Preschool Education in Today's World: Teaching Children with Diverse Backgrounds and Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, M. Susan; Johnson, Richard T.; Assaf, Mona M.

2012-01-01

Future early childhood educators need to know how to teach "all" young learners effectively--including children with diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds and children with special needs. This core textbook equips early childhood educators with the knowledge they'll need to succeed in the classroom and ensure the best…

Explaining Conflicting Results in Research on the Heterogeneous Effects of Parental Separation on Children's Educational Attainment According to Social Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardi, Fabrizio; Boertien, Diederik

2017-01-01

In recent years, researchers have become increasingly interested in how the effects of parental separation on children's educational attainment vary with social background. On the one hand, parents with more resources might be better able to prevent possible adverse events like separation to affect their children's outcomes. On the other hand, children from higher social backgrounds might have more resources to lose from a parental separation. A wide range of empirical studies on the issue have come to inconsistent conclusions, with support found for both perspectives. The aim of this paper is to monitor the influence of methodological and operational choices on the different results observed across studies. We focus on aspects such as the operationalization of key variables, the measurement of inequality in absolute and relative terms and the different strategies used to address endogeneity. We study the effects of parental separation on educational attainment for a cohort of British children born in 1970 and find that conclusions change depending on whether social background is measured using the mother's or father's characteristics and whether relative or absolute differences between groups are considered. Results are relatively insensitive to the operationalization of dependent variables and the treatment of missing data. When using data from Understanding Society instead of the British Cohort Study, results also did not change. We reflect on how these findings can explain the contradictory results from earlier studies on the topic, and how heterogeneity in the effects of parental separation by socio-economic background should be interpreted.

Effect of family background on the educational gradient in lifetime fertility of Finnish women born 1940-50.

Science.gov (United States)

Nisén, Jessica; Myrskylä, Mikko; Silventoinen, Karri; Martikainen, Pekka

2014-01-01

An inverse association between education and fertility in women has been found in many societies but the causes of this association remain inadequately understood. We investigated whether observed and unobserved family-background characteristics explained educational differences in lifetime fertility among 35,212 Finnish women born in 1940-50. Poisson and logistic regression models, adjusted for measured socio-demographic family-background characteristics and for unobserved family characteristics shared by siblings, were used to analyse the relationship between education and the number of children, having any children, and fertility beyond the first child. The woman's education and the socio-economic position of the family were negatively associated with fertility. Observed family characteristics moderately (3-28 per cent) explained the association between education and fertility, and results from models including unobserved characteristics supported this interpretation. The remaining association may represent a causal relationship between education and fertility or joint preferences that form independently of our measures of background.

[The influence of migration background and parental education on childhood obesity and the metabolic syndrome].

Science.gov (United States)

Dannemann, A; Ernert, A; Rücker, P; Babitsch, B; Wiegand, S

2011-05-01

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the influence of migration background and parental education on the degree of obesity and the presence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in children and adolescents (N=492) requiring sociopediatric care were investigated. Two regression models were computed with the dependent variables BMI-SDS and MS, respectively. Age, gender, migration background, and parental education were used as independent variables. When controlling for age and gender, higher BMI-SDS were found among Turkish patients (β=0.21; p=0.002) and patients with other migration backgrounds (β=0.11; p=0.085) compared to German patients. The BMI-SDS values were also higher among patients from families with a low parental education level compared to those with a higher education level (β=0.31; peducation, when controlling for age, gender, and BMI-SDS. Obesity therapy should be increasingly tailored to the needs of identified risk groups. This will also allow for a targeted prevention of comorbidities.

College for some to college for all: social background, occupational expectations, and educational expectations over time.

Science.gov (United States)

Goyette, Kimberly A

2008-06-01

The educational expectations of 10th-graders have dramatically increased from 1980 to 2002. Their rise is attributable in part to the changing educational composition of students' parents and related to the educational profiles of their expected occupations. Students whose parents have gone to college are more likely to attend college themselves, and students expect occupations that are more prestigious in 2002 than in 1980. The educational requirements of particular occupation categories have risen only slightly. These analyses also reveal that educational expectations in recent cohorts are more loosely linked to social background and occupational plans than they were in 1980. The declining importance of parents' background and the decoupling of educational and occupational plans, in addition to a strong and significant effect of cohort on educational expectations, suggest that the expectation of four-year college attainment is indeed becoming the norm.

Adolescent tobacco use in the Netherlands: social background, education and school organization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huisman, C.; van de Werfhorst, H.G.; Monshouwer, K.

2012-01-01

This article empirically examines the effect of social background, education, and school organization on adolescent tobacco use in the Netherlands. We test theories of norm enforcing and horizon expanding social networks and distinction by examining the relationship between daily smoking behavior

Vocabulary Knowledge Predicts Lexical Processing: Evidence from a Group of Participants with Diverse Educational Backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina Mainz

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Vocabulary knowledge is central to a speaker's command of their language. In previous research, greater vocabulary knowledge has been associated with advantages in language processing. In this study, we examined the relationship between individual differences in vocabulary and language processing performance more closely by (i using a battery of vocabulary tests instead of just one test, and (ii testing not only university students (Experiment 1 but young adults from a broader range of educational backgrounds (Experiment 2. Five vocabulary tests were developed, including multiple-choice and open antonym and synonym tests and a definition test, and administered together with two established measures of vocabulary. Language processing performance was measured using a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, vocabulary and word frequency were found to predict word recognition speed while we did not observe an interaction between the effects. In Experiment 2, word recognition performance was predicted by word frequency and the interaction between word frequency and vocabulary, with high-vocabulary individuals showing smaller frequency effects. While overall the individual vocabulary tests were correlated and showed similar relationships with language processing as compared to a composite measure of all tests, they appeared to share less variance in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1. Implications of our findings concerning the assessment of vocabulary size in individual differences studies and the investigation of individuals from more varied backgrounds are discussed.

Vocabulary Knowledge Predicts Lexical Processing: Evidence from a Group of Participants with Diverse Educational Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Mainz, Nina; Shao, Zeshu; Brysbaert, Marc; Meyer, Antje S.

2017-01-01

Vocabulary knowledge is central to a speaker's command of their language. In previous research, greater vocabulary knowledge has been associated with advantages in language processing. In this study, we examined the relationship between individual differences in vocabulary and language processing performance more closely by (i) using a battery of vocabulary tests instead of just one test, and (ii) testing not only university students (Experiment 1) but young adults from a broader range of educational backgrounds (Experiment 2). Five vocabulary tests were developed, including multiple-choice and open antonym and synonym tests and a definition test, and administered together with two established measures of vocabulary. Language processing performance was measured using a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, vocabulary and word frequency were found to predict word recognition speed while we did not observe an interaction between the effects. In Experiment 2, word recognition performance was predicted by word frequency and the interaction between word frequency and vocabulary, with high-vocabulary individuals showing smaller frequency effects. While overall the individual vocabulary tests were correlated and showed similar relationships with language processing as compared to a composite measure of all tests, they appeared to share less variance in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1. Implications of our findings concerning the assessment of vocabulary size in individual differences studies and the investigation of individuals from more varied backgrounds are discussed. PMID:28751871

Policies and Background Literature for Self-Education on Research Data Management: An Annotated Bibliography

Science.gov (United States)

Goben, Abigail; Raszewski, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Librarians navigating research data management self-education have an increasing body of literature to choose from, which may become overwhelming. This annotated bibliography reviews: (1) U.S. federal policies; (2) articles; and (3) books to assist librarians who are self-educating on research data management or are seeking background reading…

Effect of family background on the educational gradient in lifetime fertility of Finnish women born 1940–50

Science.gov (United States)

Nisén, Jessica; Myrskylä, Mikko; Silventoinen, Karri; Martikainen, Pekka

2014-01-01

An inverse association between education and fertility in women has been found in many societies but the causes of this association remain inadequately understood. We investigated whether observed and unobserved family-background characteristics explained educational differences in lifetime fertility among 35,212 Finnish women born in 1940–50. Poisson and logistic regression models, adjusted for measured socio-demographic family-background characteristics and for unobserved family characteristics shared by siblings, were used to analyse the relationship between education and the number of children, having any children, and fertility beyond the first child. The woman's education and the socio-economic position of the family were negatively associated with fertility. Observed family characteristics moderately (3–28 per cent) explained the association between education and fertility, and results from models including unobserved characteristics supported this interpretation. The remaining association may represent a causal relationship between education and fertility or joint preferences that form independently of our measures of background. PMID:24946905

THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS’ EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND STUDY FACILITIES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

OpenAIRE

ALOKAN, FUNMILOLA BOSEDE; OSAKINLE, EUNICE OLUFUNMILAYO; ONIJINGIN, EMMANUEL OLUBU

2013-01-01

There has been an outcry against the poor performance of students in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in Nigeria. This study investigated the difference between the academic performance of students from parents with high educational background and students from parents with low educational background. It also investigated the influence of having study facilities at home on academic performance. The population for this study comprised all public secondary school students in Ondo St...

Profile of graduates of Israeli medical schools in 1981--2000: educational background, demography and evaluation of medical education programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitterman, Noemi; Shalev, Ilana

2005-05-01

In light of changes in the medical profession, the different requirements placed on physicians and the evolving needs of the healthcare system, the need arose to examine the medical education curriculum in Israel. This survey, conducted by the Samuel Neaman Institute for Science and Technology, summarizes 20 years of medical education in Israel's four medical schools, as the first stage in mapping the existing state of medical education in Israel and providing a basis for decision-making on future medical education programs. To characterize the academic background of graduates, evaluate their attitudes towards current and alternative medical education programs, and examine subgroups among graduates according to gender, medical school, high school education, etc. The survey included graduates from all four Israeli medical schools who graduated between the years 1981 and 2000 in a sample of 1:3. A questionnaire and stamped return envelope were sent to every third graduate; the questionnaire included open and quantitative questions graded on a scale of 1 to 5. The data were processed for the entire graduate population and further analyzed according to subgroups such as medical schools, gender, high school education, etc. The response rate was 41.3%. The survey provided a demographic profile of graduates over a 20 year period, their previous educational and academic background, additional academic degrees achieved, satisfaction, and suggestions for future medical education programs. The profile of the medical graduates in Israel is mostly homogenous in terms of demographics, with small differences among the four medical schools. In line with recommendations of the graduates, and as an expression of the changing requirements in the healthcare system and the medical profession, the medical schools should consider alternative medical education programs such as a bachelor's degree in life sciences followed by MD studies, or education programs that combine medicine with

Effects of age, gender and educational background on strength of motivation for medical school.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusurkar, Rashmi; Kruitwagen, Cas; ten Cate, Olle; Croiset, Gerda

2010-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of selection, educational background, age and gender on strength of motivation to attend and pursue medical school. Graduate entry (GE) medical students (having Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences or related field) and Non-Graduate Entry (NGE) medical students (having only completed high school), were asked to fill out the Strength of Motivation for Medical School (SMMS) questionnaire at the start of medical school. The questionnaire measures the willingness of the medical students to pursue medical education even in the face of difficulty and sacrifice. GE students (59.64 ± 7.30) had higher strength of motivation as compared to NGE students (55.26 ± 8.33), so did females (57.05 ± 8.28) as compared to males (54.30 ± 8.08). 7.9% of the variance in the SMMS scores could be explained with the help of a linear regression model with age, gender and educational background/selection as predictor variables. Age was the single largest predictor. Maturity, taking developmental differences between sexes into account, was used as a predictor to correct for differences in the maturation of males and females. Still, the gender differences prevailed, though they were reduced. Pre-entrance educational background and selection also predicted the strength of motivation, but the effect of the two was confounded. Strength of motivation appears to be a dynamic entity, changing primarily with age and maturity and to a small extent with gender and experience.

Is the Association Between Education and Fertility Postponement Causal? The Role of Family Background Factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tropf, Felix C.; Mandemakers, Jornt J.

A large body of literature has demonstrated a positive relationship between education and age at first birth. However, this relationship may be partly spurious because of family background factors that cannot be controlled for in most research designs. We investigate the extent to which education is

Adolescents' educational aspirations and ethnic background: The case of students of African and Latin American migrant origins in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos J. Gil-Hernández

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Minority students were found to have high educational aspirations, considering their background characteristics. This finding is often attributed to 'migrant optimism.' Yet, whether socioeconomic, educational, or demographic differences between and within ethnic groups mediate and/or moderate students' educational aspirations remains an inconclusive question. Objective: This study investigates the educational aspirations of children of African and Latin American migrants in Spain, looking at four critical factors: (1 family background, (2 educational performance, (3 years lived in Spain, and (4 language used at home. Methods: Data comes from the 2010 General Evaluation of Educational Diagnostic (GEED on lower-secondary students aged 14 (n = 19,293, on average. Multivariate logistic models are applied using mediation and moderation analyses. Results: Results show that (1 minority students have higher college aspirations than students of Spanish origin after accounting for parental socioeconomic status and educational performance; (2 ethnic differentials in aspirations - especially for pupils with Latin American origin - are concentrated among low-performing and disadvantaged students; (3 recent arrival in Spain is not significantly associated with differences in educational aspirations within minority groups; (4 speaking Spanish at home does not lead to differences in aspirations for pupils of African origin. Conclusions: Migrant optimism, as opposed to family language use and years of contact with the Spanish culture and society, seems to be an important factor for the high (net educational aspirations of students from African and Latin American backgrounds. Contribution: The article provides new evidence on ethnic heterogeneity in educational aspirations, being the first that uses representative data from the whole Spanish educational system.

Sociopolitical Change and Inequality of Educational Opportunities: Influences of Family Background and Institutional Factors on the Acquisition of Education (1940-2001)

Science.gov (United States)

Chunling, Li

2012-01-01

This article analyzes the influences of family background and institutional factors on the acquisition of education (1940-2001) and demonstrates that the increase or decrease in the inequality of educational opportunity allocations are closely linked to the government's relevant policies. The rapid growth of the inequality in educational…

Science Education & Cultural Environments in the Americas. Report of the Inter-American Seminar on Science Education (Panama City, Panama, December 10-14, 1984).

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, James J., Ed.; Dawson, George, Ed.

The impact of cultural background on science learning is explored in this compilation of papers and reports from an inter-American Seminar on science education. For the purposes of enriching science program planning, teacher education, research, and practice in the schools, varying ideas are offered on the effects of cultural background on science…

Preservice Teachers' Attitudes toward Inclusion and toward Students with Special Educational Needs from Different Ethnic Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Markova, Maria; Pit-Ten Cate, Ineke; Krolak-Schwerdt, Sabine; Glock, Sabine

2016-01-01

Drawing on social cognition frameworks, we experimentally examined preservice teachers' implicit attitudes toward students with special educational needs (SEN) from different ethnic backgrounds and preservice teachers' explicit attitudes toward inclusive education. Preservice teachers (N = 46) completed an evaluative priming task and…

Culturally Responsive Education in Music Education: A Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Vanessa L.

2017-01-01

Demographic shifts in public school enrollment within the United States necessitate preparing preservice teachers to teach students with backgrounds that differ from their own ethnically, linguistically, racially, and economically. Culturally responsive education (CRE) is a pedagogy used to validate students' varied experiences, and to teach to…

Background field removal technique using regularization enabled sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data with varying kernel sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, Hirohito; Kasai, Harumasa; Arai, Nobuyuki; Kunitomo, Hiroshi; Hirose, Yasujiro; Shibamoto, Yuta

2016-09-01

An effective background field removal technique is desired for more accurate quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) prior to dipole inversion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of regularization enabled sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data with varying spherical kernel sizes (REV-SHARP) method using a three-dimensional head phantom and human brain data. The proposed REV-SHARP method used the spherical mean value operation and Tikhonov regularization in the deconvolution process, with varying 2-14mm kernel sizes. The kernel sizes were gradually reduced, similar to the SHARP with varying spherical kernel (VSHARP) method. We determined the relative errors and relationships between the true local field and estimated local field in REV-SHARP, VSHARP, projection onto dipole fields (PDF), and regularization enabled SHARP (RESHARP). Human experiment was also conducted using REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP. The relative errors in the numerical phantom study were 0.386, 0.448, 0.838, and 0.452 for REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP. REV-SHARP result exhibited the highest correlation between the true local field and estimated local field. The linear regression slopes were 1.005, 1.124, 0.988, and 0.536 for REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP in regions of interest on the three-dimensional head phantom. In human experiments, no obvious errors due to artifacts were present in REV-SHARP. The proposed REV-SHARP is a new method combined with variable spherical kernel size and Tikhonov regularization. This technique might make it possible to be more accurate backgroud field removal and help to achive better accuracy of QSM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dietary education must fit into everyday life: a qualitative study of people with a Pakistani background and type 2 diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hempler NF

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Nana F Hempler,1 Sara Nicic,1 Bettina Ewers,2 Ingrid Willaing1 1Health Promotion Research, Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark; 2Nutrition and Food Services Department, Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark Background: The high prevalence of diabetes among South Asian populations in European countries partially derives from unhealthy changes in dietary patterns. Limited studies address perspectives of South Asian populations with respect to utility of diabetes education in everyday life. This study explores perspectives on dietary diabetes education and healthy food choices of people living in Denmark who have a Pakistani background and type 2 diabetes. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted between October 2012 and December 2013 with 12 participants with type 2 diabetes who had received dietary diabetes education. Data analysis was systematic and was based on grounded theory principles. Results: Participants described the process of integrating and utilizing dietary education in everyday life as challenging. Perceived barriers of the integration and utilization included a lack of a connection between the content of the education and life conditions, a lack of support from their social networks for dietary change, difficulty integrating the education into everyday life, and failure to include the participants’ taste preferences in the educational setting. Conclusion: Dietary education that is sensitive to the attitudes, wishes, and preferences of the participants and that aims at establishing a connection to the everyday life of the participants might facilitate successful changes in dietary practices among people with a Pakistani background and type 2 diabetes. The findings suggest that more focus should be placed on collaborative processes in the dietary educational setting in order to achieve appropriate education and to improve communication between this population and health care professionals. Keywords: dietary diabetes

Doctors in a Southeast Asian country communicate sub-optimally regardless of patients' educational background.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claramita, M.; Dalen, J.V.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the style of doctor-patient communication and patients' educational background in a Southeast Asian teaching hospital setting using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). METHODS: We analyzed a total of 245 audio-taped consultations involving 30

Is the Association Between Education and Fertility Postponement Causal? The Role of Family Background Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tropf, Felix C; Mandemakers, Jornt J

2017-02-01

A large body of literature has demonstrated a positive relationship between education and age at first birth. However, this relationship may be partly spurious because of family background factors that cannot be controlled for in most research designs. We investigate the extent to which education is causally related to later age at first birth in a large sample of female twins from the United Kingdom (N = 2,752). We present novel estimates using within-identical twin and biometric models. Our findings show that one year of additional schooling is associated with about one-half year later age at first birth in ordinary least squares (OLS) models. This estimate reduced to only a 1.5-month later age at first birth for the within-identical twin model controlling for all shared family background factors (genetic and family environmental). Biometric analyses reveal that it is mainly influences of the family environment-not genetic factors-that cause spurious associations between education and age at first birth. Last, using data from the Office for National Statistics, we demonstrate that only 1.9 months of the 2.74 years of fertility postponement for birth cohorts 1944-1967 could be attributed to educational expansion based on these estimates. We conclude that the rise in educational attainment alone cannot explain differences in fertility timing between cohorts.

Does School Admission by Zoning Affect Educational Inequality? A Study of Family Background Effect in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Põder, Kaire; Lauri, Triin; Veski, Andre

2017-01-01

We indicate the size of family background effects in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia--countries that differ in both the rhetoric and extensiveness of the system-level school choice policies. Family background effect is defined as the dependence of student achievement on family background characteristics, such as parental education, income, and social…

Context-Driven Entrepreneurial Education in Vocational Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Sandirasegarane, Sharmila; Sutermaster, Staci; Gill, Alyssa; Volz, Jennifer; Mehta, Khanjan

2016-01-01

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is offered throughout the world to students of various educational backgrounds and career aspirations in an effort to create a skilled workforce. The structure of VET varies greatly across different fields and countries with high-growth, low-growth, and transitional economies. However, a common critique of…

Molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in natural Leishmania populations vary with genetic background.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saskia Decuypere

Full Text Available The evolution of drug-resistance in pathogens is a major global health threat. Elucidating the molecular basis of pathogen drug-resistance has been the focus of many studies but rarely is it known whether a drug-resistance mechanism identified is universal for the studied pathogen; it has seldom been clarified whether drug-resistance mechanisms vary with the pathogen's genotype. Nevertheless this is of critical importance in gaining an understanding of the complexity of this global threat and in underpinning epidemiological surveillance of pathogen drug resistance in the field. This study aimed to assess the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity that emerges in natural parasite populations under drug treatment pressure. We studied lines of the protozoan parasite Leishmania (L. donovani with differential susceptibility to antimonial drugs; the lines being derived from clinical isolates belonging to two distinct genetic populations that circulate in the leishmaniasis endemic region of Nepal. Parasite pathways known to be affected by antimonial drugs were characterised on five experimental levels in the lines of the two populations. Characterisation of DNA sequence, gene expression, protein expression and thiol levels revealed a number of molecular features that mark antimonial-resistant parasites in only one of the two populations studied. A final series of in vitro stress phenotyping experiments confirmed this heterogeneity amongst drug-resistant parasites from the two populations. These data provide evidence that the molecular changes associated with antimonial-resistance in natural Leishmania populations depend on the genetic background of the Leishmania population, which has resulted in a divergent set of resistance markers in the Leishmania populations. This heterogeneity of parasite adaptations provides severe challenges for the control of drug resistance in the field and the design of molecular surveillance tools for widespread

The Educational Strategies of Danish University Students from Professional and Working-Class Backgrounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Jens Peter; Munk, Martin D.; Eiberg, Misja

2013-01-01

This paper deals with the various educational strategies, attitudes and behaviors adopted and displayed by Danish university students from professional class and working-class backgrounds. While access to universities in Denmark remains unequal, certain types of universities and fields of study h...... have wider participation among working-class students than others. At the same time a range of qualitative studies show that working-class students tend to be more risk aversive when it comes to job security and to the economic costs of studying. They tend to lack a sense of belonging...... grants and have no tuition fees, and because the social democratic welfare regime gives a central place to the notion of equality of opportunity in the education system. We ask how and to what extent Danish students’ choice of university program, their educational strategies and attitudes and behaviors...

Educational Status of Dental Basic Science Course and its Correlation with Students' Educational Background in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mozafar Khazaei

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Basic science course plays a pivotal role in the academic achievement of the students. The scientific background and educational performance of the students are also influential in this period. The aim of the present study was to investigate the educational status of dental basic science course in the first three admissions (2009-2011 and its association with students’ educational background in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all dental students admitted to school of dentistry in 2009-2011 years were included. The students’ academic background (scores, grade point average, score of comprehensive basic sciences examination (CBSE were recorded. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA and independent t-test. Results: Kermanshah dental students admitted to university in 2009-2011 were mostly female (59.2%, belonged to regions 2 and 3 (81.6% of university entrance exam, had sciences diploma (89.8% and their grade point average of diploma was nearly 18. There was a significant difference between the three groups of students admitted to university in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Arabic, English language and Theology lessones of entrane exam (P<0.05. The students’ failure rate was 1.5% in university coureses. They all (100% passed CBSE and were ranked second nationally in the year. There was no significant difference between male and female students in terms of age, diploma grade point average, grade point average of basic sciences and score of CBSE. Conclusion: Basic science courses of dentistry in Kermanshah enjoyed a rather constant status and students had a good academic level in these courses.

