preferences, as well as management approaches of experiences and therefore, it has explored the understanding of the many different facets of experiences in tourism and hispitality business in suburban Taipei in particular the impact of the Sanxia and Yingge area. There is an attempt to examine the service quality of tourist attractions, moreover, the perceptions and travel experiences of tourists who visit Sanxia and Yingge area. Tourism and hospitality business in Sanxia and Yingge area present culture images and this study has discussed how this has influenced tourists' experiences, motivation and consumer behavior during their visit.

  11. The development of individual purposes: Creating actuality through novelty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valsiner, Jaan

    2011-01-01

    This chapter proposes a theoretical model to make sense of how any human being can face future challenges at the present through cultural signs: which particular forms the sign-construction takes, how deep (or shallow) the hierarchical structure of semiotic mediation is, and how temporary or quasi......-permanent it might be. The model is rooted in Vygotsky's focus on the dialectical nature of human development, and elaborated in life-course psychology by TEM (Trajectory Equifinality Model of Tatsuya Sato). The making of individual purposes is a process of anticipating the future relations with the changing context...

  12. DEVELOPING OF INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENT PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SCALE: VALIDITY - RELIABILITY STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esra DALKIRAN

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to develop a scale unique to our culture, concerning  individual instrument performance anxiety of the students  who are getting instrument training  in the Department of Music Education. In the study, the descriptive research model is used and qualitative research techniques are utilized. The study population consists of the students attending the 23 universities which has Music Education Department. The sample of the study consists of 438 girls and 312 boys, totally 750 students  who are studying in the Department of Music Education of randomly selected 10 universities. As a result of the explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses that were performed, a one-dimensional structure consisting of 14 items was obtained. Also, t-scores and  the coefficient scores of total item correlation concerning the distinguishing power of the items, the difference in the scores of the set of lower and upper 27% was calculated, and it was observed that the items are distinguishing as a result of both analyses. Of the scale, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency was calculated as .94, and test-retest reliability coefficient was calculated as .93. As a result, a valid and reliable assessment and evaluation instrument that measures the exam performance anxiety of the students studying in the Department of Music Education, has been developed.Extended AbstractsIntroductionAnxiety is a universal phenomenon which people experience once or a few times during lives. It was accepted as concern for the future or as an unpleasant emotional experience regarding probable hitches of the events (Di Tomasso & Gosch, 2002.In general, the occasions on which negative feelings are experienced cause anxiety to arise (Baltaş and Baltaş, 2000. People also feel anxious in dangerous situations. Anxiety may lead a person to be creative, while it may have hindering characteristics. Anxiety is that an individual considers him

  13. Understanding the Importance, Dimensions and Settings for Developing Children’s Physical Activity Behaviour

    OpenAIRE

    Hyndman, Brendon

    2015-01-01

    Promotion of regular physical activity during childhood within schools, home and community settings is important as childhood forms the foundation for physical activity habits that can track into adulthood. Despite childhood being a crucial period for developing physical activity behaviour, there is a limited understanding of the physical activity behaviours of school-aged children. The aim of this research report is to facilitate understanding of children’s physical activity behaviours by ou...

  14. Development of the national register of radiation workers: subsystem for individual monitoring of external exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Haitao; Niu Haowei; Sun Quanfu; Fu Yinghua; Fan Yaohua; Yue Baorong

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To develop a national registry and reporting system of individual monitoring for workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. Methods: In accordance with the relevant law, regulations, standards and the current health supervision practice for radiation workers in China, to ensure more effective collection of information on individual monitoring from all levels of service providers across the country and an easy query and analysis of the collected information for both service providers and administrative institutions, the register consisted of an offline-system and a web-based information system. The off-line system consisted of 8 tables, which could easily make annual and period monitoring reports, and upload individual monitoring data in compressed and encrypted format. Web-based system consisted of 6 modules, could easily make S customized tabulations of monitoring data and show 2 trend figures. SSLVPN secure remote access was used in the system. Arranged by the Ministry of Health, training courses provided to all individual monitoring service providers and provincial administrative institutions. Results: A new and individual-based national register and reporting system of individual monitoring for workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation was successfully developed, and would be officially run soon. Conclusions: The establishment and running of the register would be great improvement on the national radiological health reports and produce a far-reaching impact on the individual monitoring in China. (authors)

  15. Characterizing the development of students' understandings regarding the second law of thermodynamics: Using learning progressions to illuminate thinking in high school chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunningham, Kevin D.

    As demonstrated by their emphasis in the new, national, science education standards, learning progressions (LPs) have become a valuable means of informing teaching and learning. LPs serve this role by isolating the key components of central skills and understandings, and by describing how those abilities and concepts tend to develop over time among students in a particular context. Some LPs also identify common challenges students experience in learning specific content and suggest methods of instruction and assessment, particularly ways in which difficulties can be identified and addressed. LPs are research-based and created through the integration of content analyses and interpretations of student performances with respect to the skills and understandings in question. The present research produced two LPs portraying the development of understandings associated with the second law of thermodynamics as evidenced by the evolving explanations for the spontaneity and irreversibility of diffusion and the cooling of a hot object constructed periodically by twenty students over two consecutive years in high school chemistry. While the curriculum they experienced did not emphasize the processes of diffusion and cooling or the second law and its applications, these students received prolonged instruction regarding key aspects of the particulate nature of matter. Working in small groups and as individuals, they were also taught and regularly expected to create, test, and revise particulate-based, conceptual models to account for the properties and behavior of a wide variety of common phenomena. Although some students quickly exhibited dramatic improvements in explaining and understanding the phenomena of interest, conceptual development for most was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and success in explaining one phenomenon did not generally translate into successes in explaining related but different phenomena. Few students reached the uppermost learning goals of

  16. Understanding the development of internal competencies from an environmental point of view

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Svend Ole; Andersen, Povl Erik Rostgård

    2000-01-01

    Companies currently aim to develop their competence profile through continuous develop-ment processes. Due to the limited resources of SME´s they are particularly dependent on being able to exploit the possibilities in the environment in order to maintain competitiveness. This paper presents...... a framework, which seeks to describe, how the development of compe-tences takes place through an interaction between market demands and supplier contributions. The purpose of the paper is to give an understanding of and an insight in this process. The paper is based on a single case study with an SME in a low...

  17. "Take Me through the History of Your Weight": Using Qualitative Interviews to Create Personalized Weight Trajectories to Understand the Development of Obesity in Patients Preparing for Bariatric Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, Amanda I; McGowan, Elizabeth; Zalesin, Kerstyn C

    2018-03-15

    Obesity can develop during any life stage. Understanding the contexts within which obesity develops can inform our understanding of the disease and help tailor interventions specific to life stages. Using life-course theory as a guiding framework, this study aimed to explain the development of obesity in bariatric surgery patients by creating personalized weight trajectories. Qualitative methods using semistructured interviews were used to uncover participants' experiences with and explanations for the development of obesity. A grounded theory approach using the constant comparative method was used to analyze transcripts for categories and themes. Thirty pre-bariatric surgery patients (24 women, 6 men) were recruited from a bariatric surgery center; 25 participants were available for follow-up. Participants were interviewed before surgery and at 6 and 12 months postsurgery. Four weight history groups were created based on patterns of weight changes from adolescence through adulthood: Always Heavy, Late Peak, Steady Progression, and Weight Cycling. Participants' explanations for weight changes centered around themes of transitions and life-course events or stressors. Differences in the weight history groups could be explained by the timing of transitions, life events, and responses to stress. The development of obesity does not follow the same pattern for all individuals. Weight gain patterns can be explained by the timing of life-course events, stressors, and the type and effects of environmental transitions. Weight management counseling should include strategies tailored to an individual's current life-stage and circumstance, but also acknowledge previous responses to transitions and stressors. Copyright © 2018 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Understanding Cancer Prognosis

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... a link to this page included, e.g., “Understanding Cancer Prognosis was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.” Please note that blog posts that are written by individuals from outside the government may be owned by the writer, and graphics ...

  19. [Establishing Individualized Medicine for Intractable Cancer Based on Clinical Molecular Pathogenesis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jono, Hirofumi

    2018-01-01

     Although cancer treatment has dramatically improved with the development of molecular-targeted agents over the past decade, identifying eligible patients and predicting the therapeutic effects remain a major challenge. Because intratumoral heterogeneity represents genetic and molecular differences affecting patients' responses to these therapeutic agents, establishing individualized medicine based on precise molecular pathological analysis of tumors is urgently required. This review focuses on the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a common head and neck neoplasm, and introduces our approaches toward developing novel anticancer therapies particularly based on clinical molecular pathogenesis. Deeper understanding of more precise molecular pathogenesis in clinical settings may open up novel strategies for establishing individualized medicine for OSCC.

  20. Improving Memory and Cognition in Individuals with Down Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafii, Michael S

    2016-07-01

    Down syndrome (DS), often due to trisomy 21, is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID). In addition, virtually all individuals with DS develop the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the age of 40 years and almost 60 % will manifest symptoms of AD dementia by the age of 65 years. Currently, there are no pharmacological treatments available for ID in individuals with DS and only limited symptomatic treatments for AD dementia. Advances in our understanding in both the molecular basis of ID and the pathogenesis of AD have created opportunities to study potential therapeutic targets. Recent studies in animal models of DS continue to provide a rational basis for translating specific compounds into human clinical trials. However, target and compound selection are only initial steps in the drug development pathway. Other necessary considerations include appropriate study designs to assess efficacy in the DS population, as well as operational aspects specifically tailored to assess cognition in this population. We discuss recent progress in the development of compounds for both ID and AD in individuals with DS, as well as concepts for the design and conduct of clinical trials with such compounds.

  1. [Development of premature children: caregivers' understanding according to the Bioecological Theory].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemos, Rayla Amaral; Veríssimo, Maria de La Ó Ramallo

    2015-12-01

    Understanding the conceptions of premature children caregivers on child development and associated factors. An exploratory-descriptive qualitative study of 12 families with children under three years of age. Interviews were submitted to thematic content analysis, systematized into the categories of Bioecological Theory of Human Development: Process, Person, Context and Time, and in the Functional Development category. There are concerns about impairment in the current and future development of a Person/child defined as fragile as a result of premature birth (Time dimension), minimized by the scope of observable competencies such as motor skills. The Context, especially family and health services, and Proximal Processes, described as one-way caregiver interactions, are considered determinants of development. Functional Development is considered a natural consequence and result of education. The support network is crucial, supporting or limiting care. Concerns about the development mobilize caregivers to stimulate the premature child/person and requests family and healthcare assistance.

  2. Understanding the Interplay of Individual and Social-Developmental Factors in the Progression of Substance Use and Mental Health from Childhood to Adulthood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Tiffany M.; Hill, Karl G.; Epstein, Marina; Lee, Jungeun Olivia; Hawkins, J. David; Catalano, Richard F.

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the interplay between individual and social-developmental factors in the development of positive functioning, substance use problems, and mental health problems. This interplay is nested within positive and negative developmental cascades that span childhood, adolescence, the transition to adulthood, and adulthood. Data are drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, a gender-balanced, ethnically diverse community sample of 808 participants interviewed 12 times from ages 10 to 33. Path modeling showed short- and long-term cascading effects of positive social environments, family history of depression, and substance using social environments throughout development. Positive family social environments set a template for future partner social environment interaction and had positive influences on proximal individual functioning, both in the next developmental period and long term. Family history of depression adversely affected mental health functioning throughout adulthood. Family substance use began a cascade of substance-specific social environments across development, which was the pathway through which increasing severity of substance use problems flowed. The model also indicated that adolescent, but not adult, individual functioning influenced selection into positive social environments, and significant cross-domain effects were found in which substance using social environments affected subsequent mental health. PMID:27427802

  3. Developing Public Health Initiatives through Understanding Motivations of the Audience at Mass-Gathering Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutton, Alison; Ranse, Jamie; Munn, Matthew Brendan

    2018-04-01

    This report identifies what is known about audience motivations at three different mass-gathering events: outdoor music festivals, religious events, and sporting events. In light of these motivations, the paper discusses how these can be harnessed by the event organizer and Emergency Medical Services. Lastly, motivations tell what kinds of interventions can be used to achieve an understanding of audience characteristics and the opportunity to develop tailor-made programs to maximize safety and make long-lasting public health interventions to a particular "cohort" or event population. A lot of these will depend on what the risks/hazards are with the particular populations in order to "target" them with public health interventions. Audience motivations tell the event organizer and Emergency Medical Services about the types of behaviors they should expect from the audience and how this may affect their health while at the event. Through these understandings, health promotion and event safety messages can be developed for a particular type of mass-gathering event based on the likely composition of the audience in attendance. Health promotion and providing public information should be at the core of any mass-gathering event to minimize public health risk and to provide opportunities for the promotion of healthy behaviors in the local population. Audience motivations are a key element to identify and agree on what public health information is needed for the event audience. A more developed understanding of audience behavior provides critical information for event planners, event risk managers, and Emergency Medical Services personnel to better predict and plan to minimize risk and reduce patient presentations at events. Mass-gathering event organizers and designers intend their events to be positive experiences and to have meaning for those who attend. Therefore, continual vigilance to improve public health effectiveness and efficiency can become best practice at events

  4. Epistemology, development, and integrity in a science education professional development program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancock, Elizabeth St. Petery

    This research involved interpretive inquiry to understand changes in the notion of "self" as expressed by teachers recently enrolled as graduate students in an advanced degree program in science education at Florida State University. Teachers work in a context that integrates behavior, social structure, culture, and intention. Within this context, this study focused on the intentional realm that involves interior understandings, including self-epistemology, professional self-identity, and integrity. Scholarship in adult and teacher development, especially ways of knowing theory, guided my efforts to understand change in these notions of self. The five participants in this study were interviewed in depth to explore their "self"-related understandings in detail. The other primary data sources were portfolios and work the participants submitted as part of the program. Guided by a constructivist methodology, I used narrative inquiry and grounded theory to conduct data analysis. As learners and teachers, these individuals drew upon epistemological orientations emphasizing a procedural orientation to knowledge. They experienced varying degrees of interior and exterior development in self and epistemology. They created integrity in their efforts to align their intentions with their actions with a dynamic relationship to context. This study suggests that professional development experiences in science education include consideration of the personal and the professional, recognize and honor differing perspectives, facilitate development, and assist individuals to recognize and articulate their integrity.

  5. Differences in Spatial Knowledge of Individuals with Blindness When Using Audiotactile Maps, Using Tactile Maps, and Walking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papadopoulos, Konstantinos; Barouti, Marialena; Koustriava, Eleni

    2018-01-01

    To examine how individuals with visual impairments understand space and the way they develop cognitive maps, we studied the differences in cognitive maps resulting from different methods and tools for spatial coding in large geographical spaces. We examined the ability of 21 blind individuals to create cognitive maps of routes in unfamiliar areas…

  6. Understanding Individual Resilience in the Workplace: The International Collaboration of Workforce Resilience (ICWR Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clare Samantha Rees

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available When not managed effectively, high levels of workplace stress can lead to several negative personal and performance outcomes. Some professional groups work in highly stressful settings and are therefore particularly at risk of conditions such as anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress and burnout. However, some individuals are less affected by workplace stress and the associated negative outcomes. Such individuals have been described as ‘resilient’. A number of studies have found relationships between levels of individual resilience and specific negative outcomes such as burnout and compassion fatigue. However, because psychological resilience is a multi-dimensional construct it is necessary to more clearly delineate it from other related and overlapping constructs. The creation of a testable theoretical model of individual workforce resilience, which includes both stable traits (e.g. neuroticism as well as more malleable intrapersonal factors (e.g. coping style, enables information to be derived that can eventually inform interventions aimed at enhancing individual resilience in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new theoretical model of individual workforce resilience that includes several intrapersonal constructs known to be central in the appraisal of and response to stressors and that also overlap with the construct of psychological resilience. We propose a model in which psychological resilience is hypothesised to mediate the relationship between neuroticism, mindfulness, self-efficacy, coping and psychological adjustment.

  7. Democracia, instituciones cívico-políticas y desarrollo individual: un estudio con estudiantes universitarios Democracy, civic-political institutions and individual development: a study with college students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gisela I. Delfino

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Se trata de un estudio descriptivo que busca verificar diferencias entre grupos de estudiantes universitarios a partir de una muestra intencional de 1070 sujetos voluntarios. El objetivo era conocer la conceptualización que realizan de la democracia, la evaluación que efectúan del actual funcionamiento de las instituciones cívico-políticas en Argentina y la valoración que presentan del desarrollo individual. Respecto a la calidad actual de la democracia, la mayoría de las respuestas se acercan al polo negativo del continuo de evaluación. Se detectan diferencias en las respuestas en función del tipo de carrera que estudian: presentan una mayor valoración quienes estudian carreras técnico-económicas. Se destaca que los estudiantes de carreras técnico-económicas en general y quienes estudian en universidades privadas presentan una mejor valoración de la iniciativa individual y de la capacitación recibida en sus carreras, así como una percepción más positiva de la relación entre iniciativa privada e interés social.It is a descriptive study that looks forward to verify differences between college students' groups from an intentional sample of 1070 voluntaries. The objective was to know what they understand about democracy, the evaluation they make of the current functioning of the civic-political institutions in Argentina and the valuation they present of the individual development. In relation with the current quality of democracy, most of the answers come closer to the negative pole of the continuous of evaluation. Differences are detected in the answers in function of the career type they study: those studying technician-economic careers present a higher valuation. It is notable that students of technician-economic careers in general and those studying in private universities present a better valuation of the individual initiative and of their careers, as well as a more positive perception of the relationship between private

  8. Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguinis, Herman; Kraiger, Kurt

    2009-01-01

    This article provides a review of the training and development literature since the year 2000. We review the literature focusing on the benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. We adopt a multidisciplinary, multilevel, and global perspective to demonstrate that training and development activities in work organizations can produce important benefits for each of these stakeholders. We also review the literature on needs assessment and pretraining states, training design and delivery, training evaluation, and transfer of training to identify the conditions under which the benefits of training and development are maximized. Finally, we identify research gaps and offer directions for future research.

  9. The team absorptive capacity triad: a configurational study of individual, enabling, and motivating factors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Löwik, Sandor Jan Albert; Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen; Groen, Arend J.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose The paper aims to understand how knowledge-intensive teams can develop and enhance their team absorptive capacity (ACAP) level, by exploring whether individual and organizational factors are complements or substitutes for team ACAP. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a

  10. The team absorptive capacity triad : a configurational study of individual, enabling, and motivating factors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lowik, Sandor; Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen; Groen, Aard

    2016-01-01

    Purpose - The paper aims to understand how knowledge-intensive teams can develop and enhance their team absorptive capacity (ACAP) level, by exploring whether individual and organizational factors are complements or substitutes for team ACAP. Design/methodology/approach - The study applies a

  11. Understanding suffering and giving compassion: the reach of socially engaged Buddhism into China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuah-Pearce, Khun Eng

    2014-01-01

    This paper will explore the social engagement of Buddhists through their active voluntary works - works that result in the development of a religious philanthropic culture. Through three case examples, this paper will examine how the sangha and individual Buddhists understand social suffering and compassion and attempt to integrate their understanding of Buddhist virtues and values in their daily life where the performance of voluntary works is seen as Buddhist spiritualism. In this process, the individuals seek to understand the key principles of Buddhism that are of direct relevance to their daily existence and their quest to be a compassionate self. Foremost are two notions of yebao (karma) and gan-en (gratitude) and how through compassionate practices and gratitude for those who accepted compassionate acts, they would be rewarded with good karma. Here, pursuing compassionate acts and the alleviation of social suffering is the pursuit of this-worldly spiritualism.

  12. Educational Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia: Outcomes on Human Development, International Understanding and Future Prospect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kijtorntham, Wichuda; Ruangdej, Phumjit; Saisuwan, Chatchanog

    2015-01-01

    Thailand and Cambodia set up educational cooperation since 1996, before signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Promotion of Education in 2003. This research aimed to investigate outcomes of educational cooperation projects on Cambodia human development and international understanding, process of participatory learning and…

  13. Mind over matter? The role of individual perceptions in understanding the social ecology of housing environments for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townley, Greg; Kloos, Bret

    2014-12-01

    There is a disagreement in place-based research regarding whether objective indicators or individual perceptions of environments are better predictors of well-being. This study assessed environmental influences on well-being for 373 individuals with psychiatric disabilities living independently in 66 neighborhoods in the southeastern United States. Three questions were examined utilizing random effects models: (1) How much variance in personal and neighborhood well-being can be explained by neighborhood membership? (2) What is the relationship between participant perceptions of neighborhood quality and researcher ratings of neighborhood quality? and (3) What is the relative influence of individual perceptions, perceptions aggregated by neighborhood, and researcher ratings of neighborhood quality in predicting personal and neighborhood well-being? Results indicate that individual perceptions of neighborhood quality were more closely related to well-being than either aggregated perceptions or researcher ratings. Thus, participants' perceptions of their neighborhoods were more important indicators of their well-being than objective ratings made by researchers. Findings have implications for measurement approaches and intervention design in placed-based research.

  14. Understanding by Design (UbD) in EFL Teaching: Teachers' Professional Development and Students' Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurtseven, Nihal; Altun, Sertel

    2017-01-01

    Concepts such as teachers' professional development and students' achievement act as the driving force for the development of each in a causal relationship in EFL teaching, as in many other disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the change Understanding by Design (UbD) made on teachers' professional development and students'…

  15. Understanding individual resilience in the workplace: the international collaboration of workforce resilience model

    OpenAIRE

    Rees, Clare S.; Breen, Lauren J.; Cusack, Lynette; Hegney, Desley

    2015-01-01

    When not managed effectively, high levels of workplace stress can lead to several negative personal and performance outcomes. Some professional groups work in highly stressful settings and are therefore particularly at risk of conditions such as anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. However, some individuals are less affected by workplace stress and the associated negative outcomes. Such individuals have been described as “resilient.” A number of studies have found rel...

  16. Developing Intercultural Understanding for Study Abroad: Students' and Teachers' Perspectives on Pre-Departure Intercultural Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, P.; Bavieri, L.; Ganassin, S.

    2015-01-01

    This study reports on students' and teachers' perspectives on a programme designed to develop Erasmus students' intercultural understanding prior to going abroad. We aimed to understand how students and their teachers perceived pre-departure materials in promoting their awareness of key concepts related to interculturality (e.g., essentialism,…

  17. Fundamental understanding and development of low-cost, high-efficiency silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    ROHATGI,A.; NARASIMHA,S.; MOSCHER,J.; EBONG,A.; KAMRA,S.; KRYGOWSKI,T.; DOSHI,P.; RISTOW,A.; YELUNDUR,V.; RUBY,DOUGLAS S.

    2000-05-01

    The overall objectives of this program are (1) to develop rapid and low-cost processes for manufacturing that can improve yield, throughput, and performance of silicon photovoltaic devices, (2) to design and fabricate high-efficiency solar cells on promising low-cost materials, and (3) to improve the fundamental understanding of advanced photovoltaic devices. Several rapid and potentially low-cost technologies are described in this report that were developed and applied toward the fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells.

  18. Relationship between individual differences in speech processing and cognitive functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Jinghua; Law, Sam-Po; Fung, Roxana

    2015-12-01

    A growing body of research has suggested that cognitive abilities may play a role in individual differences in speech processing. The present study took advantage of a widespread linguistic phenomenon of sound change to systematically assess the relationships between speech processing and various components of attention and working memory in the auditory and visual modalities among typically developed Cantonese-speaking individuals. The individual variations in speech processing are captured in an ongoing sound change-tone merging in Hong Kong Cantonese, in which typically developed native speakers are reported to lose the distinctions between some tonal contrasts in perception and/or production. Three groups of participants were recruited, with a first group of good perception and production, a second group of good perception but poor production, and a third group of good production but poor perception. Our findings revealed that modality-independent abilities of attentional switching/control and working memory might contribute to individual differences in patterns of speech perception and production as well as discrimination latencies among typically developed speakers. The findings not only have the potential to generalize to speech processing in other languages, but also broaden our understanding of the omnipresent phenomenon of language change in all languages.

  19. Communicating with individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation: the experiences of key communication partners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laakso, Katja; Markström, Agneta; Havstam, Christina; Idvall, Markus; Hartelius, Lena

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the communication experiences of key communications partners (CPs) of individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV), with particular emphasis on the possibilities, difficulties and limitations CPs experienced in communication, possible support given to facilitate communication and exploring what made a skilled communicator. A qualitative research design using interviews was used. The participants included 19 key CPs of individuals receiving HMV. The analysis resulted in five themes: Encountering communication limitations, Functional communication strategies, Being a communication facilitator, Role insecurity and Emotional reactions and coping. The findings revealed that CPs needed to develop partly new reference frames for communication. In particular, participants emphasised the need to understand and interpret subtle details in the communicative interaction. The findings are discussed in the light of previous research, in particular an earlier study exploring another perspective; the ventilator-supported individuals' experiences of communication. Issues relating to the educational needs of CPs of individuals receiving HMV are discussed. The results are intended to enhance understanding of the challenges that individuals receiving HMV and their CPs face with communication, which should be of relevance not only to speech therapists, but for all healthcare practitioners in the field of HMV.

  20. Describing Pre-Service Teachers' Developing Understanding of Elementary Number Theory Topics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldman, Ziv

    2012-01-01

    Although elementary number theory topics are closely linked to foundational topics in number and operations and are prevalent in elementary and middle grades mathematics curricula, little is currently known about how students and teachers make sense of them. This study investigated pre-service elementary teachers' developing understanding of…

  1. Developing Critical Curiosity in Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Shelby; Seider, Scott

    2017-01-01

    Critical consciousness refers to the ways in which individuals come to understand and challenge oppressive social forces. Philosopher-educator Paulo Freire argued that critical curiosity--an eagerness to learn more about and develop a deep understanding of issues of social justice--serves as an important catalyst to critical consciousness…

  2. Approaching an Understanding of Omniscience from the Preschool Years to Early Adulthood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, Jonathan D.; Wellman, Henry M.; Evans, E. Margaret

    2014-01-01

    Individuals in many cultures believe in omniscient (all-knowing) beings, but everyday representations of omniscience have rarely been studied. To understand the nature of such representations requires knowing how they develop. Two studies examined the breadth of knowledge (i.e., types of knowledge) and depth of knowledge (i.e., amount of knowledge…

  3. Individual classroom experiences: a sociocultural comparison for understanding efl classroom language learning Individual classroom experiences: a sociocultural comparison for understanding efl classroom language learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Miccoli

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Este trabalho compara as experiências de sala de aula (ESA de duas universitárias na aprendizagem de língua inglesa. As ESA emergiram de entrevistas individuais, onde vídeos das aulas promoveram a reflexão. A análise revelou que experiências de natureza cognitiva, social ou afetiva influem diretamente no processo de aprendizagem e as que se referem ao contexto, à história, crenças e metas dos alunos influem indiretamente no mesmo. A singularidade de algumas experiências levou à sua categorização como ESA individuais (ESAI. Ao comparar as ESAI de duas informantes, a importância da análise sociocultural do processo de aprendizagem de sala de aula fica evidente. Concluiremos com uma defesa do valor da teoria sociocultural no estudo da aprendizagem de língua estrangeira em sala de aula e com a apresentação das implicações deste estudo para pesquisadores e professores. This paper compares the classroom experiences (CEs of two university students in their process of learning English as a foreign language (EFL. The CEs emerged from individual interviews, where classroom videos promoted reflection. The analysis revealed that cognitive, social and affective experiences directly influence the learning process and that those which refer to setting, learner’s personal background, beliefs and goal influence the learning process indirectly. The analysis also revealed the singularity of some of these CEs that led to their categorization as individual CEs (ICEs. When comparing the ICEs of the two participants, the importance of a sociocultural analysis of the classroom learning process becomes evident. We conclude with an analysis of the value of sociocultural theory in the study of classroom EFL learning and with the implications of this study for teachers and researchers.

  4. Visual Storytelling – Knowledge and Understanding in Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linnéa Stenliden

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an ongoing research project of use and learning with geographic information visualization and Visual Storytelling (geovisual analytics in education. The fully developed study will be applied in school settings in order to 1 customize the application for educational purpose, 2 improve the teaching in social science and 3 study teachers and students experiences and learning. - The application "Open Statistics eXplorer" will be used to improve the students knowledge and understanding of sophisticated statistical relations, - Teachers will be able to, individually and together, develop a dynamic teaching material through storytelling, through the web, - Students will be able to, with help of powerful geographical statistics, explore statistical relations on their own. A better understanding of how educators and their students can elicit deeper user understanding and participation by exploiting dynamic web-enabled statistics visualization is of importance. Results from an usability study in this project are promising. Together with the associated science of perception in learning in relation to the use of multidimensional spatio-temporal statistical data this research will contribute to the research fields of geovisual analytics as well as educational science.

  5. Development of Communication Strategies for the Marketing of Electronic Banking Services for Individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dunas Natalia V.