Variation in the Protective Effect of Higher Education Against Depression*

Science.gov (United States)

Bauldry, Shawn

2016-01-01

Numerous studies document that higher education is associated with a reduced likelihood of depression. The protective effects of higher education, however, are known to vary across population subgroups. This study tests competing theories for who is likely to obtain a greater protective benefit from a college degree against depression through an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and recently developed methods for analyzing heterogeneous treatment effects involving the use of propensity scores. The analysis examines how the effects of two “treatments” (at least some college education and attaining at least a four-year college degree) on latent depressive symptomology vary by background disadvantage, as indicated by having a low propensity for completing some college or attaining a four-year college degree. Results indicate that people from disadvantaged backgrounds realize a greater protective effect of higher education, either completing some college or attaining a four-year degree, against depressive symptomology than people from advantaged backgrounds. This pattern is more pronounced for people who attain at least a four-year degree than for people who complete at least some college education. PMID:27840772

Effects of Age, Gender and Educational Background on Strength of Motivation for Medical School

Science.gov (United States)

Kusurkar, Rashmi; Kruitwagen, Cas; ten Cate, Olle; Croiset, Gerda

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of selection, educational background, age and gender on strength of motivation to attend and pursue medical school. Graduate entry (GE) medical students (having Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences or related field) and Non-Graduate Entry (NGE) medical students (having only completed high school),…

Cross-National Comparisons of Background and Confidence in Visual Arts and Music Education of Pre-Service Primary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Russell-Bowie, Deirdre

2010-01-01

This paper reports the findings of a study on pre-service teachers' background and confidence in music and visual arts education. The study involved 939 non-specialist pre-service primary teachers from five countries. Initially the paper identifies the students' perceptions of their background and confidence in relation to music and visual arts…

Selective Exposure to and Acquisition of Information from Educational Television Programs as a Function of Appeal and Tempo of Background Music.

Science.gov (United States)

Wakshlag, Jacob J.; And Others

1982-01-01

The effect of educational television background music on selective exposure and information acquisition was studied. Background music of slow tempo, regardless of its appeal, had negligible effects on attention and information acquisition. Rhythmic, fast-tempo background music, especially when appealing, significantly reduced visual attention to…

Visual signal detection in structured backgrounds. II. Effects of contrast gain control, background variations, and white noise

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstein, M. P.; Ahumada, A. J. Jr; Watson, A. B.

1997-01-01

Studies of visual detection of a signal superimposed on one of two identical backgrounds show performance degradation when the background has high contrast and is similar in spatial frequency and/or orientation to the signal. To account for this finding, models include a contrast gain control mechanism that pools activity across spatial frequency, orientation and space to inhibit (divisively) the response of the receptor sensitive to the signal. In tasks in which the observer has to detect a known signal added to one of M different backgrounds grounds due to added visual noise, the main sources of degradation are the stochastic noise in the image and the suboptimal visual processing. We investigate how these two sources of degradation (contrast gain control and variations in the background) interact in a task in which the signal is embedded in one of M locations in a complex spatially varying background (structured background). We use backgrounds extracted from patient digital medical images. To isolate effects of the fixed deterministic background (the contrast gain control) from the effects of the background variations, we conduct detection experiments with three different background conditions: (1) uniform background, (2) a repeated sample of structured background, and (3) different samples of structured background. Results show that human visual detection degrades from the uniform background condition to the repeated background condition and degrades even further in the different backgrounds condition. These results suggest that both the contrast gain control mechanism and the background random variations degrade human performance in detection of a signal in a complex, spatially varying background. A filter model and added white noise are used to generate estimates of sampling efficiencies, an equivalent internal noise, an equivalent contrast-gain-control-induced noise, and an equivalent noise due to the variations in the structured background.

Educational Choice. A Background Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Quality Education for Minorities Network, Washington, DC.

This paper addresses school choice, one proposal to address parental involvement concerns, focusing on historical background, definitions, rationale for advocating choice, implementation strategies, and implications for minorities and low-income families. In the past, transfer payment programs such as tuition tax credits and vouchers were…

Self-reported maternal expectations and child-rearing practices: Disentangling the associations with ethnicity, immigration, and educational background

OpenAIRE

Durgel, Elif S.; Van de Vijver, Fons J.R.; Yagmurlu, Bilge

2013-01-01

This study aimed at: (1) disentangling the associations between ethnicity, immigration, educational background, and mothers’ developmental expectations and (self-reported) child-rearing practices; and (2) identifying the cross-cultural differences and similarities in developmental expectations and child-rearing practices. Participants were 111 Dutch and 111 Turkish immigrant mothers in the Netherlands, and 242 Turkish mothers living in Turkey. Dutch and higher-educated mothers had a ...

Higher Education Decisions in Peru: On the Role of Financial Constraints, Skills, and Family Background

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Juan F.; Yamada, Gustavo; Arias, Omar

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes the relative importance of short-term financial constraints "vis-a-vis" skills and other background factors when explaining higher education access in Peru. We focus on the disparities in university enrollment between rich and poor households. We use a novel household survey that includes special tests to measure…

Issues and Methodologies in Large-Scale Assessments. Special Issue 2: Measuring Students' Family Background in Large-Scale International Education Studies. IERI Monograph Series

Science.gov (United States)

Brese, Falk; Mirazchiyski, Plamen

2013-01-01

The relationship between students' family background and achievement is often seen as an important topic in regard to equality and equity of educational provision. The results of various education studies show that the family background of students correlates with students' academic achievement at school. This paper focuses on the measurement of…

Parental and child fruit consumption in the context of general parenting, parental education and ethnic background

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Rodenburg (Gerda); A. Oenema (Anke); S.P.J. Kremers (Stef); H. van de Mheen (Dike)

2012-01-01

textabstractThis study examines the association between parental and child fruit consumption in the context of general parenting, parental education and ethnic background. A cross-sectional study was performed among 1762 parent-child dyads. Mean age of the children was 8. years. One parent completed

Self-reported maternal expectations and child-rearing practices : Disentangling the associations with ethnicity, immigration, and educational background

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Durgel, E.S.; van de Vijver, F.J.R.; Yagmurlu, B.

2013-01-01

This study aimed at: (1) disentangling the associations between ethnicity, immigration, educational background, and mothers’ developmental expectations and (self-reported) child-rearing practices; and (2) identifying the cross-cultural differences and similarities in developmental expectations and

The educational background and qualifications of UK medical students from ethnic minorities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dacre Jane

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background UK medical students and doctors from ethnic minorities underperform in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Although it is assumed that white (W and non-white (NW students enter medical school with similar qualifications, neither the qualifications of NW students, nor their educational background have been looked at in detail. This study uses two large-scale databases to examine the educational attainment of W and NW students. Methods Attainment at GCSE and A level, and selection for medical school in relation to ethnicity, were analysed in two separate databases. The 10th cohort of the Youth Cohort Study provided data on 13,698 students taking GCSEs in 1999 in England and Wales, and their subsequent progression to A level. UCAS provided data for 1,484,650 applicants applying for admission to UK universities and colleges in 2003, 2004 and 2005, of whom 52,557 applied to medical school, and 23,443 were accepted. Results NW students achieve lower grades at GCSE overall, although achievement at the highest grades was similar to that of W students. NW students have higher educational aspirations, being more likely to go on to take A levels, especially in science and particularly chemistry, despite relatively lower achievement at GCSE. As a result, NW students perform less well at A level than W students, and hence NW students applying to university also have lower A-level grades than W students, both generally, and for medical school applicants. NW medical school entrants have lower A level grades than W entrants, with an effect size of about -0.10. Conclusion The effect size for the difference between white and non-white medical school entrants is about B0.10, which would mean that for a typical medical school examination there might be about 5 NW failures for each 4 W failures. However, this effect can only explain a portion of the overall effect size found in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations of about -0.32.

Do Vocational Pathways Improve Higher Education Access for Women and Men from Less Privileged Social Backgrounds? : A Comparison of Vocational Tracks to Higher Education in France and Switzerland

OpenAIRE

Imdorf, Christian; Koomen, Maarten; Murdoch, Jake; Guégnard, Christine

2017-01-01

International audience; Educational policy developments in France and Switzerland have increased eligibility for higher education. This paper explores the extent to which vocationally orientated pathways to higher education reduce social inequalities in France and Switzerland. More specifically, we analyse how the vocational pathway facilitates access to higher education for male and female students from lower cultural capital backgrounds. We refer to gender theory to link young people's subj...

Diving Deep: A Comparative Study of Educator Undergraduate and Graduate Backgrounds and Their Effect on Student Understanding of Engineering and Engineering Careers, Utilizing an Underwater Robotics Program

Science.gov (United States)

Scribner, J. Adam

Numerous studies have demonstrated that educators having degrees in their subjects significantly enhances student achievement, particularly in secondary mathematics and science (Chaney, 1995; Goe, 2007; Rowan, Chiang, & Miller, 1997; Wenglinsky, 2000). Yet, science teachers in states that adopt the Next Generation Science Standards will be facilitating classroom engineering activities despite the fact that few have backgrounds in engineering. This quantitative study analyzed ex-post facto WaterBotics (an innovative underwater robotics curriculum for middle and high school students) data to determine if educators having backgrounds in engineering (i.e., undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering) positively affected student learning on two engineering outcomes: 1) the engineering design process, and 2) understanding of careers in engineering (who engineers are and what engineers do). The results indicated that educators having backgrounds in engineering did not significantly affect student understanding of the engineering design process or careers in engineering when compared to educators having backgrounds in science, mathematics, technology education, or other disciplines. There were, however, statistically significant differences between the groups of educators. Students of educators with backgrounds in technology education had the highest mean score on assessments pertaining to the engineering design process while students of educators with disciplines outside of STEM had the highest mean scores on instruments that assess for student understanding of careers in engineering. This might be due to the fact that educators who lack degrees in engineering but who teach engineering do a better job of "sticking to the script" of engineering curricula.

Investigating the Use of Compliments and Compliment Responses in Persian: Effect of Educational Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vahid Shahidi Pour

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed at investigating the effect of the social variable of education on the use of compliments and compliment responses in Persian. To this end, a Discourse Completion Task (DCT was administered to 200 native Persian speakers from different educational backgrounds. In general, the results revealed that participants tended to use explicit unbound semantic formula as well as non-compliment strategies to give compliments the most. However, they used future reference, contrast, request, and 'other' strategies the least. Furthermore, they followed accept, reject, and evade trend when replying to compliments. Surprisingly, the most common subcategory of compliment response strategy used by participants was downgrade. Return and appreciation tokens were the second and third most frequently used strategies. However, they never used reassignment and topic shift to respond to compliments. In particular, the results suggested the effect of education on determining compliments and compliment responses patterns. While lower educated people preferred non-compliment strategies, higher educated people preferred explicit semantic formula strategies to give compliments the most. In replying to compliments, downgrade occurred most frequently across different educational levels except PhD/MD level. PhD/MD holders used appreciation token the most. The second most frequently used compliment response strategy by all educational levels was return. However, despite minor differences, no marked difference was found among educational levels regarding the least frequent compliments and compliment responses. The findings can provide valuable insight into the cultural and socio-cultural factors affecting the way people compliment, perceive the compliments, and respond to the compliments made on them.

Education policies for Special Education in Brazil: a brief historical background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Regina Lucato Sigolo

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The present paper delivers an analysis and a systematization of the Brazilian legislation (from the nineteenth century to the year 2009 regarding the education of disabled people, as well as their rights and the services meant to support them. This research, which is based on collected data from relevant literature and documents, reviews the historical process of the trajectory of the Special Education in Brazil. The study indicates that educational policies in Brazil have identified the Special Education students differently over time. The teaching of students with disabilities or who failed to adapt themselves to regular education was offered separately from the common education. Due to the advancements on studies and research in the fields of Education and Human Rights, educational laws and practices began to change, which prompted the need of a reorganization of both the common schools and the special schools.

Creating Unity through Celebrating Diversity: A Case Study That Explores the Impact of Music Education on Refugee Background Students

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Renée

2017-01-01

This article reports the findings of a case study that investigated the impact of music education on students in an F-12 school in Victoria, Australia that is considered as having a high percentage of young people with a refugee background. Key findings from this research indicated that music education had a positive impact on this group of young…

Pre-school education and school maturity of children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panajotis Cakirpaloglu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The adaptability of children to the school environment and their potential to succeed there is closely linked to the development of their cognitive and social skills. These are primarily linked to personal factors -physical maturity as well as mental or emotional maturity and the environment in which those children grow up. This fact is evident in children growing up in disadvantageous socio-economic conditions. In general the school readiness of children from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds is affected by the specific environment, the primary family and a number of other factors. A significant support of psychosocial development and successful adaptability at the start of the compulsory education is the preschool education, especially for children growing up in disadvantageous socio-economic conditions. The presented study focused on the effect of pre-school education on school readiness in first grade children. 24 children from socially disadvantaged environment were tested twice - for first time shortly after the beginning of their first grade and for the second time before the end of the first grade. The children were then divided into two groups - those who attended pre-school education and those who started school without any pre-school education programme. The attendance thus made the independent variable in the research design. There were three research questions - what is the impact of pre-school education on: Q1: general cognitive functioning (tested using the Intelligence Image Scale, Q2: on the ability to acquire the reading skills (tested using the Reversal test by Edfeldt and Q3 on the social maturity of the children (tested using the Vineland scale of adaptive behaviour The results of the study suggest that pre-school education has significant effect on social skills and this effect increases during the first year. The reading skills were better in children who attended the pre-school education however this impact decreases

Does shared family background influence the impact of educational differences on early mortality?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Grethe; Mortensen, Laust H; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo

2012-01-01

The mechanisms behind social differences in mortality rates have been debated. The authors examined the extent to which shared family background and health in early life could explain the association between educational status and all-cause mortality rates using a sibling design. The study......-cause mortality that was strongest for males, increased with younger birth cohorts, and tended to be strongest in the analyses of death before 45 years of age. The associations were attenuated slightly in the intersibling analyses and after adjustment for serious health conditions in early life. Hence, health...

Multicultural Education: Learners with Diverse Linguistic and Cultural Background : A Case Study of one Primary School in Norway

OpenAIRE

Tosic, Milan

2012-01-01

Abstract This study aims to investigate how a primary school in Norway addresses learners with diverse linguistic and cultural background, in this study referred as culturally and linguistically diverse learners (CLD learners). The study is founded on the premises of multicultural education (MCE) which is considered essential to address the education of CLD learners. Therefore, the scope of the study is based on a five- category theoretical framework comprising: understanding the concept ...

[Eating Disorders in Female High School Students: Educational and Migration Background, School-Related Stress and Performance-Orientated Classes].

Science.gov (United States)

Grüttner, M

2018-02-01

Many adolescents and young adults, especially young females, suffer from eating disorders or problematic nutrition behavior. Children and adolescents with migration background as well as from a lower social class are more likely to have eating disorders 1. Although schools are an important context in these age groups, there is a lack of scientific inquiry concerning the relationship between schooling and eating disorders. The present study investigates the relationship between performance-related stress at school and eating disorders while controlling for personnel and familial resources. Interview data on the 7 th grade high school students from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS)* starting cohort 3 are used. The dependent variable is based on the SCOFF questionnaire. Logistic regressions are calculated using information from students and parents. Performance-related stress at school is operationalized by the negative deviation of realistic from idealistic educational aspirations (EA) and unfulfilled social expectations (SE), performance-oriented class climate is operationalized by students' perception of the performance-orientation of the teacher (PT) and the expectations of classmates (EC). The results point towards an increased risk of suffering from an eating disorder due to performance-related school stress (EA: AME: 0.18; p<0.001; SE: AME: 0.12; p<0.05) and performance-oriented class climate (PT: AME: 0.05; p<0.1; EC: AME: 0.15, p<0.01). They partly explain the relation between both migration background and educational background and eating disorders. In order to prevent eating disorders in female high school students, attention should be paid to performance-orientation experienced at school and in the social background, and improved individual support for disadvantaged students should be made available. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Do effects of common case-mix adjusters on patient experiences vary across patient groups?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dolf de Boer

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many survey studies in health care adjust for demographic characteristics such as age, gender, educational attainment and general health when performing statistical analyses. Whether the effects of these demographic characteristics are consistent between patient groups remains to be determined. This is important as the rationale for adjustment is often that demographic sub-groups differ in their so-called ‘response tendency’. This rationale may be less convincing if the effects of response tendencies vary across patient groups. The present paper examines whether the impact of these characteristics on patients’ global rating of care varies across patient groups. Methods Secondary analyses using multi-level regression models were performed on a dataset including 32 different patient groups and 145,578 observations. For each demographic variable, the 95% expected range of case-mix coefficients across patient groups is presented. In addition, we report whether the variance of coefficients for demographic variables across patient groups is significant. Results Overall, men, elderly, lower educated people and people in good health tend to give higher global ratings. However, these effects varied significantly across patient groups and included the possibility of no effect or an opposite effect in some patient groups. Conclusion The response tendency attributed to demographic characteristics – such as older respondents being milder, or higher educated respondents being more critical – is not general or universal. As such, the mechanism linking demographic characteristics to survey results on patient experiences with quality of care is more complicated than a general response tendency. It is possible that the response tendency interacts with patient group, but it is also possible that other mechanisms are at play.

Educational Background and Academic Rank of Faculty Members within US Schools of Pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Assemi, Mitra; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek; Sowinski, Kevin M; Corelli, Robin L

2016-05-25

Objective. To characterize the educational background and academic rank of faculty members in US schools of pharmacy, estimate the extent to which they are employed by institutions where they received previous training, and determine whether differences in degree origin and rank exist between faculty members in established (≤1995) vs newer programs. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) faculty database and demographic information from the public domain. Results. Among 5516 faculty members, 50.3% held two or more types of degrees. Established schools had a higher median number of faculty members and a higher mean faculty rank than did newer schools. Conclusion. The difference in mean faculty rank highlights the shortage of experienced faculty members in newer schools. Future research efforts should investigate educational attainment in correlation to other faculty and school characteristics and prospectively track and report trends related to pharmacy faculty members composition.

Association Between Educational Level and Risk of Cancer in HIV-infected Individuals and the Background Population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Legarth, Rebecca; Omland, Lars H; Dalton, Susanne O

2015-01-01

-infected individuals diagnosed (without intravenous drug abuse or hepatitis C infection) (n = 3205), and a background population cohort matched by age, gender, and country of birth (n = 22 435) were analyzed. Educational level (low or high) and cancer events were identified in Danish national registers. Cumulative...... incidences, incidence rate ratios (IRRs), and survival using Kaplan-Meier methods were estimated. RESULTS: Low educational level was associated with increased risk of cancer among HIV-infected individuals compared to population controls: all (adjusted-IRRs: 1.4 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.1-1.7] vs 1.......1 [95% CI, .9-1.2]), tobacco- and alcohol-related (2.1 [95% CI, 1.3-3.4] vs 1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.6]), and other (1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.8] vs 0.9 [95% CI, .7-1.0]). Educational level was not associated with infection-related or ill-defined cancers. One-year-survival was not associated with educational level...

National Security Education Program: Background and Issues

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kuenzi, Jeffrey J; Riddle, Wayne C

2005-01-01

... (NSEA, Title VIII of P.L. 102-183), provides aid for international education and foreign language studies by American undergraduate and graduate students, plus grants to institutions of higher education...

Orientations in adolescent use of information and communication technology: a digital divide by sociodemographic background, educational career, and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Koivusilta, Leena K; Lintonen, Tomi P; Rimpelä, Arja H

2007-01-01

The role of information and communication technology (ICT) in adolescents' lives was studied, with emphasis on whether there exists a digital divide based on sociodemographic background, educational career, and health. The assumption was that some groups of adolescents use ICT more so that their information utilization skills improve (computer use), while others use it primarily for entertainment (digital gaming, contacting friends by mobile phone). Data were collected by mailed survey from a nationally representative sample of 12- to 18-year-olds (n=7,292; response 70%) in 2001 and analysed using ANOVA. Computer use was most frequent among adolescents whose fathers had higher education or socioeconomic status, who came from nuclear families, and who continued studies after compulsory education. Digital gaming was associated with poor school achievement and attending vocational rather than upper secondary school. Mobile phone use was frequent among adolescents whose fathers had lower education or socioeconomic status, who came from non-nuclear families, and whose educational prospects were poor. Intensive use of each ICT form, especially of mobile phones, was associated with health problems. High social position, nuclear family, and a successful educational career signified good health in general, independently of the diverse usage of ICT. There exists a digital divide among adolescents: orientation to computer use is more common in educated well-off families while digital gaming and mobile phone use accumulate at the opposite end of the spectrum. Poorest health was reported by mobile phone users. High social background and success at school signify better health, independently of the ways of using ICT.

VirSchool: The Effect of Background Music and Immersive Display Systems on Memory for Facts Learned in an Educational Virtual Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Fassbender, Eric; Richards, Deborah; Bilgin, Ayse; Thompson, William Forde; Heiden, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

Game technology has been widely used for educational applications, however, despite the common use of background music in games, its effect on learning has been largely unexplored. This paper discusses how music played in the background of a computer-animated history lesson affected participants' memory for facts. A virtual history lesson was…

Bullying in German Primary Schools: Gender Differences, Age Trends and Influence of Parents' Migration and Educational Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

von Marees, Nandoli; Petermann, Franz

2010-01-01

The study discussed herein assessed the prevalence of bullying and analysed possible predictors for bullying in a sample of urban primary school-age children. Factors considered were students' gender and age differences as well as parents' educational level and migration backgrounds. Using a cross-informant approach (self- and teacher-reports),…

The Relationship between Cultural Background and Parental Perceptions of Functional Educational Programming for Students with Severe Handicaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivers, Eileen

The study examined whether a relationship exists between cultural background (Caucasian, Hispanic, or Black) and families' attitudes toward educational programming for a family member with severe disabilities. Useable surveys were returned by 91 respondents out of the 103 of 337 families (31%) to whom surveys had been distributed. The 40-item…

Family Background of Beginning Education Students: Implications for Teacher Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Roger A.; Coll, Kenneth M.; Osguthorpe, Richard

2013-01-01

Teacher education has not historically focused on the social and emotional development of teachers even though there is evidence that such variables influence student success (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). We believe such a focus is important and we explored variables in teacher education students' families of origin that underpin social and…

How Does Heat Flow Vary in the Ocean Floor? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Effects of Family Educational Background, Dwelling and Parenting Style on Students' Academic Achievement: The Case of Secondary Schools in Bahir Dar

Science.gov (United States)

Mekonnen, Melaku Anteneh

2017-01-01

This study predominantly focuses on investigating the respective impacts of family educational background, dwelling background and parenting styles on students' overall academic performance with respect to governmental secondary schools in Bahir Dar town, Ethiopia. A descriptive survey method was employed. A 42 items questionnaire was constructed…

Effects of background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knox, E.G.; Stewart, A.M.; Gilman, E.A.; Kneale, G.W.

1987-01-01

The primary objective of this investigation is to measure the relationship between exposure to different levels of background gamma radiation in different parts of the country, and different Relative Risks for leukaemias and cancers in children. The investigation is linked to an earlier analysis of the effects of prenatal medical x-rays upon leukaemia and cancer risk; the prior hypothesis on which the background-study was based, is derived from the earlier results. In a third analysis, the authors attempted to measure varying potency of medical x-rays delivered at different stages of gestation and the results supply a link between the other two estimates. (author)

Social Background, Civic Education and Political Participation of Young People – the German Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holger Onken

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Due to social and political change the process of young citizens’ political socialization was put on a new basis in West European democracies over the last decades. In this article we discuss some aspects of this development and show their consequences. We analyse empirical findings from Germany, focussing on the relevant social factors which influence the individual propensity to participate in politics. The impact of the financial and economic crisis in Europe on political attitudes will also be considered, taking in account sociological aspects. Based on the empirical findings we discuss implications for civic education. In contrast to many discussions in literature about this issue, in which the focus is on the need to put the various influences of political socialization into a broader context, we argue that the parental social background is the crucial upstream factor, prior to e.g. civic education. The conclusion indicates that a group‐specific educational approach, taking into account the social background, is the most promising one for reaching the normative goal of civic education: Politically self‐determined citizens. Aufgrund der sozialen und politischen Veränderungen ist die politische Sozialisation Jugendlicher in den Westeuropäischen Demokratien auf eine neue Grundlage gestellt worden. In diesem Beitrag diskutieren wir Aspekte dieser Entwicklung und zeigen, welche Folgen sich aus diesen ergeben. Wir analysieren empirische Befunde aus Deutschland mit dem Schwerpunkt auf die Frage, welche sozialen Faktoren relevant sind für die individuelle politische Partizipationsbereitschaft. Der Einfluss der Finanz‐ und Wirtschaftskrise in Europa auf politische Einstellungen wird dabei ebenfalls betrachtet. Dies geschieht unter Berücksichtigung der soziologischen Aspekte. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse Fragen wir nach den Folgen für die politische Bildung. Im Gegensatz zu dem in der Literatur häufig vertretenen Ansatz, die politische

What? Me? Teach Dance? Background and Confidence of Primary Preservice Teachers in Dance Education across Five Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Russell-Bowie, Deirdre E.

2013-01-01

In primary schools across many countries, dance is now included within the arts key learning area with its own outcomes and content. But as future teachers of dance and other art forms, how do preservice generalist primary teachers perceive their background and confidence in relation to dance and dance education? This study investigates the…

Robustness of cosmic neutrino background detection in the cosmic microwave background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Audren, Benjamin [Institut de Théorie des Phénomènes Physiques, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland); Bellini, Emilio; Cuesta, Antonio J.; Verde, Licia [Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona (Spain); Gontcho, Satya Gontcho A; Pérez-Ràfols, Ignasi [Dept. d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona (Spain); Lesgourgues, Julien [CERN, Theory Division, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Niro, Viviana [Departamento de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC, Calle Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Pellejero-Ibanez, Marcos; Tramonte, Denis [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), C/Vía Láctea s/n, E-38200, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Poulin, Vivian [LAPTh, Université de Savoie, CNRS, B.P.110, Annecy-le-Vieux F-74941 (France); Tram, Thomas, E-mail: emilio.bellini@icc.ub.edu [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

2015-03-01

The existence of a cosmic neutrino background can be probed indirectly by CMB experiments, not only by measuring the background density of radiation in the universe, but also by searching for the typical signatures of the fluctuations of free-streaming species in the temperature and polarisation power spectrum. Previous studies have already proposed a rather generic parametrisation of these fluctuations, that could help to discriminate between the signature of ordinary free-streaming neutrinos, or of more exotic dark radiation models. Current data are compatible with standard values of these parameters, which seems to bring further evidence for the existence of a cosmic neutrino background. In this work, we investigate the robustness of this conclusion under various assumptions. We generalise the definition of an effective sound speed and viscosity speed to the case of massive neutrinos or other dark radiation components experiencing a non-relativistic transition. We show that current bounds on these effective parameters do not vary significantly when considering an arbitrary value of the particle mass, or extended cosmological models with a free effective neutrino number, dynamical dark energy or a running of the primordial spectrum tilt. We conclude that it is possible to make a robust statement about the detection of the cosmic neutrino background by CMB experiments.

Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Spengler, Marion; Gottschling, Juliana; Hahn, Elisabeth; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M; Harzer, Claudia; Spinath, Frank M

2018-01-01

A well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be universal, as it has mostly been demonstrated in the United States, but not in other Western nations. In the present study we tested whether the importance of genetic and environmental effects on cognitive abilities varies as a function of parental education in a German twin sample. Cognitive ability scores (general, verbal, and nonverbal) were obtained on 531 German twin pairs (192 monozygotic, 339 dizygotic, ranging from 7 to 14 years of age; Mage = 10.25, SD = 1.83). Data on parental education were available from mothers and fathers. Results for general cognitive ability and nonverbal ability indicated no significant gene x parental education interaction effect. For verbal ability, a significant nonshared environment (E) x parental education interaction was found in the direction of greater nonshared environmental influences on verbal abilities among children raised by more educated parents.

A Tale of Five Countries: Background and Confidence in Preservice Primary Teachers in Drama Education across Five Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Russell-Bowie, Deirdre E.

2013-01-01

In many public primary schools across different countries, generalist primary teachers are required to teach all subjects, including music, dance, drama and visual arts. This study investigates the background and confidence of preservice primary teachers from five countries in relation to drama and drama education. It also examines if there is a…

Teaching about Natural Background Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Azmi, Darwish; Karunakara, N.; Mustapha, Amidu O.

2013-01-01

Ambient gamma dose rates in air were measured at different locations (indoors and outdoors) to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of natural background radiation in the environment and to show that levels vary from one location to another, depending on the underlying geology. The effect of a lead shield on a gamma radiation field was also…

Trapping of dilute ion components in wells and double wells in higher equatorial magnetic regions: A kinetic theory including collisions, varying background and additional fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oeien, Alf H.

2001-08-01

The component of the ambipolar field along the magnetic field B, though weak, may, acting together with the gravitational field, give rise to along-B ''ambipolar wells'' where light ions (test particles) in the ionosphere in equatorial regions are trapped. We also take into account magnetic field wells, especially in cases when the along-B velocity of test particles are much less than the transverse-B velocities. For heavy ions, or, for light ions high up, when the ambipolar trap ceases to function, the along-B ambipolar- and gravitational field effects may combine with the magnetic field trap to form a double well for the along-B movement of test particles. The magnetic field trap and its contribution to the double well may be nearly stationary for particles obeying the same velocity condition as above even when collisional effects between the test particles and the background plasma are incorporated. Ions trapped in wells like this, may ''feel'' a varying background, for instance because of Earth rotation, that may be incorporated as time-variation of parameters in the along-B motion. An along-B kinetic equation for groups of test particles is solved both for the case of simple wells and for double wells, including time-varying collisional coefficients and additional fields, and in some cases analytic solutions are obtained. Peculiar along-B distribution functions may arise due to the time-dependency of coefficients and to various combinations of collision- and field parameter values. In particular ''breathing'' distributions that alternate between wide and narrow forms in phase-space may arise, and also distributions where strange attractors may play some role.

Re-Searching Secondary Teacher Trainees in Distance Education and Face-to-Face Mode: Study of Their Background Variables, Personal Characteristics and Academic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Mamta; Gakhar, Sudesh

2011-01-01

The present investigation was conducted to describe and compare the background variables, personal characteristics and academic performance of secondary teacher trainees in distance education and face-to-face mode. The results indicated that teacher trainees in distance education differed from their counterparts in age, marital status, sex and…

Effects of family background on crime participation and criminal earnings: an empirical analysis of siblings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliana E. Pezzin

2004-09-01

Full Text Available This study exploits the sibling structure of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data to measure the degree to which family background explains the variance in the propensity to engage in criminal activities and in the intensity and success of crime participation as measured by the level of criminal earnings. A multiple-equation model whose reduced form disturbances are connected by a common unobservable variable having a variance-components structure is developed and estimated. Estimation results indicate a high level of association (net of observable measures of family background between the unobserved factors affecting siblings' propensity to engage in criminal activities in a family, with estimated intra-family correlations ranging from 0.44 to 0.55. Sharing a common family background explains around 25% of the variance of the unconditional criminal income. The results suggest that ignoring family background effects leads to a significant upward bias in the effects of race and education on the propensity to engage in income-generating crime.Este estudo usa dados do National Longitudinal Survey of Youth para medir a extensão pela qual interações sociais de família explicam a variância na probabilidade de participação em crime e na intensidade e sucesso em atividades criminais. A estimação é baseada em um mo-delo de equações múltiplas cujas perturbações são interligadas por uma variável inobservável comum. A virtude do método proposto é usar dados referentes a irmãos - que compartilham as mesmas características maternas e paternas em relação a fatores de família que possivelmente influenciam a sua própria decisão de engajar em atividades ilegais - para estimar o efeito do background familiar na decisão de participar em crime. Os resultados empíricos indicam um alto nível de correlação entre fatores inobserváveis medindo efeitos de família e a propensão de irmãos em participar de atividades criminosas

Effects of Demographic Characteristics, Educational Background, and Supporting Factors on ICT Readiness of Technical and Vocational Teachers in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Alazzam, Abu-Obaideh; Bakar, Ab Rahim; Hamzah, Ramlah; Asimiran, S.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine ICT readiness and the effects of demographic characteristics, educational background, and support factors on the ICT readiness of technical and vocational teachers in Malaysia. The questionnaire was administered to 329 technical and vocational teachers who are teaching engineering subjects in Malaysian…

Measurement of gamma natural background radiation at Chamaraja Nagar, Karnataka state, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaraju, K.M.; Chandrashekara, M.S.; Paramesh, L.

2012-01-01

The radioactive elements and their radiation are ubiquitous in the environment. The Influence of radiation on living organisms is imminent and very important to study. The ocean, the mountains, the air, and our food all expose us to small amounts of natural background radiation. Cosmic rays from outer space are another large contributor of natural background radiation. Much of the earth's natural background radiation is in the form of gamma radiation, a part of which comes from outer space. Some part of cosmic ray is filtered out by the presence of earth's atmosphere, so there are natural controls for the amount of radiation that people receive. The amount of radiation received by an individual depends on altitude, latitude type of building and the building construction materials. In the present study, measurements of natural background radiation were made in the temples, schools, dwellings, and hill stations in Chamaraja Nagar area, Karnataka state, India by using environmental dosimeter technique. The results show that, absorbed dose rate of background radiations at inside schools varies from 93.96 to 120.93 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 10.62 nGyh -1 and outside schools it varies from 60.9 to 113.1 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 15.1 nGyh -1 . In temples, the absorbed dose rate varies from 104.4 to 244.91 nGyh - 1 with a standard deviation of 48.34 nGyh -1 and outside the temples it varies from 87.9 to 176.61 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 30.896 nGyh -1 . The absorbed dose rate of background radiations at dwellings in indoor varies from 94.0 to 139.2 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 16.6 nGyh -1 and in outdoor it varies from 60.9 to 118.32 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 19.41 nGyh -1 . The measurements were also carried out in dwellings on hill stations in Chamaraja Nagar district. Indoor gamma dose rate varies from 103.53 to 236.64 nGyh -1 with a standard deviation of 59.8 nGyh -1 and outdoor gamma dose rate varies from 78.3 to 119

Handball coaches' perceptions about the value of working competences according to their coaching background.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Isabel; Borges, Mario; Rosado, Antonio; Souza, Adriano De

2011-01-01

, the second one related to social and cultural issues and management and the third one related to the cognitive background.The importance ascribed by Portuguese handball coaches to some working competences was influenced by their coaching experience and certification level, as high experienced coaches and coaches with higher certification levels perceived competences related to training and competition of the everyday practice and social, cultural issues and management as more important.The value attributed by Portuguese handball coaches to working competences did not vary according to the coaches' academic education level.Portuguese handball coaches valued the meta-cognitive competences, the competences to implement sport development project and related to annual and multi-annual planning independently of their coaching background.

"Low Income Doesn't Mean Stupid and Destined for Failure": Challenging the Deficit Discourse around Students from Low SES Backgrounds in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Jade; Devlin, Marcia

2016-01-01

The discourse around students from low socio-economic backgrounds often adopts a deficit conception in which these students are seen as a "problem" in higher education. In light of recent figures pointing to an increase in the number and proportion of these students participating in higher education [Pitman, T. 2014. "More Students…

Diabetes nurse educators' experiences of providing care for women, with gestational diabetes mellitus, from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Carolan, Mary

2014-05-01

To explore diabetes nurse educators' experiences of providing care for women, with gestational diabetes mellitus, from disadvantaged backgrounds and to gather information which would assist with the development of an educational programme that would support both women and diabetes educators. Rates of gestational diabetes mellitus have increased dramatically in recent years. This is concerning as gestational diabetes mellitus is linked to poorer pregnancy outcomes including hypertension, stillbirth, and nursery admission. Poorest outcomes occur among disadvantaged women. gestational diabetes mellitus is also associated with maternal type 2 diabetes and with child obesity and type 2 diabetes among offspring. Effective self-management of gestational diabetes mellitus reduces these risks. Diabetes nurse educators provide most education and support for gestational diabetes mellitus self-management. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, as espoused by Smith and Osborn (Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, 2008, Sage, London, 51), provided the framework for this study. The views of six diabetes educators were explored through in-depth interviewing. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to steps outlined by Smith and Osborn (Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, 2008, Sage, London, 51). Three themes emerged from the data: (1) working in a suboptimal environment, (2) working to address the difficulties and (3) looking to the future. Throughout, the diabetes nurse educators sought opportunities to connect with women in their care and to make the educational content understandable and meaningful. Low literacy among disadvantaged women has a significant impact on their understanding of gestational diabetes mellitus information. In turn, catering for women with low literacy contributes to increased workloads for diabetes nurse educators, making them vulnerable to burnout. There is a need

A Survey of Elementary and Secondary Music Educators' Professional Background, Teaching Responsibilities and Job Satisfaction in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Wendy K.; Koner, Karen

2017-01-01

The focus of this exploratory study was to examine the current trends of K-12 music educators in the United States regarding their (a) professional background, (b) classroom teaching responsibilities, and (c) job satisfaction. Participants included seven thousand four hundred and sixty-three (N = 7,463) currently employed music teachers who were…

Measurements of Background Gamma Radiation on Some Localities of North-East Kosovo

OpenAIRE

, G. Hodolli; , Y. Halimi; , R. Gashi; , Se. Kadiri; , B. Xhafa; , A. Jonuzaj

2016-01-01

The measurement of natural environmental radiations is one of the most important subjects in health physics. The main sources of background radiation are cosmic, terrestrial and cosmogenic radiation produced by reactions with cosmic rays and atmospheric nuclei. Terrestrial radiation varies in different regions in the world. Generally the background dose rate from cosmic rays depends on the latitude and altitude. The dose rate range obtained in some northeast Kosovo, the dose rate varies from ...

Moral Education USA: Background and Trends.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Franklin

Current trends in ethical/moral instruction are placed in context by tracing educational and social change from the 19th century to the present. The focus on religion for salvation and on good behavior lasted in modified form well into the 19th century. In the late 19th century curriculum in the schools changed due to immigration, industrialism,…

Optimal Background Attenuation for Fielded Radiation Detection Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, Sean M.; Kaye, William R.; Schweppe, John E.; Siciliano, Edward R.

2006-01-01

Radiation detectors are often placed in positions difficult to shield from the effects of terrestrial background. This is particularly true in the case of Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) systems, as their wide viewing angle and outdoor installations make them susceptible to terrestrial background from the surrounding area. A low background is desired in most cases, especially when the background noise is of comparable strength to the signal of interest. The problem of shielding a generalized RPM from terrestrial background is considered. Various detector and shielding scenarios are modeled with the Monte-Carlo N Particle (MCNP) computer code. Amounts of nominal-density shielding needed to attenuate the terrestrial background to varying degrees are given, along with optimal shielding geometry to be used in areas where natural shielding is limited, and where radiation detection must occur in the presence of natural background. Common shielding solutions such as steel plating are evaluated based on the signal to noise ratio and the benefits are weighed against the incremental cost.

SCIENTIFIC PARADIGM SHIFT AS THE BACKGROUND OF LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. D. Tabanakova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Recently, there has been a cardinal restructuring of university preparation. Linguistic education takes up nearly the last position in the new model of the higher school dictated by economic interests. Investments in linguistic projects are considered as unprofitable today. The linguistic component in educational programs of a bachelor degree is reduced to a minimum, and focused on language knowledge promoting as communication technologies.The aim of the work purposes to trace how the scientific and the linguistic paradigm shift have an impact on the domestic linguistic education system, and to show the unrealized potential capacity of linguistic knowledge.Methodology and research methods. The methodology of the offered research is based, on the one hand, upon the domestic periodical press review on the linguistic education problems for the last 15 years, on the other – on the philosophical analysis of science historical forms which change has caused the past, the present and the future of linguistics and linguistic education. The inductive methods to integrate different approaches are also used.Theoretical significance. The author emphasizes the need to consider the problems of higher education in philosophical aspect, through the interaction of a scientific and educational paradigm.Results and scientific novelty. At a time of global changes in domestic higher education the linguistic education is considered to be a display of the convergence process of natural sciences, technology and humanities. The philosophical study of the scientific paradigms – classical, non-classical and post-non-classical has revealed the regularities of the linguistic scientific paradigms – structural, communicative and cognitive. Each of the paradigms was traced in the frame of linguistic education functions alternation and constantly changing academic programs.A new take on the U-turn of a centrifugal vector in science has obviously demonstrated

Diversity in Intensive English Language Centres in South Australia: Sociocultural Approaches to Education for Students with Migrant or Refugee Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Due, Clemence; Riggs, Damien W.; Augoustinos, Martha

2016-01-01

While there is a body of research concerning the education of students with migrant or refugee backgrounds, little of this research focuses on primary school-aged children. In order to address this gap, the current paper utilises data gained from an ethnographic study to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with diverse classrooms…

Building and Activating Students' Background Knowledge: It's What They Already Know That Counts

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy; Lapp, Diane

2012-01-01

Students enter the middle grades with varying amounts of background knowledge. Teachers must assess student background knowledge for gaps or misconceptions and then provide instruction to build on that base. This article discusses effective strategies for assessing and developing students' background knowledge so they can become independent…

The educational background and qualifications of UK medical students from ethnic minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

McManus, I C; Woolf, Katherine; Dacre, Jane

2008-04-16

UK medical students and doctors from ethnic minorities underperform in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Although it is assumed that white (W) and non-white (NW) students enter medical school with similar qualifications, neither the qualifications of NW students, nor their educational background have been looked at in detail. This study uses two large-scale databases to examine the educational attainment of W and NW students. Attainment at GCSE and A level, and selection for medical school in relation to ethnicity, were analysed in two separate databases. The 10th cohort of the Youth Cohort Study provided data on 13,698 students taking GCSEs in 1999 in England and Wales, and their subsequent progression to A level. UCAS provided data for 1,484,650 applicants applying for admission to UK universities and colleges in 2003, 2004 and 2005, of whom 52,557 applied to medical school, and 23,443 were accepted. NW students achieve lower grades at GCSE overall, although achievement at the highest grades was similar to that of W students. NW students have higher educational aspirations, being more likely to go on to take A levels, especially in science and particularly chemistry, despite relatively lower achievement at GCSE. As a result, NW students perform less well at A level than W students, and hence NW students applying to university also have lower A-level grades than W students, both generally, and for medical school applicants. NW medical school entrants have lower A level grades than W entrants, with an effect size of about -0.10. The effect size for the difference between white and non-white medical school entrants is about B0.10, which would mean that for a typical medical school examination there might be about 5 NW failures for each 4 W failures. However, this effect can only explain a portion of the overall effect size found in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations of about -0.32.

The Age of Studies and Reports: Selected Elements Concerning the Background of Encounters Defining the Power of Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Tašner and Slavko Gaber

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In the present paper, we discuss the time before the “age of reports”. Besides the Coleman Report in the period of Coleman, the Lady Plowden Report also appeared, while there were important studies in France (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964; Peyre, 1959 and studies that inaugurated comprehensive education in Nordic countries. We focus on the period after the World War II, which was marked by rising economic nationalism, on the one hand, and by the second wave of mass education, on the other, bearing the promise of more equality and a reduction of several social inequalities, both supposed to be ensured by school. It was a period of great expectations related to the power of education and the rise of educational meritocracy. On this background, in the second part of the paper, the authors attempt to explore the phenomenon of the aforementioned reports, which significantly questioned the power of education and, at the same time, enabled the formation of evidence-based education policies. In this part of the paper, the central place is devoted to the case of socialist Yugoslavia/Slovenia and its striving for more equality and equity through education. Through the socialist ideology of more education for all, socialist Yugoslavia, with its exaggerated stress on the unified school and its overemphasised belief in simple equality, overstepped the line between relying on comprehensive education as an important mechanism for increasing the possibility of more equal and just education, on the one hand, and the myth of the almighty unified school capable of eradicating social inequalities, especially class inequalities, on the other. With this radical approach to the reduction of inequalities, socialist policy in the then Yugoslavia paradoxically reduced the opportunity for greater equality, and even more so for more equitable education.

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ernst, Frank

2017-01-01

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ernst, Frank

2017-03-15

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition.

Linguistic Validation of Interactive Educational Interventions in Neurologic Trauma.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahyouni, Ronald; Mahmoodi, Amin; Tran, Diem K; Tran, Peter; Chen, Jefferson W

2017-11-01

Neurological surgeons oftentimes educate patients and their families on complex medical conditions and treatment options. Time constraints and varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds limit the amount of information that can be disbursed. In this study, we assessed the linguistic validity of interactive educational interventions in non-English-speaking patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion and their families. A total of 273 English-, Spanish-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-speaking neurotrauma patients (n =124) and family members (n =149) completed a presurvey to evaluate their incipient understanding, interacted with an iPad-based iBook (Apple) on concussion or TBI in their native language, completed a postsurvey to gauge changes in understanding, and then consulted with their neurosurgeon. All participants (124 patients and 149 family members) had significantly increased (95% confidence interval [CI], P cultural background. Caucasian participants scored significantly higher than the combination of all ethnicities on both the baseline survey (95% CI, P cultural background. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teachers' Professional Learning in a European Learning Society: The Case of Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Makopoulou, Kyriaki; Armour, Kathleen

2011-01-01

Background: In the contemporary "knowledge-driven" European society, the quality and relevance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and Physical Education teachers (PE-CPD) has come under scrutiny. National contexts within Europe vary considerably, however, so there is a need to gain analytical insights into PE-CPD…

BACKGROUND OF EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY INITIATION AS CENTERS OF CREATIVE INTELLIGENTSIA IN UKRAINE (late 19th century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuliia Popeleshko

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article deals with socio-political and pedagogical background of educational communities in Ukraine as centers of forming creative intellectuals (late 19th century. Activities of educational societies of the late 19th century create a whole era in the development of education and culture history in Ukraine. Their work in the field of education has gained public appeal joining the General process of national revival. Progressive Ukrainian intelligentsia, working in societies, awakens the national consciousness, lay the foundations of mother tongue education. The emergence and activities of various public organizations in Ukraine in late 19th century are a kind of a phenomenon that has not only cultural and enlightening nature, but also an educational one. One of the main objectives is to change the content and quality of Ukrainian people’s education. Through an analysis of historical and pedagogical sources we have found that the end of the 19th century became for Ukrainians in Dnieper Ukraine the period of confrontation with the authorities for preserving the national culture. Changes in the Russian Empire began a strong push for the national awakening and intensification of national consciousness of the intelligentsia in the Ukrainian provinces. Seeing their duty in developing the national culture, Ukrainian intelegencia launched special enlightening trend. For the first time in the history of Ukrainian society pedagogical problems were widely discussed by the public, besides they became the subject of public initiatives, the country’s life was enriched with a new phenomenon – public-educational movement. The participants of the educational movement of the Ukrainian intelligentsia in cities led to the logical replacement of single individual cultural work to the activities of the whole associations, communities. In communities the future leaders of the enlightenment movement were formed. They were teachers, scientists, doctors, who

Ethnic Background and the Transition from Vocational Education to Work: A Multi-Level Analysis of the Differences in Labour Market Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Brekke, Idunn

2007-01-01

This article focuses on the impact of ethnic background on employment and earnings among people with a vocational education in Norway. I differentiate between three different groups: majority, first-generation non-Westerners and second-generation non-Westerners. Panel data from several public register databases of the entire population of…

Listening to Students from Refugee Backgrounds: Lessons for Education Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Mthethwa-Sommers, Shirley; Kisiara, Otieno

2015-01-01

This article is based on a study that examined how students from refugee backgrounds cope with victimization and bullying in three urban high schools in the United States. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were employed. Twelve high school students from refugee backgrounds participated in the study, which involved focus group…

Background Music in Educational Games: Motivational Appeal and Cognitive Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Linek, Stephanie B.; Marte, Birgit; Albert, Dietrich

2011-01-01

Most game-designers likely stick to the assumption that background music is a design feature for fostering fun and game play. From a psychological point of view, these (intuitive) aspects act upon the intrinsic motivation and the flow experience of players. However, from a pure cognitive perspective on instructional design, background music could…

Historical Background of Inclusive Education Development in the Nordic Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia Andriichuk

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes and interprets the comprehensive presentation of the development of inclusive education in some Nordic countries, namely Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The article states that the special education is still an alternative form of education for children with special needs who cannot attend secondary schools in the majority of the countries. Thus, the relation between inclusive and special education allows the author to draw some parallels between these two types of study to trace the transition from one to another. The author concludes that the history of inclusive education formation in Sweden, Norway and Iceland has much in common, but the Icelandic education system has characteristics which distinguish it from the two others.