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of the article is to study the trends in the development of communication strategies for the marketing of electronic banking services for individuals by studying the foreign experience in Digital Banking, as well as the situation in the Ukrainian banking market. There offered a comparative characteristic of banking systems of electronic banking services for clients with the purpose of working out flexible methodological approaches for the development of marketing communication strategies for remote client servicing. The characteristic features of electronic banking services and technologies in Ukraine are determined. Comparative evaluation of positive aspects and risks of remote electronic banking systems for banks as well as their client segment is conducted. Analytical aspects of the sociological survey of European banks regarding the selection of the most important priorities of the marketing strategies of financial institutions for 2017 are presented. Also the main factors determining the development of marketing communications of banks and their clients in the field of electronic payments both in Ukraine and abroad are identified. Modern directions of development of communication strategies of marketing of electronic banking services for individuals in Ukraine are proposed.

  6. Individual Scholar Productivity Rankings in Business Ethics Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin J. Warnick

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The last two decades have been a time of significant development for the academic business ethics community. While a number of scholars have contributed to advances in the field, the work of the individuals who have contributed to its progress and growth through their business ethics research is still not comprehensively understood within the academic business ethics community. This study identifies those individuals who have made major contributions to the business ethics field by ranking authors who have published business ethics-related research in the following six journals over the past 20 years: the Journal of Business Ethics, the Academy of Management Review, the Academy of Management Journal, the Business Ethics Quarterly, the Administrative Science Quarterly; and Business & Society. The results of the study should be of interest to a number of constituencies as they provide the academic business ethics community with a better understanding of the history and evolution of the field and its development towards academic maturity.

  7. The recent development in understanding the periodic table of elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niizeki, K.

    1986-01-01

    The recent development in understanding the periodic table of elements is reviewed. The author's concern is focussed on the effects which make different elements of a group of the periodic table to have different chemical properties, which result in that different members of a homologous series of compounds have different physical properties. The most important effect is due to the effective repulsion of the valence orbital of an atom from the core region by orthogonality with the core orbitals with the same azimuthal quantum number

  8. Quality of life and swallowing questionnaire for individuals with Parkinson's disease: development and validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diniz, Juliana Garcia; da Silva, Alfredo Carlos; Nóbrega, Ana Caline

    2018-05-21

    Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) may exhibit some degree of change in swallowing dynamics during the course of the disease. These changes can affect their physical, functional and emotional quality of life. To develop a quality of life and swallowing questionnaire for individuals with PD. The first version of the questionnaire comprised 29 items taken from the accounts of 50 patients treated over a 2-month period at Sarah Hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A committee of 10 experts in the field analyzed the content and reduced the questionnaire to 28 questions. The questionnaire was then administered to 140 PD patients and 47 healthy individuals. A factor analysis of the items guided the drafting of the final questionnaire, which consisted of 19 items grouped into four factors, encompassing physical, functional and emotional aspects. A test-retest assessment was conducted with 44 individuals with PD. The internal consistency, estimated by the mean of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, varied between 0.71 (domain 3) and 0.94 (domain 1) in the test and between 0.69 (domain 3) and 0.95 (domain 1) in the retest. The correlation coefficient in the test/retest comparison was high and significant, demonstrating that the measurement was stable. A significant difference was observed between the PD group and the comparison group. The questionnaire developed is a valid, statistically appropriate and clinically effective self-administered instrument for individuals with PD. © 2018 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

  9. Leadership for democracy : developing democratic organizations

    OpenAIRE

    Dorczak, Roman

    2014-01-01

    What seems to be one of the core values that shapes our understanding of the main goals of educational institutions is development. It should be discussed on at least four different levels: individual, group, organizational and social. Individual human development should be seen as the most important precondition for all the other types or levels of development. Using L. Kohlberg’s theory of socio-moral development, the paper discusses necessary organizational changes in schools necessary to ...

  10. Individualized early prediction of familial risk of dyslexia : A study of infant vocabulary development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, Ao; Wijnen, Frank; Koster, Charlotte; Schnack, Hugo

    2017-01-01

    We examined early vocabulary development in children at familial risk (FR) of dyslexia and typically developing (TD) children between 17 and 35 months of age. We trained a support vector machine to classify TD and FR using these vocabulary data at the individual level. The Dutch version of the

  11. PHYSICAL AND SPORT ACTIVITIES OF INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED INDIVIDUALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoran Stanišić

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The low level of physical fitness of intellectually disabled individuals is most often the result of a sedentary lifestyle and the lack of the possibility for these individuals to take part in various forms of physical activity, and as a consequence these individuals are often unable to take part in any form of planned physical activities, are unable to adequately perform everyday activities and have limited abilities for performing workrelated duties. Regular physical activity can have a preventive effect, can reduce health risks and prevent the onset of various illnesses, as well as to promote an active lifestyle and increase physical and work capacities among the members of this particular population. Sport can play an important role in the life of individuals with intellectual disability as it represents a good basis for the development of physical and cognitive abilities. Team sports, which include interaction among a large number of people, a decision-making processes in a variety of situations and the understanding of the game itself in its constituent parts can be used as an effective and practical treatment of individuals with intellectual disability.

  12. Initial Development of a Measure of Emotional Dysregulation for Individuals with Cluster B Personality Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newhill, Christina E.; Mulvey, Edward P.; Pilkonis, Paul A.

    2004-01-01

    Individuals with DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorders are at particular risk of violence toward self or others. Emotional dysregulation is likely to be a factor in such incidents and is a central issue addressed in therapies with personality-disordered individuals. This article reports findings from a study that developed an original 18-item…

  13. Connecting Earth Systems: Developing Holistic Understanding through the Earth-System-Science Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon, Valoree; Bradway, Heather

    2012-01-01

    For many years, Earth science concepts have been taught as thematic units with lessons in nice, neat chapter packages complete with labs and notes. But compartmentalized Earth science no longer exists, and implementing teaching methods that support student development of holistic understandings can be a time-consuming and difficult task. While…

  14. Training Class Inclusion Responding in Typically Developing Children and Individuals with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ming, Siri; Mulhern, Teresa; Stewart, Ian; Moran, Laura; Bynum, Kellie

    2018-01-01

    In a "class inclusion" task, a child must respond to stimuli as being involved in two different though hierarchically related categories. This study used a Relational Frame Theory (RFT) paradigm to assess and train this ability in three typically developing preschoolers and three individuals with autism spectrum disorder, all of whom had…

  15. Individual differences in the development of early peer aggression: Integrating contributions of self-regulation, theory of mind, and parenting

    Science.gov (United States)

    OLSON, SHERYL L.; LOPEZ-DURAN, NESTOR; LUNKENHEIMER, ERIKA S.; CHANG, HYEIN; SAMEROFF, ARNOLD J.

    2014-01-01

    This prospective longitudinal study focused on self-regulatory, social–cognitive, and parenting precursors of individual differences in children’s peer-directed aggression at early school age. Participants were 1993-year-old boys and girls who were reassessed following the transition to kindergarten (5.5–6 years). Peer aggression was assessed in preschool and school settings using naturalistic observations and teacher reports. Children’s self-regulation abilities and theory of mind understanding were assessed during a laboratory visit, and parenting risk (corporal punishment and low warmth/responsiveness) was assessed using interview-based and questionnaire measures. Individual differences in children’s peer aggression were moderately stable across the preschool to school transition. Preschool-age children who manifested high levels of aggressive peer interactions also showed lower levels of self-regulation and theory of mind understanding, and experienced higher levels of adverse parenting than others. Our main finding was that early corporal punishment was associated with increased levels of peer aggression across the transition from preschool to school, as was the interaction between low maternal emotional support and children’s early delays in theory of mind understanding. These data highlight the need for family-directed preventive efforts during the early preschool years. PMID:21262052

  16. Model for understanding consumer textural food choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeltema, Melissa; Beckley, Jacqueline; Vahalik, Jennifer

    2015-05-01

    The current paradigm for developing products that will match the marketing messaging is flawed because the drivers of product choice and satisfaction based on texture are misunderstood. Qualitative research across 10 years has led to the thesis explored in this research that individuals have a preferred way to manipulate food in their mouths (i.e., mouth behavior) and that this behavior is a major driver of food choice, satisfaction, and the desire to repurchase. Texture, which is currently thought to be a major driver of product choice, is a secondary factor, and is important only in that it supports the primary driver-mouth behavior. A model for mouth behavior is proposed and the qualitative research supporting the identification of different mouth behaviors is presented. The development of a trademarked typing tool for characterizing mouth behavior is described along with quantitative substantiation of the tool's ability to group individuals by mouth behavior. The use of these four groups to understand textural preferences and the implications for a variety of areas including product design and weight management are explored.

  17. What characterizes individuals developing chronic whiplash?: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myrtveit, Solbjørg Makalani; Wilhelmsen, Ingvard; Petrie, Keith J; Skogen, Jens Christoffer; Sivertsen, Børge

    2013-05-01

    Most individuals experiencing whiplash accidents recover rapidly. A considerable proportion, however, develop chronic symptoms. Psychological factors may slow recovery, possibly by increasing the likelihood of other symptoms being misattributed to, and amplified by the whiplash injury. We aimed to investigate how pre-injury mental and somatic symptoms, self-rated health, use of health-services and medications, health-behavior and socio-demographics predict the development of chronic whiplash. Data from two waves of a large, population based study (HUNT2 (baseline) and HUNT3) were used. Individuals reporting no whiplash at baseline were identified in HUNT3. Characteristics reported at baseline were compared between those who had developed chronic whiplash in HUNT3 (n=199) and those who had not (n=20,600), using Pearson's chi-squared tests, independent sample t-tests and logistic regression analyses. Individuals developing chronic whiplash reported worse baseline health than those reporting no chronic whiplash. Poor self-rated health was a strong risk factor for subsequent chronic whiplash (OR=2.26, 95%CI: 1.68-3.04). Musculoskeletal pain also increased the risk (OR=1.21, 95%CI: 1.15-1.26), as did diffuse somatic symptoms (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.47-2.96), use of different health services (OR=1.31, 95%CI: 1.19-1.45), high use of medications (OR=1.28, 95%CI: 1.14-1.43) and symptoms of anxiety (OR=1.93, 95%CI: 1.39-2.68). Physical activity was protective (OR=0.67, 95%CI: 0.49-0.91). Most socio-demographic variables were not significantly associated with chronic whiplash. Poor somatic and mental pre-injury health increased the risk of subsequent chronic whiplash. This suggests that chronic whiplash is not merely an organic disorder, and highlights the importance of individual expectations, symptom reattribution and amplification in development of chronic whiplash. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Understanding of xerostomia and strategies for the development of artificial saliva.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kho, Hong-Seop

    2014-01-01

    Xerostomia is becoming a major issue in dental and medical clinics with an increase of aged population. Medication is the most common etiology of xerostomia, while the most severe xerostomia generally occurs in patients with a history of head and neck radiotherapy. Xerostomic patients usually suffer from diminished quality of life due to various symptoms and complications. Decreased salivary output is a definite objective sign, but oral mucosal wetness is a more reliable factor for the evaluation of xerostomia. At present there are no effective therapeutic methods for the treatment of xerostomia. Sialogogues may have problematic side effects and their therapeutic effects last only brief duration. Artificial saliva typically does not produce satisfactory results in therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, further research and development of better therapeutic modalities are necessary. The basic concept for the development of ideal and functional artificial saliva is the mimicry of natural human saliva. We need proper candidate molecules and antimicrobial supplements to simulate the rheological and biological properties of human saliva. We also need better understanding of the interactions between the ingredients of artificial saliva themselves and between the ingredients and components of human saliva both in solution and on surface phases. In addition, we need accepted measures to evaluate the efficacy of artificial saliva. In conclusion, for the development of ideal artificial saliva, research based on the understanding of pathophysiology of xerostomia and knowledge about rheological and biological functions of human saliva are necessary.

  19. Understanding focused ion beam guided anodic alumina nanopore development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Bo; Lu, Kathy; Tian Zhipeng

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: → We study the effect of FIB patterning on pore evolution during anodization. → FIB patterned concaves with 1.5 nm depth can effectively guide nanopore growth. → The edge effect of FIB guided patterns causes nanopores to bend. → Anodization window is enlarged to 50-80 V for 150 nm interpore distance hexagonal arrays. - Abstract: Focused ion beam (FIB) patterning in combination with anodization has shown great promise in creating unique pore patterns. This work is aimed to understand the effect of the FIB patterned sites in guiding anodized pore development. Highly ordered porous anodic alumina has been created with the guidance of FIB created patterns on electropolished aluminum followed by oxalic acid anodization. Shallow concaves created by the FIB with only 1.5 nm depth can effectively guide the growth of ordered nanopore patterns. With the guidance of the FIB pattern, the anodization rate is much faster and the nanopore growth direction bends at the boundary of the FIB patterned and un-patterned regions. FIB patterning also enlarges the anodization window; ordered nanopore arrays with 150 nm interpore distances can be produced under an applied potential from 50 V to 80 V. The fundamental understanding of these unique processes is discussed.

  20. Understanding Your Water Bill

    Science.gov (United States)

    An easy to way to understand individual water use is to look at your water bill—not just the amount due, but how much water you used. Pull out your water bill and follow our steps to learn more about it.

  1. Balance impairment in individuals with Wolfram syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickett, Kristen A; Duncan, Ryan P; Paciorkowski, Alex R; Permutt, M Alan; Marshall, Bess; Hershey, Tamara; Earhart, Gammon M

    2012-07-01

    Wolfram syndrome (WFS), a rare neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by early onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, deafness, diabetes insipidus, and neurological abnormalities. Although previously unreported, we hypothesized that neurological complications may be detectable in relatively early stages of the disease. As the cerebellum and brainstem seem particularly vulnerable in WFS, we focused on balance functions critically dependent on these regions. The primary goal of this investigation was to compare balance in young individuals with WFS, in relatively early stages of the disease, to an age-matched cohort using a clinically applicable test. Balance was assessed via the mini-BESTest in 13 children, adolescents and young adults with WFS and 30 typically developing age-matched individuals. A significant difference was observed between groups in balance as well as in three of four subcomponents of the mini-BESTest and in two timed tasks related to balance. Mini-BESTest scores were correlated with age among typically developing individuals. In the WFS group, mini-BESTest scores were related to overall motor dysfunction, but not age. Impairments in balance in WFS may occur earlier in the disease process than previously recognized and appear to be related to overall neurological progression rather than chronological age. Recognizing balance impairments and understanding which balance systems contribute to balance deficits in those with WFS may allow for development of effective patient-centered treatment paradigms. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Key Stakeholders' Perceptions of Motivators for Research Participation Among Individuals Who Are Incarcerated.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Bridget L; Faulkner, Sherilyn A; Brems, Christiane; Corey, Staci L; Eldridge, Gloria D; Johnson, Mark E

    2015-10-01

    Understanding motivations of research participants is crucial for developing ethical research protocols, especially for research with vulnerable populations. Through interviews with 92 institutional review board members, prison administrators, research ethicists, and researchers, we explored key stakeholders' perceptions of what motivates incarcerated individuals to participate in research. Primary motivators identified were a desire to contribute to society, gaining knowledge and health care, acquiring incentives, and obtaining social support. The potential for undue influence or coercion were also identified as motivators. These results highlight the need for careful analysis of what motivates incarcerated individuals to participate in research as part of developing or reviewing ethically permissible and responsible research protocols. Future research should expand this line of inquiry to directly include perspectives of incarcerated individuals. © The Author(s) 2015.

  3. Children's understanding of maternal breast cancer: A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaoyan; O'Connor, Margaret; Hu, Yan; Gao, Hongyun; Lee, Susan

    2018-06-01

    To explore how children understand their mother's diagnosis of and treatment for breast cancer. Interpretive description was adopted as the methodology in this study. Eight children aged 8-18 years old, whose mother has been diagnosed with non-terminal breast cancer, were interviewed individually and six of them drew a picture to express their understanding of maternal breast cancer. Four themes were identified in this study: "the cancer word is scary" - children's understanding of cancer; "scars and tubes" - children's understanding of surgery; "hair loss" - children's understanding of chemotherapy, and "I can't explain it" - children's understanding of other treatments. Children's understanding of maternal breast cancer and its treatment was relatively realistic, although sometimes inaccurate. Individual evaluation and appropriate explanation is significant to further children's understanding of their mother's illness. Future studies with larger sample size are needed to explore the understanding for children of different ages, in order to provide specific help for these children. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Career Development, Collective Efficacy, and Individual Task Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kellett, Janet B.; Humphrey, Ronald H.; Sleeth, Randall G.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that perceived collective efficacy would mediate the effects of self-efficacy on individual task performance. Design/methodology/approach: An assessment center design with 147 participants in 49 three-person groups was used. Findings: It is found that for individuals working on an…

  5. Understanding care in the past to develop caring science of the future: a historical methodological approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyborg, Vibeke N; Hvalvik, Sigrun; McCormack, Brendan

    2018-05-31

    In this paper, we explore how the development of historical research methodologies during the last centuries can contribute to more diverse and interdisciplinary research in future caring science, especially towards a care focus that is more person-centred. The adding of a historical approach by professional historians to the theory of person-centredness and person-centred care can develop knowledge that enables a more holistic understanding of the patient and the development of the patient perspective from the past until today. Thus, the aim was to show how developments within historical methodology can help us to understand elements of care in the past to further develop caring science in future. Historical research methodologies have advocated a "history from below" perspective, and this has enabled the evolution of systematic approaches to historical research that can be explored and critically analysed. Linked with this, the development of a more social and cultural oriented understanding of historical research has enabled historians to explore and add knowledge from a broader societal perspective. By focusing on the life of ordinary people and taking social and cultural aspects into account when trying to reconstruct the past, we can get a deeper understanding of health, care and medical development. However, an interdisciplinary research focus on person-centredness and person-centred care that includes professional historians can be challenging. In this paper, we argue that a historical perspective is necessary to meet the challenges we face in future delivery of health care to all people, in all parts of society in an ever more global world. © 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  6. Understanding dissolution behavior of 193nm photoresists in organic solvent developers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seung-Hyun; Park, Jong Keun; Cardolaccia, Thomas; Sun, Jibin; Andes, Cecily; O'Connell, Kathleen; Barclay, George G.

    2012-03-01

    Herein, we investigate the dissolution behavior of 193-nm chemically amplified resist in different organic solvents at a mechanistic level. We previously reported the effect of solvent developers on the negative tone development (NTD) process in both dry and immersion lithography, and demonstrated various resist performance parameters such as photospeed, critical dimension uniformity, and dissolution rate contrast are strongly affected by chemical nature of the organic developer. We further pursued the investigation by examining the dependence of resist dissolution behavior on their solubility properties using Hansen Solubility Parameter (HSP). The effects of monomer structure, and resist composition, and the effects of different developer chemistry on dissolution behaviors were evaluated by using laser interferometry and quartz crystal microbalance. We have found that dissolution behaviors of methacrylate based resists are significantly different in different organic solvent developers such as OSDTM-1000 Developer* and n-butyl acetate (nBA), affecting their resist performance. This study reveals that understanding the resist dissolution behavior helps to design robust NTD materials for higher resolution imaging.

  7. Individual differences in social comparison : Development of a scale of social comparison orientation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gibbons, FX; Buunk, BP

    Development and validation of a measure of individual differences in social comparison orientation (the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure [INCOM]) are described. Assuming that the tendency toward social comparison is universal, the scale was constructed so as to be appropriate to and

  8. Functional health literacy and healthy eating: Understanding the brazilian food guide recommendations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Auristela Magalhães Coelho

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess the relationship between the functional health literacy of Unified Heath System users and the understanding of food servings in the pocket version of the Brazilian Food Guide. Methods: Functional health literacy was assessed by the Brief Test of functional health literacy. Two dialogue rounds were conducted with patients with adequate functional health literacy (Group 1 and inadequate functional health literacy (Group 2. The dialogues were recorded and analyzed according to the discourse of the collective subject. Results: Most (58.0% users had inadequate functional health literacy. Five core areas were identified: understands serving sizes; does not understand serving sizes; serving sizes are confusing; unfamiliar/uncommon foods; small letters. Group 2 had more trouble understanding. Conclusion: Difficulty understanding hinders health promotion. Individuals need to have access to educational materials that are easier to understand and developed taking their functional health literacy into account.

  9. Getting the phenotypes right: an essential ingredient for understanding aetiological mechanisms underlying persistent violence and developing effective treatments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheilagh Hodgins

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available In order to reduce societal levels of violence, it is essential to advance understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in initiating and maintaining individual patterns of physical aggression. New technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imagining and analyses of DNA provide tools for identifying these mechanisms. The reliability and validity of the results of studies using these tools depend not only on aspects of the technology, but also on the methodological rigour with which the studies are conducted, particularly with respect to characterizing the phenotype. The present article discusses five challenges confronting scientists who aim to advance understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms associated with persistent violence. These challenges are: (1 to develop evidence-based hypotheses and to design studies that test alternate hypotheses; (2 to recruit samples that are homogeneous with respect to variables that may be linked to neurobiological mechanisms underpinning violent behaviour; (3 to use reliable and valid measures in order to fully characterize participants so that the external validity of the results is evident; (4 to restrict the range of age of participants so as not to confuse developmental change with group differences; and (5 to take account of sex. Our goal is to contribute to elevating methodological standards in this new field of research and to thereby improve the validity of results and move closer to finding effective ways to reduce violence

  10. Individual and Social Competence, Personality Factors and Cognitive Abilities of Preschoolers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Egorov A.V.

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Authors studied the connections between individual and social competence, personality factors and cognitive abilities of preschool children with typical development, attending kindergarten (N = 54; age 73, 4  6 months, 31 boys and 23 girls. The following method have been used: "Preschool children's educational competence scale», M5-PS, computer cognitive tests. K-means clustering of cases and Mann-Whitney U Test were used. Revealed that children with a high level of individual social competence development were more open to experience minded (p <0,0001, agreeable (p <0,05, conscientious (p <0,01, with higher level of Extraversion (0,001 and also more successful with the cognitive tests for stimulus sequences understanding (p <0,05, logical multiplication usage (p <0,05, emotional expression and situations of social interaction recognition (p <0,05 and p < 0,01. The obtained results may indicate the possible involvement of both personality and cognitive factors in the formation of individual and social competences.

  11. [Specific features in realization of the principle of minimum energy dissipation during individual development].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zotin, A A

    2012-01-01

    Realization of the principle of minimum energy dissipation (Prigogine's theorem) during individual development has been analyzed. This analysis has suggested the following reformulation of this principle for living objects: when environmental conditions are constant, the living system evolves to a current steady state in such a way that the difference between entropy production and entropy flow (psi(u) function) is positive and constantly decreases near the steady state, approaching zero. In turn, the current steady state tends to a final steady state in such a way that the difference between the specific entropy productions in an organism and its environment tends to be minimal. In general, individual development completely agrees with the law of entropy increase (second law of thermodynamics).

  12. Infants' Developing Understanding of Social Gaze

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beier, Jonathan S.; Spelke, Elizabeth S.

    2012-01-01

    Young infants are sensitive to self-directed social actions, but do they appreciate the intentional, target-directed nature of such behaviors? The authors addressed this question by investigating infants' understanding of social gaze in third-party interactions (N = 104). Ten-month-old infants discriminated between 2 people in mutual versus…

  13. Development of a Short Form of the Boston Naming Test for Individuals with Aphasia

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Toro, Christina M.; Bislick, Lauren P.; Comer, Matthew; Velozo, Craig; Romero, Sergio; Rothi, Leslie J. Gonzalez; Kendall, Diane L.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 2001) for individuals with aphasia and compare it with 2 existing short forms originally analyzed with responses from people with dementia and neurologically healthy adults. Method: Development of the new BNT-Aphasia Short…

  14. The Relationship between Student Leaders' Constructive Development, Their Leadership Identity, and Their Understanding of Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sessa, Valerie I.; Ploskonka, Jillian; Alvarez, Elphys L.; Dourdis, Steven; Dixon, Christopher; Bragger, Jennifer D.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of our research was to use Day, Harrison, and Halpin's, (2009) theory of leadership development as a premise to investigate how students' constructive development is related to their leader identity development and understanding of leadership. Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection (MER, 1988, 2001) was used to understand…

  15. Development of an instrument to understand the child protective services decision-making process, with a focus on placement decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dettlaff, Alan J; Christopher Graham, J; Holzman, Jesse; Baumann, Donald J; Fluke, John D

    2015-11-01

    When children come to the attention of the child welfare system, they become involved in a decision-making process in which decisions are made that have a significant effect on their future and well-being. The decision to remove children from their families is particularly complex; yet surprisingly little is understood about this decision-making process. This paper presents the results of a study to develop an instrument to explore, at the caseworker level, the context of the removal decision, with the objective of understanding the influence of the individual and organizational factors on this decision, drawing from the Decision Making Ecology as the underlying rationale for obtaining the measures. The instrument was based on the development of decision-making scales used in prior decision-making studies and administered to child protection caseworkers in several states. Analyses included reliability analyses, principal components analyses, and inter-correlations among the resulting scales. For one scale regarding removal decisions, a principal components analysis resulted in the extraction of two components, jointly identified as caseworkers' decision-making orientation, described as (1) an internal reference to decision-making and (2) an external reference to decision-making. Reliability analyses demonstrated acceptable to high internal consistency for 9 of the 11 scales. Full details of the reliability analyses, principal components analyses, and inter-correlations among the seven scales are discussed, along with implications for practice and the utility of this instrument to support the understanding of decision-making in child welfare. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Entropic measures of individual mobility patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallotti, Riccardo; Bazzani, Armando; Rambaldi, Sandro; Esposti, Mirko Degli

    2013-01-01

    Understanding human mobility from a microscopic point of view may represent a fundamental breakthrough for the development of a statistical physics for cognitive systems and it can shed light on the applicability of macroscopic statistical laws for social systems. Even if the complexity of individual behaviors prevents a true microscopic approach, the introduction of mesoscopic models allows the study of the dynamical properties for the non-stationary states of the considered system. We propose to compute various entropy measures of the individual mobility patterns obtained from GPS data that record the movements of private vehicles in the Florence district, in order to point out new features of human mobility related to the use of time and space and to define the dynamical properties of a stochastic model that could generate similar patterns. Moreover, we can relate the predictability properties of human mobility to the distribution of time passed between two successive trips. Our analysis suggests the existence of a hierarchical structure in the mobility patterns which divides the performed activities into three different categories, according to the time cost, with different information contents. We show that a Markov process defined by using the individual mobility network is not able to reproduce this hierarchy, which seems the consequence of different strategies in the activity choice. Our results could contribute to the development of governance policies for a sustainable mobility in modern cities. (paper)

  17. A Design Study to Develop Young Children's Understanding of Multiplication and Division

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bicknell, Brenda; Young-Loveridge, Jenny; Nguyen, Nhung

    2016-01-01

    This design study investigated the use of multiplication and division problems to help 5-year-old children develop an early understanding of multiplication and division. One teacher and her class of 15 5-year-old children were involved in a collaborative partnership with the researchers. The design study was conducted over two 4-week periods in…

  18. Developing Essential Understanding of Functions for Teaching Mathematics in Grades 9-12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lloyd, Gwendolyn; Beckmann, Sybilla; Zbiek, Rose Mary; Cooney, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Are sequences functions? What can't the popular "vertical line test" be applied in some cases to determine if a relation is a function? How does the idea of rate of change connect with simpler ideas about proportionality as well as more advanced topics in calculus? Helping high school students develop a robust understanding of functions requires…

  19. The motivation for special interests in individuals with autism and controls: Development and validation of the special interest motivation scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grove, Rachel; Roth, Ilona; Hoekstra, Rosa A

    2016-06-01

    Clinical observations and first person accounts of living with autism suggest that individuals with autism are highly motivated to engage in special interests, and that these interests remain important throughout life. Previous research assessing special interests has mainly focused on parental reports of children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand the significance of and motivations for engaging in special interests it is essential to use self-report ratings. This paper aims to systematically explore the motivations for engagement in special interests, and whether these differ in adults with ASC, first-degree relatives and general population controls. The Special Interest Motivation Scale (SIMS) was developed to assess motivation to engage in special interests. The internal structure of this scale was evaluated using factor analysis, and mean scores on the SIMS factors were subsequently compared across individuals with autism, parents and general population controls. Factor analysis indicated a 20-item SIMS containing five factors assessing Personal life values and goals; Intrinsic interest and knowledge; Prestige; Engagement and "flow" and Achievement. Individuals with autism were more motivated by Intrinsic interest and knowledge and by Engagement and flow than controls. The 20-item SIMS is a quick to administer measure that provides a reliable description of motivation to engage in special interests. This study indicates that individuals with ASC are highly motivated to engage in their special interest, and are more motivated than controls by intrinsic motivational factors, some of which are associated with positive affect. This has implications for research and clinical practice. Autism Res 2016, 9: 677-688. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Factor Structure of Individual Consequences for Teleworking Professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Campbell

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Despite the increasing popularity of telework, little is known about individual outcomes that arise particularly for teleworking professionals. We build on earlier research by examining the conceptual constructs of individual consequences from telework. We initially categorized consequences identified in the extant literature into five areas. However, this model was not supported by confirmatory factor analysis of survey data collected from 250 teleworking accounting professionals. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis revealed a more complex six-factor structure relating to (1 Effectiveness; (2 Self-assurance; (3 Working with Others; (4 Work Pressure; (5 Professional Image; and (6 Physicality. The results extend our understanding of latent constructs underlying telework by professional knowledge workers, and provide a basis for further refinement of our model based on empirical research and theoretical development.