Association Between Educational Level and Risk of Cancer in HIV-infected Individuals and the Background Population: Population-based Cohort Study 1995-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Legarth, Rebecca; Omland, Lars H; Dalton, Susanne O; Kronborg, Gitte; Larsen, Carsten S; Pedersen, Court; Pedersen, Gitte; Gerstoft, Jan; Obel, Niels

2015-11-15

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals have increased risk of cancer. To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the impact of socioeconomic position on risk and prognosis of cancer in HIV infection. Population-based cohort-study, including HIV-infected individuals diagnosed (without intravenous drug abuse or hepatitis C infection) (n = 3205), and a background population cohort matched by age, gender, and country of birth (n = 22 435) were analyzed. Educational level (low or high) and cancer events were identified in Danish national registers. Cumulative incidences, incidence rate ratios (IRRs), and survival using Kaplan-Meier methods were estimated. Low educational level was associated with increased risk of cancer among HIV-infected individuals compared to population controls: all (adjusted-IRRs: 1.4 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.1-1.7] vs 1.1 [95% CI, .9-1.2]), tobacco- and alcohol-related (2.1 [95% CI, 1.3-3.4] vs 1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.6]), and other (1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.8] vs 0.9 [95% CI, .7-1.0]). Educational level was not associated with infection-related or ill-defined cancers. One-year-survival was not associated with educational level, but HIV-infected individuals with low educational level had lower 5-year-survival following infection-related and ill-defined cancers. Education is associated with risk and prognosis of some cancers in HIV infection, and diverges from what is observed in the background population. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Noise correlations in cosmic microwave background experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Dodelson, Scott; Kosowsky, Arthur; Myers, Steven T.

1995-01-01

Many analysis of microwave background experiments neglect the correlation of noise in different frequency of polarization channels. We show that these correlations, should they be present, can lead to serve misinterpretation of an experiment. In particular, correlated noise arising from either electronics or atmosphere may mimic a cosmic signal. We quantify how the likelihood function for a given experiment varies with noise correlation, using both simple analytic models and actual data. For a typical microwave background anisotropy experiment, noise correlations at the level of 1% of the overall noise can seriously reduce the significance of a given detection.

Partition function for a singular background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie-Smith, J.J.; Naylor, W.

2005-01-01

We present a method for evaluating the partition function in a varying external field. Specifically, we look at the case of a non-interacting, charged, massive scalar field at finite temperature with an associated chemical potential in the background of a delta-function potential. Whilst we present a general method, valid at all temperatures, we only give the result for the leading order term in the high temperature limit. Although the derivative expansion breaks down for inhomogeneous backgrounds we are able to obtain the high temperature expansion, as well as an analytic expression for the zero point energy, by way of a different approximation scheme, which we call the local Born approximation (LBA)

Partition function for a singular background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKenzie-Smith, J.J. [Financial Risk Management Ltd, 15 Adam Street, London WC2N 6AH (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: julian.mckenzie-smith@frmhedge.com; Naylor, W. [Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan)]. E-mail: naylor@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2005-03-17

We present a method for evaluating the partition function in a varying external field. Specifically, we look at the case of a non-interacting, charged, massive scalar field at finite temperature with an associated chemical potential in the background of a delta-function potential. Whilst we present a general method, valid at all temperatures, we only give the result for the leading order term in the high temperature limit. Although the derivative expansion breaks down for inhomogeneous backgrounds we are able to obtain the high temperature expansion, as well as an analytic expression for the zero point energy, by way of a different approximation scheme, which we call the local Born approximation (LBA)

Accuracy of Cochlear Implant Recipients on Speech Reception in Background Music

Science.gov (United States)

Gfeller, Kate; Turner, Christopher; Oleson, Jacob; Kliethermes, Stephanie; Driscoll, Virginia

2012-01-01

Objectives This study (a) examined speech recognition abilities of cochlear implant (CI) recipients in the spectrally complex listening condition of three contrasting types of background music, and (b) compared performance based upon listener groups: CI recipients using conventional long-electrode (LE) devices, Hybrid CI recipients (acoustic plus electric stimulation), and normal-hearing (NH) adults. Methods We tested 154 LE CI recipients using varied devices and strategies, 21 Hybrid CI recipients, and 49 NH adults on closed-set recognition of spondees presented in three contrasting forms of background music (piano solo, large symphony orchestra, vocal solo with small combo accompaniment) in an adaptive test. Outcomes Signal-to-noise thresholds for speech in music (SRTM) were examined in relation to measures of speech recognition in background noise and multi-talker babble, pitch perception, and music experience. Results SRTM thresholds varied as a function of category of background music, group membership (LE, Hybrid, NH), and age. Thresholds for speech in background music were significantly correlated with measures of pitch perception and speech in background noise thresholds; auditory status was an important predictor. Conclusions Evidence suggests that speech reception thresholds in background music change as a function of listener age (with more advanced age being detrimental), structural characteristics of different types of music, and hearing status (residual hearing). These findings have implications for everyday listening conditions such as communicating in social or commercial situations in which there is background music. PMID:23342550

Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuations and Zodiacal Light

Science.gov (United States)

Arendt, Richard G.; Kashlinsky, A.; Moseley, S. H.; Mather, J.

2016-06-01

We performed a specific observational test to measure the effect that the zodiacal light can have on measurements of the spatial fluctuations of the near-IR background. Previous estimates of possible fluctuations caused by zodiacal light have often been extrapolated from observations of the thermal emission at longer wavelengths and low angular resolution or from IRAC observations of high-latitude fields where zodiacal light is faint and not strongly varying with time. The new observations analyzed here target the COSMOS field at low ecliptic latitude where the zodiacal light intensity varies by factors of ˜2 over the range of solar elongations at which the field can be observed. We find that the white-noise component of the spatial power spectrum of the background is correlated with the modeled zodiacal light intensity. Roughly half of the measured white noise is correlated with the zodiacal light, but a more detailed interpretation of the white noise is hampered by systematic uncertainties that are evident in the zodiacal light model. At large angular scales (≳100″) where excess power above the white noise is observed, we find no correlation of the power with the modeled intensity of the zodiacal light. This test clearly indicates that the large-scale power in the infrared background is not being caused by the zodiacal light.

Installation of a muon veto for low background gamma spectroscopy at the LBNL low-background facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, K.J., E-mail: kjthomas@lbl.gov [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA 94720 (United States); Norman, E.B. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA 94720 (United States); Smith, A.R.; Chan, Y.D. [Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA 94720 (United States)

2013-10-01

An active veto system consisting of plastic scintillation panels was installed outside the Pb shielding of a 115% n-type HPGe detector in an effort to reduce background continuum generated by cosmic ray muons on the surface. The Low Background Facility at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory performs low level assay (generally of primordial U, Th, K) of candidate construction materials for experiments that require a high level of radiopurity. The counting is performed in two facilities: one local surface site and a remote underground site of approximately 600 m.w.e. For the recently installed veto system at the surface location, the top scintillator panel has been in use for nearly 1 year and the full 3π anticoincidence shield was commissioned into normal counting operations in January 2013. The integrated background from 20 to 3600 keV is reduced overall by a factor of 8, where most of the energy spectrum above 100 keV achieves an overall reduction that varies from 8 to 10. A dramatic improvement of peak-to-background across the entire continuum is observed, greatly enhancing low-level peaks that would otherwise be obscured.

he (UnAttractiveness of Vocational and Technical Education: Theoretical Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miha Lovšin

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the problem of the lack of attractiveness of vocational and technical education via a review of legislation on counselling practices, implementing documents, and the social factors by means of which the education system can influence the individual’s decision. It is apparent that legislation regulating the organisation and content of career counselling services in educational sector is inadequate. The organisation of career counselling at the level of implementation is also inadequate. Counsellors advise individuals on the basis of their academic results and the results of aptitude tests. Counselling practices deriving from theories that place career planning and management skills in the foreground are more rarely represented. Theories that treat career decisions as a social process show that at the level of the student population the choice of the type of school is a rational decision based primarily on the economic position and level of education to which a specific educational pathway is generally supposed to lead. The lower attractiveness of vocational and technical education coincides with the fact that representatives of lower social classes have a weaker economic position and more frequently have vocational and technical education qualifications than representatives of higher social classes. Nevertheless, the trend of high unemployment among young people with academic qualifications, which opposite of the traditional situation, indicates that it will be necessary to include career planning and management skills in the educational contents of institutionalised and formal education as a whole.

Exploring educational disparities in risk of preterm delivery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Gry; Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine; Mortensen, Laust

2015-01-01

data. METHODS: The study included data from 12 European cohorts from Denmark, England, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The cohorts included between 2434 and 99 655 pregnancies. The association between maternal education and preterm delivery (22-36 completed weeks...... characteristics. Nevertheless, there were similar educational differences in risk of preterm delivery in 8 of the 12 cohorts with slope index of inequality varying between 2.2 [95% CI 1.1, 3.3] and 4.0 [95% CI 1.4, 6.6] excess preterm deliveries per 100 singleton deliveries among the educationally most......BACKGROUND: An association between education and preterm delivery has been observed in populations across Europe, but differences in methodology limit comparability. We performed a direct cross-cohort comparison of educational disparities in preterm delivery based on individual-level birth cohort...

The Theoretical, Methodological, and Practical Background for Looking at International Students' Learning Styles, Backgrounds, and Quality Perceptions with Regard to ASB's Three English-Language M.Sc. Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skaates, Maria Anne

This paper looking at the methodological background for a questionnaire study of student perceptions with regard to own learning styles and backgrounds as well as the quality of education in Aarhus School of Business' 3 English-language M.Sc. programs (FIB, EU, and BPM). Theories and models about...... the internationalization of business schools, service quality, and student learning styles are discussed in the paper, as is the statistic methodology for treating the questionnaire responses of the respondents.......This paper looking at the methodological background for a questionnaire study of student perceptions with regard to own learning styles and backgrounds as well as the quality of education in Aarhus School of Business' 3 English-language M.Sc. programs (FIB, EU, and BPM). Theories and models about...

Separate effects of background and illumination on lightness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zdravković Sunčica

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Four experiments attempted to establish an effect of context on lightness. Lightness is one of the dimensions of color and it varies from black to white. Most of our stimuli were inspired by simultaneous lightness contrast illusion. First two experiments contrast the size of an effect produced by the change of background color vs. the change in illumination. The third experiment deals with different type of illusions, where the effect is obtained through the appearance of multiple illumination levels. The last experiment takes into account the ratio of the target and the background. The results reveal the size of effects produced separately by the background color and illumination level and suggest the prime importance of background. Also there are other factors such as reflectance range in the scene, incremental and decremental targets, and 2D vs. 3D representation.

Sociopolitical Viewpoints as Narrated by Family and Educational Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Sares, Timothy A.

1998-01-01

Investigates the role social and educational history have on people's views of helpfulness, trustfulness, liberalism, and confidence in the government and organized labor; results were obtained through General Social Survey (GSS) responses. Finds support for the premise that sociopolitical and prosocial views can be traced to educational and…

Background of the Degree in Public Accounting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José G. Vargas-Hernández

2012-08-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to review public accountant education in terms of the interrelated subjects as well as its background. The results of this education development project improve the formation of the accountant public education because of its linkage between teachers and students in the research process and the design of new teaching strategies that contribute to solving real problems and facilitate the social projection. The academic administration is characterized by processes that arise and is generated within the same individuals, focused on the construction and reconstruction of knowledge, proper training and formation of builders of their own processes.

String pair production in non homogeneous backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolognesi, S. [Department of Physics “E. Fermi” University of Pisa, and INFN - Sezione di Pisa,Largo Pontecorvo, 3, Ed. C, 56127 Pisa (Italy); Rabinovici, E. [Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,91904 Jerusalem (Israel); Tallarita, G. [Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales,Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 7941169 (Chile)

2016-04-28

We consider string pair production in non homogeneous electric backgrounds. We study several particular configurations which can be addressed with the Euclidean world-sheet instanton technique, the analogue of the world-line instanton for particles. In the first case the string is suspended between two D-branes in flat space-time, in the second case the string lives in AdS and terminates on one D-brane (this realizes the holographic Schwinger effect). In some regions of parameter space the result is well approximated by the known analytical formulas, either the particle pair production in non-homogeneous background or the string pair production in homogeneous background. In other cases we see effects which are intrinsically stringy and related to the non-homogeneity of the background. The pair production is enhanced already for particles in time dependent electric field backgrounds. The string nature enhances this even further. For spacial varying electrical background fields the string pair production is less suppressed than the rate of particle pair production. We discuss in some detail how the critical field is affected by the non-homogeneity, for both time and space dependent electric field backgrouds. We also comment on what could be an interesting new prediction for the small field limit. The third case we consider is pair production in holographic confining backgrounds with homogeneous and non-homogeneous fields.

String pair production in non homogeneous backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolognesi, S.; Rabinovici, E.; Tallarita, G.

2016-01-01

We consider string pair production in non homogeneous electric backgrounds. We study several particular configurations which can be addressed with the Euclidean world-sheet instanton technique, the analogue of the world-line instanton for particles. In the first case the string is suspended between two D-branes in flat space-time, in the second case the string lives in AdS and terminates on one D-brane (this realizes the holographic Schwinger effect). In some regions of parameter space the result is well approximated by the known analytical formulas, either the particle pair production in non-homogeneous background or the string pair production in homogeneous background. In other cases we see effects which are intrinsically stringy and related to the non-homogeneity of the background. The pair production is enhanced already for particles in time dependent electric field backgrounds. The string nature enhances this even further. For spacial varying electrical background fields the string pair production is less suppressed than the rate of particle pair production. We discuss in some detail how the critical field is affected by the non-homogeneity, for both time and space dependent electric field backgrouds. We also comment on what could be an interesting new prediction for the small field limit. The third case we consider is pair production in holographic confining backgrounds with homogeneous and non-homogeneous fields.

The Creation and Varied Applications of Educational Holograms.

Science.gov (United States)

Layng, Jacqueline M.

The potential of holograms has been left virtually untapped in the field of education. A hologram can be described as a three-dimensional photographic record of the interference pattern of two superimposed beams of coherent light. Holography requires: (1) high-resolution film; (2) a laser, often a red-beamed helium neon laser; (3) optical…

"Everything Is about Balance": Graduate Education Faculty and the Navigation of Difficult Discourses on Race

Science.gov (United States)

Murray-Johnson, Kayon; Ross-Gordon, Jovita M.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe the experiences of graduate education faculty of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds, learning to navigate difficult discourses on race effectively over time. The study employed positionality as a theoretical framework. Findings indicate that faculty balance what we refer to as "strategies…

Spatially varying predictors of teenage birth rates among counties in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Shoff

2012-09-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Limited information is available about teenage pregnancy and childbearing in rural areas, even though approximately 20 percent of the nation's youth live in rural areas. Identifying whether there are differences in the teenage birth rate (TBR across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas is important because these differences may reflect modifiable ecological-level influences such as education, employment, laws, healthcare infrastructure, and policies that could potentially reduce the TBR. OBJECTIVE The goals of this study are to investigate whether there are spatially varying relationships between the TBR and the independent variables, and if so, whether these associations differ between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. METHODS We explore the heterogeneity within metropolitan/nonmetropolitan county groups separately using geographically weighted regression (GWR, and investigate the difference between metropolitan/nonmetropolitan counties using spatial regime models with spatial errors. These analyses were applied to county-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the US Census Bureau. RESULTS GWR results suggested that non-stationarity exists in the associations between TBR and determinants within metropolitan/nonmetropolitan groups. The spatial regime analysis indicated that the effect of socioeconomic disadvantage on TBR significantly varied by the metropolitan status of counties. CONCLUSIONS While the spatially varying relationships between the TBR and independent variables were found within each metropolitan status of counties, only the magnitude of the impact of the socioeconomic disadvantage index is significantly stronger among metropolitan counties than nonmetropolitan counties. Our findings suggested that place-specific policies for the disadvantaged groups in a county could be implemented to reduce TBR in the US.

Family background buys an education in Minnesota but not in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Wendy; Deary, Ian J; Silventoinen, Karri; Tynelius, Per; Rasmussen, Finn

2010-09-01

Educational attainment, the highest degree or level of schooling obtained, is associated with important life outcomes, at both the individual level and the group level. Because of this, and because education is expensive, the allocation of education across society is an important social issue. A dynamic quantitative environmental-genetic model can help document the effects of social allocation patterns. We used this model to compare the moderating effect of general intelligence on the environmental and genetic factors that influence educational attainment in Sweden and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Patterns of genetic influence on educational outcomes were similar in these two regions, but patterns of shared environmental influence differed markedly. In Sweden, shared environmental influence on educational attainment was particularly important for people of high intelligence, whereas in Minnesota, shared environmental influences on educational attainment were particularly important for people of low intelligence. This difference may be the result of differing access to education: state-supported access (on the basis of ability) to a uniform higher-education system in Sweden versus family-supported access to a more diverse higher-education system in the United States.

Equity in the Turkish Education System: A Multilevel Analysis of Social Background Influences on the Mathematics Performance of 15-Year-Old Students

Science.gov (United States)

Özdemir, Caner

2016-01-01

This paper aims to discover the level of equity in the Turkish education system using maths outcomes of 15-year-old students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam. In order to do that, associations between various social background variables and student performance are analysed via multilevel models. Female pupils,…

Intake of Seafood in the US Varies by Age, Income, and Education Level but Not by Race-Ethnicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa Jahns

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Current US federal dietary guidance recommends regular consumption of seafood (fish + shellfish to promote health; however, little is known about how well Americans meet the guideline, particularly population subgroups that may be at risk for inadequate intake. The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of seafood consumption and, among consumers, the amounts of seafood eaten by sex, age group, income and education level, and race-ethnicity. Data from 15,407 adults aged 19+ participating in the 2005–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed using methods to account for sporadic intake of seafood. Over 80% of Americans reported consuming any seafood over the past 30 days, 74% reported consuming fish, and 54% reported eating shellfish. The percentages varied by socio-demographic group. Younger age and lower income and education levels were associated with lower odds of being a seafood consumer (p < 0.0001. Among those who reported eating seafood, the average amount eaten of any seafood was 158.2 ± 5.6 g/week. Among seafood consumers, women and individuals of lower age and education levels consumed less seafood. Approximately 80%–90% of seafood consumers did not meet seafood recommendations when needs were estimated by energy requirements. A great deal of work remains to move Americans toward seafood consumption at current recommended levels.

Bilingual Education Act: Background and Reauthorization Issues. CRS Report for Congress.

Science.gov (United States)

Aleman, Steven R.

The Bilingual Education Act (BEA) title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is the federal program intended to help children who are limited English proficient (LEP) learn English. BEA activities focus on transitional bilingual education; developmental bilingual education; special alternative instruction (such as English as…

A Preventive Intervention Program for Urban African American Youth Attending an Alternative Education Program: Background, Implementation, and Feasibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Carswell, Steven B; Hanlon, Thomas E; O'Grady, Kevin E; Watts, Amy M; Pothong, Pattarapan

2009-01-01

This paper presents background, implementation, and feasibility findings associated with planning and conducting an after-school intervention program in an alternative education setting designed to prevent the initiation and escalation of violence and substance abuse among urban African American youth at high risk for life-long problem behaviors. Evolving from earlier preventive interventions implemented in clinic and school settings, the program, entitled The Village Model of Care, consisted of structured group mentoring, parental support, and community outreach services administered to alternative education students and their primary caregiver(s) during the school year. Over a two-year intake period, 109 youth participated in the present process evaluation study. Findings from the study not only provided relevant demographic information on the characteristics of youth likely to be included in such programs but also indicated the importance of including the family in the rehabilitation effort and the need for school administrative system support for the underlying alternative education approach. The information presented in this report has a direct bearing on the planning of future prevention efforts conducted in similar settings that are aimed at reducing problem behaviors and promoting positive lifestyles among high-risk youth.

Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

KAUST Repository

Yu, Han; Guo, Bowen; Schuster, Gerard T.

2014-01-01

A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

KAUST Repository

Yu, Han

2014-08-05

A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

Level of Understanding and Requirement of Education of Patients on Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Soo Man; Lee, Choul Soo

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand preliminary education. Level of understanding and the degrees of educational requirement for cancer patients on radiotherapy and to present the preliminary data to development of effective and practical patients treatment programs. Based on the above mentioned results of this study. Relationship between degrees of knowledge and demand for educational requirement for patients who are undertaking radiotherapy could be varied with different factors such as educational background, ages, regions of treatment, experience of symptoms. In general, patients do not have enough information, on the other hand, have very high demand for educational requirement. Customized education patients by patients would not be possible in reality. However, if we could provide standard for patients and establish systematic sessions during treatment based on this study, more and better patients satisfaction and results of treatments could be achieved.

Holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant in Hořava-Lifshitz cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Setare, M.R. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran Ave., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jamil, Mubasher, E-mail: rezakord@ipm.ir, E-mail: mjamil@camp.nust.edu.pk [Center for Advanced Mathematics and Physics, National University of Sciences and Technology, Rawalpindi, 46000 (Pakistan)

2010-02-01

We investigate the holographic dark energy scenario with a varying gravitational constant in a flat background in the context of Hořava-Lifshitz gravity. We extract the exact differential equation determining the evolution of the dark energy density parameter, which includes G variation term. Also we discuss a cosmological implication of our work by evaluating the dark energy equation of state for low redshifts containing varying G corrections.

Assessment of Radiation Background Variation for Moving Detection Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, James Christopher [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Rennie, John Alan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Toevs, James Waldo [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Wallace, Darrin J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Abhold, Mark Edward [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2015-07-13

The introduction points out that radiation backgrounds fluctuate across very short distances: factors include geology, soil composition, altitude, building structures, topography, and other manmade structures; and asphalt and concrete can vary significantly over short distances. Brief descriptions are given of the detection system, experimental setup, and background variation measurements. It is concluded that positive and negative gradients can greatly reduce the detection sensitivity of an MDS: negative gradients create opportunities for false negatives (nondetection), and positive gradients create a potentially unacceptable FAR (above 1%); the location of use for mobile detection is important to understand; spectroscopic systems provide more information for screening out false alarms and may be preferred for mobile use; and mobile monitor testing at LANL accounts for expected variations in the background.

VariVis: a visualisation toolkit for variation databases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smith Timothy D

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background With the completion of the Human Genome Project and recent advancements in mutation detection technologies, the volume of data available on genetic variations has risen considerably. These data are stored in online variation databases and provide important clues to the cause of diseases and potential side effects or resistance to drugs. However, the data presentation techniques employed by most of these databases make them difficult to use and understand. Results Here we present a visualisation toolkit that can be employed by online variation databases to generate graphical models of gene sequence with corresponding variations and their consequences. The VariVis software package can run on any web server capable of executing Perl CGI scripts and can interface with numerous Database Management Systems and "flat-file" data files. VariVis produces two easily understandable graphical depictions of any gene sequence and matches these with variant data. While developed with the goal of improving the utility of human variation databases, the VariVis package can be used in any variation database to enhance utilisation of, and access to, critical information.

Correlating students' educational background, study habits, and resource usage with learning success in medical histology.

Science.gov (United States)

Selvig, Daniel; Holaday, Louisa W; Purkiss, Joel; Hortsch, Michael

2015-01-01

Histology is a traditional core basic science component of most medical and dental education programs and presents a didactic challenge for many students. Identifying students that are likely to struggle with histology would allow for early intervention to support and encourage their learning success. To identify student characteristics that are associated with learning success in histology, three first-year medical school classes at the University of Michigan (>440 students) were surveyed about their educational background, attitudes toward learning histology, and their use of histology learning strategies and resources. These characteristics were linked with the students' quiz and examination results in histology. Students who reported previous experience in histology or pathology and hold science or biomedical science college degrees usually did well in histology. Learning success in histology was also positively associated with students' perception that histology is important for their professional career. Other positive indicators were in-person participation in teacher-guided learning experiences, specifically lecture and laboratory sessions. In contrast, students who relied on watching histology lectures by video rather than going to lectures in-person performed significantly worse. These characteristics and learning strategies of students who did well in this very visual and challenging study subject should be of help for identifying and advising students early, who might be at risk of failing a histology course or component. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

Views of West African surgeons on how well their educational and professional backgrounds may have prepared them for health leadership roles.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoud, Abdulraheem O; Nkanga, Dennis; Onakoya, Adeola

2010-12-01

Because of the appalling health indices in West Africa, Physicians there need to be at the forefront of the organizational challenge in managing and improving health systems. To collate the views of West African surgeons on how well their educational and professional backgrounds may have prepared them for leadership and managerial roles in health care, and draw appropriate policy implications. Filled structured questionnaires from 110 surgeons that were attending an annual conference were analyzed. The respondents' bio data, professional, educational, health administrative backgrounds were probed. Their views on justifications for physicians' involvement in health managerial roles, probable influence of some physicians' characteristic traits and professional attributes on health leadership roles, and suggestions for improvement were also collated. 71.8% of the respondents had held or were then holding health-related administrative posts; 90% had attended different varieties of management courses; 95.4% identified physicians as the inherent leaders of the health care team; but only 28.4% adjudged their health management role "strongly important" (28.4%) among their multi-faceted roles; and they largely agreed that some stated professional and characteristic traits of physicians tend to make them poor leaders and managers. Our findings suggest that the preparations that the respondents got from their formal and professional education for leadership and managerial roles in health care were not optimal. We recommend for a paradigm shift for physicians on health leadership issue which is to be facilitated by a well-focused short time duration health management course for all physicians, particularly specialists.

Chromosome Aberration on High Level Background Natural Radiation Areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanti-Lusiyanti; Zubaidah-Alatas

2001-01-01

When the body is irradiated, all cells can suffer cytogenetic damage that can be seen as structural damage of chromosome in the lymphocytes. People no matter where they live in world are exposed to background radiation from natural sources both internal and external such as cosmic radiation, terrestrial radiation, cosmogenic radiation radon and thoron. Level of area natural ionizing radiation is varies depending on the altitude, the soil or rock conditions, particular food chains and the building materials and construction features. Level of normal areas of background exposure is annual effective dose 2.4 mSv and the high level areas of background exposure 20 mSv. This paper discuses the frequency of aberration chromosome especially dysenteries in several countries having high level radiation background. It seems that frequency of chromosome aberrations increase, generally with the increase of age of the people and the accumulated dose received. (author)

The variation in family background amongst young homeless shelter users in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benjaminsen, Lars

2016-01-01

education, employment, mental illness, substance abuse problems and placement outside home in childhood for the young persons, and education, employment, civil status, mental illness and substance abuse problems for their parents. A cluster analysis identifies two groups, each comprising half of the young...... shelter users. In the first group, social marginalisation is transmitted between generations, as most parents have low education and mental illness or substance abuse problems, and are unemployed. In contrast, the young people in the second group come from wider socioeconomic backgrounds, with few...... of their parents having mental illness or substance abuse problems. These young people develop psychosocial problems and become homeless without strong predictors from their family background. Amongst the young shelter users from families with severe social problems a higher share are in the Not in Education...

Health-related Culinary Education: A Summary of Representative Emerging Programs for Health Professionals and Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Edward M.; Nordgren, Julia; La Puma, John; La Barba, Julie; Cucuzzella, Mark; Graham, Robert; Harlan, Timothy S.; Burg, Tracey; Eisenberg, David

2016-01-01

Background: Beneficial correlations are suggested between food preparation and home food preparation of healthy choices. Therefore, there is an emergence of culinary medicine (CM) programs directed at both patients and medical professionals which deliver education emphasizing skills such as shopping, food storage, and meal preparation. Objective: The goal of this article is to provide a description of emerging CM programs and to imagine how this field can mature. Methods: During April 2015, 10 CM programs were identified by surveying CM and lifestyle medicine leaders. Program directors completed a narrative describing their program's structure, curricula, educational design, modes of delivery, funding, and cost. Interviews were conducted in an effort to optimize data collection. Results: All 10 culinary programs deliver medical education curricula educating 2654 health professionals per year. Educational goals vary within the domains of (1) provider's self-behavior, (2) nutritional knowledge and (3) prescribing nutrition. Six programs deliver patients' curricula, educating 4225 individuals per year. These programs' content varies and focuses on either specific diets or various culinary behaviors. All the programs' directors are health professionals who are also either credentialed chefs or have a strong culinary background. Nine of these programs offer culinary training in either a hands-on or visual demonstration within a teaching kitchen setting, while one delivers remote culinary tele-education. Seven programs track outcomes using various questionnaires and biometric data. Conclusions: There is currently no consensus about learning objectives, curricular domains, staffing, and facility requirements associated with CM, and there has been little research to explore its impact. A shared strategy is needed to collectively overcome these challenges. PMID:26937315

The (Un)Attractiveness of Vocational and Technical Education: Theoretical Background

Science.gov (United States)

Lovšin, Miha

2014-01-01

This paper considers the problem of the lack of attractiveness of vocational and technical education via a review of legislation on counselling practices, implementing documents, and the social factors by means of which the education system can influence the individual's decision. It is apparent that legislation regulating the organisation and…

Music listening while you learn: No influence of background music on verbal learning

OpenAIRE

J?ncke, Lutz; Sandmann, Pascale

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Whether listening to background music enhances verbal learning performance is still disputed. In this study we investigated the influence of listening to background music on verbal learning performance and the associated brain activations. Methods Musical excerpts were composed for this study to ensure that they were unknown to the subjects and designed to vary in tempo (fast vs. slow) and consonance (in-tune vs. out-of-tune). Noise was used as control stimulus. 75 subject...

Varying Constants, Gravitation and Cosmology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Philippe Uzan

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of our physical laws. Any constant varying in space and/or time would reflect the existence of an almost massless field that couples to matter. This will induce a violation of the universality of free fall. Thus, it is of utmost importance for our understanding of gravity and of the domain of validity of general relativity to test for their constancy. We detail the relations between the constants, the tests of the local position invariance and of the universality of free fall. We then review the main experimental and observational constraints that have been obtained from atomic clocks, the Oklo phenomenon, solar system observations, meteorite dating, quasar absorption spectra, stellar physics, pulsar timing, the cosmic microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis. At each step we describe the basics of each system, its dependence with respect to the constants, the known systematic effects and the most recent constraints that have been obtained. We then describe the main theoretical frameworks in which the low-energy constants may actually be varying and we focus on the unification mechanisms and the relations between the variation of different constants. To finish, we discuss the more speculative possibility of understanding their numerical values and the apparent fine-tuning that they confront us with.

Evaluation of the Educational Value of YouTube Videos About Physical Examination of the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

OpenAIRE

Azer, Samy A; AlGrain, Hala A; AlKhelaif, Rana A; AlEshaiwi, Sarah M

2013-01-01

Background A number of studies have evaluated the educational contents of videos on YouTube. However, little analysis has been done on videos about physical examination. Objective This study aimed to analyze YouTube videos about physical examination of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It was hypothesized that the educational standards of videos on YouTube would vary significantly. Methods During the period from November 2, 2011 to December 2, 2011, YouTube was searched by three ass...

From Deficit to Asset: Locating Discursive Resistance in a Refugee-Background Student's Written and Oral Narrative

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Shawna; MacDonald, Michael T.

2017-01-01

This article examines how a refugee-background student of Somali Bantu heritage employs linguistic resources to make sense of his experience with forced migration, resettlement, and formal education. Much of the educational research on refugee-background students (and other groups of English learners) propagates a deficit orientation in which…

Accuracy of cochlear implant recipients in speech reception in the presence of background music.

Science.gov (United States)

Gfeller, Kate; Turner, Christopher; Oleson, Jacob; Kliethermes, Stephanie; Driscoll, Virginia

2012-12-01

This study examined speech recognition abilities of cochlear implant (CI) recipients in the spectrally complex listening condition of 3 contrasting types of background music, and compared performance based upon listener groups: CI recipients using conventional long-electrode devices, Hybrid CI recipients (acoustic plus electric stimulation), and normal-hearing adults. We tested 154 long-electrode CI recipients using varied devices and strategies, 21 Hybrid CI recipients, and 49 normal-hearing adults on closed-set recognition of spondees presented in 3 contrasting forms of background music (piano solo, large symphony orchestra, vocal solo with small combo accompaniment) in an adaptive test. Signal-to-noise ratio thresholds for speech in music were examined in relation to measures of speech recognition in background noise and multitalker babble, pitch perception, and music experience. The signal-to-noise ratio thresholds for speech in music varied as a function of category of background music, group membership (long-electrode, Hybrid, normal-hearing), and age. The thresholds for speech in background music were significantly correlated with measures of pitch perception and thresholds for speech in background noise; auditory status was an important predictor. Evidence suggests that speech reception thresholds in background music change as a function of listener age (with more advanced age being detrimental), structural characteristics of different types of music, and hearing status (residual hearing). These findings have implications for everyday listening conditions such as communicating in social or commercial situations in which there is background music.

Advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants in sleep centers and clinics: a survey of current roles and educational background.

Science.gov (United States)

Colvin, Loretta; Cartwright, Ann; Collop, Nancy; Freedman, Neil; McLeod, Don; Weaver, Terri E; Rogers, Ann E

2014-05-15

To survey Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and Physician Assistant (PA) utilization, roles and educational background within the field of sleep medicine. Electronic surveys distributed to American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) member centers and APRNs and PAs working within sleep centers and clinics. Approximately 40% of responding AASM sleep centers reported utilizing APRNs or PAs in predominantly clinical roles. Of the APRNs and PAs surveyed, 95% reported responsibilities in sleep disordered breathing and more than 50% in insomnia and movement disorders. Most APRNs and PAs were prepared at the graduate level (89%), with sleep-specific education primarily through "on the job" training (86%). All APRNs surveyed were Nurse Practitioners (NPs), with approximately double the number of NPs compared to PAs. APRNs and PAs were reported in sleep centers at proportions similar to national estimates of NPs and PAs in physicians' offices. They report predominantly clinical roles, involving common sleep disorders. Given current predictions that the outpatient healthcare structure will change and the number of APRNs and PAs will increase, understanding the role and utilization of these professionals is necessary to plan for the future care of patients with sleep disorders. Surveyed APRNs and PAs reported a significant deficiency in formal and standardized sleep-specific education. Efforts to provide formal and standardized educational opportunities for APRNs and PAs that focus on their clinical roles within sleep centers could help fill a current educational gap.

Cultural Transition and Academic Achievement of Students from Ethnic Minority Backgrounds: A Content Analysis of Empirical Research on Acculturation

Science.gov (United States)

Makarova, Elena; Birman, Dina

2015-01-01

Background: The achievement gap between immigrant and non-immigrant students that has been identified in most OECD countries and the considerable educational dropout rate among students from ethnic minority backgrounds in some countries have become serious challenges for national educational systems. The educational underachievement of young…

DOES FAMILY BACKGROUND MATTER FOR LEARNING IN EAST AFRICA?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jones, Edward Samuel; Schipper, Youdi

2015-01-01

The extent to which differences in family background characteristics explain differences in learning outcomes between children captures the extent of equality in educational opportunities. This study uses large-scale data on literacy and numeracy outcomes for children of school age across East....... Even so, family background does not fully explain why children of school starting age display large differences in learning between countries....... Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) to investigate the contribution of family background to learning differences. We find that learning differences between children from less-advantaged households and those from more-advantaged households equals around one year or more of effective learning on average...

Influence of Family Background on Academic Achievement of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results revealed that family structure, parents‟ occupation and educational level of parents, did not have significant influence on students‟ achievement in biology. Based on the findings, the paper concludes that family background did not have much influence on students‟ achievement in science (biology) as against ...

Natural background radiation in Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Hussan, K.A.; Al-Suliman, K.M.; Wafa, N.F.

1993-01-01

Natural background radiation measurements have been made at numerous locations throughout the world. Little work in this field has been done in developing countries. In this study, the external exposure rates due to natural background radiation sources have been measured for different Saudi Arabian cities. Thermoluminescence dosimeters, CaF 2 Dy(TLD-200), has been used for field measurements. Exposure to TLD's response correlations were obtained for each TLD using a 137 Cs source. A correlation of TLD's response fading at a continuous radiation exposure environment was obtained and applied to correct field measurements. The measurements were taken every two months for a total of six intervals during the whole year. The average measurements of outdoor external exposure rates was found to vary between a minimum of 5.29 μR h -1 in Dammam city and a maximum of 11.59 μR h -1 in Al-Khamis city. (1 fig., 1 tab.)

Control of Linear Parameter Varying Systems with Applications

CERN Document Server

Mohammadpour, Javad

2012-01-01

Control of Linear Parameter Varying Systems with Applications compiles state-of-the-art contributions on novel analytical and computational methods to address system modeling and identification, complexity reduction, performance analysis and control design for time-varying and nonlinear systems in the LPV framework. The book has an interdisciplinary character by emphasizing techniques that can be commonly applied in various engineering fields. It also includes a rich collection of illustrative applications in diverse domains to substantiate the effectiveness of the design methodologies and provide pointers to open research directions. The book is divided into three parts. The first part collects chapters of a more tutorial character on the background of LPV systems modeling and control. The second part gathers chapters devoted to the theoretical advancement of LPV analysis and synthesis methods to cope with the design constraints such as uncertainties and time delay. The third part of the volume showcases con...

Interaction of Socio-Demographic Background Variables with Inter ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Interaction of Socio-Demographic Background Variables with Inter-Spousal Communication Among Married Couples in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. ... marriage will increase from 20-24years to 25-29years due to the number of years of couple's educational pursuit in Lagos state of Nigeria.

Critical-thinking ability in respiratory care students and its correlation with age, educational background, and performance on national board examinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wettstein, Richard B; Wilkins, Robert L; Gardner, Donna D; Restrepo, Ruben D

2011-03-01

Critical thinking is an important characteristic to develop in respiratory care students. We used the short-form Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal instrument to measure critical-thinking ability in 55 senior respiratory care students in a baccalaureate respiratory care program. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the relationships between critical-thinking score, age, and student performance on the clinical-simulation component of the national respiratory care boards examination. We used chi-square analysis to assess the association between critical-thinking score and educational background. There was no significant relationship between critical-thinking score and age, or between critical-thinking score and student performance on the clinical-simulation component. There was a significant (P = .04) positive association between a strong science-course background and critical-thinking score, which might be useful in predicting a student's ability to perform in areas where critical thinking is of paramount importance, such as clinical competencies, and to guide candidate-selection for respiratory care programs.

Spatial modeling of HIV and HSV-2 among women in Kenya with spatially varying coefficients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elphas Okango

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disease mapping has become popular in the field of statistics as a method to explain the spatial distribution of disease outcomes and as a tool to help design targeted intervention strategies. Most of these models however have been implemented with assumptions that may be limiting or altogether lead to less meaningful results and hence interpretations. Some of these assumptions include the linearity, stationarity and normality assumptions. Studies have shown that the linearity assumption is not necessarily true for all covariates. Age for example has been found to have a non-linear relationship with HIV and HSV-2 prevalence. Other studies have made stationarity assumption in that one stimulus e.g. education, provokes the same response in all the regions under study and this is also quite restrictive. Responses to stimuli may vary from region to region due to aspects like culture, preferences and attitudes. Methods We perform a spatial modeling of HIV and HSV-2 among women in Kenya, while relaxing these assumptions i.e. the linearity assumption by allowing the covariate age to have a non-linear effect on HIV and HSV-2 prevalence using the random walk model of order 2 and the stationarity assumption by allowing the rest of the covariates to vary spatially using the conditional autoregressive model. The women data used in this study were derived from the 2007 Kenya AIDS indicator survey where women aged 15–49 years were surveyed. A full Bayesian approach was used and the models were implemented in R-INLA software. Results Age was found to have a non-linear relationship with both HIV and HSV-2 prevalence, and the spatially varying coefficient model provided a significantly better fit for HSV-2. Age-at first sex also had a greater effect on HSV-2 prevalence in the Coastal and some parts of North Eastern regions suggesting either early marriages or child prostitution. The effect of education on HIV prevalence among women was more

Background components of Ge(Li) and GeHP-detectors in the passive shield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buraeva, E.A.; Davydov, M.G.; Zorina, L.V.; Stasov, V.V.

2007-01-01

The gamma-spectrometer Ge(Li)- and the extra pure Ge-detector background components in a specially designed passive shield were subjected to investigation in the land-based laboratory in 1996-2006. The measurement time period varied from 45 up to 240 hours. The detector background is caused by the radionuclides in the shield material, in the shield cells and in the detector materials. The prominence was given to the study of the revealed time dependence of 222 Rn daughter product background including '2 10 Pb 46.5 keV peak [ru

Comparative Study of the Influence of the Home Background on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

between parental involvement and academic achievement of children. It was found ... was a three- page questionnaire titled “Students' Home. Background on .... higher educational expectations, enrolment in gifted and talented programs, and.

Educational background of nurses and their perceptions of the quality and safety of patient care.

Science.gov (United States)

Swart, Reece P; Pretorius, Ronel; Klopper, Hester

2015-04-30

International health systems research confirms the critical role that nurses play in ensuring the delivery of high quality patient care and subsequent patient safety. It is therefore important that the education of nurses should prepare them for the provision of safe care of a high quality. The South African healthcare system is made up of public and private hospitals that employ various categories of nurses. The perceptions of the various categories of nurses with reference to quality of care and patient safety are unknown in South Africa (SA). To determine the relationship between the educational background of nurses and their perceptions of quality of care and patient safety in private surgical units in SA. A descriptive correlational design was used. A questionnaire was used for data collection, after which hierarchical linear modelling was utilised to determine the relationships amongst the variables. Both the registered- and enrolled nurses seemed satisfied with the quality of care and patient safety in the units were they work. Enrolled nurses (ENs) indicated that current efforts to prevent errors are adequate, whilst the registered nurses (RNs) obtained high scores in reporting incidents in surgical wards. From the results it was evident that perceptions of RNs and ENs related to the quality of care and patient safety differed. There seemed to be a statistically-significant difference between RNs and ENs perceptions of the prevention of errors in the unit, losing patient information between shifts and patient incidents related to medication errors, pressure ulcers and falls with injury.

Interaction of Working Memory, Compressor Speed and Background Noise Characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohlenforst, Barbara; MacDonald, Ewen; Souza, Pamela

Previous studies have shown that individuals with poor working memory perform worse in speech recognition tests when fast compression release time is applied. However, it is not clear why this effect occurs only when modulations are present in the background noise. This study explored...... was varied. Results suggest that the combined effect of short compression release times, a low working memory capacity and glimpsing due to presence of amplitude modulation results in poor speech recognition performance. There was no interaction between working memory and different noise backgrounds...... the relationship between working memory capacity, compression release time and characteristics of the background noise. This relationship is important to understand because the majority of everyday listening situations involve modulated noise. The investigation was carried out by testing two groups of older adults...

The Educational Background of Women Working for Women in Rio de Janeiro.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sousa, Isabela Cabral Felix

1998-01-01

Interviews with 20 women in governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Rio de Janeiro revealed the following: (1) formal education programs lacked courses on gender issues; (2) nonformal education was a potential source of gender awareness; and (3) informal education was the main source of gender awareness. (SK)

Prediction of background in low-energy spectrum of phoswich detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arun, B.; Manohari, M.; Mathiyarasu, R.; Rajagopal, V.; Jose, M.T.

2014-01-01

In vivo monitoring of actinides in occupational workers is done using Phoswich detector by measuring the low-energy X ray and gamma rays. Quantification of actinides like plutonium and americium in the lungs is extremely difficult due to higher background in the low-energy regions, which is from ambient background as well as from the subject. In the latter case, it is mainly due to the Compton scattering of body potassium, which varies person-to-person. Hence, an accurate prediction of subject-specific background counts in the lower-energy regions is an essential element in the in vivo measurement of plutonium and americium. Empirical equations are established for the prediction of background count rate in 239 Pu and 241 Am lower-energy regions, called 'target regions', as a function of count rate in the monitoring region (97-130 keV)/ 40 K region in the high-energy spectrum, weight-to-height ratio of the subject (scattering parameter) and the gender. (authors)

German Undergraduate Mathematics Enrolment Numbers: Background and Change

Science.gov (United States)

Ammann, Claudia; Frauendiener, Jorg; Holton, Derek

2010-01-01

Before we consider the German tertiary system, we review the education system and consider other relevant background details. We then concentrate on the tertiary system and observe that the mathematical enrolments are keeping up with the overall student enrolments. At the same time, the first year mathematics enrolments for women are greater than…

Application of a background-compensated Geiger-Mueller counter to a survey meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, C.; Kumanomido, H.; Watanabe, T.

1984-01-01

A background-compensated Geiger-Mueller counter was used as a probe for a GM survey meter to obtain a net count rate of β-rays from a radioactive source in a quick survey. Although a background counting ratio between the two parts in the counter, front and rear, varied somewhat depending on the incident direction of background γ-rays, it was possible to compensate the background counts by subtracting a part of the rear counts, which were background counts, from the front counts, which contained β-ray counts and background counts. Undesirable small pulses generated during the recovering time after a full Geiger discharge were eliminated by an anticoincidence gating method. The survey meter with this counter and a differential ratemeter is useful for obtaining a net count rate of β-rays emitted from a surface radioactive-contamination or from a source being put near the window of the counter with nearly the same accuracy in half the measuring time as compared with conventional GM counters. (orig.)

The long-term consequences of parental divorce for children's educational attainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Bernardi

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Background: In this paper we study the long-term consequences of parental divorce in a comparative perspective. Special attention is paid to the heterogeneity of the consequences of divorce for children's educational attainment by parental education. Objective: The study attempts to establish whether the parental breakup penalty for tertiary education attainment varies by socioeconomic background, and whether it depends on the societal context. Methods: Data are drawn from the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey, covering 14 countries. We estimate multi-level random-slope models for the completion of tertiary education. Results: The results show that parental divorce is negatively associated with children's tertiary education attainment. Across the 14 countries considered in this study, children of separated parents have a probability of achieving a university degree that is on average seven percentage points lower than that of children from intact families. The breakup penalty is stronger for children of highly educated parents, and is independent of the degree of diffusion of divorce. In countries with early selection into educational tracks, divorce appears to have more negative consequences for the children of poorly educated mothers. Conclusions: For children in most countries, parental divorce is associated with a lower probability of attaining a university degree. The divorce penalty is larger for children with highly educated parents. This equalizing pattern is accentuated in countries with a comprehensive educational system. Comments: Future research on the heterogeneous consequences of parental divorce should addressthe issue of self-selection into divorce, which might lead to an overestimation of the negative effect of divorce on students with highly educated parents. It should also further investigate the micro mechanisms underlying the divorce penalty.

Educational, developmental and psychological outcomes of resettled refugee children in Western Australia: a review of School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health input.

Science.gov (United States)

Mace, Ariel Olivia; Mulheron, Shani; Jones, Caleb; Cherian, Sarah

2014-12-01

There are limited data regarding the educational backgrounds and associated psychological and developmental outcomes of refugee children resettling in Western Australia (WA). The WA paediatric Refugee Health Service (RHS) revised its first consult questionnaire (August 2011) to increase educational and psychosocial documentation, concurrent with engagement of a School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) liaison teacher. This study aims to utilise these data to increase understanding of this cohort's educational, developmental and psychological needs and to describe SSEN: MMH's role within the RHS. Retrospective audit and analyses were performed on all initial standardised questionnaires for school-aged refugee children (4-18 years) and SSEN: MMH referrals between August 2011 and December 2012. Demographic data from 332 refugees are described (mean age 9.58 ± standard deviation 3.43 years). Detailed educational information was available for 205 children. Prior education was limited (median 2 years), 64.9% experienced likely schooling interruption and 55.8% received education in their primary language. Language development concerns were significantly associated with previous education in a second language (odds ratio (OR) 4.55, P schooling issues were uncommon at presentation, with few correlations to prior education. In contrast, several migration factors, including family separation and mandatory detention, were significantly associated with psychological comorbidities such as post-traumatic stress disorder (OR 5.60, P children have varied migration, trauma and educational backgrounds, impacting on health and psychological outcomes. In-depth multidisciplinary history including prior education and psychosocial issues is recommended. Partnering with education services appears to play an effective, multifaceted role in aiding resettlement; however, longitudinal studies are required. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child

Music listening while you learn: No influence of background music on verbal learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandmann Pascale

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Whether listening to background music enhances verbal learning performance is still disputed. In this study we investigated the influence of listening to background music on verbal learning performance and the associated brain activations. Methods Musical excerpts were composed for this study to ensure that they were unknown to the subjects and designed to vary in tempo (fast vs. slow and consonance (in-tune vs. out-of-tune. Noise was used as control stimulus. 75 subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups and learned the presented verbal material (non-words with and without semantic connotation with and without background music. Each group was exposed to one of five different background stimuli (in-tune fast, in-tune slow, out-of-tune fast, out-of-tune slow, and noise. As dependent variable, the number of learned words was used. In addition, event-related desynchronization (ERD and event-related synchronization (ERS of the EEG alpha-band were calculated as a measure for cortical activation. Results We did not find any substantial and consistent influence of background music on verbal learning. There was neither an enhancement nor a decrease in verbal learning performance during the background stimulation conditions. We found however a stronger event-related desynchronization around 800 - 1200 ms after word presentation for the group exposed to in-tune fast music while they learned the verbal material. There was also a stronger event-related synchronization for the group exposed to out-of-tune fast music around 1600 - 2000 ms after word presentation. Conclusion Verbal learning during the exposure to different background music varying in tempo and consonance did not influence learning of verbal material. There was neither an enhancing nor a detrimental effect on verbal learning performance. The EEG data suggest that the different acoustic background conditions evoke different cortical activations. The reason for

PCA-based approach for subtracting thermal background emission in high-contrast imaging data

Science.gov (United States)

Hunziker, S.; Quanz, S. P.; Amara, A.; Meyer, M. R.