  1. Saving for Success: Financial Education and Savings Goal Achievement in Individual Development Accounts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grinstead, Mary L.; Mauldin, Teresa; Sabia, Joseph J.; Koonce, Joan; Palmer, Lance

    2011-01-01

    Using microdata from the American Dream Demonstration, the current study examines factors associated with savings and savings goal achievement (indicated by a matched withdrawal) among participants of individual development account (IDA) programs. Multinomial logit results show that hours of participation in financial education programs, higher…

  2. Characterising the Development of the Understanding of Human Body Systems in High-School Biology Students--A Longitudinal Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snapir, Zohar; Eberbach, Catherine; Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, Orit; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy; Tripto, Jaklin

    2017-01-01

    Science education today has become increasingly focused on research into complex natural, social and technological systems. In this study, we examined the development of high-school biology students' systems understanding of the human body, in a three-year longitudinal study. The development of the students' system understanding was evaluated…

  3. What Are the Social, Psychological, and Cognitive Factors That Drive Individuals to Entrepreneurship?

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaMattina, Lina M.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was two-fold; first, to uncover the social, psychological, and cognitive factors core to the entrepreneurial individual; and secondly, to provide accurate data to be used in curriculum development to fill the existing educational gap that exists in the current literature regarding understanding the inner workings of the…

  4. Marketers Understanding Engineers and Engineers Understanding Marketers: The Opportunities and Constraints of a Cross-Discipline Course Using 3D Printing to Develop Marketable Innovations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reifschneider, Louis; Kaufman, Peter; Langrehr, Frederick W.; Kaufman, Kristina

    2015-01-01

    Marketers are criticized for not understanding the steps in the engineering research and development process and the challenges of manufacturing a new product at a profit. Engineers are criticized for not considering the marketability of and customer interest in such a product during the planning stages. With the development of 3D printing, rapid…

  5. Advances in individualized and regenerative medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, Hubert E

    2014-03-01

    Molecular and cell biology have resulted in major advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis as well as in novel strategies for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of human diseases. Based on modern molecular, genetic and biochemical methodologies it is on the one hand possible to identify for example disease-related point mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms. On the other hand, using high throughput array and other technologies, it is for example possible to simultaneously analyze thousands of genes or gene products (RNA and proteins), resulting in an individual gene or gene expression profile ('signature'). Such data increasingly allow to define the individual disposition for a given disease and to predict disease prognosis as well as the efficacy of therapeutic strategies in the individual patient ('individualized medicine'). At the same time, the basic discoveries in cell biology, including embryonic and adult stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, genetically modified cells and others, have moved regenerative medicine into the center of biomedical research worldwide with a major translational impact on tissue engineering as well as transplantation medicine. All these aspects have greatly contributed to the recent advances in regenerative medicine and the development novel concepts for the treatment of many human diseases, including liver diseases. Copyright © 2014 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  6. Understanding workplace boredom among white collar employees : temporary reactions and individual differences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heijden, van der G.A.H.; Schepers, J.J.L.; Nijssen, E.J.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate white collar employees' temporary relief strategies to workplace boredom. Building on self-regulation theory we define two responses: engaging in distraction and work indifference. We also investigate whether some individuals are more likely to engage in

  7. Workplace assaults in Britain: Understanding the influence of individual and workplace characteristics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jones, T.; Robinson, A.; Fevre, R.; Lewis, D.

    2011-01-01

    Studies based on British Crime Survey (BCS) data suggest that the overall incidence of workplace assault is relatively low. However, these data have a number of limitations. They include only assaults carried out by clients or the public, provide limited information about the individuals involved

  8. The Individual-Practice Framework as a design tool to understand consumer behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Piscicelli, L.; Moreno, Mariale; Cooper, Tim; Fisher, Tom

    2016-01-01

    Design for behaviour change is a growing research field which aims at providing methods and tools to foster pro-environmental and pro-social action through the application of diverse theories, models and approaches from the social sciences. This chapter presents the Individual-Practice Framework,

  9. Developing Critical Understanding in HRM Students: Using Innovative Teaching Methods to Encourage Deep Approaches to Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Michael J. R.; Reddy, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to focus on developing critical understanding in human resource management (HRM) students in Aston Business School, UK. The paper reveals that innovative teaching methods encourage deep approaches to study, an indicator of students reaching their own understanding of material and ideas. This improves student employability…

  10. Developing Essential Understanding of Rational Numbers for Teaching Mathematics in Grades 3-5. Essential Understandings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Carne; Fisher, William; Marks, Rick; Ross, Sharon; Zbiek, Rose Mary

    2010-01-01

    This book focuses on essential knowledge for teachers about rational numbers. It is organized around four big ideas, supported by multiple smaller, interconnected ideas--essential understandings. Taking teachers beyond a simple introduction to rational numbers, the book will broaden and deepen their mathematical understanding of one of the most…

  11. Understanding Service-Oriented Systems Using Dynamic Analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Espinha, T.; Zaidman, A.; Gross, H.G.

    2011-01-01

    When trying to understand a system that is based on the principles of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), it is typically not enough to understand the individual services in the architecture, but also the interactions between the services. In this paper, we present a technique based on dynamic

  12. Human development II: We Need an Integrated Theory for Matter, Life and Consciousness to Understand Life and Healing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sören Ventegodt

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available For almost a decade, we have experimented with supporting the philosophical development of severely ill patients to induce recovery and spontaneous healing. Recently, we have observed a new pattern of extremely rapid, spontaneous healing that apparently can facilitate even the spontaneous remission of cancer and the spontaneous recovery of mental diseases like schizophrenia and borderline schizophrenia. Our working hypothesis is that the accelerated healing is a function of the patient’s brain-mind and body-mind coming closer together due to the development of what we call “deep” cosmology. To understand and describe what happens at a biological level, we have suggested naming the process adult human metamorphosis, a possibility that is opened by the human genome showing full generic equipment for metamorphosis. To understand the mechanistic details in the complicated interaction between consciousness and biology, we need an adequate theory for biological information. In a series of papers, we propose what we call “holistic biology for holistic medicine”. We suggest that a relatively simple model based on interacting wholenesses instead of isolated parts can shed a new light on a number of difficult issues that we need to explain and understand in biology and medicine in order to understand and use metamorphosis in the holistic medical clinic. We aim to give a holistic theoretical interpretation of biological phenomena at large, morphogenesis, evolution, immune system regulation (self-nonself discrimination, brain function, consciousness, and health in particular. We start at the most fundamental problem: what is biological information at the subcellular, cellular, and supracellular levels if we presume that it is the same phenomenon on all levels (using Occam's razor, and how can this be described scientifically? The problems we address are all connected to the information flow in the functioning, living organism: function of the brain

  13. Human development II: we need an integrated theory for matter, life and consciousness to understand life and healing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventegodt, Søren; Hermansen, Tyge Dahl; Nielsen, Maj Lyck; Clausen, Birgitte; Merrick, Joav

    2006-07-06

    For almost a decade, we have experimented with supporting the philosophical development of severely ill patients to induce recovery and spontaneous healing. Recently, we have observed a new pattern of extremely rapid, spontaneous healing that apparently can facilitate even the spontaneous remission of cancer and the spontaneous recovery of mental diseases like schizophrenia and borderline schizophrenia. Our working hypothesis is that the accelerated healing is a function of the patient's brain-mind and body-mind coming closer together due to the development of what we call "deep" cosmology. To understand and describe what happens at a biological level, we have suggested naming the process adult human metamorphosis, a possibility that is opened by the human genome showing full generic equipment for metamorphosis. To understand the mechanistic details in the complicated interaction between consciousness and biology, we need an adequate theory for biological information. In a series of papers, we propose what we call "holistic biology for holistic medicine". We suggest that a relatively simple model based on interacting wholenesses instead of isolated parts can shed a new light on a number of difficult issues that we need to explain and understand in biology and medicine in order to understand and use metamorphosis in the holistic medical clinic. We aim to give a holistic theoretical interpretation of biological phenomena at large, morphogenesis, evolution, immune system regulation (self-nonself discrimination), brain function, consciousness, and health in particular. We start at the most fundamental problem: what is biological information at the subcellular, cellular, and supracellular levels if we presume that it is the same phenomenon on all levels (using Occam's razor), and how can this be described scientifically? The problems we address are all connected to the information flow in the functioning, living organism: function of the brain and consciousness, the

  14. Understanding technology adoption through individual and context characteristics: the case of HDTV

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baaren, Eva; van de Wijngaert, Lidwien; Huizer, E.

    2011-01-01

    Technology adoption research has a tradition of using and improving Davis' (1989) “Technology Acceptance Model” (TAM) and extended versions of it. This article suggests a break with this tradition by showing that the TAM is limited in its understanding of technology adoption. Two alternative

  15. Understanding stress in the healthy animal - potential paths for progress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero, L Michael; Platts, Steven H; Schoech, Stephan J; Wada, Haruka; Crespi, Erica; Martin, Lynn B; Buck, C Loren

    2015-01-01

    Although stress is usually associated with disease, the physiological and behavioral responses to stressors are critical mechanisms of resilience for healthy organisms. A recent workshop comprised of researchers who study healthy humans and both free-living and captive non-human animals identified a number of key roadblocks that are impeding progress in understanding how stress responses integrate into the normal physiology of an animal. These include the lack of: (1) an unambiguous definition of a stress phenotype; (2) a robust biomarker, or suite of biomarkers, to indicate that phenotype; (3) theoretical and quantitative models to predict how humans and other animals will react to stressors; (4) a comprehensive understanding of how individual variability in stress responses arise and (5) an understanding of the transitions between acute and chronic stress responses. Collectively, these deficiencies impair our ability to both assess the physiological status of individuals and develop procedures and techniques to reverse the effects elicited by chronic stress before they become pathological. Workshop participants also identified a number of potential approaches to facilitate progress on these problems. They include: (1) increased use of mathematical models to provide quantitative predictions; (2) use of network theory to expose emergent properties not predicted from traditional approaches; (3) development and deployment of improved sensor technology that will allow long-term, dynamic, non-invasive, multi-factor measurements of suites of stress mediators and (4) the recruitment of scientists with diverse skill sets, such as engineers, bioinformaticians, etc.; and (5) the training of young scientists in the multidisciplinary study of stress. Incorporating these approaches in new research should reinvigorate the study of stress and stimulate progress in understanding both how healthy humans cope with stressors and how other animals, including free-living animals, cope

  16. Developing Turkish Preservice Preschool Teachers' Attitudes and Understanding about Teaching Science through Play

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulunuz, Mizrap

    2012-01-01

    This research studied the development of preservice teachers' understandings and attitudes about teaching science through playful experiences. Subjects were 94 senior preservice teachers in two sections of a science methods class on teaching preschool children. Data sources were semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaire at the…

  17. Serum Vaspin Levels Are Associated with the Development of Clinically Manifest Arthritis in Autoantibody-Positive Individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen I Maijer

    Full Text Available We have previously shown that overweight may increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA in autoantibody positive individuals. Adipose tissue could contribute to the development of RA by production of various bioactive peptides. Therefore, we examined levels of adipokines in serum and synovial tissue of subjects at risk of RA.Fifty-one individuals positive for immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF and/or anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA, without arthritis, were included in this prospective study. Levels of adiponectin, vaspin, resistin, leptin, chemerin and omentin were determined in baseline fasting serum samples (n = 27. Synovial tissue was obtained by arthroscopy at baseline and we examined the expression of adiponectin, resistin and visfatin by immunohistochemistry.The development of clinically manifest arthritis after follow-up was associated with baseline serum vaspin levels (HR1.5 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.2; p = 0.020, also after adjustment for overweight (HR1.7 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.5; p = 0.016. This association was not seen for other adipokines. Various serum adipokine levels correlated with BMI (adiponectin r = -0.538, leptin r = 0.664; chemerin r = 0.529 and systemic markers of inflammation such as CRP levels at baseline (adiponectin r = -0.449, omentin r = -0.557, leptin r = 0.635, chemerin r = 0.619, resistin r = 0.520 and ESR (leptin r = 0.512, chemerin r = 0.708, p-value<0.05. Synovial expression of adiponectin, resistin and visfatin was not associated with development of clinically manifest arthritis.In this exploratory study, serum adipokines were associated with an increased inflammatory state in autoantibody-positive individuals at risk of developing RA. Furthermore, serum vaspin levels may assist in predicting the development of arthritis in these individuals.

  18. Sex, Receptors and Attachment: A Review of Individual Factors Influencing Response to Oxytocin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai S Macdonald

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available As discussed in the larger review in this special issue (MacDonald and Feifel, intranasal oxytocin (IN OT is demonstrating a growing potential as a therapeutic agent in psychiatry. Importantly, research suggests that a variety of individual factors may influence a person’s response to OT. In this mini-review, I provides a review of three: (1 sex and hormonal status; (2 genetic variation in aspects of the OT system (i.e. OT receptors; and (3 attachment history. Each of these factors will be important to monitor as we strive to develop a richer understanding of OT's role in human development, brain-based disease, and the potential for individualized, OT-targeted treatments.

  19. THE PSYCHODIAGNOSTICS OF THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALS AT THE SENIOR SCHOOL AGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. V. Opanasyuk

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background. The article deals with the phenomenon of “emotional intelligence” and its characteristic features at the senior school age. It is proved that the emotional intelligence enables senior pupils to reduce the impact of negative feelings with the help of the control over the situation and their emotions. The topicality of the problem is determined by the fact that the emotional intelligence is one of the prerequisites to the formation of the senior pupils’ personality, their ability to ensure and regulate the acquired experience, as well as the ability of self-identi?cation. Objective. The purpose of the study is to determine the level of the senior pupils’ emotional intelligence development, as well as to analyze the nature of the interrelation of its components. The set aim presupposes the ful?llment of the following tasks: 1 to analyze the content characteristic feature of the phenomenon of “emotional intelligence” and the levels of its development among the senior pupils; 2 to carry out the diagnostics of the development of the senior pupils’ emotional intelligence; 3 to identify the relationships between the emotional intelligence and its components on the basis of the empirical researches. Method. The research tasks have determined the sample of 420 pupils (15-17 years old representing various schools of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The diagnostics of emotional barriers in interpersonal communication (V.V. Boyko; the diagnostics of emotional intelligence (N. Hall; the diagnostics of the emotional orientation of the individual (B.I. Dodonov; the emotional intelligence questionnaire “EmIn” (D.V. Lyusin. The mathematical processing of the above-mentioned test methods was conducted with the help of the correlation and factor analysis. Results. The research identi?es signi?cant relationships between the emotional intelligence components. The emotional intelligence correlates with understanding one’s own and others

  20. 24 CFR 21.655 - Individual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Individual. 21.655 Section 21.655 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (GRANTS) Definitions § 21.655 Individual. Individual means a...

  1. 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.

  2. Towards defining restlessness in individuals with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regier, Natalie G; Gitlin, Laura N

    2017-05-01

    Most individuals with dementia develop significant behavioral problems. Restlessness is a behavioral symptom frequently endorsed by caregivers as distressing, yet is variably defined and measured. Lack of conceptual and operational clarity hinders an understanding of this common behavioral type, its prevalence, and development of effective interventions. We advance a systematic definition and understanding of restlessness from which to enhance reporting and intervention development. We reviewed the literature for existing definitions and measures of restlessness, identified common elements across existing definitions, assessed fit with relevant theoretical frameworks, and explored the relationship between restlessness and other behavioral symptoms in a data set of 272 community-dwelling persons with dementia. Twenty-five scales assessing restlessness were identified. Shared components included motor/neurological, psychiatric, and needs-based features. Exploratory analyses suggest that restlessness may co-occur primarily with argumentation, anxiety, waking the caregiver, delusions/hallucinations, and wandering. We propose that restlessness consists of three key attributes: diffuse motor activity or motion subject to limited control, non-productive or disorganized behavior, and subjective distress. Restlessness should be differentiated from and not confused with wandering or elopement, pharmacological side effects, a (non-dementia) mental or movement disorder, or behaviors occurring in the context of a delirium or at end-of-life. Restlessness appears to denote a distinct set of behaviors that have overlapping but non-equivalent features with other behavioral symptoms. We propose that it reflects a complex behavior involving three key characteristics. Understanding its specific manifestations and which components are present can enhance tailoring interventions to specific contexts of this multicomponent behavioral type.

  3. Does pet arrival trigger prosocial behaviors in individuals with autism?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marine Grandgeorge

    Full Text Available Alteration of social interactions especially prosocial behaviors--an important aspect of development--is one of the characteristics of autistic disorders. Numerous strategies or therapies are used to improve communication skills or at least to reduce social impairments. Animal-assisted therapies are used widely but their relevant benefits have never been scientifically evaluated. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the presence or the arrival of pets in families with an individual with autism and the changes in his or her prosocial behaviors. Of 260 individuals with autism--on the basis of presence or absence of pets--two groups of 12 individuals and two groups of 8 individuals were assigned to: study 1 (pet arrival after age of 5 versus no pet and study 2 (pet versus no pet, respectively. Evaluation of social impairment was assessed at two time periods using the 36-items ADI-R algorithm and a parental questionnaire about their child-pet relationships. The results showed that 2 of the 36 items changed positively between the age of 4 to 5 (t(0 and time of assessment (t(1 in the pet arrival group (study 1: "offering to share" and "offering comfort". Interestingly, these two items reflect prosocial behaviors. There seemed to be no significant changes in any item for the three other groups. The interactions between individuals with autism and their pets were more--qualitatively and quantitatively--reported in the situation of pet arrival than pet presence since birth. These findings open further lines of research on the impact of pet's presence or arrival in families with an individual with autism. Given the potential ability of individuals with autism to develop prosocial behaviors, related studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of such child-pet relationship.

  4. Does pet arrival trigger prosocial behaviors in individuals with autism?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grandgeorge, Marine; Tordjman, Sylvie; Lazartigues, Alain; Lemonnier, Eric; Deleau, Michel; Hausberger, Martine

    2012-01-01

    Alteration of social interactions especially prosocial behaviors--an important aspect of development--is one of the characteristics of autistic disorders. Numerous strategies or therapies are used to improve communication skills or at least to reduce social impairments. Animal-assisted therapies are used widely but their relevant benefits have never been scientifically evaluated. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the presence or the arrival of pets in families with an individual with autism and the changes in his or her prosocial behaviors. Of 260 individuals with autism--on the basis of presence or absence of pets--two groups of 12 individuals and two groups of 8 individuals were assigned to: study 1 (pet arrival after age of 5 versus no pet) and study 2 (pet versus no pet), respectively. Evaluation of social impairment was assessed at two time periods using the 36-items ADI-R algorithm and a parental questionnaire about their child-pet relationships. The results showed that 2 of the 36 items changed positively between the age of 4 to 5 (t(0)) and time of assessment (t(1)) in the pet arrival group (study 1): "offering to share" and "offering comfort". Interestingly, these two items reflect prosocial behaviors. There seemed to be no significant changes in any item for the three other groups. The interactions between individuals with autism and their pets were more--qualitatively and quantitatively--reported in the situation of pet arrival than pet presence since birth. These findings open further lines of research on the impact of pet's presence or arrival in families with an individual with autism. Given the potential ability of individuals with autism to develop prosocial behaviors, related studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of such child-pet relationship.

  5. What Science Is about--Development of the Scientific Understanding of Secondary School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cincera, Jan; Medek, Michal; Cincera, Pavel; Lupac, Miroslav; Tichá, Irena

    2017-01-01

    Background: Development of scientific understanding of secondary school students is considered to be one of the goals of environmental education. However, it is not quite clear what instructional strategies and what other factors contribute to the effectiveness of environmental education programs promoting this goal. Purpose: The aim was to…

  6. Auditory working memory predicts individual differences in absolute pitch learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hedger, Stephen C; Heald, Shannon L M; Koch, Rachelle; Nusbaum, Howard C

    2015-07-01

    Absolute pitch (AP) is typically defined as the ability to label an isolated tone as a musical note in the absence of a reference tone. At first glance the acquisition of AP note categories seems like a perceptual learning task, since individuals must assign a category label to a stimulus based on a single perceptual dimension (pitch) while ignoring other perceptual dimensions (e.g., loudness, octave, instrument). AP, however, is rarely discussed in terms of domain-general perceptual learning mechanisms. This is because AP is typically assumed to depend on a critical period of development, in which early exposure to pitches and musical labels is thought to be necessary for the development of AP precluding the possibility of adult acquisition of AP. Despite this view of AP, several previous studies have found evidence that absolute pitch category learning is, to an extent, trainable in a post-critical period adult population, even if the performance typically achieved by this population is below the performance of a "true" AP possessor. The current studies attempt to understand the individual differences in learning to categorize notes using absolute pitch cues by testing a specific prediction regarding cognitive capacity related to categorization - to what extent does an individual's general auditory working memory capacity (WMC) predict the success of absolute pitch category acquisition. Since WMC has been shown to predict performance on a wide variety of other perceptual and category learning tasks, we predict that individuals with higher WMC should be better at learning absolute pitch note categories than individuals with lower WMC. Across two studies, we demonstrate that auditory WMC predicts the efficacy of learning absolute pitch note categories. These results suggest that a higher general auditory WMC might underlie the formation of absolute pitch categories for post-critical period adults. Implications for understanding the mechanisms that underlie the

  7. Preliminary development of POEAW in enhancing K-11 students’ understanding level on impulse and momentum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luthfiani, T. A.; Sinaga, P.; Samsudin, A.

    2018-05-01

    We have been analyzed that there were limited research about Predict-Observe- Explain which use writing process with conceptual change text strategy. This study aims to develop a learning model namely Predict-Observe-Explain-Apply-Writing (POEAW) which is able to enhance students’ understanding level. The research method utilized the 4D model (Defining, Designing, Developing and Disseminating) that is formally limited to Developing Stage. There are four experts who judge the learning component (syntax, lesson plan, teaching material and student worksheet) and matter component (learning quality and content component). The result of this study are obtained expert validity test score average of 87% for learning content and 89% for matter component that means the POEAW is valid and can be tested in classroom learning. This research producing POEAW learning model that has five main steps, Predict, Observe, Explain, Apply and Write. To sum up, we have early developed POEAW in enhancing K-11 students’ understanding levels on impulse and momentum.

  8. Shifting Stakes: Understanding the Dynamic Roles of Individuals and Organizations in Social Media Protests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiro, Emma S; Monroy-Hernández, Andrés

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we examine two protests characterized by substantial social media presence and distributed participation frameworks via two core questions: what roles did organizations and individuals play, and how did participants' social interactions change over the course of the protests? To answer these questions, we analyzed a large Twitter activity dataset for the #YoSoy132 student uprising in Mexico and Brazil's "bus rebellion." Results indicate that individuals initially took prominence at the protests but faded in importance as the movements dwindled and organizations took over. Regarding the dynamics and structure of the interactions, we found that key time points with unique social structures often map to exogenous events such as coordinated protests in physical locations. Our results have important consequences for the visibility of such social movements and their ability to attract continued participation by individuals and organizations.

  9. Ethics Education: Using Inductive Reasoning to Develop Individual, Group, Organizational, and Global Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taft, Susan H.; White, Judith

    2007-01-01

    Ethics education that prepares students to address ethical challenges at work is a multifaceted and long-term endeavor. In this article, the authors propose an inductive ethics pedagogy that begins the process of ethics education by grounding students in their own individual ethical principles. The approach centers on developing students' ethical…

  10. Developing a framework to investigate the personal financial management knowledge of individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miemie Struwig

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses on the development of a framework for investigating the personal financial management knowledge of individuals. Content analysis is used to derive the components included in the personal financial management requirements framework. The framework developed includes six components, namely basic concepts in personal finances, management of personal finances, risk management, future planning, investing in financial resources and miscellaneous factors. A qualitative validation process revealed that the framework indeed covers what the average South African citizen is required to know about personal financial planning. The real test of this framework will be to use it in developing an instrument to test individuals’ knowledge of personal financial management. This process of empirically testing the framework, using such an instrument, warrants a separate article.

  11. What proverb understanding reveals about how people think.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, R W; Beitel, D

    1995-07-01

    The ability to understand proverbial sayings, such as a rolling stone gathers no moss, has been of great interest to researchers in many areas of psychology. Most psychologists assume that understanding the figurative meanings of proverbs requires various kinds of higher order cognitive abilities. The authors review the findings on proverb interpretation to examine the question of what proverb use and understanding reveals about the ways normal and dysfunctional individuals think. The widely held idea that failure to provide a figurative interpretation of a proverb necessarily reflects a deficit in specialized abstract thinking is rejected. Moreover, the ability to correctly explain what a proverb means does not necessarily imply that an individual can think abstractly. Various empirical evidence, nonetheless, suggests that the ability to understand many proverbs reveals the presence of metaphorical schemes that are ubiquitous in everyday thought.

  12. 3D structure of individual nanocrystals in solution by electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jungwon; Elmlund, Hans; Ercius, Peter; Yuk, Jong Min; Limmer, David T.; Chen, Qian; Kim, Kwanpyo; Han, Sang Hoon; Weitz, David A.; Zettl, A.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

    2015-07-01

    Knowledge about the synthesis, growth mechanisms, and physical properties of colloidal nanoparticles has been limited by technical impediments. We introduce a method for determining three-dimensional (3D) structures of individual nanoparticles in solution. We combine a graphene liquid cell, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, a direct electron detector, and an algorithm for single-particle 3D reconstruction originally developed for analysis of biological molecules. This method yielded two 3D structures of individual platinum nanocrystals at near-atomic resolution. Because our method derives the 3D structure from images of individual nanoparticles rotating freely in solution, it enables the analysis of heterogeneous populations of potentially unordered nanoparticles that are synthesized in solution, thereby providing a means to understand the structure and stability of defects at the nanoscale.

  13. Understanding Individual Resilience in the Workplace: The International Collaboration of Workforce Resilience (ICWR) Model

    OpenAIRE

    Clare Samantha Rees; Lauren J Breen; Lynette eCusack; Desley eHegney

    2015-01-01

    When not managed effectively, high levels of workplace stress can lead to several negative personal and performance outcomes. Some professional groups work in highly stressful settings and are therefore particularly at risk of conditions such as anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress and burnout. However, some individuals are less affected by workplace stress and the associated negative outcomes. Such individuals have been described as ‘resilient’. A number of studies have found rela...

  14. Individual Stochastic Screening for the Development of Computer Graphics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maja Turčić¹*

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available With the emergence of new tools and media, art and design have developed into digital computer-generated works. This article presents a sequence of creating art graphics because their original authors have not published the procedures. The goal is to discover the mathematics of an image and the programming libretto with the purpose of organizing a structural base of computer graphics. We will elaborate the procedures used to produce graphics known throughout the history of art, but that are nowadays also found in design and security graphics. The results are closely related graphics obtained by changing parameters that initiate them. The aim is to control the graphics, i.e. to use controlled stochastic to achieve desired solutions. Since the artists from the past have never published the procedures of screening methods, their ideas have remained “only” the works of art. In this article we will present the development of the algorithm that, more or less successfully, simulates those screening solutions. It has been proven that mathematically defined graphical elements serve as screening elements. New technological and mathematical solutions are introduced in the reproduction with individual screening elements to be used in printing.

  15. Estimating differential reproductive success from nests of related individuals, with application to a study of the Mottled Sculpin, Cottus bairdi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beatrix Jones; Gary D. Grossman; Daniel C.I. Walsh; Brady A. Porter; John C. Avise; Anthony C. Flumera

    2007-01-01

    Understanding how variation in reproductive success is related to demography is a critical component in understanding the life history of an organism. Parentage analysis using molecular markers can be used to estimate the reproductive success of different groups of individuals in natural populations. Previous models have been developed for cases where offspring are...

  16. [Biological and neural bases of partner preferences in rodents: models to understand human pair bonds].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coria-Avila, G A; Hernández-Aguilar, M E; Toledo-Cárdenas, R; García-Hernández, L I; Manzo, J; Pacheco, P; Miquel, M; Pfaus, J G

    To analyse the biological and neural bases of partner preference formation in rodents as models to understand human pair bonding. Rodents are social individuals, capable of forming short- or long-lasting partner preferences that develop slowly by stimuli like cohabitation, or rapidly by stimuli like sex and stress. Dopamine, corticosteroids, oxytocin, vasopressin, and opioids form the neurochemical substrate for pair bonding in areas like the nucleus accumbens, the prefrontal cortex, the piriform cortex, the medial preoptic area, the ventral tegmental area and the medial amygdala, among others. Additional areas may participate depending on the nature of the conditioned stimuli by which and individual recognizes a preferred partner. Animal models help us understand that the capacity of an individual to display long-lasting and selective preferences depends on neural bases, selected throughout evolution. The challenge in neuroscience is to use this knowledge to create new solutions for mental problems associated with the incapacity of an individual to display a social bond, keep one, or cope with the disruption of a consolidated one.

  17. The Development of Danish OHS Regulation - Organizational Understanding and Program Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seim, Rikke; Jensen, Per Langaa; Møller, Niels

    2014-01-01

    in organizing OHS, 3) link between the companies’ overall strategic management and OHS and 4) continuously competence development for the health and safety representatives. In this paper we present and analyze the individual elements of the legislative amendment. Subsequent we investigate the organizational......This paper focuses on a major recent amendment of the Danish Working Environment regulation concerning the cooperation of health and safety between employees and employer. The amendment, which came into force in October 2010, consists of four elements: 1) change of terminology, 2) flexibility...

  18. Understanding metropolitan patterns of daily encounters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Lijun; Axhausen, Kay W; Lee, Der-Horng; Huang, Xianfeng

    2013-08-20

    Understanding of the mechanisms driving our daily face-to-face encounters is still limited; the field lacks large-scale datasets describing both individual behaviors and their collective interactions. However, here, with the help of travel smart card data, we uncover such encounter mechanisms and structures by constructing a time-resolved in-vehicle social encounter network on public buses in a city (about 5 million residents). Using a population scale dataset, we find physical encounters display reproducible temporal patterns, indicating that repeated encounters are regular and identical. On an individual scale, we find that collective regularities dominate distinct encounters' bounded nature. An individual's encounter capability is rooted in his/her daily behavioral regularity, explaining the emergence of "familiar strangers" in daily life. Strikingly, we find individuals with repeated encounters are not grouped into small communities, but become strongly connected over time, resulting in a large, but imperceptible, small-world contact network or "structure of co-presence" across the whole metropolitan area. Revealing the encounter pattern and identifying this large-scale contact network are crucial to understanding the dynamics in patterns of social acquaintances, collective human behaviors, and--particularly--disclosing the impact of human behavior on various diffusion/spreading processes.

  19. Understanding Understanding Mathematics. Artificial Intelligence Memo No. 488.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michener, Edwina Rissland

    This document is concerned with the important extra-logical knowledge that is often outside of traditional discussions in mathematics, and looks at some of the ingredients and processes involved in the understanding of mathematics. The goal is to develop a conceptual framework in which to talk about mathematical knowledge and to understand the…

  20. Understanding Dyscalculia for Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaidya, Sheila Rao

    2004-01-01

    Dyscalculia, a poor understanding of the number concept and the number system, is a learning problem affecting many individuals. However, less is known about this disability than about the reading disability, dyslexia, because society accepts learning problems in mathematics as quite normal. This article provides a summary of the research on…

  1. Using narratives to understand the motivational factors and experience of being a self-initiated academic expatriate in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tinashe T. Harry

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: A growing movement of foreign nationals is settling in South Africa. Given this, there is a need to understand not only those factors influencing foreign nationals to settle in South Africa but also their lived experiences as a basis for individual career development. Research purpose: To investigate the expatriation motivational factors and experiences of selfinitiated academic expatriates in South Africa. Motivation for the study: Calls have been made within the careers literature for more empirical focus on understanding career development using some of the neglected sample groups. Research approach, design and method: The interpretive paradigm was adopted to understand the main purpose of the study. Guided by study objectives, unstructured interviews were conducted using a sample of foreign academics working in South Africa (n = 25. Main findings: Individual stories and narratives highlighted that academics relocated for the following reasons: (1 individual preference, (2 economic meltdown and (3 political conditions. Furthermore, the lived experiences of the expatriates reflected discrimination within the workplace and the community of residences in South Africa. Practical and managerial implications: Research findings indicate that the human resources (HR function can come up with interventions that positively influence the lived experience and career development of foreign academics working in South Africa. Contribution: The expatriate experience framed in this study provides a picture of the career development processes of neglected sample groups in the extant literature. Such an understanding is key in advancing literature and proposing interventions. All this is important given the global trend on labour and skills movement added to the role South Africa plays in the international arena.

  2. Developing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Function Using a Vending Machine Metaphor Applet

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCulloch, Allison; Lovett, Jennifer; Edgington, Cyndi

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the use of a Vending Machine applet as a cognitive root for the development of preservice teachers understanding of function. The applet was designed to purposefully problematize common misconceptions associated with the algebraic nature of typical function machines. Findings indicated affordances and…

  3. Development and validation of a method for measuring depth of understanding in constructivist learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarino, Lucia Falsetti

    A method for measuring depth of understanding of students in the middle-level science classroom was developed and validated. A common theme in the literature on constructivism in science education is that constructivist pedagogy, as opposed to objectivist pedagogy, results in a greater depth of understanding. Since few instruments measuring this construct exist at the present time, the development of such a tool to measure this construct was a significant contribution to the current body of assessment technologies in science education. The author's Depth of Understanding Assessment (DUA) evolved from a writing measure originally designed as a history assessment. The study involved 230 eighth grade science students studying a chemical change unit. The main research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between the DUA and each of the following independent variables: recall, application, and questioning modalities as measured by the Cognitive Preference Test; deep, surface, achieving, and deep-achieving approaches as measured by the Learning Process Questionnaire; achievement as measured by the Chemical Change Quiz, and teacher perception of student ability to conceptualize science content? (2) Is there a difference in depth of understanding, as measured by the DUA, between students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy and students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy favoring the constructivist group? (3) Is there a gender difference in depth of understanding as measured by the DUA? (4) Do students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy perceive their learning environment as more constructivist than students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy? Six out of nine hypothesis tests supported the validity of the DUA. The results of the qualitative component of this study which consisted of student interviews substantiated the quantitative results by providing additional information and insights. There was a significant difference in depth of

  4. Improving Marking Reliability of Scientific Writing with the Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Fiona L.; Yucel, Robyn

    2013-01-01

    The Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning (DUAL) programme was developed with the dual aims of improving both the quality and consistency of feedback students receive and the students' ability to use that feedback to improve. DUAL comprises a range of processes (including marking rubrics, sample reports, moderation discussions and…

  5. Grand challenges in developing a predictive understanding of global fire dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randerson, J. T.; Chen, Y.; Wiggins, E. B.; Andela, N.; Morton, D. C.; Veraverbeke, S.; van der Werf, G.

    2017-12-01

    High quality satellite observations of burned area and fire thermal anomalies over the past two decades have transformed our understanding of climate, ecosystem, and human controls on the spatial and temporal distribution of landscape fires. The satellite observations provide evidence for a rapid and widespread loss of fire from grassland and savanna ecosystems worldwide. Continued expansion of industrial agriculture suggests that observed declines in global burned area are likely to continue in future decades, with profound consequences for ecosystem function and the habitat of many endangered species. Satellite time series also highlight the importance of El Niño-Southern Oscillation and other climate modes as drivers of interannual variability. In many regions, lead times between climate indices and fire activity are considerable, enabling the development of early warning prediction systems for fire season severity. With the recent availability of high-resolution observations from Suomi NPP, Landsat 8, and Sentinel 2, the field of global fire ecology is poised to make even more significant breakthroughs over the next decade. With these new observations, it may be possible to reduce uncertainties in the spatial pattern of burned area by several fold. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these new data constraints for improving our understanding of fire impacts on human health and radiative forcing of climate change. A key research challenge in this context is to understand how the loss of global burned area will affect magnitude of the terrestrial carbon sink and trends in atmospheric composition. Advances in prognostic fire modeling will require new approaches linking agriculture with landscape fire dynamics. A critical need in this context is the development of predictive models of road networks and other drivers of land fragmentation, and a closer integration of fragmentation information with algorithms predicting fire spread. Concurrently, a better

  6. Experimental pain processing in individuals with cognitive impairment: current state of the science

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Defrin, R; Amanzio, Martina; de Tomasso, M

    2015-01-01

    Cognitive impairment (CI) can develop during the course of ageing and is a feature of many neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Many individuals with CI have substantial, sustained and complex healthcare needs which frequently include pain. However, individuals with CI can have difficulty...... of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders in which CI is typically present. Overall, the existing data suggest that pain processing is altered in most individuals with CI compared to cognitively intact matched controls. The precise nature of these alterations varies with the type of CI (or associated...... to cognitively unimpaired individuals. Our current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning these alterations is limited, but may be enhanced through the use of animal models of CI which also exhibit alterations in nociceptive responding. Further research employing additional behavioural...

  7. Toward Personalized Pressure Ulcer Care Planning: Development of a Bioinformatics System for Individualized Prioritization of Clinical Pratice Guideline

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0342 TITLE: Toward Personalized Pressure Ulcer Care Planning: Development of a Bioinformatics System for Individualized...Planning: Development of a Bioinformatics System for Individualized Prioritization of Clinical Pratice Guideline 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT...recommendations of CPG has been identified by experts in the field. We will use bioinformatics to enable data extraction, storage, and analysis to support

  8. Towards understanding oral health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaura, Egija; ten Cate, Jacob M

    2015-01-01

    During the last century, dental research has focused on unraveling the mechanisms behind various oral pathologies, while oral health was typically described as the mere absence of oral diseases. The term 'oral microbial homeostasis' is used to describe the capacity of the oral ecosystem to maintain microbial community stability in health. However, the oral ecosystem itself is not stable: throughout life an individual undergoes multiple physiological changes while progressing through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Recent discussions on the definition of general health have led to the proposal that health is the ability of the individual to adapt to physiological changes, a condition known as allostasis. In this paper the allostasis principle is applied to the oral ecosystem. The multidimensionality of the host factors contributing to allostasis in the oral cavity is illustrated with an example on changes occurring in puberty. The complex phenomenon of oral health and the processes that prevent the ecosystem from collapsing during allostatic changes in the entire body are far from being understood. As yet individual components (e.g. hard tissues, microbiome, saliva, host response) have been investigated, while only by consolidating these and assessing their multidimensional interactions should we be able to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem, which in turn could serve to develop rational schemes to maintain health. Adapting such a 'system approach' comes with major practical challenges for the entire research field and will require vast resources and large-scale multidisciplinary collaborations. 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

  9. Adapting public policy theory for public health research: A framework to understand the development of national policies on global health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Catherine M; Clavier, Carole; Potvin, Louise

    2017-03-01

    National policies on global health appear as one way that actors from health, development and foreign affairs sectors in a country coordinate state action on global health. Next to a burgeoning literature in which international relations and global governance theories are employed to understand global health policy and global health diplomacy at the international level, little is known about policy processes for global health at the national scale. We propose a framework of the policy process to understand how such policies are developed, and we identify challenges for public health researchers integrating conceptual tools from political science. We developed the framework using a two-step process: 1) reviewing literature to establish criteria for selecting a theoretical framework fit for this purpose, and 2) adapting Real-Dato's synthesis framework to integrate a cognitive approach to public policy within a constructivist perspective. Our framework identifies multiple contexts as part of the policy process, focuses on situations where actors work together to make national policy on global health, considers these interactive situations as spaces for observing external influences on policy change and proposes policy design as the output of the process. We suggest that this framework makes three contributions to the conceptualisation of national policy on global health as a research object. First, it emphasizes collective action over decisions of individual policy actors. Second, it conceptualises the policy process as organised interactive spaces for collaboration rather than as stages of a policy cycle. Third, national decision-making spaces are opportunities for transferring ideas and knowledge from different sectors and settings, and represent opportunities to identify international influences on a country's global health policy. We discuss two sets of challenges for public health researchers using interdisciplinary approaches in policy research. Copyright

  10. Differential constraints on the working memory and reading abilities of individuals with learning difficulties and typically developing children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayliss, Donna M; Jarrold, Christopher; Baddeley, Alan D; Leigh, Eleanor

    2005-09-01

    This study examined the factors that constrain the working memory span performance and reading ability of individuals with generalized learning difficulties. In the study, 50 individuals with learning difficulties (LD) and 50 typically developing children (TD) matched for reading age completed two working memory span tasks. Participants also completed independent measures of the processing and storage operations involved in each working memory span task and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. The results showed that despite an equivalent level of working memory span, the relative importance of the constraints on working memory differed between the groups. In addition, working memory span was not closely related to word recognition or sentence comprehension performance in the LD group. These results suggest that the working memory span performance of LD and TD individuals may reflect different working memory limitations and that individuals with generalized learning difficulties may approach cognitive tasks in a qualitatively different way from that of typically developing individuals.

  11. Inter-individual Differences in Heart Rate Variability Are Associated with Inter-individual Differences in Empathy and Alexithymia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Lischke

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, we investigated whether inter-individual differences in vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV would be associated with inter-individual differences in empathy and alexithymia. To this end, we determined resting state HF-HRV in 90 individuals that also completed questionnaires assessing inter-individual differences in empathy and alexithymia. Our categorical and dimensional analyses revealed that inter-individual differences in HF-HRV were differently associated with inter-individual differences in empathy and alexithymia. We found that individuals with high HF-HRV reported more empathy and less alexithymia than individuals with low HF-HRV. Moreover, we even found that an increase in HF-HRV was associated with an increase in empathy and a decrease in alexithymia across all participants. Taken together, these findings indicate that individuals with high HF-HRV are more empathetic and less alexithymic than individuals with low HF-HRV. These differences in empathy and alexithymia may explain why individuals with high HF-HRV are more successful in sharing and understanding the mental and emotional states of others than individuals with low HF-HRV.

  12. Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Nutritionally At-Risk Individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pauline Ducrot

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In the ongoing debate about front-of-package (FOP nutrition labels, little data exist regarding nutritionally at-risk populations, although they are critical targets of prevention programs. This study aimed to compare the impact of FOP labels on the ability to rank products according to their nutritional quality among French adults potentially at risk of poor dietary quality (N = 14,230. Four labels were evaluated: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA, Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL, 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL, Green Tick (Tick, along with a reference without label. Mixed models were used to assess how individual characteristics and FOP labels were associated with the ability to rank products. Older participants and those with a lower educational level, income, nutritional knowledge, and likelihood of reading nutrition facts were less skilled at ranking food products according to nutritional quality. Compared with individual characteristics, nutrition labels had an increased impact on food product ranking ability. Overall, 5-CNL corresponded to the highest rate of correct responses, followed by MTL, GDA, and Tick (p < 0.0001. The strongest impact of 5-CNL was observed among individuals with no nutritional knowledge (odds ratio (OR: 20.24; 95% confidence interval (CI: 13.19–31.06. Therefore, 5-CNL appeared to be effective at informing consumers, including those who are nutritionally at-risk, about the nutritional quality of food products.

  13. Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Nutritionally At-Risk Individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Julia, Chantal; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold K; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

    2015-08-24

    In the ongoing debate about front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels, little data exist regarding nutritionally at-risk populations, although they are critical targets of prevention programs. This study aimed to compare the impact of FOP labels on the ability to rank products according to their nutritional quality among French adults potentially at risk of poor dietary quality (N = 14,230). Four labels were evaluated: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL), Green Tick (Tick), along with a reference without label. Mixed models were used to assess how individual characteristics and FOP labels were associated with the ability to rank products. Older participants and those with a lower educational level, income, nutritional knowledge, and likelihood of reading nutrition facts were less skilled at ranking food products according to nutritional quality. Compared with individual characteristics, nutrition labels had an increased impact on food product ranking ability. Overall, 5-CNL corresponded to the highest rate of correct responses, followed by MTL, GDA, and Tick (p < 0.0001). The strongest impact of 5-CNL was observed among individuals with no nutritional knowledge (odds ratio (OR): 20.24; 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.19-31.06). Therefore, 5-CNL appeared to be effective at informing consumers, including those who are nutritionally at-risk, about the nutritional quality of food products.

  14. Research and Development in Natural Language Understanding as Part of the Strategic Computing Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-04-01

    facilities. BBN is developing a series of increasingly sophisticated natural language understanding systems which will serve as an integrated interface...Haas, A.R. A Syntactic Theory of Belief and Action. Artificial Intelligence. 1986. Forthcoming. [6] Hinrichs, E. Temporale Anaphora im Englischen

  15. Understanding the effects of stimulant medications on cognition in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a decade of progress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, James; Baler, Ruben D; Volkow, Nora D

    2011-01-01

    The use of stimulant drugs for the treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most widespread pharmacological interventions in child psychiatry and behavioral pediatrics. This treatment is well grounded on controlled studies showing efficacy of low oral doses of methylphenidate and amphetamine in reducing the behavioral symptoms of the disorder as reported by parents and teachers, both for the cognitive (inattention and impulsivity) and non-cognitive (hyperactivity) domains. Our main aim is to review the objectively measured cognitive effects that accompany the subjectively assessed clinical responses to stimulant medications. Recently, methods from the cognitive neurosciences have been used to provide information about brain processes that underlie the cognitive deficits of ADHD and the cognitive effects of stimulant medications. We will review some key findings from the recent literature, and then offer interpretations of the progress that has been made over the past decade in understanding the cognitive effects of stimulant medication on individuals with ADHD.

  16. Telling Stories about Post-war Britain: Popular Individualism and the 'Crisis' of the 1970s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Emily; Schofield, Camilla; Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, Florence; Thomlinson, Natalie

    2017-06-01

    This article argues that, by the 1970s, people in Britain were increasingly insistent about defining and claiming their individual rights, identities and perspectives. Using individual narratives and testimonies, we show that many were expressing desires for greater personal autonomy and self-determination. We suggest that this was an important trend across the post-war decades, and of particular importance to understanding the 1970s. This popular individualism was not the result of Thatcher; if anything, it was a cause of Thatcherism. But this individualism had multiple political and cultural valences; desires for greater individual self-determination, and anger with the 'establishment' for withholding it, did not lead inexorably to Thatcherism. There were, in fact, some sources for, and potential outlets for, popular individualism on the left-outlets that explicitly challenged class, gender and racial inequalities. With this, we suggest the possibility of a new meta-narrative of post-war Britain, cutting across the political narrative that organizes post-war British history into three periods: social democracy, 'crisis' and the triumph of 'neoliberalism'. The 1970s was a key moment in the spread of a popular, aspirational form of individualism in post-war Britain, and this development is critical to our understanding of the history of the post-war years. © The Author [2017]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Sibling relationship quality and psychosocial outcomes among adult siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and individuals with intellectual disability without autism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomeny, Theodore S; Ellis, Brandi M; Rankin, James A; Barry, Tammy D

    2017-03-01

    Research on adult typically-developing (TD) siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities remains limited, and outcomes for TD siblings appear to vary widely. For the current study, 82 adult TD siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID) completed questionnaires about themselves and their affected sibling. Results of this study suggest that the attitudes possessed by adult TD siblings are important to consider when understanding adult TD sibling outcomes. Specifically, data indicate that higher levels of positive sibling relationship attitudes are related to TD siblings providing more aid/support to their sibling with a disability, along with having higher levels of general life satisfaction, and negatively related to levels of stress and depressive symptoms among TD siblings. Consistent with previous child research, siblings of individuals with ASD reported fewer positive sibling relationship attitudes compared to siblings of individuals with ID. Finally, group membership related to aid provided, depressive symptoms, and stress of TD siblings indirectly through sibling relationship attitudes. Overall, results indicate that sibling relationship attitudes may be particularly important to consider when conceptualizing sibling relationships when one sibling has an intellectual or developmental disability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Missing Link: Integrated Individual Leadership Development, Employee Engagement, and Customer Value-Added Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heldenbrand, Lois; Simms, Michael S.

    2012-01-01

    Long-term care is a key public issue that affects all of us in some way at some time of our lives. Nowhere is performance improvement and quality management more imperative. Through an 8-month field study and follow-up case study, we discuss how using an integrated approach to individual leadership development, employee engagement, and customer…

  19. Understanding political development through an intersectionality framework: Life stories of disability activists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akemi Nishida

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This article explores how those who do not share their marginalized identities with their surrounding people (e.g., family members and thus community resources relating to these identities, initiate and experience political development. The concept of intersectionality is used as an analytical tool to examine how one's political development is mediated via one's intersecting identities, communities, and experience of social in/justices. Life story interviews were conducted with disabled activists to explore this question. The stories reveal how these activists, who had initially resisted identifying as disabled for various reasons, eventually used the politicizing experiences from nondisability identities and communities to reframe and reclaim their disability status. By tracing the political developments of disabled people, this article places importance on understanding the process in a holistic way and on developing activist communities and movements that acknowledge intersecting identities and in/justices.

  20. Serum Vaspin Levels Are Associated with the Development of Clinically Manifest Arthritis in Autoantibody-Positive Individuals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maijer, Karen I.; Neumann, Elena; Müller-Ladner, Ulf; Drop, Daniël A. C. A. D.; Ramwadhdoebe, Tamara H.; Choi, Ivy Y. K.; Gerlag, Daniëlle M.; de Hair, Maria J. H.; Tak, Paul P.

    2015-01-01

    We have previously shown that overweight may increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in autoantibody positive individuals. Adipose tissue could contribute to the development of RA by production of various bioactive peptides. Therefore, we examined levels of adipokines in serum and

  1. Challenges and Changes: Developing Teachers' and Initial Teacher Education Students' Understandings of the Nature of Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Gillian; Haigh, Mavis

    2017-12-01

    Teachers need an understanding of the nature of science (NOS) to enable them to incorporate NOS into their teaching of science. The current study examines the usefulness of a strategy for challenging or changing teachers' understandings of NOS. The teachers who participated in this study were 10 initial teacher education chemistry students and six experienced teachers from secondary and primary schools who were introduced to an explicit and reflective activity, a dramatic reading about a historical scientific development. Concept maps were used before and after the activity to assess teachers' knowledge of NOS. The participants also took part in a focus group interview to establish whether they perceived the activity as useful in developing their own understanding of NOS. Initial analysis led us to ask another group, comprising seven initial teacher education chemistry students, to take part in a modified study. These participants not only completed the same tasks as the previous participants but also completed a written reflection commenting on whether the activity and focus group discussion enhanced their understanding of NOS. Both Lederman et al.'s (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(6), 497-521, 2002) concepts of NOS and notions of "naive" and "informed" understandings of NOS and Hay's (Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 39-57, 2007) notions of "surface" and "deep" learning were used as frameworks to examine the participants' specific understandings of NOS and the depth of their learning. The ways in which participants' understandings of NOS were broadened or changed by taking part in the dramatic reading are presented. The impact of the data-gathering tools on the participants' professional learning is also discussed.

  2. Technical devices for hearing-impaired individuals: cochlear implants and brain stem implants - developments of the last decade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Joachim

    2005-01-01

    Over the past two decades, the fascinating possibilities of cochlear implants for congenitally deaf or deafened children and adults developed tremendously and created a rapidly developing interdisciplinary research field.The main advancements of cochlear implantation in the past decade are marked by significant improvement of hearing and speech understanding in CI users. These improvements are attributed to the enhancement of speech coding strategies.The Implantation of more (and increasingly younger) children as well as the possibilities of the restoration of binaural hearing abilities with cochlear implants reflect the high standards reached by this development. Despite this progress, modern cochlear implants do not yet enable normal speech understanding, not even for the best patients. In particular speech understanding in noise remains problematic [1]. Until the mid 1990ies research concentrated on unilateral implantation. Remarkable and effective improvements have been made with bilateral implantation since 1996. Nowadays an increasing numbers of patients enjoy these benefits.

  3. Strategic Leadership Development: An Operation Domain Application

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hatfield, Berlain

    1997-01-01

    .... The success or failure of these goals rests upon the leadership effectiveness. Understanding the identification and development of effective leadership skills and attributes maximize individual leadership effectiveness...

  4. Measuring Transgender Individuals' Comfort with Gender Identity and Appearance: Development and Validation of the Transgender Congruence Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozee, Holly B.; Tylka, Tracy L.; Bauerband, L. Andrew

    2012-01-01

    Our study used the construct of congruence to conceptualize the degree to which transgender individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable with their gender identity and external appearance. In Study 1, the Transgender Congruence scale (TCS) was developed, and data from 162 transgender individuals were used to estimate the reliability and…

  5. Development of hospital nurses' work ability over a 2 year period

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boschman, J. S.; Nieuwenhuijsen, K.; Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.; Sluiter, J. K.

    2015-01-01

    A new approach to the study of work ability is an individually oriented approach. This approach increases our understanding of how work ability develops over time among individuals with a different level of work ability. To increase knowledge about individuals' work ability trajectories by studying

  6. Ecological Understanding 2: Transformation--A Key to Ecological Understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsson, Britta

    2002-01-01

    Describes the structure and general features of the phenomenon of ecological understanding. Presents qualitatively different ways of experiencing cycling of matter and the flow of energy in the context of ecosystems. The idea of transformation is key to the development of ecological understanding. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/YDS)

  7. Individuals in Relationships: Cultural Values, Children's Social Interactions, and the Development of an American Individualistic Self.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raeff, Catherine

    1997-01-01

    Explicates the theoretical position that independence and interdependence are inseparable dimensions of self-development in all cultures and that self-development occurs through social interactions shaped by cultural values. Individualism-collectivism classify two multidimensional cultural value systems that shape different routes and goals of…

  8. The pediatrician's role in development and implementation of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Children with Disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-07-01

    The Individual Education Plan and Individual Family Service Plan are legally mandated documents developed by a multidisciplinary team assessment that specifies goals and services for each child eligible for special educational services or early intervention services. Pediatricians need to be knowledgeable of federal, state, and local requirements; establish linkages with early intervention, educational professionals, and parent support groups; and collaborate with the team working with individual children.

  9. Re-Examining Group Development in Adventure Therapy Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeGraaf, Don; Ashby, Jeff

    1998-01-01

    Small-group development is an important aspect of adventure therapy. Supplementing knowledge of sequential stages of group development with knowledge concerning within-stage nonsequential development yields a richer understanding of groups. Integrating elements of the individual counseling relationship (working alliance, transference, and real…

  10. Individual and environmental influences on adolescent eating behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Story, Mary; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; French, Simone

    2002-03-01

    Food choices of adolescents are not consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Food intakes tend to be low in fruits, vegetables, and calcium-rich foods and high in fat. Skipping meals is also a concern among adolescents, especially girls. Factors influencing eating behaviors of adolescents need to be better understood to develop effective nutrition interventions to change eating behaviors. This article presents a conceptual model based on social cognitive theory and an ecological perspective for understanding factors that influence adolescent eating behaviors and food choices. In this model, adolescent eating behavior is conceptualized as a function of individual and environmental influences. Four levels of influence are described: individual or intrapersonal influences (eg, psychosocial, biological); social environmental or interpersonal (eg, family and peers); physical environmental or community settings (eg, schools, fast food outlets, convenience stores); and macrosystem or societal (eg, mass media, marketing and advertising, social and cultural norms).

  11. Genetic approaches to understanding the population-level impact of wind energy development on migratory bats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vonhof, Maarten J. [Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo MI (United States); Russell, Amy L. [Grand Valley State Univ. Allendale, MI (United States)

    2013-09-30

    Documented fatalities of bats at wind turbines have raised serious concerns about the future impacts of increased wind power development on populations of migratory bat species. Yet there is little data on bat population sizes and trends to provide context for understanding the consequences of mortality due to wind power development. Using a large dataset of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA variation for eastern red bats, we demonstrated that: 1) this species forms a single, panmictic population across their range with no evidence for the historical use of divergent migratory pathways by any portion of the population; 2) the effective size of this population is in the hundreds of thousands to millions; and 3) for large populations, genetic diversity measures and at least one coalescent method are insensitive to even very high rates of population decline over long time scales and until population size has become very small. Our data provide important context for understanding the population-level impacts of wind power development on affected bat species.

  12. Interpreting "Personality" Taxonomies: Why Previous Models Cannot Capture Individual-Specific Experiencing, Behaviour, Functioning and Development. Major Taxonomic Tasks Still Lay Ahead.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uher, Jana

    2015-12-01

    As science seeks to make generalisations, a science of individual peculiarities encounters intricate challenges. This article explores these challenges by applying the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) and by exploring taxonomic "personality" research as an example. Analyses of researchers' interpretations of the taxonomic "personality" models, constructs and data that have been generated in the field reveal widespread erroneous assumptions about the abilities of previous methodologies to appropriately represent individual-specificity in the targeted phenomena. These assumptions, rooted in everyday thinking, fail to consider that individual-specificity and others' minds cannot be directly perceived, that abstract descriptions cannot serve as causal explanations, that between-individual structures cannot be isomorphic to within-individual structures, and that knowledge of compositional structures cannot explain the process structures of their functioning and development. These erroneous assumptions and serious methodological deficiencies in widely used standardised questionnaires have effectively prevented psychologists from establishing taxonomies that can comprehensively model individual-specificity in most of the kinds of phenomena explored as "personality", especially in experiencing and behaviour and in individuals' functioning and development. Contrary to previous assumptions, it is not universal models but rather different kinds of taxonomic models that are required for each of the different kinds of phenomena, variations and structures that are commonly conceived of as "personality". Consequently, to comprehensively explore individual-specificity, researchers have to apply a portfolio of complementary methodologies and develop different kinds of taxonomies, most of which have yet to be developed. Closing, the article derives some meta-desiderata for future research on individuals' "personality".