2018-03-01

Aims.Ground-based observations at thermal infrared wavelengths suffer from large background radiation due to the sky, telescope and warm surfaces in the instrument. This significantly limits the sensitivity of ground-based observations at wavelengths longer than 3 μm. The main purpose of this work is to analyse this background emission in infrared high-contrast imaging data as illustrative of the problem, show how it can be modelled and subtracted and demonstrate that it can improve the detection of faint sources, such as exoplanets. Methods: We used principal component analysis (PCA) to model and subtract the thermal background emission in three archival high-contrast angular differential imaging datasets in the M' and L' filter. We used an M' dataset of β Pic to describe in detail how the algorithm works and explain how it can be applied. The results of the background subtraction are compared to the results from a conventional mean background subtraction scheme applied to the same dataset. Finally, both methods for background subtraction are compared by performing complete data reductions. We analysed the results from the M' dataset of HD 100546 only qualitatively. For the M' band dataset of β Pic and the L' band dataset of HD 169142, which was obtained with an angular groove phase mask vortex vector coronagraph, we also calculated and analysed the achieved signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Results: We show that applying PCA is an effective way to remove spatially and temporarily varying thermal background emission down to close to the background limit. The procedure also proves to be very successful at reconstructing the background that is hidden behind the point spread function. In the complete data reductions, we find at least qualitative improvements for HD 100546 and HD 169142, however, we fail to find a significant increase in S/N of β Pic b. We discuss these findings and argue that in particular datasets with strongly varying observing conditions or

Beyond the Cientificos: The Educational Background of the Porfirian Political Elite.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Jacqueline

1983-01-01

Broadening the investigation of Mexico's Porfirian political elite, the study examines the education, professional training, and alternatives to formal education of 70 Union Liberal delegates. The delegates represent a microcosm of the political leaders of the middle Porfirian period. The article also discusses the formation of the Union Liberal.…

Does the availability of snack foods in supermarkets vary internationally?

OpenAIRE

Thornton, Lukar E; Cameron, Adrian J; McNaughton, Sarah A; Waterlander, Wilma E; Sodergren, Marita; Svastisalee, Chalida; Blanchard, Laurence; Liese, Angela D; Battersby, Sarah; Carter, Mary-Ann; Sheeshka, Judy; Kirkpatrick, Sharon I; Sherman, Sandy; Cowburn, Gill; Foster, Charlie

2013-01-01

Background Cross-country differences in dietary behaviours and obesity rates have been previously reported. Consumption of energy-dense snack foods and soft drinks are implicated as contributing to weight gain, however little is known about how the availability of these items within supermarkets varies internationally. This study assessed variations in the display of snack foods and soft drinks within a sample of supermarkets across eight countries. Methods Within-store audits were used to ev...

Pedagogical Background for Technology Education--Meaningful Learning in Theory and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Autio, Ossi

2009-01-01

One important theme in technology education is the growing need to develop the type of pedagogies that encourage pupils in authentic and meaningful learning experiences. Often, the teaching strategies of technology education are only a matter of teaching the handling of materials and tools, and the production of mere objects does not consider how…

Adjustment of geochemical background by robust multivariate statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, D.

1985-01-01

Conventional analyses of exploration geochemical data assume that the background is a constant or slowly changing value, equivalent to a plane or a smoothly curved surface. However, it is better to regard the geochemical background as a rugged surface, varying with changes in geology and environment. This rugged surface can be estimated from observed geological, geochemical and environmental properties by using multivariate statistics. A method of background adjustment was developed and applied to groundwater and stream sediment reconnaissance data collected from the Hot Springs Quadrangle, South Dakota, as part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program. Source-rock lithology appears to be a dominant factor controlling the chemical composition of groundwater or stream sediments. The most efficacious adjustment procedure is to regress uranium concentration on selected geochemical and environmental variables for each lithologic unit, and then to delineate anomalies by a common threshold set as a multiple of the standard deviation of the combined residuals. Robust versions of regression and RQ-mode principal components analysis techniques were used rather than ordinary techniques to guard against distortion caused by outliers Anomalies delineated by this background adjustment procedure correspond with uranium prospects much better than do anomalies delineated by conventional procedures. The procedure should be applicable to geochemical exploration at different scales for other metals. ?? 1985.

Contextual assessment in science education: Background, issues, and policy

Science.gov (United States)

Klassen, Stephen

2006-09-01

Contemporary assessment practices in science education have undergone significant changes in recent decades. The basis for these changes and the resulting new assessment practices are the subject of this two-part paper. Part 1 considers the basis of assessment that, more than 25 years ago, was driven by the assumptions of decomposability and decontextualization of knowledge, resulting in a low-inference testing system, often described as traditional. This assessment model was replaced not on account of direct criticism, but rather on account of a larger revolution - the change from behavioral to cognitive psychology, developments in the philosophy of science, and the rise of constructivism. Most notably, the study of the active cognitive processes of the individual resulted in a major emphasis on context in learning and assessment. These changes gave rise to the development of various contextual assessment methodologies in science education, for example, concept mapping assessment, performance assessment, and portfolio assessment. In Part 2, the literature relating to the assessment methods identified in Part 1 is reviewed, revealing that there is not much research that supports their validity and reliability. However, encouraging new work on selected-response tests is forming the basis for reconsideration of past criticisms of this technique. Despite the major developments in contextual assessment methodologies in science education, two important questions remain unanswered, namely, whether grades can be considered as genuine numeric quantities and whether the individual student is the appropriate unit of assessment in public accountability. Given these issues and the requirement for science assessment to satisfy the goals of the individual, the classroom, and the society, tentative recommendations are put forward addressing these parallel needs in the assessment of science learning.

Conditional Health-Related Benefits of Higher Education: An Assessment of Compensatory versus Accumulative Mechanisms

OpenAIRE

Bauldry, Shawn

2014-01-01

A college degree is associated with a range of health-related benefits, but the effects of higher education are known to vary across different population subgroups. Competing theories have been proposed for whether people from more or less advantaged backgrounds or circumstances will gain greater health-related benefits from a college degree. This study draws on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and recently developed models for analyzing heterogeneou...

Music listening while you learn: no influence of background music on verbal learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Jäncke, Lutz; Sandmann, Pascale

2010-01-07

Whether listening to background music enhances verbal learning performance is still disputed. In this study we investigated the influence of listening to background music on verbal learning performance and the associated brain activations. Musical excerpts were composed for this study to ensure that they were unknown to the subjects and designed to vary in tempo (fast vs. slow) and consonance (in-tune vs. out-of-tune). Noise was used as control stimulus. 75 subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups and learned the presented verbal material (non-words with and without semantic connotation) with and without background music. Each group was exposed to one of five different background stimuli (in-tune fast, in-tune slow, out-of-tune fast, out-of-tune slow, and noise). As dependent variable, the number of learned words was used. In addition, event-related desynchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization (ERS) of the EEG alpha-band were calculated as a measure for cortical activation. We did not find any substantial and consistent influence of background music on verbal learning. There was neither an enhancement nor a decrease in verbal learning performance during the background stimulation conditions. We found however a stronger event-related desynchronization around 800 - 1200 ms after word presentation for the group exposed to in-tune fast music while they learned the verbal material. There was also a stronger event-related synchronization for the group exposed to out-of-tune fast music around 1600 - 2000 ms after word presentation. Verbal learning during the exposure to different background music varying in tempo and consonance did not influence learning of verbal material. There was neither an enhancing nor a detrimental effect on verbal learning performance. The EEG data suggest that the different acoustic background conditions evoke different cortical activations. The reason for these different cortical activations is unclear. The most

Conditional health-related benefits of higher education: an assessment of compensatory versus accumulative mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauldry, Shawn

2014-06-01

A college degree is associated with a range of health-related benefits, but the effects of higher education are known to vary across different population subgroups. Competing theories have been proposed for whether people from more or less advantaged backgrounds or circumstances will gain greater health-related benefits from a college degree. This study draws on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and recently developed models for analyzing heterogeneous treatment effects to examine how the effect of obtaining a college degree on the self-rated health of young adults varies across the likelihood of obtaining a college degree, a summary measure of advantage/disadvantage. Results indicate that a college degree has a greater effect on self-rated health for people from advantaged backgrounds. This finding differs from two recent studies, and possible reasons for the contrasting findings are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background modelling of diffraction data in the presence of ice rings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James M. Parkhurst

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An algorithm for modelling the background for each Bragg reflection in a series of X-ray diffraction images containing Debye–Scherrer diffraction from ice in the sample is presented. The method involves the use of a global background model which is generated from the complete X-ray diffraction data set. Fitting of this model to the background pixels is then performed for each reflection independently. The algorithm uses a static background model that does not vary over the course of the scan. The greatest improvement can be expected for data where ice rings are present throughout the data set and the local background shape at the size of a spot on the detector does not exhibit large time-dependent variation. However, the algorithm has been applied to data sets whose background showed large pixel variations (variance/mean > 2 and has been shown to improve the results of processing for these data sets. It is shown that the use of a simple flat-background model as in traditional integration programs causes systematic bias in the background determination at ice-ring resolutions, resulting in an overestimation of reflection intensities at the peaks of the ice rings and an underestimation of reflection intensities either side of the ice ring. The new global background-model algorithm presented here corrects for this bias, resulting in a noticeable improvement in R factors following refinement.

Environmental gamma background measurements in China Jinping Underground Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhi Zeng; Jian Su; Hao Ma; Hengguan Yi; Jianping Cheng; Qian Yue; Junli Li; Hui Zhang

2014-01-01

To determine the environmental gamma background levels which affects rare events experiments, we measured in situ gamma spectrum at four locations in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. The integral background count rates (40-2,700 keV) varied from 3.76 to 74.1 cps. The average count rate of the measurements inside the CJPL was 73.4 cps. The spectrometer was calibrated with a 152 Eu point source and Monte Carlo simulation to obtain the activity conversion factors for the rock and the air, respectively. The rocks that surrounded the CJPL was characterized by very low activity concentrations of 238 U (3.69-4.21 Bq kg -1 ), 232 Th (0.52-0.64 Bq kg -1 ) and 40 K (4.28 Bq kg -1 ). (author)

The contribution of smoking to inequalities in mortality by education varies over time and by sex: two national cohort studies, 1981-84 and 1996-99.

Science.gov (United States)

Blakely, Tony; Wilson, Nick

2005-10-01

The contributions of tobacco smoking to overall mortality and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality vary between populations and over time. We determined how these contributions varied by sex and over time in two national New Zealand cohort studies. Poisson regression and modelling were conducted on linked census-mortality cohorts for people aged 45-74 years in 1981-84 and 1996-99 (2.0 and 2.7 million person-years, respectively). Contribution to socioeconomic inequalities in mortality. Adjusting for current and former smoking reduced the all-cause mortality rate ratios for men with nil educational qualifications compared with men with post-school qualifications from 1.34 to 1.29 in 1981-84 and from 1.31 to 1.25 in 1996-99, or 16 and 21% reductions in relative inequalities. Equivalent results for women were 1.42-1.41 in 1981-84 and 1.42-1.37 in 1996-99, or 3 and 11% reductions in relative inequalities. Contribution to overall mortality. Using 1996-99 data, we estimated that if all current smokers quit and became ex-smokers, mortality rates would reduce by 11% for men and 5% for women. If everyone was a never smoker (i.e. a historically smoke-free society), mortality rates would have been 26% lower for men and 25% lower for women. The contribution of smoking to educational inequalities in mortality was greater for males, and increased over time for both males and females, reflecting the historically differential phasing of the tobacco epidemic by sex and socioeconomic position. Complete cessation of smoking in contemporary New Zealand would reduce both overall mortality and educational inequalities in mortality.

Frequency variations of gravity waves interacting with a time-varying tide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, C.M.; Zhang, S.D.; Yi, F.; Huang, K.M.; Gan, Q.; Gong, Y. [Wuhan Univ., Hubei (China). School of Electronic Information; Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei (China). Key Lab. of Geospace Environment and Geodesy; State Observatory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing, Wuhan, Hubei (China); Zhang, Y.H. [Nanjing Univ. of Information Science and Technology (China). College of Hydrometeorolgy

2013-11-01

Using a nonlinear, 2-D time-dependent numerical model, we simulate the propagation of gravity waves (GWs) in a time-varying tide. Our simulations show that when aGW packet propagates in a time-varying tidal-wind environment, not only its intrinsic frequency but also its ground-based frequency would change significantly. The tidal horizontal-wind acceleration dominates the GW frequency variation. Positive (negative) accelerations induce frequency increases (decreases) with time. More interestingly, tidal-wind acceleration near the critical layers always causes the GW frequency to increase, which may partially explain the observations that high-frequency GW components are more dominant in the middle and upper atmosphere than in the lower atmosphere. The combination of the increased ground-based frequency of propagating GWs in a time-varying tidal-wind field and the transient nature of the critical layer induced by a time-varying tidal zonal wind creates favorable conditions for GWs to penetrate their originally expected critical layers. Consequently, GWs have an impact on the background atmosphere at much higher altitudes than expected, which indicates that the dynamical effects of tidal-GW interactions are more complicated than usually taken into account by GW parameterizations in global models.

Astronomy: social background of students of the integrated high school

Science.gov (United States)

Voelzke, M. R.; Barbosa, J. I. L.

2017-07-01

Astronomy-related contents exist in almost all levels of basic education in Brazil and are also frequently disseminated through mass media. Thus, students form their own explanations about the phenomena studied by this science. Therefore, this work has the objective of identifying the possible social background of the Integrated High School students on the term Astronomy. It is a research of a basic nature, descriptive, and for that reason a quali-quantitative approach was adopted; the procedures to obtain the data were effected in the form of a survey. The results show that the tested students have a social background about the object Astronomy, which is on the one hand fortified by elements they have made or which is part of the experience lived by the respondents within the formal space of education, and on the other hand based on elements possibly disseminated through the mass media.

Acceptance of homosexuality through education? Investigating the role of education, family background and individual characteristics in the United Kingdom

NARCIS (Netherlands)

la Roi, Chaïm; Mandemakers, Jornt

Higher educated people tend to be more accepting of homosexuality than lower educated people. This has inspired claims that education leads to a higher acceptance of homosexuality. Alternatively, the association between education and acceptance of homosexuality could be confounded by (un)observed

Sex differences in child and adolescent mortality by parental education in the Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gissler, Mika; Rahkonen, Ossi; Mortensen, Laust Hvas

2012-01-01

¿470). Data on the highest level of education in 2000 were obtained from national education registers, and data on mortality and causes of death were received from the national cause-of-death registers until the end of follow-up (20 years or 2003). Results Boys had a higher child and adolescent......Background Socioeconomic position inequalities in infant mortality are well known, but there is less information on how child mortality is socially patterned by sex and age. Objective To assess maternal and paternal socioeconomic inequalities in mortality by sex, whether these differences vary...... mortality than girls. The children of mothers and fathers who had had the shortest education time had the highest mortality for both sexes and for all ages and countries. The differences between the groups with longer than basic education were smaller, particularly among older children and girls...

Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

Science.gov (United States)

McCollough, Michael L.; Rots, A. H.; Primini, F. A.; Evans, I. N.; Glotfelty, K. J.; Hain, R.; Anderson, C. S.; Bonaventura, N. R.; Chen, J. C.; Davis, J. E.; Doe, S. M.; Evans, J. D.; Fabbiano, G.; Galle, E.; Gibbs, D. G.; Grier, J. D.; Hall, D. M.; Harbo, P. N.; He, X.; Houck, J. C.; Karovska, M.; Lauer, J.; McDowell, J. C.; Miller, J. B.; Mitschang, A. W.; Morgan, D. L.; Nichols, J. S.; Nowak, M. A.; Plummer, D. A.; Refsdal, B. L.; Siemiginowska, A. L.; Sundheim, B. A.; Tibbetts, M. S.; Van Stone, D. W.; Winkelman, S. L.; Zografou, P.

2009-01-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory will used to generate the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Quasars: Cosmological evolution and x-ray background contribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, M.; Green, R.F.

1986-01-01

The luminosity function of quasars varies with redshift or cosmic epoch. The authors discuss how the luminosity function and its evolution can be determined from complete samples of quasars. They first concentrate on optical survey of quasars. For quasars of medium luminosity, the co-moving space density rises very steeply with redshift. Quasars of lower luminosity exhibit a slower increase of density with redshift, resulting in luminosity-dependent evolution of the space density. They also discuss evidence for a cutoff of quasar redshift and for a possible dependence of the cutoff on luminosity. They evaluate X-ray counts of quasars and show the need for negative X-ray luminosity evolution in order to explain the counts and the low average redshifts of X-ray quasars. As a consequence, the quasar contribution to the X-ray background is lower than originally suspected. They discuss other extragalactic contributors to the X-ray background and conclude that they, together with the quasars, contribute about 60 percent of the observed background. About half of this is contributed by active galactic nuclei with optical luminosities below those of quasars

RE-SEARCHING SECONDARY TEACHER TRAINEES IN DISTANCE EDUCATION AND FACE-TO-FACE MODE: Study of Their Background Variables, Personal Characteristics and Academic Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamta GARG

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The present investigation was conducted to describe and compare the background variables, personal characteristics and academic performance of secondary teacher trainees in distance education and face-to-face mode. The results indicated that teacher trainees in distance education differed from their counterparts in age, marital status, sex and socio-economic status. Distance trainees outperformed the on-campus trainees on their preference for left-hemispheric styles of learning and thinking, budgeting time, learning motivation, overall study habits, academic motivation, attitude towards education, work methods, interpersonal relations, and on their perception about relevance of course content of theory papers in B.Ed., but on-campus trainees outperformed distance trainees on preference for right-hemispheric learning styles, need for achievement, motivation for sports, attitude towards teaching profession, child-centered practices, teachers, overall attitude towards teaching along with their perception for development of teaching skills and attitude, personality development during B.Ed. course. In academic performance distance trainees lag behind the on-campus trainee in their marks in theory papers, skills in teaching and in aggregate.

Computer science education for medical informaticians.

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Judith R; Price, Susan L

2004-03-18

The core curriculum in the education of medical informaticians remains a topic of concern and discussion. This paper reports on a survey of medical informaticians with Master's level credentials that asked about computer science (CS) topics or skills that they need in their employment. All subjects were graduates or "near-graduates" of a single medical informatics Master's program that they entered with widely varying educational backgrounds. The survey instrument was validated for face and content validity prior to use. All survey items were rated as having some degree of importance in the work of these professionals, with retrieval and analysis of data from databases, database design and web technologies deemed most important. Least important were networking skills and object-oriented design and concepts. These results are consistent with other work done in the field and suggest that strong emphasis on technical skills, particularly databases, data analysis, web technologies, computer programming and general computer science are part of the core curriculum for medical informatics.

Citizenship Education Research in Varied Contexts: Reflections and Future Possibilities. A Review Essay

Science.gov (United States)

Tudball, Libby

2015-01-01

Three books are the subject of this review essay: (1) Avril Keating's (2014) publication, "Education for Citizenship in Europe: European Policies, National Adaptations and Young People's Attitudes"; (2) "The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education", Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy (2015); and (3) "We…

Inequality in Ghanaian secondary schools: Educational expansion, recruitment, and internal stratification

Science.gov (United States)

Weis, Lois

1983-03-01

Researchers disagree as to whether expansion of an educational system leads primarily to greater equality of opportunity or the further reproduction of inequality. This article addresses this question through an examination of the social background characteristics of Ghanaian secondary school students in 1961 and 1974. Students in varying quality schools are compared as to their socio-economic status and urban experience. The data suggest that not only are children of relatively high-status parents gaining increased access to school, but that they are doing so increasingly in high-status institutions.

Backgrounds and characteristics of arsonists.

Science.gov (United States)

Labree, Wim; Nijman, Henk; van Marle, Hjalmar; Rassin, Eric

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to gain more insight in the backgrounds and characteristics of arsonists. For this, the psychiatric, psychological, personal, and criminal backgrounds of all arsonists (n=25), sentenced to forced treatment in the maximum security forensic hospital "De Kijvelanden", were compared to the characteristics of a control group of patients (n=50), incarcerated at the same institution for other severe crimes. Apart from DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II disorders, family backgrounds, level of education, treatment history, intelligence (WAIS scores), and PCL-R scores were included in the comparisons. Furthermore, the apparent motives for the arson offences were explored. It was found that arsonists had more often received psychiatric treatment, prior to committing their index offence, and had a history of severe alcohol abuse more often in comparison to the controls. The arsonists turned out to be less likely to suffer from a major psychotic disorder. Both groups did not differ significantly on the other variables, among which the PCL-R total scores and factor scores. Exploratory analyses however, did suggest that arsonists may differentiate from non-arsonists on three items of the PCL-R, namely impulsivity (higher scores), superficial charm (lower scores), and juvenile delinquency (lower scores). Although the number of arsonists with a major psychotic disorder was relatively low (28%), delusional thinking of some form was judged to play a role in causing arson crimes in about half of the cases (52%).

The Game Prisoner’s Bar: A Research on Their Educational Backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi Brasó Rius

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The collaborative game of Prisoner’s Base (also called Prisoner’s Bars has formed part of the cultural repository of Western civilisation from very remote times. Nevertheless, the anthropological, sociological and educational roots of this game have been only very slightly researched. Starting with a cultural assessment of its origins, we attempt to ascertain exactly why this physical-recreational game has remained practically unaltered over the centuries. The study adopts an approach that covers historical-genealogical and interdisciplinary phenomenological aspects (the latter concerning anthropology, sociology and education, supported by a broad-ranging documentary review of primary sources. The results lead us to sustain that, within the internal logic of Prisoner’s Base, there are the underlying socialising codes of contemporary education, through which its lasting presence guarantees the theory of the «process of civilisation» in the West. This interpretation also contributes to valuing its phenomenological comprehension within the history of physical games and the role that these play in society.

Background radiation dose of dumpsites in Ota and Environs

Science.gov (United States)

Usikalu, M. R.; Ola, O. O.; Achuka, J. A.; Babarimisa, I. O.; Ayara, W. A.

2017-05-01

In-situ measurement of background radiation dose from selected dumpsites in Ota and its environs was done using Radialert Nuclear Radiation Monitor (Digilert 200). Ten measurements were taken from each dumpsite. The measured background radiation range between 0.015 mRhr-1 for AOD and 0.028 mRhr-1 for SUS dumpsites. The calculated annual equivalent doses vary between 1.31 mSvyr-1 for AOD and 2.28 mSv/yr for SUS dumpsites. The air absorbed dose calculated ranged from 150 nGyhr-1 to 280 nGy/hr for AOD and SUS dumpsites respectively with an average value of 217 nGyhr-1 for all the locations. All the estimated parameters were higher than permissible limit set for background radiation for the general public. Conclusively, the associated challenge and radiation burden posed by the wastes on the studied locations and scavengers is high. Therefore, there is need by the regulatory authorities to look into the way and how waste can be properly managed so as to alleviate the effects on the populace leaving and working in the dumpsites vicinity.