  13. Role of sports in the development of an individual and role of psychology in sports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghildiyal, Rakesh

    2015-01-01

    Sports helps an individual much more than in the physical aspects alone. It builds character, teaches and develops strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking, just to name a few.

  14. Role of Sports in the Development of an Individual and Role of Psychology in Sports*

    OpenAIRE

    Ghildiyal, Rakesh

    2015-01-01

    Sports helps an individual much more than in the physical aspects alone. It builds character, teaches and develops strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking, just to name a few.

  15. Understanding Preservice Teachers' Development of Pedagogical Knowledge Practices When Co-Teaching Primary Science to Peers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudson, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Preservice teachers articulate the need for more teaching experiences for developing their practices, however, extending beyond existing school arrangements may present difficulties. Thus, it is important to understand preservice teachers' development of pedagogical knowledge practices when in the university setting. This mixed-method study…

  16. Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenney, Susan; Raval, Harini; Pieters, Jules

    2011-01-01

    McKenney, S., Raval, H., & Pieters, J. (2011, 8-12 April). Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums. Presentation at AERA annual meeting, New Orleans.

  17. Bridging the Gap: Engaging in Scholarship with Accountancy Employers to Enhance Understanding of Skills Development and Employability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Rob

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on the author's experiences of working with accountancy employers to develop a deeper understanding of skills development and employability in the accountancy profession. It notes that while there is a well-developed literature that examines skills development amongst university accounting students, there is also evidence of a…

  18. Knowledge Communication at the Intersection of the Community and the Individual

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kampf, Constance

    2008-01-01

    How can we approach the relationship between the individual and the community in terms of knowledge communication processes?  This presentation explores definitions of knowledge combining individual and group perspectives, seeking to build a flexible understanding of knowledge communication at th...... and make decisions.  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.......How can we approach the relationship between the individual and the community in terms of knowledge communication processes?  This presentation explores definitions of knowledge combining individual and group perspectives, seeking to build a flexible understanding of knowledge communication...... of organizational knowing.  From definitions foregrounding the individual's role in knowledge communication, Nonaka & Takeuchi's notions of implicit and explicit knowledge in the SECI model, Kenneth Burke's conception of Terministic Screens as a language process at the individual level, Tsoukas & Vladimirou...

  19. Developing an understanding between people: the key to global health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafin, Alina

    2010-05-01

    Global health and international health are prominent concepts within development issues today. Health is at the heart of many of the Millennium Development Goals, and the idea of a human right to health and health care has taken more hold in the forefronts of our minds. In acknowledgement of the globalised and interdependent society in which we live, this reflective piece uses personal experiences of anthropology and travel throughout the author's medical education to illustrate the pressing need for a better understanding between health workers and local populations. Experiences in Ecuador, Peru, India and Nepal, highlight the plurality of medicine. They show how medical education in the UK forms only one part of medical knowledge, and in particular how clinical practice requires the appreciation of a wider context. Within a multi-cultural society, it is essential that medical students learn new skills for the future. Teaching Anthropology and Sociology within the curriculum in the UK can educate students about how knowledge is created within a culture and to appreciate the diversity between cultures. Consideration of patients' backgrounds and beliefs allows health workers to develop relationships with the local population, which can be of invaluable use in making global health equality a reality. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Do we understand children's restlessness? Constructing ecologically valid understandings through reflexive cooperation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Helle-Valle

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is the most widely used children's mental health diagnosis today, but the validity of the diagnosis is controversial, for instance, because it might conceal relational and ecological dimensions of restlessness. We invited parents and professionals from one local community in western Norway to participate in cooperative group discussions on how to conceptualize and understand children's restlessness. We carried out a thematic and reflexive analysis of the cooperative group discussions on ADHD and children's restlessness, and present findings related to three ecological levels inspired by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model. At the level of the individual, restlessness was discussed as individual trait, as the expectation to be seen and heard, and as a result of traumatization. At the level of dyad, group or family, restlessness was discussed as a relational phenomenon and as parents' problems. At the level of community, restlessness was discussed as lack of cooperation and lack of structures or resources. Our findings show how contextualized and cooperative reflexivity can contribute to more valid understandings of children's restlessness, and how cooperative inquiry can stimulate reflections about solidarity and sustainability in relation to adult's actions.

  1. Periodontal disease in individuals with Down Syndrome: genetic focus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lícia Bezerra Cavalcante

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Fundamental concepts of etiology, inheritance and clinical characteristics of Down syndrome are used in this review as a basis for submission of studies that focus on periodontal disease in individuals with Down syndrome, since almost 100% of them develop the disease in adult life. It is believed that in association with environmental and cultural factors related to hygiene and disabilities of coordination, the immunological characteristics that are found altered in individuals with Down syndrome, such as deficient neutrophil chemotaxis and reduced number of mature T lymphocytes, may contribute to the greater prevalence and severity of periodontal involvement in patients with Down syndrome. Moreover, the pattern of periodontal destruction observed in individuals with Down syndrome is consistent with aggressive periodontitis, with a predominance of periodontopathogens such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythensis during childhood and adolescence of Down’s syndrome patients. It is possible to note a relationship between the development of molecular techniques and the evolution of knowledge about Down syndrome, for example: identification of the trisomy syndrome by observing only part of chromosome 21 (distal long arm; identification of genes in this trisomic region and the pattern of superexpression (or not of these genes. Moreover, in this review future perspectives are presented with regard to better understanding Down syndrome in the genetic context, which will reflect in more individualized and effective clinical treatments that will provide these patients with a better quality of life.

  2. Navigating in murky waters: How multiracial Black individuals cope with racism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Cyndy R

    2016-01-01

    Multiracial people are often lauded as evidence of the waning significance of race and racism in the United States. In reality, the experiences of multiracial people illuminate the ways that racism still exists and efforts to classify people based on assumed racial characteristics for the purposes of inclusion and exclusion are alive and well. Multiracial individuals experience racism from multiple sources and in various forms, which has the potential to negatively impact their development and well-being. Thus, scholars and practitioners must better understand how the growing population of multiracial individuals learns to cope with such racism. The central aim of this qualitative interview study was to shed light on the ways in which multiracial individuals of African descent in the United States cope with and respond to racism. Findings are organized around 5 broad conceptual themes for coping with and addressing racism: avoidance and internalization, anger and violence, education and advocacy, seeking culture and community, and chameleon identities. Findings of this study speak to the dynamic nature of strategies used to cope with racism and hold implications for practices and programs designed to support positive racial identity development among multiracial individuals of African descent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums

    OpenAIRE

    McKenney, Susan; Raval, Harini; Pieters, Jules

    2011-01-01

    McKenney, S., Raval, H., & Pieters, J. (2011, 8-12 April). Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums. Paper presentation at AERA annual meeting, New Orleans.

  4. Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenney, Susan; Raval, Harini; Pieters, Jules

    2012-01-01

    McKenney, S., Raval, H., & Pieters, J. (2011, 8-12 April). Understanding the design research process: The evolution of a professional development program in Indian slums. Paper presentation at AERA annual meeting, New Orleans.

  5. Can the collective intentions of individual professionals within healthcare teams predict the team's performance: developing methods and theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bosch Marije

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Within implementation research, using theory-based approaches to understanding the behaviours of healthcare professionals and the quality of care that they reflect and designing interventions to change them is being promoted. However, such approaches lead to a new range of methodological and theoretical challenges pre-eminent among which are how to appropriately relate predictors of individual's behaviour to measures of the behaviour of healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the theory of planned behaviour proximal predictors of behaviour (intention and perceived behavioural control, or PBC and practice level behaviour. This was done in the context of two clinical behaviours – statin prescription and foot examination – in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care. Scores for the predictor variables were aggregated over healthcare professionals using four methods: simple mean of all primary care team members' intention scores; highest intention score combined with PBC of the highest intender in the team; highest intention score combined with the highest PBC score in the team; the scores (on both constructs of the team member identified as having primary responsibility for the clinical behaviour. Methods Scores on theory-based cognitive variables were collected by postal questionnaire survey from a sample of primary care doctors and nurses from northeast England and the Netherlands. Data on two clinical behaviours were patient reported, and collected by postal questionnaire survey. Planned analyses explored the predictive value of various aggregations of intention and PBC in explaining variance in the behavioural data. Results Across the two countries and two behaviours, responses were received from 37 to 78% of healthcare professionals in 57 to 93% practices; 51% (UK and 69% (Netherlands of patients surveyed responded. None of the aggregations of

  6. Conflict monitoring and adaptation in individuals at familial risk for developing bipolar disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patino, Luis R; Adler, Caleb M; Mills, Neil P; Strakowski, Stephen M; Fleck, David E; Welge, Jeffrey A; DelBello, Melissa P

    2013-05-01

    To examine conflict monitoring and conflict-driven adaptation in individuals at familial risk for developing bipolar disorder. We recruited 24 adolescents who had a parent with bipolar disorder and 23 adolescents with healthy parents. Participants completed an arrow version of the Eriksen Flanker Task that included trials with three levels of conflict: neutral, congruent, and incongruent flanks. Differences in performance were explored based upon the level of conflict in the current and previous trials. Individuals at risk for developing bipolar disorder performed more slowly than youth with healthy parents in all trials. Analyses evaluating sequential effects revealed that at-risk subjects responded more slowly than youth of healthy parents for all trial types when preceded by an incongruent trial, for incongruent trials preceded by congruent trials, and for neutral and congruent trials when preceded by neutral trials. In contrast to the comparison group, at-risk adolescents failed to display a response time advantage for incongruent trials preceded by an incongruent trial. When removing subjects with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), differences between groups in response time fell below significant level, but a difference in sequence modulation remained significant. Subjects at risk for bipolar disorder also displayed greater intra-subject response time variability for incongruent and congruent trials compared with the comparison adolescents. No differences in response accuracy were observed between groups. Adolescents at risk for developing bipolar disorder displayed specific deficits in cognitive flexibility, which might be useful as a potential marker related to the development of bipolar disorder. © 2013 John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Progress toward an integrated understanding of Parkinson's disease [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maxime W.C. Rousseaux

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Parkinson's disease (PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting over 10 million individuals worldwide. While numerous effective symptomatic treatments are currently available, no curative or disease-modifying therapies exist. An integrated, comprehensive understanding of PD pathogenic mechanisms will likely address this unmet clinical need. Here, we highlight recent progress in PD research with an emphasis on promising translational findings, including (i advances in our understanding of disease susceptibility, (ii improved knowledge of cellular dysfunction, and (iii insights into mechanisms of spread and propagation of PD pathology. We emphasize connections between these previously disparate strands of PD research and the development of an emerging systems-level understanding that will enable the next generation of PD therapeutics.

  8. Integrating Individual-Based Indices of Contaminant Effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher L. Rowe

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Habitat contamination can alter numerous biological processes in individual organisms. Examining multiple individual-level responses in an integrative fashion is necessary to understand how individual health or fitness reflects environmental contamination. Here we provide an example of such an integrated perspective based upon recent studies of an amphibian (the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana that experiences several, disparate changes when larval development occurs in a trace element�contaminated habitat. First, we present an overview of studies focused on specific responses of individuals collected from, or transplanted into, a habitat contaminated by coal combustion residues (CCR. These studies have reported morphological, behavioral, and physiological modifications to individuals chronically interacting with sediments in the CCR-contaminated site. Morphological abnormalities in the oral and tail regions in contaminant-exposed individuals influenced other properties such as grazing, growth, and swimming performance. Behavioral changes in swimming activities and responses to stimuli appear to influence predation risk in the contaminant-exposed population. Significant changes in bioenergetics in the contaminated habitat, evident as abnormally high energetic expenditures for survival (maintenance costs, may ultimately influence production pathways (growth, energy storage in individuals. We then present a conceptual model to examine how interactions among the affected systems (morphological, behavioral, physiological may ultimately bring about more severe effects than would be predicted if the responses were considered in isolation. A complex interplay among simultaneously occurring biological changes emerges in which multiple, sublethal effects ultimately can translate into reductions in larval or juvenile survival, and thus reduced recruitment of juveniles into the population. In systems where individuals are exposed to low concentrations of

  9. Development and reliability testing of a Health Action Process Approach inventory for physical activity participation among individuals with schizophrenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly eArbour-Nicitopoulos

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Individuals with schizophrenia tend to have high levels of cardiovascular disease and lower physical activity (PA levels than the general population. Research is urgently required in developing evidence-based behavioral interventions for increasing PA in this population. One model that has been increasingly used to understand the mechanisms underlying PA is the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA. The purpose of this study was to adapt and pilot-test a HAPA-based inventory that reliably captures salient, modifiable PA determinants for individuals with schizophrenia. Initially, twelve outpatients with schizophrenia reviewed the inventory and provided verbal feedback regarding comprehension, item relevance, and potential new content. A content analysis framework was used to inform modifications to the inventory. The resultant inventory underwent a quantitative assessment of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Twenty-five outpatients (Mage= 41.5 ± 13.5 years; 64% male completed the inventory on two separate occasions, one week apart. All but two scales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.62–0.98 and test-retest correlations (rs = .21-.96. Preliminary assessment of criterion validity of the HAPA inventory showed significant, large-sized correlations between behavioural intentions and both affective outcome expectancies and task self-efficacy, and small-to-moderate correlations between self-reported minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA and the volitional constructs of the HAPA model. These findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the first-ever inventory for examining theory-based predictors of moderate to vigorous PA intentions and behavior among individuals with schizophrenia. Further validation research with this inventory using an objective measure of PA behavior will provide additional support for its psychometric properties within the schizophrenia population.

  10. Role of Sports in the Development of an Individual and Role of Psychology in Sports*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghildiyal, Rakesh

    2015-01-01

    Sports helps an individual much more than in the physical aspects alone. It builds character, teaches and develops strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking, just to name a few. PMID:25838736

  11. Genders and Individual Treatment Progress in (Non-)Binary Trans Individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koehler, Andreas; Eyssel, Jana; Nieder, Timo O

    2018-01-01

    Health care for transgender and transsexual (ie, trans) individuals has long been based on a binary understanding of gender (ie, feminine vs masculine). However, the existence of non-binary or genderqueer (NBGQ) genders is increasingly recognized by academic and/or health care professionals. To gain insight into the individual health care experiences and needs of binary and NBGQ individuals to improve their health care outcomes and experience. Data were collected using an online survey study on experiences with trans health care. The non-clinical sample consisted of 415 trans individuals. An individual treatment progress score was calculated to report and compare participants' individual progress toward treatment completion and consider the individual treatment needs and definitions of completed treatment (ie, amount and types of different treatments needed to complete one's medical transition). Main outcome measures were (i) general and trans-related sociodemographic data and (ii) received and planned treatments. Participants reported binary (81.7%) and different NBGQ (18.3%) genders. The 2 groups differed significantly in basic demographic data (eg, mean age; P < .05). NBGQ participants reported significantly fewer received treatments compared with binary participants. For planned treatments, binary participants reported more treatments related to primary sex characteristics only. Binary participants required more treatments for a completed treatment than NBGQ participants (6.0 vs 4.0). There were no differences with regard to individual treatment progress score. Because traditional binary-focused treatment practice could have hindered NBGQ individuals from accessing trans health care or sufficiently articulating their needs, health care professionals are encouraged to provide a holistic and individual treatment approach and acknowledge genders outside the gender binary to address their needs appropriately. Because the study was made inclusive for non

  12. Individual Variability in Brain Activity: A Nuisance or an Opportunity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Horn, John Darrell; Grafton, Scott T; Miller, Michael B

    2008-12-01

    Functional imaging research has been heavily influenced by results based on population-level inference. However, group average results may belie the unique patterns of activity present in the individual that ordinarily are considered random noise. Recent advances in the evolution of MRI hardware have led to significant improvements in the stability and reproducibility of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) measurements. These enhancements provide a unique opportunity for closer examination of individual patterns of brain activity. Three objectives can be accomplished by considering brain scans at the individual level; (1) Mapping functional anatomy at a fine grained analysis; (2) Determining if an individual scan is normative with respect to a reference population; and (3) Understanding the sources of intersubject variability in brain activity. In this review, we detail these objectives, briefly discuss their histories and present recent trends in the analyses of individual variability. Finally, we emphasize the unique opportunities and challenges for understanding individual differences through international collaboration among Pacific Rim investigators.

  13. Geochemistry and the Understanding of Groundwater Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glynn, P. D.; Plummer, L. N.; Weissmann, G. S.; Stute, M.

    2009-12-01

    Geochemical techniques and concepts have made major contributions to the understanding of groundwater systems. Advances continue to be made through (1) development of measurement and characterization techniques, (2) improvements in computer technology, networks and numerical modeling, (3) investigation of coupled geologic, hydrologic, geochemical and biologic processes, and (4) scaling of individual observations, processes or subsystem models into larger coherent model frameworks. Many applications benefit from progress in these areas, such as: (1) understanding paleoenvironments, in particular paleoclimate, through the use of groundwater archives, (2) assessing the sustainability (recharge and depletion) of groundwater resources, and (3) their vulnerability to contamination, (4) evaluating the capacity and consequences of subsurface waste isolation (e.g. geologic carbon sequestration, nuclear and chemical waste disposal), (5) assessing the potential for mitigation/transformation of anthropogenic contaminants in groundwater systems, and (6) understanding the effect of groundwater lag times in ecosystem-scale responses to natural events, land-use changes, human impacts, and remediation efforts. Obtaining “representative” groundwater samples is difficult and progress in obtaining “representative” samples, or interpreting them, requires new techniques in characterizing groundwater system heterogeneity. Better characterization and simulation of groundwater system heterogeneity (both physical and geochemical) is critical to interpreting the meaning of groundwater “ages”; to understanding and predicting groundwater flow, solute transport, and geochemical evolution; and to quantifying groundwater recharge and discharge processes. Research advances will also come from greater use and progress (1) in the application of environmental tracers to ground water dating and in the analysis of new geochemical tracers (e.g. compound specific isotopic analyses, noble gas

  14. Mentoring to develop research selfefficacy, with particular reference to previously disadvantaged individuals

    OpenAIRE

    S. Schulze

    2010-01-01

    The development of inexperienced researchers is crucial. In response to the lack of research self-efficacy of many previously disadvantaged individuals, the article examines how mentoring can enhance the research self-efficacy of mentees. The study is grounded in the self-efficacy theory (SET) – an aspect of the social cognitive theory (SCT). Insights were gained from an in-depth study of SCT, SET and mentoring, and from a completed mentoring project. This led to the formulation of three basi...

  15. Rigidity in routines and the development of resistance to change in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haig, E L; Woodcock, K A

    2017-05-01

    Individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) commonly show debilitating resistance to change, which has been linked to cognitive deficits in task switching. Anecdotal reports suggest that exposure to flexibility in routines during development may be beneficial for limiting subsequent resistance to change in people with PWS, which is consistent with a beneficial role of such exposure on the development of task switching, highlighted in typical children. Here, we aim to investigate the development of resistance to change in individuals with PWS and hypothesise that exposure to increased rigidity in routines will be associated with increased subsequent resistance to change. An author-compiled informant report interview and two previously validated questionnaires were administered to the caregivers of 10 individuals with PWS (5-23 years). The interview examined rigidity in routines and resistance to change across life stages defined by easily distinguishable events (before school, during primary school, during secondary school, after school, currently), using open-ended and structured yes/no and 5-point Likert questions. Open-ended data were coded using an author-compiled system. Responses from two additional informants and data from the questionnaires were used to assess inter-informant reliability and concurrent validity of the structured questions. The validity of the interview was supported by acceptable inter-rater reliability of the open-ended coding system and inter-informant reliability, internal consistency and concurrent validity of structured questions. Descriptive analyses of ratings of behaviour change showed a pattern of increasing resistance to change over the life course for the four oldest individuals, who had all been exposed to substantial rigidity in routines before and during primary school. Furthermore, only one individual - currently in primary school - was exposed to very little rigidity in routines before and during primary school, and he had

  16. Decreased reward value of biological motion among individuals with autistic traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Elin H; Cross, Emily S

    2018-02-01

    The Social Motivation Theory posits that a reduced sensitivity to the value of social stimuli, specifically faces, can account for social impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Research has demonstrated that typically developing (TD) individuals preferentially orient towards another type of salient social stimulus, namely biological motion. Individuals with ASD, however, do not show this preference. While the reward value of faces to both TD and ASD individuals has been well-established, the extent to which individuals from these populations also find human motion to be rewarding remains poorly understood. The present study investigated the value assigned to biological motion by TD participants in an effort task, and further examined whether these values differed among individuals with more autistic traits. The results suggest that TD participants value natural human motion more than rigid, machine-like motion or non-human control motion, but this preference is attenuated among individuals reporting more autistic traits. This study provides the first evidence to suggest that individuals with more autistic traits find a broader conceptualisation of social stimuli less rewarding compared to individuals with fewer autistic traits. By quantifying the social reward value of human motion, the present findings contribute an important piece to our understanding of social motivation in individuals with and without social impairments. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Difficulty understanding speech in noise by the hearing impaired: underlying causes and technological solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Healy, Eric W; Yoho, Sarah E

    2016-08-01

    A primary complaint of hearing-impaired individuals involves poor speech understanding when background noise is present. Hearing aids and cochlear implants often allow good speech understanding in quiet backgrounds. But hearing-impaired individuals are highly noise intolerant, and existing devices are not very effective at combating background noise. As a result, speech understanding in noise is often quite poor. In accord with the significance of the problem, considerable effort has been expended toward understanding and remedying this issue. Fortunately, our understanding of the underlying issues is reasonably good. In sharp contrast, effective solutions have remained elusive. One solution that seems promising involves a single-microphone machine-learning algorithm to extract speech from background noise. Data from our group indicate that the algorithm is capable of producing vast increases in speech understanding by hearing-impaired individuals. This paper will first provide an overview of the speech-in-noise problem and outline why hearing-impaired individuals are so noise intolerant. An overview of our approach to solving this problem will follow.

  18. Understanding of Grassland Ecosystems under Climate Change and Economic Development Pressures in the Mongolia Plateau

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, J.; Chen, J.; Shan, P.; Pan, X.; Wei, Y.; Wang, M.; Xin, X.

    2011-12-01

    The land use and land cover change, especially in the form of grassland degradation, in the Mongolian Plateau, exhibited a unique spatio-temporal pattern that is a characteristic of a mixed stress from economic development and climate change of the region. The social dimension of the region played a key role in shaping the landscape and land use change, including the cultural clashes with economic development, conflicts between indigenous people and business ventures, and exogenous international influences. Various research projects have been conducted in the region to focus on physical degradation of grasslands and/or on economic development but there is a lack of understanding how the social and economic dimensions interact with grassland ecosystems and changes. In this talk, a synthesis report was made based on the most recent workshop held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, of China, that specifically focused on climate change and grassland ecosystems. The report analyzed the degree of grassland degradation, its climate and social drivers, and coupling nature of economic development and conservation of traditional grassland values. The goal is to fully understand the socio-ecological-economic interactions that together shape the trajectory of the grassland ecosystems in the Mongolia Plateau.

  19. Intra-individual cognitive imbalance in ASD between perceptual reasoning and ambiguity-solving related to tool use: Comparison among children exhibiting ASD, AD/HD, and typical development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakusawa, Keisuke; Nara, Chieko; Kubota, Yuki; Tomizawa, Yayoi; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sassa, Yuko; Kobayashi, Satoru; Suzuki-Muromoto, Sato; Hirose, Mieko; Yokoyama, Hiroyuki; Nara, Takahiro; Kure, Shigeo; Mori, Norio; Takei, Noriyoshi; Kawashima, Ryuta

    2018-01-01

    Several studies have suggested that objective deficits in the processing of abstract information in conjunction with an enhanced ability to process concrete information is a definitive characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, this cognitive imbalance is not necessarily clear in high-functioning autistic individuals who do not display absolute differences relative to typically developing (TD) populations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify this cognitive tendency in high-functioning autistic individuals using intra-individual cognitive comparisons. The reaction times (RTs) of TD children, children with ASD, and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) (n=17 in each group, mean age=11.9years, age range=9.8-15.8years) were compared using the Which/How-to-Apply Tools (W/HAT) test, which consists of tasks requiring the adaptive use of novel tools and familiar tools in atypical and typical situations. Differences in RTs between the atypical and typical trials ([A-T]) were used to assess intra-individual cognitive imbalances. As predicted, the [A-T] scores of the ASD group were significantly higher than those of the TD group even though the RTs in the atypical and typical trials did not differ. Additionally, the [A-T] values were significantly higher in the ASD group than in the AD/HD group, which indicates that the cognitive imbalance was specific to ASD individuals. No significant interaction was detected between the trial and subject group. The findings of this study demonstrate that a cognitive imbalance in ASD individuals may enhance the current understanding of the pathophysiology of this disorder, which is found in a range of individuals, including those with obvious cortical dysfunction to those with only intra-individual imbalances. Copyright © 2017 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Development of the living thing transportation systems worksheet on learning cycle model to increase student understanding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachmawati, E.; Nurohman, S.; Widowati, A.

    2018-01-01

    This study aims to know: 1) the feasibility LKPD review of aspects of the didactic requirements, construction requirements, technical requirements and compliance with the Learning Cycle. 2) Increase understanding of learners with Learning Model Learning Cycle in SMP N 1 Wates in the form LKPD. 3) The response of learners and educators SMP N 1 Wates to quality LKPD Transportation Systems Beings. This study is an R & D with the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop and Disseminate). Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis in the form of advice description and assessment scores from all validates that was converted to a scale of 4. While the analysis of quantitative data by calculating the percentage of materializing learning and achievement using the standard gain an increased understanding and calculation of the KKM completeness evaluation value as an indicator of the achievement of students understanding. the results of this study yield LKPD IPA model learning Cycle theme Transportation Systems Beings obtain 108.5 total scores of a maximum score of 128 including the excellent category (A). LKPD IPA developed able to demonstrate an improved understanding of learners and the response of learners was very good to this quality LKPD IPA.

  1. Improving Therapeutic Relationships: Joint Crisis Planning for Individuals With Psychotic Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrelly, Simone; Lester, Helen; Rose, Diana; Birchwood, Max; Marshall, Max; Waheed, Waquas; Henderson, R Claire; Szmukler, George; Thornicroft, Graham

    2015-12-01

    Outcomes for individuals with psychosis remain far from acceptable. Recently, prominent psychiatrists have called for an improved understanding of the impact of social contexts, and how social contexts might influence the development and maintenance of mental health problems. A key social context for individuals with psychosis is the therapeutic relationship. As part of a trial of joint crisis planning in England, this qualitative study aimed to determine the mechanism through which joint crisis planning might affect the therapeutic relationship. Results suggest that routine processes in mental health care are affected by policy and organizational requirements for risk mitigation-aspects that undermine person-centered approaches. In contrast, strong therapeutic relationships are characterized by individualized care and reliable and respectful treatment. The Joint Crisis Plan intervention partially succeeded in reducing contextual influences on routine role enactments, facilitating the demonstration of respect and improving the therapeutic relationship. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Exercise barriers self-efficacy: development and validation of a subcale for individuals with cancer-related lymphedema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchan, Jena; Janda, Monika; Box, Robyn; Rogers, Laura; Hayes, Sandi

    2015-03-18

    No tool exists to measure self-efficacy for overcoming lymphedema-related exercise barriers in individuals with cancer-related lymphedema. However, an existing scale measures confidence to overcome general exercise barriers in cancer survivors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop, validate and assess the reliability of a subscale, to be used in conjunction with the general barriers scale, for determining exercise barriers self-efficacy in individuals facing lymphedema-related exercise barriers. A lymphedema-specific exercise barriers self-efficacy subscale was developed and validated using a cohort of 106 cancer survivors with cancer-related lymphedema, from Brisbane, Australia. An initial ten-item lymphedema-specific barrier subscale was developed and tested, with participant feedback and principal components analysis results used to guide development of the final version. Validity and test-retest reliability analyses were conducted on the final subscale. The final lymphedema-specific subscale contained five items. Principal components analysis revealed these items loaded highly (>0.75) on a separate factor when tested with a well-established nine-item general barriers scale. The final five-item subscale demonstrated good construct and criterion validity, high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.67, p exercise barriers self-efficacy in individuals with cancer-related lymphedema. This scale can be used in conjunction with an existing general exercise barriers scale to enhance exercise adherence in this understudied patient group.

  3. Sustainable agriculture: Developing a common understanding for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The concept of sustainability has become central to all sectors all over the world, from agriculture to environment to business, engineering and industrialization. The principle of sustainability is the same all over these sectors. However, the understanding of the term may vary from sector to sector depending on how it may be ...

  4. THE INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL KNOWLEDGE AND WORK TEAM DEVELOPMENT TO THE MANUFACTURING COMPANY PERFORMANCE OF IN EAST JAVA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Widjojo Suprapto

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Individual knowledge is the fundamental human capital to contribute to the greatness of the company.The personal capability and competence should be dispersed to other individuals within the organization toform a work team that is reliable and motivated so that each individual can easily do the workcommunication. As a result, it gives an impact on the flexibility of working people and eventually canimprove the company performance. The data are collected by questionnaires that are distributed to 90industrial practitioners, with the 86 completed data that can be further processed. The result of this studystates that the individual knowledge influences strongly on the development of the competent work team, andenhances the collaboration and communication process. The development of the work teams in the companyaffects the collaboration, communication, and effectiveness of the work teams. Finally, the cooperation andcommunication in the work place and the effectiveness of the work teams together improve the companyperformance.

  5. The Influence of Leadership Development Approaches on Social Capital: A Mixed Methods Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burbaugh, Bradley James

    2015-01-01

    Leadership programs serve as a mechanism to develop the leadership capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations. Although considerable time and resources have been devoted to understanding the outcomes of leadership development, little time and effort has been dedicated to understanding the developmental approaches that influence the…

  6. MOTIVATIONAL AND VALUE-SEMANTIC DETERMINANTS OF INDIVIDUAL ASSERTIVENESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lebedeva Inga Viktorovna

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper attempts to reveal the concept of "determinants of assertiveness" of a personality, which are determined by motivational characteristics and life value and meaning orientations of the individual. The immediate driving force of human action is the motive or the system of motives. The system of motives of human behavior in different situations of activities, communication and cognition is determined by the personal world view (set of ideas, interests, and beliefs. The value orientation, influencing the direction of human activity, determines a person's behavior and is a personality determinant in the manifestations of assertive behavior and assertiveness. Therefore, the significant psychological factors that contribute to the development of assertiveness are high motivation to success, positive attitudes, and such values as compassion, tolerance, mutual understanding, sympathy, concern that oppose to violence, domination, suppression and submission. The article also presents the results of an empirical study of motivational and value-semantic characteristics of the individual.

  7. Individual Differences and Social Influences on the Neurobehavioral Pharmacology of Abused Drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neisewander, J. L.; Kelly, T. H.

    2013-01-01

    The interaction of drugs with biologic targets is a critical area of research, particularly for the development of medications to treat substance use disorders. In addition to understanding these drug-target interactions, however, there is a need to understand more fully the psychosocial influences that moderate these interactions. The first section of this review introduces some examples from human behavioral pharmacology that illustrate the clinical importance of this research. The second section covers preclinical evidence to characterize some of the key individual differences that alter drug sensitivity and abuse vulnerability, related primarily to differences in response to novelty and impulsivity. Evidence is presented to indicate that critical neuropharmacological mechanisms associated with these individual differences involve integrated neurocircuits underlying stress, reward, and behavioral inhibitory processes. The third section covers social influences on drug abuse vulnerability, including effects experienced during infancy, adolescence, and young adulthood, such as maternal separation, housing conditions, and social interactions (defeat, play, and social rank). Some of the same neurocircuits involved in individual differences also are altered by social influences, although the precise neurochemical and cellular mechanisms involved remain to be elucidated fully. Finally, some speculation is offered about the implications of this research for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. PMID:23343975

  8. Job Satisfaction among University Faculty: Individual, Work, and Institutional Determinants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozeman, Barry; Gaughan, Monica

    2011-01-01

    This study seeks to understand academic faculty job satisfaction, focusing on three different sets of variables--characteristics of the individual, the work context and institutional interactions. In one sense, each explanation is rooted in the individual, as is appropriate to a study of individual satisfaction. Thus, when the authors examine…

  9. Differential Constraints on the Working Memory and Reading Abilities of Individuals with Learning Difficulties and Typically Developing Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayliss, Donna M.; Jarrold, Christopher; Baddeley, Alan D.; Leigh, Eleanor

    2005-01-01

    This study examined the factors that constrain the working memory span performance and reading ability of individuals with generalized learning difficulties. In the study, 50 individuals with learning difficulties (LD) and 50 typically developing children (TD) matched for reading age completed two working memory span tasks. Participants also…

  10. Understanding and Counseling Transgender Clients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk, James; Belovics, Robert

    2008-01-01

    Because transgender individuals experience widespread employment discrimination, counselors need to understand and be able to work with members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. The aim of this article is to help counselors become more transgender literate by (a) defining gender dysphoric disorder and related terms; (b)…

  11. Development of Object-understanding Among Students in the Humanities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindholm, Morten

    This paper describes a on-going empirical study, inspired by phenomenography, aiming at understanding how students from the humanities learn the concepts of objects and object-orientation during a programming course.  ......This paper describes a on-going empirical study, inspired by phenomenography, aiming at understanding how students from the humanities learn the concepts of objects and object-orientation during a programming course.  ...

  12. Beyond Normal Competencies: Understanding Organisation Designs to Develop and Sustain IT-Related Capabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acklesh Prasad

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available It is apparent that IT resources are important for organisations. It is also clear that organisations unique competencies, their IT-related capabilities, leverage the IT resources uniquely to create and sustain competitive advantage. However, IT resources are dynamic, and evolve at an exponential rate. This means that organisations will need to sustain their competencies to leverage opportunities offered by new IT resources. Research on ways to sustain IT-related capabilities is limited and a deeper understanding of this situation is important. Amongst other factors, a possible reason for this lack of progress in this area could be due to the lack of validated measurement items of the theoretical constructs to conduct such studies. We suggest an environment in which organisations could build new and sustain their existing IT-related capabilities. We then report on the development of valid and reliable measures for this environment. The validated measures would be useful in extending our understanding on how firms could sustain their IT-related capabilities. This effort will provide a deeper understanding of how firms can secure sustainable IT-related business value from their acquired IT resources.

  13. KEDUDUKAN INDIVIDU DALAM HUKUM INTERNASIONAL

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    Heribertus Jaka Triyana

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Rethinking of the role of person or individuals in international law has become more significant due to the development of branches of international law; the international criminal law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law. This essay focuses on issue of law enforcement of individuals responsibility toward international wrongful acts, mechanisms and their futher development. Historical development is used as a point of view in this essay to reach conclusion of the role of individuals in international law.

  14. Nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience: a grounded theory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, Andrew Thomas; Andrusyszyn, Mary-Anne; Iwasiw, Carroll; Forchuk, Cheryl; Babenko-Mould, Yolanda

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience. Stress is considered to be a major factor affecting the health, well-being and academic performance of nursing students. Resilience has been extensively researched as a process that allows individuals to successfully adapt to adversity and develop positive outcomes as a result. However, relatively little is known about the resilience of nursing students. A constructivist, grounded theory qualitative design was used for this study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 38 nursing students enrolled in a four-year, integrated baccalaureate nursing degree programme at a university in Ontario, Canada. Face-to-face interviews were conducted from January to April 2012 using a semi-structured interview guide. The basic social process of 'pushing through' emerged as nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience. Participants employed this process to withstand challenges in their academic lives. This process was comprised of three main phases: 'stepping into', 'staying the course' and 'acknowledging'. 'Pushing through' also included a transient 'disengaging' process where students were temporarily unable to push through their adversities. The process of 'pushing through' was based on a progressive trajectory, which implied that nursing students enacted the process to make progress in their academic lives and to attain goals. Study findings provide important evidence for understanding the phenomenon of resilience as a dynamic, contextual process that can be learnt and developed, rather than a static trait or personality characteristic. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Understanding the Development of Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol in Scotland: A Qualitative Study of the Policy Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal; Hilton, Shona; Bonell, Chris; Bond, Lyndal

    2014-01-01

    Background Minimum unit pricing of alcohol is a novel public health policy with the potential to improve population health and reduce health inequalities. Theories of the policy process may help to understand the development of policy innovation and in turn identify lessons for future public health research and practice. This study aims to explain minimum unit pricing’s development by taking a ‘multiple-lenses’ approach to understanding the policy process. In particular, we apply three perspectives of the policy process (Kingdon’s multiple streams, Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory, Multi-Level Governance) to understand how and why minimum unit pricing has developed in Scotland and describe implications for efforts to develop evidence-informed policymaking. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with policy actors (politicians, civil servants, academics, advocates, industry representatives) involved in the development of MUP (n = 36). Interviewees were asked about the policy process and the role of evidence in policy development. Data from two other sources (a review of policy documents and an analysis of evidence submission documents to the Scottish Parliament) were used for triangulation. Findings The three perspectives provide complementary understandings of the policy process. Evidence has played an important role in presenting the policy issue of alcohol as a problem requiring action. Scotland-specific data and a change in the policy ‘image’ to a population-based problem contributed to making alcohol-related harms a priority for action. The limited powers of Scottish Government help explain the type of price intervention pursued while distinct aspects of the Scottish political climate favoured the pursuit of price-based interventions. Conclusions Evidence has played a crucial but complex role in the development of an innovative policy. Utilising different political science theories helps explain different aspects of the policy process

  16. Understanding the development of minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Scotland: a qualitative study of the policy process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal; Hilton, Shona; Bonell, Chris; Bond, Lyndal

    2014-01-01

    Minimum unit pricing of alcohol is a novel public health policy with the potential to improve population health and reduce health inequalities. Theories of the policy process may help to understand the development of policy innovation and in turn identify lessons for future public health research and practice. This study aims to explain minimum unit pricing's development by taking a 'multiple-lenses' approach to understanding the policy process. In particular, we apply three perspectives of the policy process (Kingdon's multiple streams, Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory, Multi-Level Governance) to understand how and why minimum unit pricing has developed in Scotland and describe implications for efforts to develop evidence-informed policymaking. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with policy actors (politicians, civil servants, academics, advocates, industry representatives) involved in the development of MUP (n = 36). Interviewees were asked about the policy process and the role of evidence in policy development. Data from two other sources (a review of policy documents and an analysis of evidence submission documents to the Scottish Parliament) were used for triangulation. The three perspectives provide complementary understandings of the policy process. Evidence has played an important role in presenting the policy issue of alcohol as a problem requiring action. Scotland-specific data and a change in the policy 'image' to a population-based problem contributed to making alcohol-related harms a priority for action. The limited powers of Scottish Government help explain the type of price intervention pursued while distinct aspects of the Scottish political climate favoured the pursuit of price-based interventions. Evidence has played a crucial but complex role in the development of an innovative policy. Utilising different political science theories helps explain different aspects of the policy process, with Multi-Level Governance particularly useful for

  17. Modelling of individual subject ozone exposure response kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schelegle, Edward S; Adams, William C; Walby, William F; Marion, M Susan

    2012-06-01

    A better understanding of individual subject ozone (O(3)) exposure response kinetics will provide insight into how to improve models used in the risk assessment of ambient ozone exposure. To develop a simple two compartment exposure-response model that describes individual subject decrements in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) induced by the acute inhalation of O(3) lasting up to 8 h. FEV(1) measurements of 220 subjects who participated in 14 previously completed studies were fit to the model using both particle swarm and nonlinear least squares optimization techniques to identify three subject-specific coefficients producing minimum "global" and local errors, respectively. Observed and predicted decrements in FEV(1) of the 220 subjects were used for validation of the model. Further validation was provided by comparing the observed O(3)-induced FEV(1) decrements in an additional eight studies with predicted values obtained using model coefficients estimated from the 220 subjects used in cross validation. Overall the individual subject measured and modeled FEV(1) decrements were highly correlated (mean R(2) of 0.69 ± 0.24). In addition, it was shown that a matrix of individual subject model coefficients can be used to predict the mean and variance of group decrements in FEV(1). This modeling approach provides insight into individual subject O(3) exposure response kinetics and provides a potential starting point for improving the risk assessment of environmental O(3) exposure.

  18. Developing Tests of Visual Dependency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kindrat, Alexandra N.

    2011-01-01

    Astronauts develop neural adaptive responses to microgravity during space flight. Consequently these adaptive responses cause maladaptive disturbances in balance and gait function when astronauts return to Earth and are re-exposed to gravity. Current research in the Neuroscience Laboratories at NASA-JSC is focused on understanding how exposure to space flight produces post-flight disturbances in balance and gait control and developing training programs designed to facilitate the rapid recovery of functional mobility after space flight. In concert with these disturbances, astronauts also often report an increase in their visual dependency during space flight. To better understand this phenomenon, studies were conducted with specially designed training programs focusing on visual dependency with the aim to understand and enhance subjects ability to rapidly adapt to novel sensory situations. The Rod and Frame test (RFT) was used first to assess an individual s visual dependency, using a variety of testing techniques. Once assessed, subjects were asked to perform two novel tasks under transformation (both the Pegboard and Cube Construction tasks). Results indicate that head position cues and initial visual test conditions had no effect on an individual s visual dependency scores. Subjects were also able to adapt to the manual tasks after several trials. Individual visual dependency correlated with ability to adapt manual to a novel visual distortion only for the cube task. Subjects with higher visual dependency showed decreased ability to adapt to this task. Ultimately, it was revealed that the RFT may serve as an effective prediction tool to produce individualized adaptability training prescriptions that target the specific sensory profile of each crewmember.

  19. Effects of Individual and School-Level Characteristics on a Child’s Gross Motor Coordination Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Chaves

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to identify child and school-level characteristics that explained inter-individual differences in gross motor coordination (GMC. Participants (n = 390, recruited from 18 Portuguese primary schools, were aged 6 to 10 years of age. Birth weight, body fat (BF, physical activity (PA, physical fitness (PF and GMC were assessed. School size, setting, infrastructure and physical education classes were considered as school context markers. A multilevel modeling approach was used to identify hierarchical effects (child and school levels. It was found that children-level variables (sex, PF, and BF significantly explained 63% of the 90% variance fraction at the individual level; boys outperformed girls (p < 0.05, individuals with higher BF were less coordinated (p < 0.05, and those with higher PF were more coordinated (p < 0.05. School-variables (e.g. school size and playing surface explained 84% of the 10% variation fraction. These findings confirm the roles of sex, PFS and BF. Interestingly they also suggest that the school environment plays a minor but significant role in GMC development. However, it is important to stress that the school context and conditions can also play an important role in a child’s motor development, providing adequate and enriching motor opportunities.

  20. Understanding Technology?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Bendtsen

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available We are facing radical changes in our ways of living in the nearest future. Not necessarily of our own choice, but because tchnological development is moving so fast, that it will have still greater impact on many aspects of our lives. We have seen the beginnings of that change within the latest 35 years or so, but according to newest research that change will speed up immensely in the nearest years to come. The impact of that change or these changes will affect our working life immensely as a consequence of automation. How these changes are brought about and which are their consequences in a broad sense is being attempted to be understood and guessed by researchers. No one knows for sure, but specific patterns are visible. This paper will not try to guess, what will come, but will rather try to understand the deepest ”nature” of technology in order to understand the driving factors in this development: the genesis of technology in a broad sense in order to contibute to the understanding of the basis for the expected development.

  1. The Four Personae of Racism: Educators' (Mis)Understanding of Individual vs. Systemic Racism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Evelyn Y.

    2011-01-01

    This study used CRT to engage educators in critical discourse regarding the persistence of racism in urban schooling. A combined method of action research and critical case study was employed to raise a group of educators' race consciousness through antiracist training. Findings revealed conflicting views of racism as an individual pathology vs. a…

  2. State and Trait Effects on Individual Differences in Children's Mathematical Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Drew H.; Watts, Tyler W.; Littlefield, Andrew K.; Geary, David C.

    2015-01-01

    Substantial longitudinal relations between children's early mathematics achievement and their much later mathematics achievement are firmly established. These findings are seemingly at odds with studies showing that early educational interventions have diminishing effects on children's mathematics achievement across time. We hypothesized that individual differences in children's later mathematical knowledge are more an indicator of stable, underlying characteristics related to mathematics learning throughout development than of direct effects of early mathematical competency on later mathematical competency. We tested this hypothesis in two longitudinal data sets, by simultaneously modeling effects of latent traits (stable characteristics that influence learning across time) and states (e.g., prior knowledge) on children's mathematics achievement over time. Latent trait effects on children's mathematical development were substantially larger than state effects. Approximately 60% of the variance in trait mathematics achievement was accounted for by commonly used control variables, such as working memory, but residual trait effects remained larger than state effects. Implications for research and practice are discussed. PMID:25231900

  3. Entrepreneurial alertness: Study of the Influence of Individual Characteristics and Entrepreneurship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilka Pelizza Vier Machado

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This research tried to understand which statistical variables associated to the individual and the company influence the entrepreneurial alertness. The sample was constituted by 180 entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial alertness was measured in agreement with the model of Tang, Kacmar and Busenitz (2012. Descriptive statistical tests and normality exam were developed; as well as checked the validity and reliability of the scale through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA. In order to identify the factors that influenced the alertness we developed multiple linear regression and the ANOVA test to determine possible differences among groups (gender, education. The results showed the negative influence of the educational level and the size of enterprises on alertness level; as well as the negative relationship between age and entrepreneurial experience, furthermore, shows that alert level is not determined by gender difference. One of the main implications of this research is to present factors that can potentiate the effects of the entrepreneurial alertness, enlarging the possibilities of identification of opportunities for individuals.

  4. Neighborhood-resources for the development of a strong SOC and the importance of understanding why and how resources work: a grounded theory approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maass, Ruca; Lindström, Bengt; Lillefjell, Monica

    2017-09-12

    Providing individuals with psychosocial resources such as sense of coherence (SOC) seems a beneficial strategy for health promotion in the neighborhood. In order to become a supporting theory for health promotion, Salutogenesis should renew its focus on resources for health, and explore how the development of a strong SOC can be facilitated. Relevant issues were explored using a Grounded Theory- approach. Three focus-group-sessions and three in-depth interviews were conducted with strategically sampled participants. The transcripts of the focus groups were initially analyzed line-by-line to ensure that insights emerged from the data. We then applied focused and systemic analyses to achieve axial coding, and to include insights into how social interactions during focus groups may reveal social processes in real-life-neighborhoods. The data from the in-depth interviews were used to validate and fill emerging categories, as well as to ensure data-saturation. Findings indicate the importance of repeated experiences with resources and every-day-challenges to develop a strong SOC. Active engagement with resources is a favorable condition for significant experiences, which enhance the internalization of resources. Core experiences are characterized by a re-organization of resources. Participation in intellectual meaning-making through equal power dialogue seems to broaden perspectives and promote the strengthening of SOC. A strong SOC can also be described as a deeper understanding of how and why resources work, which allows for a more flexible use of resources, including replacing missing resources. A new understanding of SOC as an intuitive understanding of how, why and under which circumstances resources work, as well as a new focus on everyday life and repeated experiences might facilitate new approaches to a purposeful strengthening of SOC through the planning and implementation of public measures.

  5. Individual Differences in Human Reliability Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeffrey C. Joe; Ronald L. Boring

    2014-06-01

    While human reliability analysis (HRA) methods include uncertainty in quantification, the nominal model of human error in HRA typically assumes that operator performance does not vary significantly when they are given the same initiating event, indicators, procedures, and training, and that any differences in operator performance are simply aleatory (i.e., random). While this assumption generally holds true when performing routine actions, variability in operator response has been observed in multiple studies, especially in complex situations that go beyond training and procedures. As such, complexity can lead to differences in operator performance (e.g., operator understanding and decision-making). Furthermore, psychological research has shown that there are a number of known antecedents (i.e., attributable causes) that consistently contribute to observable and systematically measurable (i.e., not random) differences in behavior. This paper reviews examples of individual differences taken from operational experience and the psychological literature. The impact of these differences in human behavior and their implications for HRA are then discussed. We propose that individual differences should not be treated as aleatory, but rather as epistemic. Ultimately, by understanding the sources of individual differences, it is possible to remove some epistemic uncertainty from analyses.

  6. The Understanding of libertarianism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hubert Staśkiewicz

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This scientific article treats of libertarianism. This school of political thought is based on methodological individualism, methodological subjectivism, anti-empiricism, apriorism. Libertarian philosophers demand almost absolute freedom in every area of life and that is why they are at the opposite pole to all totalitarian ideologies. The greatest influence on the understanding of libertarianism had Carl Menger, Murray Rothbard and David Nolan.

  7. Understanding the nature of apraxia of speech: Theory, analysis, and treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirrie J. Ballard

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Researchers have interpreted the behaviours of individuals with acquired apraxia of speech (AOS as impairment of linguistic phonological processing, motor control, or both. Acoustic, kinematic, and perceptual studies of speech in more recent years have led to significant advances in our understanding of the disorder and wide acceptance that it affects phonetic - motoric planning of speech. However, newly developed methods for studying nonspeech motor control are providing new insights, indicating that the motor control impairment of AOS extends beyond speech and is manifest in nonspeech movements of the oral structures. We present the most recent developments in theory and methods to examine and define the nature of AOS. Theories of the disorder are then related to existing treatment approaches and the efficacy of these approaches is examined. Directions for development of new treatments are posited. It is proposed that treatment programmes driven by a principled account of how the motor system learns to produce skilled actions will provide the most efficient and effective framework for treating motorbased speech disorders. In turn, well controlled and theoretically motivated studies of treatment efficacy promise to stimulate further development of theoretical accounts and contribute to our understanding of AOS.

  8. The health policy implications of individual adaptive behavior responses to smog pollution in urban China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Jie; Zhou, Lian; Zhang, Yi; Brooke Anderson, G; Li, Tiantian

    2017-09-01

    Smog pollution is a serious public health issue in urban China, where it is associated with public health through a range of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Despite the negative health impacts of smog pollution, individual adaptive behaviors are poorly understood. This knowledge gap hinders the development of effective public policy to support and encourage the adoption of individual adaptive and mitigating behaviors to smog pollution. A questionnaire survey of 1141 randomly sampled individuals in a typical PM 2.5 -polluted Chinese city was designed to establish smog concerns and behavior changes during smog events. The results demonstrate a variety of behavior responses associated with risk perception, experience of smog, age, and gender of respondents. An understanding of these variations is critical to the development of effective public policy and ultimately to the improvement of public health in cities affected by smog. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Individual radiosensitivity and its relevance to health physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schnarr, K.; Dayes, I.; Sathya, J.; Boreham, D.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: In the radiation protection industry, dose limits are developed to keep the workers safe. These limits assume that people have equal responses to ionizing radiation and that there is no variation in radiation risk. In radiotherapy, where patients receive large doses of radiation to their tumours and the surrounding tissue volume, 5-10% of individuals are sensitive to the treatment (adverse reactions). A radiation sensitive individual may have increased toxicity in the tissue around the tumour. This can result in necrosis, loss of organ function or even death. The cause of this sensitivity is only speculative. We postulate that this variation is due to the individual's intrinsic cellular response to radiation. Therefore, this systemic predisposition results in a lack of ability for damaged cells to be eliminated properly or repaired and consequently causes an adverse reaction. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for radiation protection practices, since these radiosensitive individuals may also be at increased risk to high occupational or medical exposures. We have investigated individual radiosensitivity using a number of different biological endpoints. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, was measured in human lymphocytes after receiving in vitro doses of 0, 2, 4, and 8Gy. At high doses (8Gy), radiation induced apoptosis showed a wide range of responses (mean = 34% apoptosis, o = 8.2) with z-scores ranging from -1.5 to 2.4. Low dose responses (mGy range) were also studied measuring apoptosis, DNA double strand break induction and repair in human lymphocytes exposed in vivo when patients a whole body radiation dose during diagnostic PET scans. The results showed varied individual responses and indicates that individuals may be at increased risk due to differences in DNA repair capabilities. Being able to measure radiation sensitivity would allow the radiation protection industry to tailor dose limits to an individual, reducing risk to the worker

  10. Effect of a Diagram on Primary Students' Understanding About Electric Circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preston, Christine Margaret

    2017-09-01

    This article reports on the effect of using a diagram to develop primary students' conceptual understanding about electric circuits. Diagrammatic representations of electric circuits are used for teaching and assessment despite the absence of research on their pedagogical effectiveness with young learners. Individual interviews were used to closely analyse Years 3 and 5 (8-11-year-old) students' explanations about electric circuits. Data was collected from 20 students in the same school providing pre-, post- and delayed post-test dialogue. Students' thinking about electric circuits and changes in their explanations provide insights into the role of diagrams in understanding science concepts. Findings indicate that diagram interaction positively enhanced understanding, challenged non-scientific views and promoted scientific models of electric circuits. Differences in students' understanding about electric circuits were influenced by prior knowledge, meta-conceptual awareness and diagram conventions including a stylistic feature of the diagram used. A significant finding that students' conceptual models of electric circuits were energy rather than current based has implications for electricity instruction at the primary level.

  11. UNDERSTANDING THE NEUROINFLAMMATORY RESPONSE FOLLOWING CONCUSSION TO DEVELOP TREATMENT STRATEGIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zachary Robert Patterson

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI have been associated with long-term cognitive deficits relating to trauma-induced neurodegeneration. These long-term deficits include impaired memory and attention, changes in executive function, emotional instability and sensorimotor deficits. Furthermore, individuals with concussions show a high co-morbidity with a host of psychiatric illnesses (e.g. depression, anxiety, addiction and dementia. The neurological damage seen in mTBI patients is the result of the direct impact and mechanical injury, followed by a delayed neuroimmune response that can last hours, days and even months after the injury. As part of the neuroimmune response, a cascade of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are released and can be detected at the site of injury as well as subcortical, and often contralateral, regions. It has been suggested that the delayed neuroinflammatory response to concussions is more damaging then the initial impact itself. However, evidence exists for favourable consequences of cytokine production following traumatic brain injuries as well. In some cases, treatments that reduce the inflammatory response will also hinder the brain's intrinsic repair mechanisms. At present, there is no evidence-based pharmacological treatment for concussions in humans. The ability to treat concussions with drug therapy requires an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiological and neuroinflammatory changes that accompany concussive injuries. The use of neurotrophic factors (e.g. nerve growth factor and anti-inflammatory agents as an adjunct for the management of post-concussion symptomology will be explored in this review.

  12. An Attitude Scale on Individual Instrument and Individual Instrument Course: Validity-Reliability Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuçukosmanoglu, Hayrettin Onur

    2015-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to develop a scale to determine students' attitude levels on individual instruments and individual instrument courses in instrument training, which is an important dimension of music education, and to conduct a validity-reliability research of the scale that has been developed. The scale consists of 16 items. The…

  13. Science Olympiad students' nature of science understandings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philpot, Cindy J.

    2007-12-01

    Recent reform efforts in science education focus on scientific literacy for all citizens. In order to be scientifically literate, an individual must have informed understandings of nature of science (NOS), scientific inquiry, and science content matter. This study specifically focused on Science Olympiad students' understanding of NOS as one piece of scientific literacy. Research consistently shows that science students do not have informed understandings of NOS (Abd-El-Khalick, 2002; Bell, Blair, Crawford, and Lederman, 2002; Kilcrease and Lucy, 2002; Schwartz, Lederman, and Thompson, 2001). However, McGhee-Brown, Martin, Monsaas and Stombler (2003) found that Science Olympiad students had in-depth understandings of science concepts, principles, processes, and techniques. Science Olympiad teams compete nationally and are found in rural, urban, and suburban schools. In an effort to learn from students who are generally considered high achieving students and who enjoy science, as opposed to the typical science student, the purpose of this study was to investigate Science Olympiad students' understandings of NOS and the experiences that formed their understandings. An interpretive, qualitative, case study method was used to address the research questions. The participants were purposefully and conveniently selected from the Science Olympiad team at a suburban high school. Data collection consisted of the Views of Nature of Science -- High School Questionnaire (VNOS-HS) (Schwartz, Lederman, & Thompson, 2001), semi-structured individual interviews, and a focus group. The main findings of this study were similar to much of the previous research in that the participants had informed understandings of the tentative nature of science and the role of inferences in science, but they did not have informed understandings of the role of human imagination and creativity, the empirical nature of science, or theories and laws. High level science classes and participation in

  14. Current developments in the practice of individual psychoanalytic psychodrama in France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcos, Maurice; Jeammet, Philippe; Morel, Alexandre; Chabert, Catherine; De Lara, Aline Cohen

    2012-06-01

    The authors present the history of individual psychoanalytic psychodrama and its current developments as practised in France. They put forward the technique, objectives and rules, along with the indications, limits and risks that ensue from the specific nature of this therapeutic approach. Through its technical adjustments, individual psychoanalytic psychodrama provides a therapeutic option that is appropriate to the defences prevalent in many patients that cause classical psychotherapies to fail: massive inhibition, operative functioning far removed from affects or in false self mode; phobias, disavowal or splitting of the internal psychic life and emotions; prevalence of short discharge circuits in acted-out behaviours and bodily or visceral complaints and expressions. Psychodrama utilizes these defences not in order to eliminate them but to 'subvert' them so that they can continue to carry out their protective role, in particular ensuring narcissistic continuity. At the same time, psychodrama relaxes these defences and facilitates a possible filtering through of the repressed material. Through the number of actors and the diffraction of transference that this allows, psychodrama provides a possibility of adjusting the potentially traumatic effect of the encounter with the object and the instigation of the transference in the regressive dimension induced by any psychotherapeutic process. Copyright © 2012 Institute of Psychoanalysis.