Using Video Analysis, Microcomputer-Based Laboratories (MBL’s and Educational Simulations as Pedagogical Tools in Revolutionizing Inquiry Science Teaching and Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay B. Gregorio

2015-01-01

Full Text Available La main á la pâte is an inquiry-based science education programme founded in 1996 by Georges Charpak, Pierre Lena, Yves Quere and the French Académie des Sciences with the support of the Ministry of Education. The operation of the program primarily aims to revitalize and expand science teaching and learning in primary education by implementing an inquiry process that combines spontaneous exploration through varied prediction, experimentation, observation and argumentation. As a recognized program of innovation in science, La main á la pâte has gained global visibility and transcended across cultural backgrounds. The strength of the program is founded on continuous educational collaboration and innovative projects among pioneering institutions and educators for more than a decade.

Self-Similar Symmetry Model and Cosmic Microwave Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomohide eSonoda

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present the self-similar symmetry (SSS model that describes the hierarchical structure of the universe. The model is based on the concept of self-similarity, which explains the symmetry of the cosmic microwave background (CMB. The approximate length and time scales of the six hierarchies of the universe---grand unification, electroweak unification, the atom, the pulsar, the solar system, and the galactic system---are derived from the SSS model. In addition, the model implies that the electron mass and gravitational constant could vary with the CMB radiation temperature.

Cross-National Estimates of the Effects of Family Background on Student Achievement: A Sensitivity Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Nonoyama-Tarumi, Yuko

2008-01-01

This article uses the data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 to examine whether the influence of family background on educational achievement is sensitive to different measures of the family's socio-economic status (SES). The study finds that, when a multidimensional measure of SES is used, the family background has a stronger influence on achievement across countries than if the simpler measure of SES is used. The new measure, which incorporated aspects of parental occupation, education and cultural resources, was not biased towards more wealthy nations, Western nations, or urban population. However, when a proxy of wealth was included in the measure of SES, this reduced the other measured effects of family background on achievement in many countries.

Schooling Background and Academic Academic Achievement of Agricultural Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Jayakumar

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In our society academic achievement is considered as a key criterion to judge one’s total potentiality and capability. Academic achievement is seen as a students’ grade point averages in many academic settings. Academic achievement has become an index of students’ future in this highly competitive world and Agricultural education is no exception.  Hence it becomes necessary to find out the factors that determine better academic performance. In this context the present study had been carried out to find out the possible relationship between schooling background and academic achievement of agriculture students. The students admitted in Adhiparasakthi Agricultural College, Kalavai, Vellore between 1999 and 2009 formed the subjects of the study. Findings of the study revealed that determinants like gender, type of school and stream of education had a significant role in the academic achievement of the students. Medium of instruction in HSC did influence the academic achievement but not significantly. It was also found that students who performed well in their HSC did perform well in their undergraduate programme also. This confirms that previous educational outcomes are the most important indicators of student’s future achievement and schooling background has a significant role in academic achievement of students.

Experimental study on acquisition of knowledge through repeated education and training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasou, Kunihide; Suzuki, Tomohiro; Yoshimura, Seiichi; Kitamura, Masaharu.

1997-01-01

Considering the educational methodology to bring up nuclear power plant operators, the experiments are conducted to discuss the relation between the educational backgrounds of subjects and the knowledge acquired through education and training and also to discuss the effects of repeated training on knowledge acquisition. The results show that the knowledge the subjects obtained through the training depends on their educational backgrounds. The subjects with the higher educational backgrounds seem to properly reorganize the knowledge for the operations with using their deep and meta knowledge. Therefore they can create anticipative responses and easily identify causes of events. The results also show that the repeated education and training given to the subjects with weaker backgrounds makes their knowledge reorganized and their ability becomes closer to the subjects' one with higher educational backgrounds. These results indicate that the knowledge acquired in the earlier stage of the education and training depends on the subjects' educational backgrounds. However, the repeated education and training compensates for the difference. It is also suggested that it will be possible to bring up operators more effectively and properly if the existence of people with different educational backgrounds is recognized and the education/training depending on the educational backgrounds are realized. (author)

Child Health and School Readiness: Background Paper on a National Education Goal.

Science.gov (United States)

Zill, Nicholas

One of the objectives of the U.S. Department of Education's National Goals for Education is that "Children will receive the nutrition and health care needed to arrive at school with healthy minds and bodies, and the number of low birthweight babies will be significantly reduced through enhanced prenatal health systems." This paper…

Religious Background and Educational Attainment: The Effects of Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism

Science.gov (United States)

Sander, William

2010-01-01

The effects of Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism on educational attainment in the United States are examined. OLS estimates of educational attainment and Probit estimates of college attainment are undertaken. It is shown that Islam and Judaism have similar positive effects on attainment relative to Protestants and Catholics. The effect of Buddhism is…

Why Do Policy-Makers Adopt Global Education Policies? Toward a Research Framework on the Varying Role of Ideas in Education Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Verger, Antoni

2014-01-01

Globalization is profoundly altering the education policy landscape. It introduces new problems in education agendas, compresses time and space in policy processes, and revitalizes the role of a range of supra-national players in educational reform. This deterritorialization of the education policy process has important theoretical and…

Radiographer interpretation of trauma radiographs: Issues for radiography education providers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, Maryann; Snaith, Beverly

2009-01-01

Background: The role of radiographers with respect to image interpretation within clinical practice is well recognised. It is the expectation of the professional, regulatory and academic bodies that upon qualification, radiographers will possess image interpretation skills. Additionally, The College of Radiographers has asserted that its aspiration is for all radiographers to be able to provide an immediate written interpretation on skeletal trauma radiographs by 2010. This paper explores the readiness of radiography education programmes in the UK to deliver this expectation. Method: A postal questionnaire was distributed to 25 Higher Education Institutions in the UK (including Northern Ireland) that provided pre-registration radiography education as identified from the Society and College of Radiographers register. Information was sought relating to the type of image interpretation education delivered at pre- and post-registration levels; the anatomical range of image interpretation education; and education delivery styles. Results: A total of 19 responses (n = 19/25; 76.0%) were received. Image interpretation education was included as part of all radiographer pre-registration programmes and offered at post-registration level at 12 academic centres (n = 12/19; 63.2%). The anatomical areas and educational delivery methods varied across institutions. Conclusion: Radiography education providers have embraced the need for image interpretation education within both pre- and post-registration radiography programmes. As a result, UK education programmes are able to meet the 2010 College of Radiographers aspiration.

Background music genre can modulate flavor pleasantness and overall impression of food stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiegel, Alexandra; Meullenet, Jean-François; Harrington, Robert J; Humble, Rachel; Seo, Han-Seok

2014-05-01

This study aimed to determine whether background music genre can alter food perception and acceptance, but also to determine how the effect of background music can vary as a function of type of food (emotional versus non-emotional foods) and source of music performer (single versus multiple performers). The music piece was edited into four genres: classical, jazz, hip-hop, and rock, by either a single or multiple performers. Following consumption of emotional (milk chocolate) or non-emotional food (bell peppers) with the four musical stimuli, participants were asked to rate sensory perception and impression of food stimuli. Participants liked food stimuli significantly more while listening to the jazz stimulus than the hip-hop stimulus. Further, the influence of background music on overall impression was present in the emotional food, but not in the non-emotional food. In addition, flavor pleasantness and overall impression of food stimuli differed between music genres arranged by a single performer, but not between those by multiple performers. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that music genre can alter flavor pleasantness and overall impression of food stimuli. Furthermore, the influence of music genre on food acceptance varies as a function of the type of served food and the source of music performer. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Do effects of common casemix adjusters on patient experiences vary across patient groups?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, D. de; Hoek, L. van der; Rademakers, J.; Delnoij, D.; Berg, M. van den

2017-01-01

Background: Many survey studies in health care adjust for demographic characteristics such as age, gender, educational attainment and general health when performing statistical analyses. Whether the effects of these demographic characteristics are consistent between patient groups remains to be

Hawkes process model with a time-dependent background rate and its application to high-frequency financial data

Science.gov (United States)

Omi, Takahiro; Hirata, Yoshito; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2017-07-01

A Hawkes process model with a time-varying background rate is developed for analyzing the high-frequency financial data. In our model, the logarithm of the background rate is modeled by a linear model with a relatively large number of variable-width basis functions, and the parameters are estimated by a Bayesian method. Our model can capture not only the slow time variation, such as in the intraday seasonality, but also the rapid one, which follows a macroeconomic news announcement. By analyzing the tick data of the Nikkei 225 mini, we find that (i) our model is better fitted to the data than the Hawkes models with a constant background rate or a slowly varying background rate, which have been commonly used in the field of quantitative finance; (ii) the improvement in the goodness-of-fit to the data by our model is significant especially for sessions where considerable fluctuation of the background rate is present; and (iii) our model is statistically consistent with the data. The branching ratio, which quantifies the level of the endogeneity of markets, estimated by our model is 0.41, suggesting the relative importance of exogenous factors in the market dynamics. We also demonstrate that it is critically important to appropriately model the time-dependent background rate for the branching ratio estimation.

Hawkes process model with a time-dependent background rate and its application to high-frequency financial data.

Science.gov (United States)

Omi, Takahiro; Hirata, Yoshito; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2017-07-01

A Hawkes process model with a time-varying background rate is developed for analyzing the high-frequency financial data. In our model, the logarithm of the background rate is modeled by a linear model with a relatively large number of variable-width basis functions, and the parameters are estimated by a Bayesian method. Our model can capture not only the slow time variation, such as in the intraday seasonality, but also the rapid one, which follows a macroeconomic news announcement. By analyzing the tick data of the Nikkei 225 mini, we find that (i) our model is better fitted to the data than the Hawkes models with a constant background rate or a slowly varying background rate, which have been commonly used in the field of quantitative finance; (ii) the improvement in the goodness-of-fit to the data by our model is significant especially for sessions where considerable fluctuation of the background rate is present; and (iii) our model is statistically consistent with the data. The branching ratio, which quantifies the level of the endogeneity of markets, estimated by our model is 0.41, suggesting the relative importance of exogenous factors in the market dynamics. We also demonstrate that it is critically important to appropriately model the time-dependent background rate for the branching ratio estimation.

Machine Induced Experimental Background Conditions in the LHC

CERN Document Server

Levinsen, Yngve Inntjore; Stapnes, Steinar

2012-09-19

The Large Hadron Collider set a new energy record for particle accelerators in late 2009, breaking the previous record held by Tevatron of 2 TeV collision energy. The LHC today operates at a collision energy of 7 TeV. With higher beam energy and intensity, measures have to be taken to ensure optimal experimental conditions and safety of the machine and detectors. Machine induced experimental background can severely reduce the quality of experimental triggers and track reconstruction. In a worst case, the radiation levels can be damaging for some of the subdetectors. The LHC is a particular challenge in this regard due to the vastly different operating conditions of the different experiments. The nominal luminosity varies by four orders of magnitude. The unprecedented stored beam energy and the amount of superconducting elements can make it challenging to protect the accelerator itself as well. In this work we have simulated and measured the machine induced background originating from various sources: the beam...

Moral Education as Intercultural Moral Education

Science.gov (United States)

Frisancho, Susana; Delgado, Guillermo Enrique

2018-01-01

In a diverse country such as Peru, moral education should reflect social, cultural, political and spiritual dilemmas of both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and their communities. To promote understanding and respect amongst people from different sociocultural backgrounds, moral education should encourage a dialogue between indigenous values…

Working with Practicing Teachers in a High-Stakes Teaching Context to Rethink Their Pedagogical Practices with Children of Diverse Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Christopher P.; Weber, Natalie Babiak

2016-01-01

The public education system in the United States continues to struggle in educating children of diverse backgrounds. Many have addressed this issue by documenting how certain practices teach children particular types of knowledge and skills. This developmental focus on what should be happening to children of diverse backgrounds tends to ignore the…

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

Volume two contains the following appendices: Description of soil sampling sites; sampling narrative; raw data soil background; background data analysis; sitewide background soil sampling plan; and use of soil background data for the detection of contamination at waste management unit on the Hanford Site

A statistical background noise correction sensitive to the steadiness of background noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Oppenheimer, Charles H

2016-10-01

A statistical background noise correction is developed for removing background noise contributions from measured source levels, producing a background noise-corrected source level. Like the standard background noise corrections of ISO 3741, ISO 3744, ISO 3745, and ISO 11201, the statistical background correction increases as the background level approaches the measured source level, decreasing the background noise-corrected source level. Unlike the standard corrections, the statistical background correction increases with steadiness of the background and is excluded from use when background fluctuation could be responsible for measured differences between the source and background noise levels. The statistical background noise correction has several advantages over the standard correction: (1) enveloping the true source with known confidence, (2) assuring physical source descriptions when measuring sources in fluctuating backgrounds, (3) reducing background corrected source descriptions by 1 to 8 dB for sources in steady backgrounds, and (4) providing a means to replace standardized background correction caps that incentivize against high precision grade methods.

Current Commitments under the GATS in Educational Services. Background Document.

Science.gov (United States)

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

The GATS is a multilateral, legally enforceable agreement among members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that regulates international trade services. Rules regulating internationally traded educational services, which include various types of exchange programs, are part of the agreement. Among the 42 member countries that have made…

A Background in Science: What Science Means for Australian Society

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Kerri-Lee

2012-01-01

Prior to this research little was known about the ways in which people draw upon their science backgrounds. An earlier CSHE [Centre for the Study of Higher Education] study for the ACDS [Australian Council of Deans of Science] examined employment outcomes and confirmed that many science graduates pursue careers outside scientific research. There…

Impact of Sociocultural Background and Assessment Data Upon School Psychologists' Decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huebner, E. Scott; Cummings, Jack A.

1985-01-01

Psychologists (N=56) participated in an adapted version of Algozzine and Ysseldyke's (1981) diagnostic simulation to investigate the effects of sociocultural background (rural vs. suburban) and assessment data (normal vs. learning disabled) on educational decisions. Findings suggest school psychologists utilize multiple sources of information but…

Degrees of competency: the relationship between educational qualifications and adult skills across countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natascha Massing

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Educational qualifications and literacy skills are highly related. This is not surprising as it is one aim of educational systems to equip individuals with competencies necessary to take part in society. Because of this relationship educational qualifications are often used as a proxy for “human capital”. However, from a theoretical perspective, there are many reasons why this relationship is not perfect, and to some degree this is due to third variables. Thus, we want to explore the net relationship between educational attainment (harmonized according to the International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED and literacy skills, and how much skills vary within education levels across countries. Methods We use data from 21 countries from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012. This paper compares the literacy skills of adults who achieved different levels of educational attainment across countries. Given the high degree of educational differentiation in most countries, we do this using a more differentiated educational attainment variable than what is commonly used.  In our analyses we firstly adjust for factors that are likely to affect access to education and the acquisition of educational qualifications and literacy skills, such as parental education and language and migration background. In a second step, we also take into account factors affecting skill development after initial formal education, such as occupation and skill use at home. Results We firstly find a high degree of heterogeneity of skills across countries for equivalent education categories. Secondly, we find skill similarities for equivalent education categories classified at different broad education levels, sometimes even breaking the hierarchical order of ‘higher education entails higher competencies’. Conclusion We conclude that ISCED levels cannot be taken as a cross-nationally comparable proxy for

The Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

Science.gov (United States)

McCollough, Michael; Rots, Arnold; Primini, Francis A.; Evans, Ian N.; Glotfelty, Kenny J.; Hain, Roger; Anderson, Craig S.; Bonaventura, Nina R.; Chen, Judy C.; Davis, John E.; Doe, Stephen M.; Evans, Janet D.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Galle, Elizabeth C.; Danny G. Gibbs, II; Grier, John D.; Hall, Diane M.; Harbo, Peter N.; He, Xiang Qun (Helen); Houck, John C.; Karovska, Margarita; Kashyap, Vinay L.; Lauer, Jennifer; McCollough, Michael L.; McDowell, Jonathan C.; Miller, Joseph B.; Mitschang, Arik W.; Morgan, Douglas L.; Mossman, Amy E.; Nichols, Joy S.; Nowak, Michael A.; Plummer, David A.; Refsdal, Brian L.; Siemiginowska, Aneta L.; Sundheim, Beth A.; Tibbetts, Michael S.; van Stone, David W.; Winkelman, Sherry L.; Zografou, Panagoula

2009-09-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are used to generate one of the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Cosmological evolution of a brane Universe in a type 0 string background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papantonopoulos, E.; Pappa, I.

2002-01-01

We study the cosmological evolution of a D3-brane Universe in a type 0 string background. We follow the brane universe along the radial coordinate of the background and we calculate the energy density which is induced on the brane because of its motion in the bulk. For constant values of tachyon and dilaton an inflationary phase is appearing. For non constant values of tachyon and dilaton and for a particular range of values of the scale factor of the brane-universe, the effective energy density is dominated by a term proportional to 1/(log α) 4 indicating a slowly varying inflationary phase

Observational constraints on holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Jianbo; Xu, Lixin [Institute of Theoretical Physics, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024 (China); Saridakis, Emmanuel N. [College of Mathematics and Physics, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, 400065 (China); Setare, M.R., E-mail: lvjianbo819@163.com, E-mail: msaridak@phys.uoa.gr, E-mail: rezakord@ipm.ir, E-mail: lxxu@dlut.edu.cn [Department of Science of Bijar, University of Kurdistan, Bijar (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-03-01

We use observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (SN), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and observational Hubble data (OHD), and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, to constrain the cosmological scenario of holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant. We consider both flat and non-flat background geometry, and we present the corresponding constraints and contour-plots of the model parameters. We conclude that the scenario is compatible with observations. In 1σ we find Ω{sub Λ0} = 0.72{sup +0.03}{sub −0.03}, Ω{sub k0} = −0.0013{sup +0.0130}{sub −0.0040}, c = 0.80{sup +0.19}{sub −0.14} and Δ{sub G}≡G'/G = −0.0025{sup +0.0080}{sub −0.0050}, while for the present value of the dark energy equation-of-state parameter we obtain w{sub 0} = −1.04{sup +0.15}{sub −0.20}.

Modelling antecedents of blood donation motivation among non-donors of varying age and education.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemmens, K P H; Abraham, C; Ruiter, R A C; Veldhuizen, I J T; Dehing, C J G; Bos, A E R; Schaalma, H P

2009-02-01

Understanding blood donation motivation among non-donors is prerequisite to effective recruitment. Two studies explored the psychological antecedents of blood donation motivation and the generalisability of a model of donation motivation across groups differing in age and educational level. An older well-educated population and a younger less well-educated population were sampled. The studies assessed the role of altruism, fear of blood/needles and donation-specific cognitions including attitudes and normative beliefs derived from an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Across both samples, results showed that affective attitude, subjective norm, descriptive norm, and moral norm were the most important correlates of blood donation intentions. Self-efficacy was more important among the younger less well-educated group. Altruism was related to donation motivation but only indirectly through moral norm. Similarly, fear of blood/needles only had an indirect effect on motivation through affective attitude and self-efficacy. Additional analyses with the combined data set found no age or education moderation effects, suggesting that this core model of donation-specific cognitions can be used to inform future practical interventions recruiting new blood donors in the general population.

Presenting and processing information in background noise: A combined speaker-listener perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Bockstael, Annelies; Samyn, Laurie; Corthals, Paul; Botteldooren, Dick

2018-01-01

Transferring information orally in background noise is challenging, for both speaker and listener. Successful transfer depends on complex interaction between characteristics related to listener, speaker, task, background noise, and context. To fully assess the underlying real-life mechanisms, experimental design has to mimic this complex reality. In the current study, the effects of different types of background noise have been studied in an ecologically valid test design. Documentary-style information had to be presented by the speaker and simultaneously acquired by the listener in four conditions: quiet, unintelligible multitalker babble, fluctuating city street noise, and little varying highway noise. For both speaker and listener, the primary task was to focus on the content that had to be transferred. In addition, for the speakers, the occurrence of hesitation phenomena was assessed. The listener had to perform an additional secondary task to address listening effort. For the listener the condition with the most eventful background noise, i.e., fluctuating city street noise, appeared to be the most difficult with markedly longer duration of the secondary task. In the same fluctuating background noise, speech appeared to be less disfluent, suggesting a higher level of concentration from the speaker's side.

Secular trends in overweight and obesity among Icelandic adolescents: do parental education levels and family structure play a part?

Science.gov (United States)

Eidsdóttir, Sigridur Þ; Kristjánsson, Álfgeir l; Sigfúsdóttir, Inga D; Garber, Carol E; Allegrante, John P

2013-06-01

To investigate whether the secular trend in the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among 16- to 20-year-old adolescents in Iceland varied by levels of parental education and family structure. Odds ratios were calculated from repeated population-based, cross-sectional surveys comprising cohorts of 16- to 20-year-old Icelandic adolescents attending junior colleges in 1992 (n=4,922), 2004 (n=11,031), 2007 (n=11,229), and 2010 (n=11,388). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from self-reported weight and height and categorised as normal weight or overweight and obese, and examined in relation to parental education level and family structure. The odds of being overweight increased by 2.62 and 1.71 for boys and girls respectively over each of the survey time points. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased across all three subgroups (low, medium, and high) of parental education level. The probability of overweight across all years were consistently the highest for youths with parents in the low-education category followed by middle-educated and high-educated parental background (peducation backgrounds increased over time and was generally explained more by the fathers' education than by the mothers' education (pFamily structure was not associated with the prevalence of overweight and obesity in our data. Differences in parental levels of education are associated with accelerating trends in prevalence of overweight and obesity among 16- to 20-year-old adolescents in Iceland.

Effect of substrate intake and physiological state on background 13CO2 enrichment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, R.R.; Shaw, J.H.F.; Nadel, E.R.; Wolfe, M.H.

1984-01-01

The natural enrichment of 13 C in energy substrates varies, and this variation must be taken into account when stable isotopic tracers are used in metabolic studies. This is conventionally accomplished by measuring background samples taken before the tracer infusion begins and subtracting these values from postinfusion values. Whereas this approach is satisfactory if no perturbation occurs between the collection of the background samples and the collection of postinfusion sample, the data presented in this paper show that any change in the metabolic state can significantly alter the background enrichment of expired CO 2 . This study not only confirmed that the introduction of natural energy sources may alter the background enrichment of CO 2 , but we also found that changes in substrate oxidation induced by different physiological states, such as exercise, can cause significant changes in expired CO 2 enrichments. Conclusions from studies in which oxidation of substrates were measured by means of a 13 C tracer but potential changes in background enrichments were not accounted for must, therefore, be reassessed

Research on "STI +" Model in College Entrepreneurship Education

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Maike; Xu, Shuo; Gu, Jibao

2017-01-01

The current state attaches great importance to college entrepreneurship education, but entrepreneurship education should combine with college students' professional learning. Different professional learning backgrounds have commonalities in entrepreneurship education; there may be differences, too. Various professional knowledge background and…

Health-related Culinary Education: A Summary of Representative Emerging Programs for Health Professionals and Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Polak, Rani; Phillips, Edward M; Nordgren, Julia; La Puma, John; La Barba, Julie; Cucuzzella, Mark; Graham, Robert; Harlan, Timothy S; Burg, Tracey; Eisenberg, David

2016-01-01

Beneficial correlations are suggested between food preparation and home food preparation of healthy choices. Therefore, there is an emergence of culinary medicine (CM) programs directed at both patients and medical professionals which deliver education emphasizing skills such as shopping, food storage, and meal preparation. The goal of this article is to provide a description of emerging CM programs and to imagine how this field can mature. During April 2015, 10 CM programs were identified by surveying CM and lifestyle medicine leaders. Program directors completed a narrative describing their program's structure, curricula, educational design, modes of delivery, funding, and cost. Interviews were conducted in an effort to optimize data collection. All 10 culinary programs deliver medical education curricula educating 2654 health professionals per year. Educational goals vary within the domains of (1) provider's self-behavior, (2) nutritional knowledge and (3) prescribing nutrition. Six programs deliver patients' curricula, educating 4225 individuals per year. These programs' content varies and focuses on either specific diets or various culinary behaviors. All the programs' directors are health professionals who are also either credentialed chefs or have a strong culinary background. Nine of these programs offer culinary training in either a hands-on or visual demonstration within a teaching kitchen setting, while one delivers remote culinary tele-education. Seven programs track outcomes using various questionnaires and biometric data. There is currently no consensus about learning objectives, curricular domains, staffing, and facility requirements associated with CM, and there has been little research to explore its impact. A shared strategy is needed to collectively overcome these challenges.