  15. Understanding movement data and movement processes: current and emerging directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schick, Robert S; Loarie, Scott R; Colchero, Fernando; Best, Benjamin D; Boustany, Andre; Conde, Dalia A; Halpin, Patrick N; Joppa, Lucas N; McClellan, Catherine M; Clark, James S

    2008-12-01

    Animal movement has been the focus on much theoretical and empirical work in ecology over the last 25 years. By studying the causes and consequences of individual movement, ecologists have gained greater insight into the behavior of individuals and the spatial dynamics of populations at increasingly higher levels of organization. In particular, ecologists have focused on the interaction between individuals and their environment in an effort to understand future impacts from habitat loss and climate change. Tools to examine this interaction have included: fractal analysis, first passage time, Lévy flights, multi-behavioral analysis, hidden markov models, and state-space models. Concurrent with the development of movement models has been an increase in the sophistication and availability of hierarchical bayesian models. In this review we bring these two threads together by using hierarchical structures as a framework for reviewing individual models. We synthesize emerging themes in movement ecology, and propose a new hierarchical model for animal movement that builds on these emerging themes. This model moves away from traditional random walks, and instead focuses inference on how moving animals with complex behavior interact with their landscape and make choices about its suitability.

  16. A unified theory of development: a dialectic integration of nature and nurture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sameroff, Arnold

    2010-01-01

    The understanding of nature and nurture within developmental science has evolved with alternating ascendance of one or the other as primary explanations for individual differences in life course trajectories of success or failure. A dialectical perspective emphasizing the interconnectedness of individual and context is suggested to interpret the evolution of developmental science in similar terms to those necessary to explain the development of individual children. A unified theory of development is proposed to integrate personal change, context, regulation, and representational models of development.

  17. Innovating for Rural Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Dorthe

    is that policies, agricultural research and extension should pay attention to these financial structural aspects, since they regulate the extent of ‘public good extension services’ like rural development services and ‘innovation intermediation’ in Danish agricultural extension agencies. The capacity differs among...... the individual agencies and among individual agents. There are agencies that financially invest in rural development service, including in innovation intermediation. On the other hand, there are agencies where the presence of rural development service is merely as a formal structure, possibly to signal...... as an analytical strategy. Paper 1 reports on, and critically examines, the entrance of consultants with rural development functions in Danish agricultural extension agencies. Paper 2 seeks to understand how multiple rural actor projects driven by Danish agricultural extension serve to generate new social...

  18. Employee engagement, organisational performance and individual wellbeing: Exploring the evidence, developing the theory

    OpenAIRE

    Truss, C.; Shantz, A.; Soane, E.; Emma, C.; Alfes, K.; Delbridge, R.

    2013-01-01

    The development of mainstream human resource management (HRM) theory has long been concerned with how people management can enhance performance outcomes. It is only very recently that interest has been shown in the parallel stream of research on the link between employee engagement and performance, bringing the two together to suggest that engagement may constitute the mechanism through which HRM practices impact individual and organisational performance. However, engagement has emerged as a ...

  19. UNDERSTANDING THAI CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING PROCESS MANAGEMENT DURING INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theerasak Thanasankit

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the impact of Thai culture on managing the decision making process in requirements engineering and contribution a better understand of its influence on the management of requirements engineering process. The paper illustrates the interaction of technology and culture and shows that rather than technology changing culture, culture can change the way technology is used. Thai culture is naturally inherent in Thai daily life and Thais bring that into their work practices. The concepts of power and uncertainty in Thai culture contribute toward hierarchical forms of communication and decision making process in Thailand, especially during requirements engineering, where information systems requirements need to be established for further development. The research shows that the decision making process in Thailand tends to take a much longer time, as every stage during requirements engineering needs to be reported to management for final decisions. The tall structure of Thai organisations also contributes to a bureaucratic, elongated decision-making process during information systems development. Understanding the influence of Thai culture on requirements engineering and information systems development will assist multinational information systems consulting organisations to select, adapt, better manage, or change requirements engineering process and information systems developments methodologies to work best with Thai organisations.

  20. Meaning in Constant Flow--University Teachers' Understanding of Examination Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellbjer, Stefan

    2017-01-01

    Effective feedback presupposes that students understand the task on which feedback is given. But what about the teachers formulating and assessing the task? Do they always understand it as intended? And if so, feedback on what? The purpose of this study is to examine how university teachers individually understand tasks distributed to students.…

  1. From monocausality to systems thinking: a complementary and alternative conceptual approach for better understanding the development and prevention of sports injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulme, Adam; Finch, Caroline F

    The science of sports injury control, including both its cause and prevention, has largely been informed by a biomedical and mechanistic model of health. Traditional scientific practice in sports injury research has routinely involved collapsing the broader socioecological landscape down in order to analyse individual-level determinants of injury - whether biomechanical and/or behavioural. This approach has made key gains for sports injury prevention research and should be further encouraged and allowed to evolve naturally. However, the public health, Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, and injury epidemiological literature more broadly, has accepted the value of a socioecological paradigm for better understanding disease and injury processes, and sports injury research will fall further behind unless it does the same. A complementary and alternative conceptual approach towards injury control known as systems thinking that builds on socioecological science, both methodologically and analytically, is readily available and fast developing in other research areas. This review outlines the historical progression of causal concepts in the field of epidemiology over the course of the modern scientific era. From here, causal concepts in injury epidemiology, and models of aetiology as found in the context of sports injury research are presented. The paper finishes by proposing a new research agenda that considers the potential for a systems thinking approach to further enhance sports injury aetiological understanding. A complementary systems paradigm, however, will require that sports injury epidemiologists bring their knowledge and skillsets forwards in an attempt to use, adapt, and even refine existing systems-based approaches. Alongside the natural development of conventional scientific methodologies and analyses in sports injury research, progressing forwards to a systems paradigm is now required.

  2. A phenomenographic study of the ways of understanding conditional and repetition structures in computer programming languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucks, Gregory Warren

    Computers have become an integral part of how engineers complete their work, allowing them to collect and analyze data, model potential solutions and aiding in production through automation and robotics. In addition, computers are essential elements of the products themselves, from tennis shoes to construction materials. An understanding of how computers function, both at the hardware and software level, is essential for the next generation of engineers. Despite the need for engineers to develop a strong background in computing, little opportunity is given for engineering students to develop these skills. Learning to program is widely seen as a difficult task, requiring students to develop not only an understanding of specific concepts, but also a way of thinking. In addition, students are forced to learn a new tool, in the form of the programming environment employed, along with these concepts and thought processes. Because of this, many students will not develop a sufficient proficiency in programming, even after progressing through the traditional introductory programming sequence. This is a significant problem, especially in the engineering disciplines, where very few students receive more than one or two semesters' worth of instruction in an already crowded engineering curriculum. To address these issues, new pedagogical techniques must be investigated in an effort to enhance the ability of engineering students to develop strong computing skills. However, these efforts are hindered by the lack of published assessment instruments available for probing an individual's understanding of programming concepts across programming languages. Traditionally, programming knowledge has been assessed by producing written code in a specific language. This can be an effective method, but does not lend itself well to comparing the pedagogical impact of different programming environments, languages or paradigms. This dissertation presents a phenomenographic research study

  3. Understanding quantum physics; Verstehen in der Quantenphysik

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spillner, Vera

    2011-07-01

    This thesis presents a bundle definition for 'scientific understanding' through which the empirically equivalent interpretations of quantum mechanics can be evaluated with respect to the understanding they generate. The definition of understanding is based on a sufficient and necessary criterion, as well as a bundle of conditions - where a theory can be called most understandable whenever it fulfills the highest number of bundle criteria. Thereby the definition of understanding is based on the one hand on the objective number of criteria a theory fulfills, as well as, on the other hand, on the individual's preference of bundle criteria. Applying the definition onto three interpretations of quantum mechanics, the interpretation of David Bohm appears as most understandable, followed by the interpretation of Tim Maudlin and the Kopenhagen interpretation. These three interpretations are discussed in length in my thesis. (orig.)

  4. Social learning and the development of individual and group behaviour in mammal societies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Alex; Clutton-Brock, Tim

    2011-04-12

    As in human societies, social learning may play an important role in shaping individual and group characteristics in other mammals. Here, we review research on non-primate mammals, concentrating on work at our long-term meerkat study site, where longitudinal data and field experiments have generated important insights into the role of social learning under natural conditions. Meerkats live under high predation pressure and occupy a difficult foraging niche. Accordingly, pups make extensive use of social information in learning to avoid predation and obtain food. Where individual learning is costly or opportunities are lacking, as in the acquisition of prey-handling skills, adults play an active role in promoting learning through teaching. Social learning can also cause information to spread through groups, but our data suggest that this does not necessarily result in homogeneous, group-wide traditions. Moreover, traditions are commonly eroded by individual learning. We suggest that traditions will only persist where there are high costs of deviating from the group norm or where skill development requires extensive time and effort. Persistent traditions could, theoretically, modify selection pressures and influence genetic evolution. Further empirical studies of social learning in natural populations are now urgently needed to substantiate theoretical claims.

  5. Developing population models with data from marked individuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hae Yeong Ryu,; Kevin T. Shoemaker,; Eva Kneip,; Anna Pidgeon,; Patricia Heglund,; Brooke Bateman,; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Reşit Akçakaya,

    2016-01-01

    Population viability analysis (PVA) is a powerful tool for biodiversity assessments, but its use has been limited because of the requirements for fully specified population models such as demographic structure, density-dependence, environmental stochasticity, and specification of uncertainties. Developing a fully specified population model from commonly available data sources – notably, mark–recapture studies – remains complicated due to lack of practical methods for estimating fecundity, true survival (as opposed to apparent survival), natural temporal variability in both survival and fecundity, density-dependence in the demographic parameters, and uncertainty in model parameters. We present a general method that estimates all the key parameters required to specify a stochastic, matrix-based population model, constructed using a long-term mark–recapture dataset. Unlike standard mark–recapture analyses, our approach provides estimates of true survival rates and fecundities, their respective natural temporal variabilities, and density-dependence functions, making it possible to construct a population model for long-term projection of population dynamics. Furthermore, our method includes a formal quantification of parameter uncertainty for global (multivariate) sensitivity analysis. We apply this approach to 9 bird species and demonstrate the feasibility of using data from the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program. Bias-correction factors for raw estimates of survival and fecundity derived from mark–recapture data (apparent survival and juvenile:adult ratio, respectively) were non-negligible, and corrected parameters were generally more biologically reasonable than their uncorrected counterparts. Our method allows the development of fully specified stochastic population models using a single, widely available data source, substantially reducing the barriers that have until now limited the widespread application of PVA. This method

  6. Assessment of Working Memory in Individuals With Stuttering in Comparison With Individuals With Normal Fluency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiswarya Liz Varghese

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available It is common in literature to relate stuttering with some other deficit that interferes with communicative functions. Working memory comprises the system of human memory dedicated to both temporary storages of phonological detail and allocation of cognitive resources necessary for forming lasting memories. In this study we have analyzed the performance of individuals with stuttering on various working memory tasks. The aim of study is to compare the working memory abilities in individuals with stuttering and individuals with normal fluency on various working memory tasks. A total of 30 individuals with stuttering and 30 individuals with normal fluency in the age range of 18 – 40 years participated in the study. The Working Memory domain will be assessed using The Manipal Manual for Cognitive Linguistic Abilities (MMCLA which consists of auditory word retrieval, auditory letter and number recall, auditory word list recall, auditory delayed sentence recall, visual practice recall, visual letter and number recall, visual word list recall and visual delayed sentence recall. Results revealed that the individuals with normal fluency had superior performance compared to the individuals with stuttering. Hence, it’s helpful to understand the involvement of working memory in stuttering and incorporate working memory training along with the conventional fluency therapy.

  7. Towards Individualized Online Learning: The Design and Development of an Adaptive Web Based Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inan, Fethi A.; Flores, Raymond; Ari, Fatih; Arslan-Ari, Ismahan

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to document the design and development of an adaptive system which individualizes instruction such as content, interfaces, instructional strategies, and resources dependent on two factors, namely student motivation and prior knowledge levels. Combining adaptive hypermedia methods with strategies proposed by…

  8. Understanding Discrepancy in Perceptions of Values: Individuals with Mild to Moderate Dementia and Their Family Caregivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reamy, Allison M.; Kim, Kyungmin; Zarit, Steven H.; Whitlatch, Carol J.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose of the Study: We explore discrepancies in perceptions of values and care preferences between individuals with dementia (IWDs) and their family caregivers. Design and Methods: We interviewed 266 dyads consisting of an individual with mild to moderate dementia and his or her family caregiver to determine IWDs' beliefs for 5 values related to…

  9. Semantic analyzability in children's understanding of idioms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, R W

    1991-06-01

    This study investigated the role of semantic analyzability in children's understanding of idioms. Kindergartners and first, third, and fourth graders listened to idiomatic expressions either alone or at the end of short story contexts. Their task was to explain verbally the intended meanings of these phrases and then to choose their correct idiomatic interpretations. The idioms presented to the children differed in their degree of analyzability. Some idioms were highly analyzable or decomposable, with the meanings of their parts contributing independently to their overall figurative meanings. Other idioms were nondecomposable because it was difficult to see any relation between a phrase's individual components and the idiom's figurative meaning. The results showed that younger children (kindergartners and first graders) understood decomposable idioms better than they did nondecomposable phrases. Older children (third and fourth graders) understood both kinds of idioms equally well in supporting contexts, but were better at interpreting decomposable idioms than they were at understanding nondecomposable idioms without contextual information. These findings demonstrate that young children better understand idiomatic phrases whose individual parts independently contribute to their overall figurative meanings.

  10. Development of the isotopic analysis of individual macroparticles: a study of desert dust and interplanetary dust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleon, Jerome

    2001-01-01

    During this thesis a new analytical technique has been developed to allow the determination of isotopic ratios in microparticles. This technique is based on the imaging properties of the IMS 1270 ion microprobe in CRPG in Nancy. The development of quantitative isotopic imaging allows the determination of the "1"8O/"1"6O ratio of individual macroparticles having a size [fr

  11. Individual- vs. Culture-Level Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism: Effects on Preferred Conversational Styles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min-Sun; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Develops and uses a mediation model to investigate the links between culture, individual values (independent and interdependent construals of self), and perceptions of conversational constraints. Finds culture-level individualism and collectivism systematically related to individual-level cultural orientations (independent and interdependent…

  12. Development and Validation of a Prediction Model to Estimate Individual Risk of Pancreatic Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Ami; Woo, Sang Myung; Joo, Jungnam; Yang, Hye-Ryung; Lee, Woo Jin; Park, Sang-Jae; Nam, Byung-Ho

    2016-01-01

    There is no reliable screening tool to identify people with high risk of developing pancreatic cancer even though pancreatic cancer represents the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related death in Korea. The goal of this study was to develop an individualized risk prediction model that can be used to screen for asymptomatic pancreatic cancer in Korean men and women. Gender-specific risk prediction models for pancreatic cancer were developed using the Cox proportional hazards model based on an 8-year follow-up of a cohort study of 1,289,933 men and 557,701 women in Korea who had biennial examinations in 1996-1997. The performance of the models was evaluated with respect to their discrimination and calibration ability based on the C-statistic and Hosmer-Lemeshow type χ2 statistic. A total of 1,634 (0.13%) men and 561 (0.10%) women were newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Age, height, BMI, fasting glucose, urine glucose, smoking, and age at smoking initiation were included in the risk prediction model for men. Height, BMI, fasting glucose, urine glucose, smoking, and drinking habit were included in the risk prediction model for women. Smoking was the most significant risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer in both men and women. The risk prediction model exhibited good discrimination and calibration ability, and in external validation it had excellent prediction ability. Gender-specific risk prediction models for pancreatic cancer were developed and validated for the first time. The prediction models will be a useful tool for detecting high-risk individuals who may benefit from increased surveillance for pancreatic cancer.

  13. Teachers' Explanations of a Key Developmental Understanding of Multiplicative Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhee, Katherine L.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative research study explores teachers' understandings of multiplicative reasoning as a key developmental understanding (KDU). A KDU entails knowingly applying the same mathematical concepts within different contexts. A KDU supports an individual to build a connected understanding of mathematics as opposed to only understanding…

  14. Leadership Identity Development: Challenges in Applying a Developmental Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komives, Susan R.; Longerbeam, Susan D.; Mainella, Felicia; Osteen, Laura; Owen, Julie E.; Wagner, Wendy

    2009-01-01

    The leadership identity development (LID) grounded theory (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, 2005) and related LID model (Komives, Longerbeam, Owen, Mainella, & Osteen, 2006) present a framework for understanding how individual college students develop the social identity of being collaborative, relational leaders…

  15. The Roy Adaptation Model: A Theoretical Framework for Nurses Providing Care to Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Karen M

    Using a nursing theoretical framework to understand, elucidate, and propose nursing research is fundamental to knowledge development. This article presents the Roy Adaptation Model as a theoretical framework to better understand individuals with anorexia nervosa during acute treatment, and the role of nursing assessments and interventions in the promotion of weight restoration. Nursing assessments and interventions situated within the Roy Adaptation Model take into consideration how weight restoration does not occur in isolation but rather reflects an adaptive process within external and internal environments, and has the potential for more holistic care.

  16. Effects of student choice on engagement and understanding in a junior high science class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foreback, Laura Elizabeth

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of increasing individual student choice in assignments on student engagement and understanding of content. It was predicted that if students are empowered to choose learning activities based on individual readiness, learning style, and interests, they would be more engaged in the curriculum and consequently would develop deeper understanding of the material. During the 2009--2010 school year, I implemented differentiated instructional strategies that allowed for an increased degree of student choice in five sections of eighth grade science at DeWitt Junior High School. These strategies, including tiered lessons and student-led, project-based learning, were incorporated into the "Earth History and Geologic Time Scale" unit of instruction. The results of this study show that while offering students choices can be used as an effective motivational strategy, their academic performance was not increased compared to their performance during an instructional unit that did not offer choice.

  17. Semiotic individuation and Ernst Cassirer’s challenge

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hoffmeyer, Jesper

    2015-01-01

    . In this understanding, individuation becomes narrowly connected to learning. And since learning necessarily depends on what is already learned, the trajectory of learning-based individuation is necessarily indefinite and dependent on the concrete chance events and steps whereby the process has proceeded. Semiotic...... individuation is a historical process, and this fact explains why systems biology, as established by Ludwig van Bertalanffy, has not been capable of meeting the hope, expressed long ago by Ernst Cassirer, of bridging the mechanicist-vitalist gap in biology. Instead, a semiotic approach is called for. Human...... be defined by its uniqueness as a particular genetic combination, but must be instead be defined by its uniqueness as a temporal outcome of semiotic individuation. Accordingly, this doubletracked character of human semiotic individuation implies that it is cast as just one particular outcome...

  18. Development of a Two-Dimensional Array of Individually Addressable Micro-Mirrors for NGST Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, S. B.; Mott, D. B.; Allen, C. A.; Ewin, A. J.; Jhabvala, M. D.; Kotecki, C. A.; Kuhn, J. L.; MacKenty, J. W.

    2000-05-01

    NASA's missions of the 21st century will use small, low cost, efficient instruments for Earth and Space Science studies. Development of technologies that accommodate these requirements is essential for space applications. Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology development for sensors and actuators plays a major role in this effort. We are developing a two dimensional array of individually addressable, cryogenic micro-mirrors, a MEMS based component, specifically for application in the Multi Object Spectrometer (MOS) in NGST. Two-dimensional, individually addressable and tiltable aluminum micro-mirror-arrays (MMA) have been developed and prototype arrays of different sizes have been fabricated in the Detector Development Laboratory of NASA, GSFC. Each micro-mirror of the array has 100micronx100micron pixel size and is capable of tilting +/- 10 degrees by electrostatic actuation. We have completed extensive analytical studies and performed laboratory tests to compare model predictions with actual performance of a 3x3 array. The mirrors have been tested to operate at cryogenic temperature. Recently we have completed the integration of a CMOS based address and driver circuit for the MMA with its mechanical structure. Our goal is to extend the development to a 1024x1024 array, primarily for NGST and also for other imaging and spectroscopy applications. For NGST MOS, MMAs will be used as a reflective slit-mask at a focal plane of the spectrometer providing a large field of view together with diffraction limited angular resolution for a grating spectrometer. Selected areas of the mirror-array will be tilted to select portions of the scene so that observation of up to 1000 simultaneous spectra of sparse targets will be possible. This provides a factor of 100 improvement in observing speed over conventional spectrometers. Details of the technology development along with its application to NGST will be discussed. This work is supported by the GSFC Director

  19. New ways of understanding and accomplishing leadership in academic medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souba, Wiley W

    2004-04-01

    Understanding leadership as being about a person in charge is not wrong, but it is no longer adequate. The challenges and problems confronting medicine today are so complex and unpredictable that it is practically impossible for one person to accomplish the work of leadership alone. More leadership requires more shared work, but as hospitals and medical centers begin to break down departmental barriers, people have to learn to work with individuals and groups who may have different work ethics, dissimilar styles of solving problems, or even contrasting values. Successful academic medical centers will make use of a broader repertoire of leadership strategies--besides developing leaders, they will develop leadership as a property of the system, as an organizational capacity. While leader development involves enhancing human (individual) capital, the emphasis in leadership development is on social capital and building more productive relationships that enhance networking, collaboration, and resource exchange. Leadership is created in and emerges from the relational space that connects people--accordingly, leadership development involves building high-quality connections between people. To make leadership happen more effectively, academic medical centers will have to identify and study the ingredients that catalyze and enhance human connectivity, augment social capital and activate leadership. Leadership is a uniquely human activity--studying it and how it works is core to the learning organization.

  20. Molecular interrogation of the feeding behaviour of field captured individual insects for interpretation of multiple host plant use.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James P Hereward

    Full Text Available The way in which herbivorous insect individuals use multiple host species is difficult to quantify under field conditions, but critical to understanding the evolutionary processes underpinning insect-host plant relationships. In this study we developed a novel approach to understanding the host plant interactions of the green mirid, Creontiades dilutus, a highly motile heteropteran bug that has been associated with many plant species. We combine quantified sampling of the insect across its various host plant species within particular sites and a molecular comparison between the insects' gut contents and available host plants. This approach allows inferences to be made as to the plants fed upon by individual insects in the field. Quantified sampling shows that this "generalist" species is consistently more abundant on two species in the genus Cullen (Fabaceae, its primary host species, than on any other of its numerous listed hosts. The chloroplast intergenic sequences reveal that C. dilutus frequently feeds on plants additional to the one from which it was collected, even when individuals were sampled from the primary host species. These data may be reconciled by viewing multiple host use in this species as an adaptation to survive spatiotemporally ephemeral habitats. The methodological framework developed here provides a basis from which new insights into the feeding behaviour and host plant relationships of herbivorous insects can be derived, which will benefit not only ecological interpretation but also our understanding of the evolution of these relationships.

  1. Differential Rationality and Personal Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fincher, Cameron

    This publication discusses differential rationality; it asserts that the development of institutions, professions, and individuals involves the differentiation of forms and styles of thinking and knowing that are, in various ways, idiosyncratic. Based on this understanding, differential rationality can be seen as a developmental construct that…

  2. Understanding Biological Rates and their Temperature Dependence, from Enzymes to Ecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prentice, E.; Arcus, V. L.

    2017-12-01

    Temperature responses over various scales in biological systems follow a similar pattern; negative curvature results in an optimum temperature (Topt) for activity/growth/turnover, with decreases in rates on either side of Topt. Previously this downturn in rates at high temperatures has been attributed to enzyme denaturation, where a failing of the basic driving units of metabolism was used to describe curvature at the enzyme and organism level. However, recent developments in our understanding of the factors governing enzyme rates at different temperatures have guided a new understanding of the responses of biological systems. Enzymes catalyse reactions by driving the substrate through a high energy species, which is tightly bound to the enzyme. Macromolecular rate theory (MMRT) has recently been developed to account for the changes in the system brought about by this tight binding, specifically the change in the physical parameter heat capacity (ΔCǂp), and the effect this has on the temperature dependence of enzyme reactions. A negative ΔCǂp imparts the signature negative curvature to rates in the absence of denaturation, and finds that Topt, ΔCǂp and curvature are all correlated, placing constraints on biological systems. The simplest of cells comprise thousands of enzymatically catalysed reactions, functioning in series and in parallel in metabolic pathways to determine the overall growth rate of an organism. Intuitively, the temperature effects of enzymes play a role in determining the overall temperature dependence of an organism, in tandem with cellular level regulatory responses. However, the effect of individual Topt values and curvature on overall pathway behaviour is less apparent. Here, this is investigated in the context of MMRT through the in vitro characterisation of a six-step metabolic pathway to understand the steps in isolation and functioning in series. Pathway behaviour is found to be approximately an average of the properties of the

  3. Growth and Development of Individualism and Universalism in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nekky Umera

    (1980) who advocated a shallow and unrealistic optimism. However, with Whitman there ..... subject of Whitman's poems, nor can be; the individual suggests a group, and the group a .... results in deep psychic changes. The child sees creation ...

  4. Normalized patellofemoral joint reaction force is greater in individuals with patellofemoral pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomeer, Lucas T; Sheehan, Frances T; Jackson, Jennifer N

    2017-07-26

    Patellofemoral pain is a disabling, highly prevalent pathology. Altered patellofemoral contact forces are theorized to contribute to this pain. Musculoskeletal modeling has been employed to better understand the etiology of patellofemoral pain. Currently, there are no data on the effective quadriceps moment arm for individuals with patellofemoral pain, forcing researchers to apply normative values when modeling such individuals. In addition, the ratio of patellofemoral reaction force to quadriceps force is often used as a surrogate for patellofemoral joint contact force, ignoring the fact that the quadriceps efficiency can vary with pathology and intervention. Thus, the purposes of this study were to: (1) quantify the effective quadriceps moment arm in individuals with patellofemoral pain and compare this value to a control cohort and (2) develop a novel methodology for quantifying the normalized patellofemoral joint reaction force in vivo during dynamic activities. Dynamic MR data were captured as subjects with patellofemoral pain (30F/3M) cyclically flexed their knee from 10° to 40°. Data for control subjects (29F/9M) were taken from a previous study. The moment arm data acquired across a large cohort of individuals with patellofemoral pain should help advance musculoskeletal modeling. The primary finding of this study was an increased mean normalized patellofemoral reaction force of 14.9% (maximum values at a knee angle of 10°) in individuals with patellofemoral pain. Understanding changes in the normalized patellofemoral reaction force with pathology may lead to improvements in clinical decision making, and consequently treatments, by providing a more direct measure of altered patellofemoral joint forces. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. Characterising the development of the understanding of human body systems in high-school biology students - a longitudinal study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snapir, Zohar; Eberbach, Catherine; Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, Orit; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy; Tripto, Jaklin

    2017-10-01

    Science education today has become increasingly focused on research into complex natural, social and technological systems. In this study, we examined the development of high-school biology students' systems understanding of the human body, in a three-year longitudinal study. The development of the students' system understanding was evaluated using the Components Mechanisms Phenomena (CMP) framework for conceptual representation. We coded and analysed the repertory grid personal constructs of 67 high-school biology students at 4 points throughout the study. Our data analysis builds on the assumption that systems understanding entails a perception of all the system categories, including structures within the system (its Components), specific processes and interactions at the macro and micro levels (Mechanisms), and the Phenomena that present the macro scale of processes and patterns within a system. Our findings suggest that as the learning process progressed, the systems understanding of our students became more advanced, moving forward within each of the major CMP categories. Moreover, there was an increase in the mechanism complexity presented by the students, manifested by more students describing mechanisms at the molecular level. Thus, the 'mechanism' category and the micro level are critical components that enable students to understand system-level phenomena such as homeostasis.

  6. Culture and Literacy: Frameworks for Understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westby, Carol E.

    1995-01-01

    This article presents a framework for understanding cultural variations in beliefs, values, and communication styles and considers the role of culture in relation to children's response to formal education and literacy. Major dimensions of cultural variability discussed include individualism/collectivism and high-context/low-context. (Author/DB)

  7. Developing Creative Competencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Silje Alberthe Kamille

    2012-01-01

    This paper offers a theoretical framework for how to think about and understand creativity – and how to work with the development of creative competencies in design education. Most design students experience recurrent, individual challenges in design work, which have to do with their personal......, psychological configuration. The objective of the present research is to provide new insight into the dynamics underlying our individual strengths and challenges, and develop approaches to help design students come full circle in creative work processes. The paper builds on contemporary theory and techniques...... from the field of psychology, as well as research-in-practice with students at the Kolding School of Design and presents the outline of a model for how to work with and facilitate the development of creative competencies. While the research is still in its early phases, response from participants...

  8. Nanoparticle imaging. 3D structure of individual nanocrystals in solution by electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jungwon; Elmlund, Hans; Ercius, Peter; Yuk, Jong Min; Limmer, David T; Chen, Qian; Kim, Kwanpyo; Han, Sang Hoon; Weitz, David A; Zettl, A; Alivisatos, A Paul

    2015-07-17

    Knowledge about the synthesis, growth mechanisms, and physical properties of colloidal nanoparticles has been limited by technical impediments. We introduce a method for determining three-dimensional (3D) structures of individual nanoparticles in solution. We combine a graphene liquid cell, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, a direct electron detector, and an algorithm for single-particle 3D reconstruction originally developed for analysis of biological molecules. This method yielded two 3D structures of individual platinum nanocrystals at near-atomic resolution. Because our method derives the 3D structure from images of individual nanoparticles rotating freely in solution, it enables the analysis of heterogeneous populations of potentially unordered nanoparticles that are synthesized in solution, thereby providing a means to understand the structure and stability of defects at the nanoscale. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  9. Junior High School Students’ Understanding and Problem Solving Skills on the Topics of Line and Angles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irsal, I. L.; Jupri, A.; Prabawanto, S.

    2017-09-01

    Line and angles is important topics to learn to develop the geometry skills and also mathematics skills such as understanding and problem solving skills. But, the fact was given by Indonesian researcher show that Indonesian students’ understanding and problem solving skills still low in this topics. This fact be a background to investigate students’ understanding and problem solving skills in line and angles topics. To investigate these skills, this study used descriptive-qualitative approach. Individual written test (essay) and interview was used in this study. 72 students grade 8th from one of Junior High School in Lembang, worked the written test and 18 of them were interviewed. Based on result, almost of student were have a good instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in same area, but almost all student have a low instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in different area. Almost all student have a low relational understanding. Also, almost all student have a low problem solving skills especially in make and use strategy to solve the problem and looking back their answer. Based on result there is need a meaningfulness learning strategy, which can make students build their understanding and develop their problem solving skill independently.

  10. Individual approach to the development of graphomotor skills by child with diparetic form of cerebral palsy.

    OpenAIRE

    ŠMOLÍKOVÁ, Anežka

    2014-01-01

    The thesis deals with the development of graphomotoric skills in a child with diparetic form DMO in the form of cerebral palsy. Describes the DMO, its causes, manifestations and classification of interventions. A case study is focused on the development of graphomotoric skills by using the individual program, created for the nursery school, as well as for parents and their work with the child at home.

  11. From the Field to the Classroom: Developing Scientifically Literate Citizens Using the Understanding Global Change Framework in Education and Citizen Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toupin, C.; Bean, J. R.; Gavenus, K.; Johnson, H.; Toupin, S.

    2017-12-01

    With the copious amount of science and pseudoscience reported on by non-experts in the media, it is critical for educators to help students develop into scientifically literate citizens. One of the most direct ways to help students develop deep scientific understanding and the skills to critically question the information they encounter is to bring science into their daily experiences and to contextualize scientific inquiry within the classroom. Our work aims to use a systems-based models approach to engage students in science, in both formal and informal contexts. Using the Understanding Global Change (UGC) and the Understanding Science models developed at the Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley, high school students from Arizona were tasked with developing a viable citizen science program for use at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, Alaska. Experts used the UGC model to help students define why they were doing the work, and give context to the importance of citizen science. Empowered with an understanding of the scientific process, excited by the purpose of their work and how it could contribute to the scientific community, students whole-heartedly worked together to develop intertidal monitoring protocols for two locations while staying at Peterson Bay Field Station, Homer. Students, instructors, and scientists used system models to communicate and discuss their understanding of the biological, physical, and chemical processes in Kachemak Bay. This systems-based models approach is also being used in an integrative high school physics, chemistry, and biology curriculum in a truly unprecedented manner. Using the Understanding Global Change framework to organize curriculum scope and sequence, the course addresses how the earth systems work, how interdisciplinary science knowledge is necessary to understand those systems, and how scientists and students can measure changes within those systems.

  12. Neural circuitry governing anxious individuals' mis-allocation of working memory to threat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stout, Daniel M; Shackman, Alexander J; Pedersen, Walker S; Miskovich, Tara A; Larson, Christine L

    2017-08-18

    Dispositional anxiety is a trait-like phenotype that confers increased risk for a range of debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders. Like many patients with anxiety disorders, individuals with elevated levels of dispositional anxiety are prone to intrusive and distressing thoughts in the absence of immediate threat. Recent electrophysiological research suggests that these symptoms are rooted in the mis-allocation of working memory (WM) resources to threat-related information. Here, functional MRI was used to identify the network of brain regions that support WM for faces and to quantify the allocation of neural resources to threat-related distracters in 81 young adults. Results revealed widespread evidence of mis-allocation. This was evident in both face-selective regions of the fusiform cortex and domain-general regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortices. This bias was exaggerated among individuals with a more anxious disposition. Mediation analyses provided compelling evidence that anxious individuals' tendency to mis-allocate WM resources to threat-related distracters is statistically explained by heightened amygdala reactivity. Collectively, these results provide a neurocognitive framework for understanding the pathways linking anxious phenotypes to the development of internalizing psychopathology and set the stage for developing improved intervention strategies.

  13. A methodology for scenario development based on understanding of long-term evolution of geological disposal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakasugi, Keiichiro; Ishiguro, Katsuhiko; Ebashi, Takeshi; Ueda, Hiroyoshi; Koyama, Toshihiro; Shiratsuchi, Hiroshi; Yashio, Shoko; Kawamura, Hideki

    2012-01-01

    We have developed a 'hybrid' scenario development method by combining bottom-up and top-down approaches and applied for the case of geological disposal of high-level waste. This approach provides a top-down perspective, by introducing a concept of safety functions for different periods and 'storyboards', which depict repository evolution with time on a range of spatial scales, and a bottom-up perspective, by identifying relationship between processes related to radionuclide migration and safety functions based on feature, event and process (FEP) management. Based on a trial study, we have specified work descriptions for each step of the hybrid scenario development methodology and confirmed that the storyboard provides a baseline and holistic overview for the FEP management and a common platform to involve close interaction with experts in various disciplines to understand the crossover phenomenological processes. We also confirmed that there is no conflict between the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach and the hybrid scenario development work frame fulfils the specified requirements for traceability, comprehensiveness, ease of understanding, integration of multidisciplinary knowledge and applicability to a staged approach to siting. (author)

  14. A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Unintended Prolonged Opioid Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooten, W Michael; Brummett, Chad M; Sullivan, Mark D; Goesling, Jenna; Tilburt, Jon C; Merlin, Jessica S; St Sauver, Jennifer L; Wasan, Ajay D; Clauw, Daniel J; Warner, David O

    2017-12-01

    An urgent need exists to better understand the transition from short-term opioid use to unintended prolonged opioid use (UPOU). The purpose of this work is to propose a conceptual framework for understanding UPOU that posits the influence of 3 principal domains that include the characteristics of (1) individual patients, (2) the practice environment, and (3) opioid prescribers. Although no standardized method exists for developing a conceptual framework, the process often involves identifying corroborative evidence, leveraging expert opinion to identify factors for inclusion in the framework, and developing a graphic depiction of the relationships between the various factors and the clinical problem of interest. Key patient characteristics potentially associated with UPOU include (1) medical and mental health conditions; (2) pain etiology; (3) individual affective, behavioral, and neurophysiologic reactions to pain and opioids; and (4) sociodemographic factors. Also, UPOU could be influenced by structural and health care policy factors: (1) the practice environment, including the roles of prescribing clinicians, adoption of relevant practice guidelines, and clinician incentives or disincentives, and (2) the regulatory environment. Finally, characteristics inherent to clinicians that could influence prescribing practices include (1) training in pain management and opioid use; (2) personal attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs regarding the risks and benefits of opioids; and (3) professionalism. As the gatekeeper to opioid access, the behavior of prescribing clinicians directly mediates UPOU, with the 3 domains interacting to determine this behavior. This proposed conceptual framework could guide future research on the topic and allow plausible hypothesis-based interventions to reduce UPOU. Copyright © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Understanding leadership in the environmental sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louisa S. Evans

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Leadership is often assumed, intuitively, to be an important driver of sustainable development. To understand how leadership is conceptualized and analyzed in the environmental sciences and to discover what this research says about leadership outcomes, we conducted a review of environmental leadership research over the last 10 years. We found that much of the environmental leadership literature focuses on a few key individuals and desirable leadership competencies. The literature also reports that leadership is one of the most important of a number of factors contributing to effective environmental governance. Only a subset of the literature highlights interacting sources of leadership, disaggregates leadership outcomes, or evaluates leadership processes in detail. We argue that the literature on environmental leadership is highly normative. Leadership is typically depicted as an unequivocal good, and its importance is often asserted rather than tested. We trace how leadership studies in the management sciences are evolving and argue that, taking into account the state of the art in environmental leadership research, more critical approaches to leadership research in environmental science can be developed.

  16. BUILDING A STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN SOUTH SULAWESI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zainuddin Rahman

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The research was to understand the purpose of understanding of the authorities, banking, and abuser of Small Medium Enterprises (UMKM. Business organizations, community leaders, in the building of UMKM development strategy. This research approach is qualitative by the method of Phenomenology of approach by understanding the perspectives of ethics within the emic and interpret the disclosure of informants involved in this research. The unit of analysis in this research are: Individual businessmen of UMKM in the fields of food and beverage industry, individual government officials from the Department of industry, cooperatives and regional SME research, Individual figures of Individual regions, the Business Banking Officials, individuals representing community leaders who understand the problem of UMKM. The data collection methods used are: observation, in-depth Interviews, and documentation. The research instruments the researcher as the main instrument. Research findings is that for member access to capital, access technology, and the market for UMKM, the Government must establish a credit guarantee institutions, build partnerships with banks, State-Owned Enterprises, BUMB, large companies, Commerce, cooperatives, universities and NGOs. In addition to the member's access for marketing, the Government should establish a joint marketing Center for UMKM in the form of an outlet. favor and absolute protection against UMKM so that the Government can develop on an ongoing basis from time to time. To develop UMKM continuously especially for UMKM engaged in the food industry, the Government should build the development strategies in the form of partnerships between large and UMKM entrepreneurs with all stakeholders in the area of South Sulawesi.

  17. Societal Constraints, Systemic Disadvantages and Homelessness: An Individual Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carol Kauppi

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Research utilizing the individual case study method examined the complex issues related to pathways into and out of home-lessness for an Aboriginal man from a First Nation community on the western James Bay in Canada. This instrumental case study focused on an individual's story, rather than on a site or a group of individuals, an incident or a series of incidents, or a program [6] [15]. First, as a research tool, it provides insight into the issue of homelessness and some of its causes from the perspective of an Aboriginal person. Second, the in-depth data gathered allowed us to understand some of the factors that work and those that do not work in facilitating transitions out of homelessness. Third, as an educational tool, it allows people from the outside to have a better understanding of how systemic disadvantages contribute to individuals falling into homelessness.

  18. Assessing individual risk for AMD with genetic counseling, family history, and genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cascella, R; Strafella, C; Longo, G; Manzo, L; Ragazzo, M; De Felici, C; Gambardella, S; Marsella, L T; Novelli, G; Borgiani, P; Sangiuolo, F; Cusumano, A; Ricci, F; Giardina, E

    2018-02-01

    PurposeThe goal was to develop a simple model for predicting the individual risk profile for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on the basis of genetic information, disease family history, and smoking habits.Patients and methodsThe study enrolled 151 AMD patients following specific clinical and environmental inclusion criteria: age >55 years, positive family history for AMD, presence of at least one first-degree relative affected by AMD, and smoking habits. All of the samples were genotyped for rs1061170 (CFH) and rs10490924 (ARMS2) with a TaqMan assay, using a 7500 Fast Real Time PCR device. Statistical analysis was subsequently employed to calculate the real individual risk (OR) based on the genetic data (ORgn), family history (ORf), and smoking habits (ORsm).Results and conclusionThe combination of ORgn, ORf, and ORsm allowed the calculation of the Ort that represented the realistic individual risk for developing AMD. In this report, we present a computational model for the estimation of the individual risk for AMD. Moreover, we show that the average distribution of risk alleles in the general population and the knowledge of parents' genotype can be decisive to assess the real disease risk. In this contest, genetic counseling is crucial to provide the patients with an understanding of their individual risk and the availability for preventive actions.

  19. Literature as Window: Developing Interracial Understanding through Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merriam, Allen H.

    1988-01-01

    Using Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" as a case study, demonstrates the evocative power of fiction to promote interracial understanding. Creative art, by appealing to the imagination, can evoke feelings and insights that make human relationships vivid and personal. (BJV)

  20. Structure and sensitivity analysis of individual-based predator–prey models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imron, Muhammad Ali; Gergs, Andre; Berger, Uta

    2012-01-01

    The expensive computational cost of sensitivity analyses has hampered the use of these techniques for analysing individual-based models in ecology. A relatively cheap computational cost, referred to as the Morris method, was chosen to assess the relative effects of all parameters on the model’s outputs and to gain insights into predator–prey systems. Structure and results of the sensitivity analysis of the Sumatran tiger model – the Panthera Population Persistence (PPP) and the Notonecta foraging model (NFM) – were compared. Both models are based on a general predation cycle and designed to understand the mechanisms behind the predator–prey interaction being considered. However, the models differ significantly in their complexity and the details of the processes involved. In the sensitivity analysis, parameters that directly contribute to the number of prey items killed were found to be most influential. These were the growth rate of prey and the hunting radius of tigers in the PPP model as well as attack rate parameters and encounter distance of backswimmers in the NFM model. Analysis of distances in both of the models revealed further similarities in the sensitivity of the two individual-based models. The findings highlight the applicability and importance of sensitivity analyses in general, and screening design methods in particular, during early development of ecological individual-based models. Comparison of model structures and sensitivity analyses provides a first step for the derivation of general rules in the design of predator–prey models for both practical conservation and conceptual understanding. - Highlights: ► Structure of predation processes is similar in tiger and backswimmer model. ► The two individual-based models (IBM) differ in space formulations. ► In both models foraging distance is among the sensitive parameters. ► Morris method is applicable for the sensitivity analysis even of complex IBMs.

  1. Nutrigenetics: bridging two worlds to understand type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Janas M; Phillips, Catherine M

    2014-04-01

    The increasing global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health concern. Accumulating data provides strong evidence of the shared contribution of genetic and environmental factors to T2DM risk. Genome-wide association studies have hugely improved our understanding of the genetic basis of T2DM. However, it is obvious that genetics only partly account for an individuals' predisposition to T2DM. The dietary environment has changed remarkably over the last century. Examination of individual macronutrients and more recently of foods and dietary patterns is becoming increasingly important in terms of developing public health strategies. Nutrigenetics offers the potential to improve diet-related disease prevention and therapy, but is not without its own challenges. In this review we present evidence on the dietary environment and genetics as risk factors for T2DM and bridging the 2 disciplines we highlight some key gene-nutrient interactions.

  2. Characteristics of the tinnitus and hyperacusis in normal hearing individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daila Urnau1,

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The tinnitus has become a common otological complaint. Another complaint is found in bearers of the tinnitus is the hyperacusis. Objective: Analyze the characteristics of tinnitus and hyperacusis in normal hearing individuals with associated complaints of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Method: 25 normal hearing individuals who complained of hyperacusis and tinnitus were surveyed in this form of cross-sectional study. They were questioned about the location and type of the tinnitus. The evaluation of the tinnitus was made using the Brazilian Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and acuphenometry. A questionnaire was made about the hyperacusis covering aspects such as: sounds considered uncomfortable, sensations in the presence of such sounds, and difficulty understanding speech in noise. Results: Of the 25 individuals, 64% were women and 36% men. Regarding tinnitus, 84% referred to bilateral location and 80% high pitch. The most common degree found was light (44%. The women presented tinnitus degree statistically superior to those of men. The strong intensity sounds and the reactions of irritation, anxiety and the need to move away from the sound were the most mentioned. From the analyzed individuals, 68% referred to difficulty understanding speech in noise and 12% reported using hearing protection. The most found frequencies at the acuphenometry were 6 and 8 KHz. Conclusion: Normal hearing individuals who complain of tinnitus and hyperacusis present mainly high pitch tinnitus, located bilaterally and light degree. The sounds considered uncomfortable were the high intensity ones and the most cited reaction to sound was irritation. The difficulty to understand speech in noise was reported by most of the individuals.

  3. Individuals motivated to participate in adherence, care and treatment (imPACT): development of a multi-component intervention to help HIV-infected recently incarcerated individuals link and adhere to HIV care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golin, Carol E; Knight, Kevin; Carda-Auten, Jessica; Gould, Michele; Groves, Jennifer; L White, Becky; Bradley-Bull, Steve; Amola, Kemi; Fray, Niasha; Rosen, David L; Mugavaro, Michael J; Pence, Brian W; Flynn, Patrick M; Wohl, David

    2016-09-06

    Policy-makers promote a seek, test, treat and retain (STTR) strategy to expand HIV testing, support linkage and engagement in care, and enhance the continuous use of antiretroviral therapy for those HIV-infected. This HIV prevention strategy is particularly appropriate in correctional settings where HIV screening and treatment are routinely available yet many HIV-infected individuals have difficulty sustaining sufficient linkage and engagement in care, disease management, and viral suppression after prison release. Our research team developed Project imPACT (individuals motivated to Participate in Adherence, Care and Treatment), a multi-component approach for HIV-Infected recently incarcerated individuals that specifically targets their care linkage, retention, and medication adherence by addressing multiple barriers to care engagement after release. The ultimate goals of this intervention are to improve the health of HIV-infected individuals recently released from prison and reduce HIV transmission to their communities by maintaining viral suppression. This paper describes the intervention and technology development processes, based on best practices for intervention development and process evaluation. These processes included: 1) identifying the target population; 2) clarifying the theoretical basis for intervention design; 3) describing features of its foundational interventions; 4) conducting formative qualitative research; 5) integrating and adapting foundational interventions to create and refine intervention content based on target audience feedback. These stages along with the final intervention product are described in detail. The intervention is currently being evaluation and a two arm randomized, controlled trial in two US state prison systems. Based on a literature review, qualitative research, integration of proven interventions and behavioral theory, the final imPACT intervention focused on the transition period two to three months before and three

  4. Pharmaceutical quality by design: product and process development, understanding, and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Lawrence X

    2008-04-01

    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pharmaceutical Quality by Design (QbD) and describe how it can be used to ensure pharmaceutical quality. The QbD was described and some of its elements identified. Process parameters and quality attributes were identified for each unit operation during manufacture of solid oral dosage forms. The use of QbD was contrasted with the evaluation of product quality by testing alone. The QbD is a systemic approach to pharmaceutical development. It means designing and developing formulations and manufacturing processes to ensure predefined product quality. Some of the QbD elements include: Defining target product quality profile; Designing product and manufacturing processes; Identifying critical quality attributes, process parameters, and sources of variability; Controlling manufacturing processes to produce consistent quality over time. Using QbD, pharmaceutical quality is assured by understanding and controlling formulation and manufacturing variables. Product testing confirms the product quality. Implementation of QbD will enable transformation of the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) review of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) into a science-based pharmaceutical quality assessment.

  5. Understanding vaginal microbiome complexity from an ecological perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hickey, Roxana J.; Zhou, Xia; Pierson, Jacob D.; Ravel, Jacques; Forney, Larry J.

    2012-01-01

    The various microbiota normally associated with the human body have an important influence on human development, physiology, immunity, and nutrition. This is certainly true for the vagina wherein communities of mutualistic bacteria constitute the first line of defense for the host by excluding invasive, nonindigenous organisms that may cause disease. In recent years much has been learned about the bacterial species composition of these communities and how they differ between individuals of different ages and ethnicities. A deeper understanding of their origins and the interrelationships of constituent species is needed to understand how and why they change over time or in response to changes in the host environment. Moreover, there are few unifying theories to explain the ecological dynamics of vaginal ecosystems as they respond to disturbances caused by menses and human activities such as intercourse, douching, and other habits and practices. This fundamental knowledge is needed to diagnose and assess risk to disease. Here we summarize what is known about the species composition, structure, and function of bacterial communities in the human vagina and the applicability of ecological models of community structure and function to understanding the dynamics of this and other ecosystems that comprise the human microbiome. PMID:22683415

  6. Enhancing human understanding through intelligent explanations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2007-01-01

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

  7. 22 CFR 210.655 - Individual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Individual. 210.655 Section 210.655 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) Definitions § 210.655 Individual. Individual means a natural person. ...

  8. 22 CFR 1509.655 - Individual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Individual. 1509.655 Section 1509.655 Foreign Relations AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) Definitions § 1509.655 Individual. Individual means a natural person. ...

  9. Developing "Emancipatory Interest": Learning to Create Social Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caspersz, Donella; Olaru, Doina

    2014-01-01

    Developing an emancipatory interest enables individuals to free themselves from the intersubjective or commonly held meanings that dominate their understanding of their current world, and subsequently change their practices. We argue that developing an emancipatory interest is critical in learning to create social change, that is, wanting to…

  10. An Exploration of the Validity and Potential of Adult Ego Development for Enhancing Understandings of School Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Chris; James, Jane; Potter, Ian

    2017-01-01

    An adult ego development (AED) perspective accepts that the way adults interpret and interact in the social world can change during their life-span. This article seeks to analyse the validity and potential of AED for enhancing understandings of educational leadership practice and development. We analysed the AED literature and interviewed 16…

  11. A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. Second Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim, I. A.

    This book is a brief guide to understanding Islam, intended to help individuals better understand Islamic culture, Muslims, and the Holy Quran. It consists of the following three chapters: (1) Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam; (2) Some Benefits of Islam; and (3) General Information on Islam. The book is extensively illustrated with photographs…

  12. 24 CFR 965.508 - Individual relief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Individual relief. 965.508 Section 965.508 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued... PHA-OWNED OR LEASED PROJECTS-GENERAL PROVISIONS Resident Allowances for Utilities § 965.508 Individual...

  13. Development of a Student-Centered Instrument to Assess Middle School Students' Conceptual Understanding of Sound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eshach, Haim

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the development and field test of the Sound Concept Inventory Instrument (SCII), designed to measure middle school students' concepts of sound. The instrument was designed based on known students' difficulties in understanding sound and the history of science related to sound and focuses on two main aspects of sound: sound…

  14. MOTIVATIONAL AND VALUE-SEMANTIC DETERMINANTS OF INDIVIDUAL ASSERTIVENESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Инга Викторовна Лебедева

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper attempts to reveal the concept of "determinants of assertiveness" of a personality, which are determined by motivational characteristics and life value and meaning orientations of the individual. The immediate driving force of human action is the motive or the system of motives. The system of motives of human behavior in different situations of activities, communication and cognition is determined by the personal world view (set of ideas, interests, and beliefs. The value orientation, influencing the direction of human activity, determines a person's behavior and is a personality determinant in the manifestations of assertive behavior and assertiveness. Therefore, the significant psychological factors that contribute to the development of assertiveness are high motivation to success, positive attitudes, and such values as compassion, tolerance, mutual understanding, sympathy, concern that oppose to violence, domination, suppression and submission.The article also presents the results of an empirical study of motivational and value-semantic characteristics of the individual.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-4-15

  15. Logotheoretical Understanding of Existential Sources of Bullying Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mária Dědová

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The approach of logotheory is one of many approaches to understanding of man. Logotheory sees a human being in his complexity, as a three-dimensional unity of somatic, psychic, and noetic dimensions. Through logotheory, man discovers the possible sources for not loving himself and others. The logotheoretical approach points out that individuals involved in bullying presentun developed noetic dimension. This becomes a source of existential frustration or existential vacuum leading to the occurrence of various forms of pathological behaviour including bullying. It emphasises that aggressors present insufficient development of two fundamental capacities of the noetic dimension allowing the contact with other people: self-detachment and self-transcendence. The uniqueness of this approach lies in the search for answers to one’s existence that bring more than just a temporary satisfaction. Uncovering existential sources of bullying behaviour could be instrumental in finding solutions to prevention and intervention of bullying.

  16. NAVIGATION AIDS AS TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCES IN THE CONDITIONS OF REALIZATION OF INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. F. Zeer

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Continuing education or «education through all life» is required of the person by modern realities of the information, quickly changing society; thus, continuing education is carried out on a development trajectory, individual for each person. Maintenance of such educational process needs effective tools. The relevance of its development caused the research presented in the publication.The aim is to show the possibilities of navigation aids during realization of individual routes of the training conforming to federal state educational standards and considering the purposes and interests of each separately taken personality.Methodology and research methods. The leading methodological basis is personality-oriented approach in the implementation of individual educational trajectory. Logical-pedagogical analysis of students’ individual educational trajectory progress is used.Results and scientific novelty. The interrelation of the concepts «individual educational trajectory» and «individual educational route» is revealed. The conceptual model of maintenance of an individual educational trajectory as a set of reference points of mastering of competences necessary for the expert is offered. Navigators of educational process and cases of individual educational achievements assessment act as didactic means in model. It is shown whence application of components of models allows to: organize the professional orientation actions more effectively; exercise entrance control of knowledge prior to training; control actions during vocational training; correlate an individual trajectory of training to the standard; have a guide when studying disciplines of various cycles, when passing educational and production training, protection of final qualification work; finally, it is possible for a pupil to carry out self-estimation of the acquired competences.Practical significance. The materials of the present publication will be useful to

  17. Understanding recovery in the context of lived experience of personality disorders: a collaborative, qualitative research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillard, Steve; Turner, Kati; Neffgen, Marion

    2015-07-31

    Concepts of recovery increasingly inform the development and delivery of mental health services internationally. In the UK recent policy advocates the application of recovery concepts to the treatment of personality disorders. However diagnosis and understanding of personality disorders remains contested, challenging any assumption that mainstream recovery thinking can be directly translated into personality disorders services. In a qualitative interview-based study understandings of recovery were explored in extended, in-depth interviews with six people purposively sampled from a specialist personality disorders' service in the UK. An interpretive, collaborative approach to research was adopted in which university-, clinical- and service user (consumer) researchers were jointly involved in carrying out interviews and analysing interview data. Findings suggested that recovery cannot be conceptualised separately from an understanding of the lived experience of personality disorders. This experience was characterised by a complexity of ambiguous, interrelating and conflicting feelings, thoughts and actions as individuals tried to cope with tensions between internally and externally experienced worlds. Our analysis was suggestive of a process of recovering or, for some, discovering a sense of self that can safely coexist in both worlds. We conclude that key facilitators of recovery - positive personal relationships and wider social interaction - are also where the core vulnerabilities of individuals with lived experience of personaility disorders can lie. There is a role for personality disorders services in providing a safe space in which to develop positive relationships. Through discursive practice within the research team understandings of recovery were co-produced that responded to the lived experience of personality disorders and were of applied relevance to practitioners.

  18. Understanding cultural influences on back pain and back pain research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henschke, Nicholas; Lorenz, Eva; Pokora, Roman; Michaleff, Zoe A; Quartey, Jonathan N A; Oliveira, Vinicius Cunha

    2016-12-01

    Low back pain is highly prevalent and places a considerable burden on individuals, their families and communities. This back pain burden is unequally distributed around the world and within populations. Clinicians and researchers addressing back pain should be aware of the cultural, social and political context of back pain patients and how this context can influence pain perception, disability and health care use. Culture, which influences the beliefs and behaviour of individuals within a social group, could be considered an important contributor to the unequal distribution of back pain. However, there is paucity of high-quality research exploring the influence of culture on the experience and management of back pain. Further development and testing of specific tools, assessment methods and communication strategies are needed to improve our understanding of how cultural practices, values and identifications affect those dealing with back pain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Developing pongid dentition and its use for ageing individual crania in comparative cross-sectional growth studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dean, M C; Wood, B A

    1981-01-01

    This study of the developing pongid dentition is based on cross-sectional radiographic data of juvenile Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and Pongo pygmaeus skulls. Comparisons with developmental features of the human dentition are made, and possible explanations for the formation of larger teeth within the reduced pongid growth period are discussed. The data presented in this study provide an alternative method for ageing individual pongid crania in comparative cross-sectional growth studies. The advantages of this method are demonstrated by ageing individual Gorilla crania form radiographs and plotting relative dental age against length of the jaw.

  20. Problem of Understanding in the Psychology Science Studies of Ukrainian and Russian Researchers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kharchenko Natalia

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the phenomenon ‘understanding’ from the position of psychological science. The paper also examines the relationship between the categories of ‘understanding’, ‘knowledge’, ‘perception’, ‘sense’, in particular the relationship (interdependence in dyads ‘understanding–knowledge’, ‘understanding–perception’, ‘understanding–sense’. The article also covers the functions of understanding (cognitive, regulatory, ideological, levels of understanding (depth, clarity and completeness, forms of understanding (understanding–recognition, understanding–hypothesis (prediction, understanding–unification, stages of understanding (pre-understanding, a vague understanding, insufficiently clear understanding, a clear understanding, a complete understanding, types of understanding (natural, cultural, creative. The analysis of scientific literature made it possible to draw conclusions that understanding is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, which can act as a natural and social, conscious and unconscious, objective and subjective, as the process and as the result. Understanding as a psychological phenomenon covers all mental processes: thinking, memory, representation, creative imagination, emotional and volitional processes, properties and abilities of the individual and pervades and mediates cognitive procedures (observation, description, prediction, explanation, etc.. Understanding is the target process, motivated, active, emotional and volitional, productive and individually personal.