Do effects of common case-mix adjusters on patient experiences vary across patient groups?

Science.gov (United States)

de Boer, Dolf; van der Hoek, Lucas; Rademakers, Jany; Delnoij, Diana; van den Berg, Michael

2017-11-22

Many survey studies in health care adjust for demographic characteristics such as age, gender, educational attainment and general health when performing statistical analyses. Whether the effects of these demographic characteristics are consistent between patient groups remains to be determined. This is important as the rationale for adjustment is often that demographic sub-groups differ in their so-called 'response tendency'. This rationale may be less convincing if the effects of response tendencies vary across patient groups. The present paper examines whether the impact of these characteristics on patients' global rating of care varies across patient groups. Secondary analyses using multi-level regression models were performed on a dataset including 32 different patient groups and 145,578 observations. For each demographic variable, the 95% expected range of case-mix coefficients across patient groups is presented. In addition, we report whether the variance of coefficients for demographic variables across patient groups is significant. Overall, men, elderly, lower educated people and people in good health tend to give higher global ratings. However, these effects varied significantly across patient groups and included the possibility of no effect or an opposite effect in some patient groups. The response tendency attributed to demographic characteristics - such as older respondents being milder, or higher educated respondents being more critical - is not general or universal. As such, the mechanism linking demographic characteristics to survey results on patient experiences with quality of care is more complicated than a general response tendency. It is possible that the response tendency interacts with patient group, but it is also possible that other mechanisms are at play.

Risk-Based Educational Accountability in Dutch Primary Education

Science.gov (United States)

Timmermans, A. C.; de Wolf, I. F.; Bosker, R. J.; Doolaard, S.

2015-01-01

A recent development in educational accountability is a risk-based approach, in which intensity and frequency of school inspections vary across schools to make educational accountability more efficient and effective by enabling inspectorates to focus on organizations at risk. Characteristics relevant in predicting which schools are "at risk…

The effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention in reducing heavy drinking among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Voogt Carmen V

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The serious negative health consequences of heavy drinking among adolescents is cause for concern, especially among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background. In the Netherlands, there is a lack of alcohol prevention programs directed to the drinking patterns of this specific target group. The study described in this protocol will test the effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention that aims to reduce alcohol use among heavy drinking adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background. Methods/design The effectiveness of the What Do You Drink (WDYD web-based brief alcohol intervention will be tested among 750 low-educated, heavy drinking adolescents. It will use a two-arm parallel group cluster randomized controlled trial. Classes of adolescents from educational institutions will be randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 375: web-based brief alcohol intervention or control condition (n = 375: no intervention. Primary outcomes measures will be: 1 the percentage of participants who drink within the normative limits of the Dutch National Health Council for low-risk drinking, 2 reductions in mean weekly alcohol consumption, and 3 frequency of binge drinking. The secondary outcome measures include the alcohol-related cognitions, attitudes, self-efficacy, and subjective norms, which will be measured at baseline and at one and six months after the intervention. Discussion This study protocol presents the study design of a two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the WDYD web-based brief alcohol intervention. We hypothesized a reduction in mean weekly alcohol consumption and in the frequency of binge drinking in the experimental condition, resulting from the web-based brief alcohol intervention, compared to the control condition. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register NTR2971

Background on Establishing a Working Group to Create Home Clinical Cases for Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshitake, Taketo

2017-01-01

In Japan there are concerns that there will be a surge in social insurance costs such as medical and nursing care expenses as a result of the baby boom generation reaching the late stages of old age (75 years old and beyond) around 2025 ("The 2025 Problem"). In 2012, the "Outline on Social Insurance and Tax Reform" was approved by the Japanese cabinet and government, including "construction of regional comprehensive care". To promote participation in home medical care by pharmacists, this article presents the roles demanded of pharmacists in regional comprehensive care from the standpoint of physicians, and the discussion of case studies bridging the gap from knowledge learned in lectures to practical applications. In the field of medical education, "The 2023 Problem", regarding standards of education on a global level, caused medical schools across Japan to scramble for curriculum reform, specifically in the demand for increased time spent in clinical training and the expansion of community-based medical education. The current state of community-based medical education will be reviewed. In light of these developments, "the working group to create home clinical cases for education" was developed by clinical pharmacists in the field and university faculty members at Daiichi University of Pharmacy.

Inclusive education and students without special educational needs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijs, N.M.; van der Veen, I.; Peetsma, T.T.D.

2010-01-01

Background: In the debate on inclusive education, students without special educational needs (SEN) are an important topic. However, there is a lot unknown about differences between these typical students in inclusive and non-inclusive classes. For example, the neutral results that are often found in

Education and War

Science.gov (United States)

Blair, Elizabeth E., Ed.; Miller, Rebecca B., Ed.; Tieken, Mara Casey, Ed.

2009-01-01

This book examines the complex and varied relations between educational institutions and societies at war. Drawn from the pages of the "Harvard Educational Review," the essays provide multiple perspectives on how educational institutions support and oppose wartime efforts. As the editors of the volume note, the book reveals how people…

Knowing One's Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University.

Science.gov (United States)

Janke, Stefan; Rudert, Selma C; Marksteiner, Tamara; Dickhäuser, Oliver

2017-01-01

-generation status may not be sufficient to fully understand the importance of parental educational background for students' well-being. More specifically, continuing-generation students might reap benefits from their parental educational background. These benefits widen the social gap in academia in addition to the disadvantages of students with first-generation status. In sum, understanding the benefits of continuing-generation status has important implications for interventions aiming to reduce social class gaps in academia.

Disparities in Disability by Educational Attainment Across US States.

Science.gov (United States)

Montez, Jennifer Karas; Zajacova, Anna; Hayward, Mark D

2017-07-01

To examine how disparities in adult disability by educational attainment vary across US states. We used the nationally representative data of more than 6 million adults aged 45 to 89 years in the 2010-2014 American Community Survey. We defined disability as difficulty with activities of daily living. We categorized education as low (less than high school), mid (high school or some college), or high (bachelor's or higher). We estimated age-standardized disability prevalence by educational attainment and state. We assessed whether the variation in disability across states occurs primarily among low-educated adults and whether it reflects the socioeconomic resources of low-educated adults and their surrounding contexts. Disparities in disability by education vary markedly across states-from a 20 percentage point disparity in Massachusetts to a 12-point disparity in Wyoming. Disparities vary across states mainly because the prevalence of disability among low-educated adults varies across states. Personal and contextual socioeconomic resources of low-educated adults account for 29% of the variation. Efforts to reduce disparities in disability by education should consider state and local strategies that reduce poverty among low-educated adults and their surrounding contexts.

Methodological comparison of marginal structural model, time-varying Cox regression, and propensity score methods : the example of antidepressant use and the risk of hip fracture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ali, M Sanni; Groenwold, Rolf H H; Belitser, Svetlana V; Souverein, Patrick C; Martín, Elisa; Gatto, Nicolle M; Huerta, Consuelo; Gardarsdottir, Helga; Roes, Kit C B; Hoes, Arno W; de Boer, Antonius; Klungel, Olaf H

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Observational studies including time-varying treatments are prone to confounding. We compared time-varying Cox regression analysis, propensity score (PS) methods, and marginal structural models (MSMs) in a study of antidepressant [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)] use and

Institutions of Higher Education Pre-Service School Health Education Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Brad; Telljohann, Susan K.; Dake, Joseph A.; Price, James H.

2010-01-01

Background: The quality of health education teachers is, in large part, dependent on the education they receive from their teacher preparation program. Purpose: This study assessed institutions of higher education (IHE) teaching practices in school health teacher preparation programs regarding the amount of time spent and content taught related to…

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

The determination of soil background is one of the most important activities supporting environmental restoration and waste management on the Hanford Site. Background compositions serve as the basis for identifying soil contamination, and also as a baseline in risk assessment processes used to determine soil cleanup and treatment levels. These uses of soil background require an understanding of the extent to which analytes of concern occur naturally in the soils. This report documents the results of sampling and analysis activities designed to characterize the composition of soil background at the Hanford Site, and to evaluate the feasibility for use as Sitewide background. The compositions of naturally occurring soils in the vadose Zone have been-determined for-nonradioactive inorganic and organic analytes and related physical properties. These results confirm that a Sitewide approach to the characterization of soil background is technically sound and is a viable alternative to the determination and use of numerous local or area backgrounds that yield inconsistent definitions of contamination. Sitewide soil background consists of several types of data and is appropriate for use in identifying contamination in all soils in the vadose zone on the Hanford Site. The natural concentrations of nearly every inorganic analyte extend to levels that exceed calculated health-based cleanup limits. The levels of most inorganic analytes, however, are well below these health-based limits. The highest measured background concentrations occur in three volumetrically minor soil types, the most important of which are topsoils adjacent to the Columbia River that are rich in organic carbon. No organic analyte levels above detection were found in any of the soil samples

ADULT EDUCATION IN NEPAL.

Science.gov (United States)

HELY, ARNOLD S.M.

IN THIS REPORT ON ADULT EDUCATION IN NEPAL, THE GEOGRAPHIC, ETHNIC, ECONOMIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARE DISCUSSED. THE EXTENT OF PROGRESS IN NATIONAL EDUCATION (INCLUDING LITERACY CAMPAIGNS) SINCE 1951 PROVIDES BACKGROUND FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION AND…

Pre-counseling education for low literacy women at risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC): patient experiences using the Cancer Risk Education Intervention Tool (CREdIT).

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Galen; Beattie, Mary S; Lee, Robin; Braithwaite, Dejana; Wilcox, Carolina; Metrikin, Maya; Lamvik, Kate; Luce, Judith

2010-10-01

The Cancer Risk Education Intervention Tool (CREdIT) is a computer-based (non-interactive) slide presentation designed to educate low-literacy, and ethnically and racially diverse public hospital patients at risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) about genetics. To qualitatively evaluate participants' experience with and perceptions of a genetic education program as an adjunct to genetic counseling, we conducted direct observations of the intervention, semi-structured in person interviews with 11 women who viewed CREdIT, and post-counseling questionnaires with the two participating genetic counselors. Five themes emerged from the analysis of interviews: (1) genetic counseling and testing for breast/ovarian cancer was a new concept; (2) CREdIT's story format was particularly appealing; (3) changes in participants' perceived risk for breast cancer varied; (4) some misunderstandings about individual risk and heredity persisted after CREdIT and counseling; (5) the context for viewing CREdIT shaped responses to the presentation. Observations demonstrated ways to make the information provided in CREdIT and by genetic counselors more consistent. In a post-session counselor questionnaire, counselors' rating of the patient's preparedness before the session was significantly higher for patients who viewed CREdIT prior to their appointments than for other patients. This novel educational tool fills a gap in HBOC education by tailoring information to women of lower literacy and diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds. The tool was well received by interview participants and counselors alike. Further study is needed to examine the varied effects of CREdIT on risk perception. In addition, the implementation of CREdIT in diverse clinical settings and the cultural adaptation of CREdIT to specific populations reflect important areas for future work.

Design and Craft Education in Iceland, Pedagogical Background and Development: A Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Olafsson, Brynjar; Thorsteinsson, Gisli

2009-01-01

Sloyd pedagogy was introduced towards the close of the 18th century to Icelandic educators. Subsequently craft was established as a specific subject aimed at general education. In the beginning craft was called "school industry," to distinguish it from "home industry" whose aim was to help homes to be self-sufficient for…

Educational Systems and Inequalities in Educational Attainment in Central and Eastern European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irena Kogan

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Before exploring the selectivity of educational attainment in detail, this article extensively describes the contours of educational systems in Central and Eastern European (CEE countries. These countries provide an interesting setting in view of their post-secondary education expansion and differentiation, as well as their variation in the degree of vocational orientation at the secondary level. Drawing on high quality, national micro data, we find that students from disadvantaged family backgrounds who manage to enter post-secondary education are ʽdivertedʼ to second-tier post-secondary institutions, while long-term university programs are more likely to be dominated by students whose parents have an academic background. At the secondary level, we confirm the patterns of negative selection among students from lower social backgrounds into lower vocational programs. This diversion effect at the secondary level is especially pronounced in CEE countries that inherited a strong secondary vocational system and reinstalled early tracking.

Learning to Lead in Higher Education: Insights into the Family Backgrounds of Women University Presidents

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Susan R.

2007-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of women university presidents related to becoming leaders or learning to lead. This manuscript highlights the research focused on the immediate family backgrounds and influences on these presidents. The research question was as follows: With regard to their family backgrounds and…

Family Background, Students' Academic Self-Efficacy, and Students' Career and Life Success Expectations

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mihyeon

2014-01-01

This study examined the relationship of family background on students' academic self-efficacy and the impact of students' self-efficacy on their career and life success expectations. The study used the national dataset of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Based on a path…

Clean air strategy for Alberta: Background project reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-06-01

As a background to the development of a clean air strategy for Alberta, reports are presented which cover the definition of what clean air is, the applicability of full cost accounting to this strategy, market-based approaches to managing Alberta air emissions, gas and electric utility incentives programs for energy efficiency, energy efficiency legislation in Alberta and other jurisdictions, initiatives which address emissions reduction in the transportation sector, coordination of science and technology relevant to clean air issues, and initiatives in energy and environmental education

The effect of background and illumination on color identification of real, 3D objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Allred, Sarah R; Olkkonen, Maria

2013-01-01

For the surface reflectance of an object to be a useful cue to object identity, judgments of its color should remain stable across changes in the object's environment. In 2D scenes, there is general consensus that color judgments are much more stable across illumination changes than background changes. Here we investigate whether these findings generalize to real 3D objects. Observers made color matches to cubes as we independently varied both the illumination impinging on the cube and the 3D background of the cube. As in 2D scenes, we found relatively high but imperfect stability of color judgments under an illuminant shift. In contrast to 2D scenes, we found that background had little effect on average color judgments. In addition, variability of color judgments was increased by an illuminant shift and decreased by embedding the cube within a background. Taken together, these results suggest that in real 3D scenes with ample cues to object segregation, the addition of a background may improve stability of color identification.

The effect of background and illumination on color identification of real, 3D objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Ray Allred

2013-11-01

Full Text Available For the surface reflectance of an object to be a useful cue to object identity, judgments of its color should remain stable across changes in the object's environment. In 2D scenes, there is general consensus that color judgments are much more stable across illumination changes than background changes. Here we investigate whether these findings generalize to real 3D objects. Observers made color matches to cubes as we independently varied both the illumination impinging on the cube and the 3D background of the cube. As in 2D scenes, we found relatively high but imperfect stability of color judgments under an illuminant shift. In contrast to 2D scenes, we found that background had little effect on average color judgments. In addition, variability of color judgments was increased by an illuminant shift and decreased by embedding the cube within a background. Taken together, these results suggest that in real 3D scenes with ample cues to object segregation, the addition of a background may improve stability of color identification.

Relationship between out-of-home care placement history characteristics and educational achievement: A population level linked data study.

Science.gov (United States)

Maclean, Miriam J; Taylor, Catherine L; O'Donnell, Melissa

2017-08-01

Studies generally show children who have entered out-of-home care have worse educational outcomes than the general population, although recent research suggests maltreatment and other adversities are major contributing factors. Children's out-of-home care experiences vary and may affect their outcomes. This study examined the influence of placement stability, reunification, type of care, time in care and age at entry to care on children's educational outcomes. We conducted a population-based record-linkage study of children born in Western Australia between 1990 and 2010 who sat State or national Year 3 reading achievement tests (N=235,045 children, including 2160 children with a history of out-of-home care). Children's educational outcomes varied with many aspects of their care experience. Children placed in residential care were particularly likely to have low scores, with an unadjusted OR 6.81, 95% CI[4.94, 9.39] for low reading scores, which was partially attenuated after adjusting for background risk factors but remained significant (OR=1.50, 95% CIs [1.08, 2.08]). Reading scores were also lower for children who had experienced changes in care arrangements in the year of the test. A dose-response effect for multiple placements was expected but not found. Older age at entering care was also associated with worse reading scores. Different characteristics of a child's care history were interwoven with each other as well as child, family and neighbourhood characteristics, highlighting a need for caution in attributing causality. Although the level of educational difficulties varied, the findings suggest a widespread need for additional educational support for children who have entered care, including after reunification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

INTEGRAL/SPI γ-ray line spectroscopy. Response and background characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, Roland; Siegert, Thomas; Greiner, Jochen; Krause, Martin; Kretschmer, Karsten; Lang, Michael; Pleintinger, Moritz; Strong, Andrew W.; Weinberger, Christoph; Zhang, Xiaoling

2018-03-01

instrumental background components change in intensities and other characteristics, most-importantly their relative distribution among detectors. Results: Spectral resolution of Ge detectors in space degrades with time, up to 15% within half a year, consistently for all detectors, and across the SPI energy range. Semi-annual annealing operations recover these losses, yet there is a small long-term degradation. The intensity of instrumental background varies anti-correlated to solar activity, in general. There are significant differences among different lines and with respect to continuum. Background lines are found to have a characteristic, well-defined and long-term consistent intensity ratio among detectors. We use this to categorise lines in groups of similar behaviour. The dataset of spectral-response and background parameters as fitted across the INTEGRAL mission allows studies of SPI spectral response and background behaviour in a broad perspective, and efficiently supports precision modelling of instrumental background.

Rethinking Discussions of Justice in Educational Research: Formative Justice, Educational Liberalism, and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Winston C.

2016-01-01

Background/Context: Educational research tends to borrow accounts of justice from scholarship embedded within the structures and commitments of other disciplines or fields of study. This has created a body of educational research that largely responds to the "justice" goals of those disciplines rather than education qua education.…

Educational differentials in disability vary across and within welfare regimes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cambois, Emmanuelle; Solé-Auró, Aïda; Brønnum-Hansen, Henrik

2016-01-01

-band), but was large in the Czech Republic (eg, 1.9 (1.7-2.2)), Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Hungary. The high-educated groups had a small relative AL-advantage in Denmark (eg, 0.9 (0.8-1.1)), but a large AL-advantage in Lithuania (eg, 0.5 (0.4-0.6)), half of the Baltic and Eastern European countries, Norway...... health-related activity limitation (AL) in the 2009 European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) across 26 countries classified into four welfare regime groups. Logistic models adjusted by country, age and sex (in all 30-79 years and in three age-bands) measured the country-specific ORs...... social differentials in health....

The effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention in reducing heavy drinking among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voogt, C.V.; Poelen, E.A.P.; Lemmers, A.C.J.; Engels, R.C.M.E.

2012-01-01

The serious negative health consequences of heavy drinking among adolescents is cause for concern, especially among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background. In the Netherlands, there is a lack of alcohol prevention programs directed to the drinking patterns of this specific

The Importance of Indirect Teaching Behaviour and Its Educational Effects in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Hyunwoo; Choi, Euichang

2016-01-01

Background: Physical education teacher behaviour has been a subject of study in physical education including physical education teacher education for 30 years. However, the research on teacher behaviour has tended to focus on direct teaching behaviour (DTB) to demonstrate the benefits of effective teaching, centred on a technical understanding of…

Exploring the Relationship Between Working Memory, Compressor Speed, and Background Noise Characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohlenforst, Barbara; Souza, Pamela E.; MacDonald, Ewen

2016-01-01

grouped by high or low working memory according to their performance on a reading span test. Speech intelligibility was measured for low-context sentences presented in background noise, where the noise varied in the extent of amplitude modulation. Simulated fast- or slowacting compression amplification...... on the number of talkers in the background noise. The presented signal to noise ratios were not a significant factor on the measured intelligibility performance. Conclusion: In agreement with earlier research, high working memory allowed better speech intelligibility when fast compression was applied......Objectives: Previous work has shown that individuals with lower working memory demonstrate reduced intelligibility for speech processed with fast-acting compression amplification. This relationship has been noted in fluctuating noise, but the extent of noise modulation that must be present...

Research in Mathematics Education

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenfeld, Alan H.

2016-01-01

As one of the three Rs, "'rithmetic" has always been central to education and education research. By virtue of that centrality, research in mathematics education has often reflected and at times led trends in education research. This chapter provides some deep background on epistemological and other issues that shape current research,…

An overview of background environmental radiological surveillance around Kudankulam nuclear power project site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajan, M.P.; Vijayakumar, B.; George, Thomas; Rajan, P.S.; Rana, B.K.; Kumar, M.; Hegde, A.G.; Chougaonkar, M.P.

2005-01-01

A modern Environmental Survey Laboratory (ESL) equipped with state-of-art nuclear counting, chemical and ecological equipment's has been set up at Kudankulam at the very beginning of construction activities to carry out pre operational and baseline radioactivity measurements. Construction activities for the two VVER type 1000 MWe reactors at the site are progressing ahead of schedule and the first unit is slated to be critical in the year 2007. This paper presents the results of environmental radiological surveillance carried out for the last one year in Kudankulam environs. General radiation background in the area varies in the range of 0.1 - 0.7 μGy/h and elevated levels as high as 20 μGy/h are noticed in beach areas. The major contribution to the background radiation in high background areas comes from 232 Th and its daughter products. The concentrations of 40 K are of normal order and comparable to other NPP sites and normal background areas. The concentrations of fallout nuclides are very low and are at global fallout levels. (author)

Microarray BASICA: Background Adjustment, Segmentation, Image Compression and Analysis of Microarray Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianping Hua

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents microarray BASICA: an integrated image processing tool for background adjustment, segmentation, image compression, and analysis of cDNA microarray images. BASICA uses a fast Mann-Whitney test-based algorithm to segment cDNA microarray images, and performs postprocessing to eliminate the segmentation irregularities. The segmentation results, along with the foreground and background intensities obtained with the background adjustment, are then used for independent compression of the foreground and background. We introduce a new distortion measurement for cDNA microarray image compression and devise a coding scheme by modifying the embedded block coding with optimized truncation (EBCOT algorithm (Taubman, 2000 to achieve optimal rate-distortion performance in lossy coding while still maintaining outstanding lossless compression performance. Experimental results show that the bit rate required to ensure sufficiently accurate gene expression measurement varies and depends on the quality of cDNA microarray images. For homogeneously hybridized cDNA microarray images, BASICA is able to provide from a bit rate as low as 5 bpp the gene expression data that are 99% in agreement with those of the original 32 bpp images.

Technical and Symbolic Knowledge in CNC Machining: A Study of Technical Workers of Different Backgrounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Laura M. W.; Beach, King

Performances of 45 individuals with varying degrees of formal and informal training in machining and programming were compared on tasks designed to tap intellectual changes that may occur with the introduction of computer numerical control (CNC). Participants--30 machinists, 8 machine operators, and 7 engineers--were asked background questions and…

Educational systems - educational qualification of nuclear power plant personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeger, H.

1986-01-01

In this lecture the following common features of education and training systems are described: - description of general school education, vocational training and engineering study programs, - allocation of categories of activities to normal school training backgrounds, - recommendations for educational and training programs required for various positions in nuclear power plants (formal and on-the-job training), - examinations and licences for the personnel at nuclear power plants. (orig./GL)

Finding Voice: The Higher Education Experiences of Students from Diverse Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Testa, Doris; Egan, Ronnie

2014-01-01

Diversity in the student body, particularly the inclusion of disadvantaged groups, has been incorporated into the discourse of inclusive education, with social justice and equality now part of the agenda. However, the conflation of diversity with equality potentially obscures some structural elements of the contemporary university system. This…

Education and the Children of One-Parent Families: A Background Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Barb

Current literature about children of one-parent families can provide educators with information on what effects living in a one-parent family have on a child's personality, behavior, and academic performance. Research indicates that at the elementary level children often fear abandonment, act aggressively, and display attention-seeking behaviors…

Exploring Educators' Perspectives: How Does Learning through "Happiness" Promote Quality Early Childhood Education?

Science.gov (United States)

Ikegami, Kiiko; Agbenyega, Joseph Seyram

2014-01-01

The quality of early childhood education has dominated current debates in the ways educators develop and implement learning programs for children yet conceptions of quality vary contextually and culturally. This qualitative case study explored the insider perspectives of six early childhood educators in Sapporo, Japan regarding their conceptions…

Density matrix of a quantum field in a particle-creating background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavrilov, S.P.; Gitman, D.M.; Tomazelli, J.L.

2008-01-01

We examine the time evolution of a quantized field in external backgrounds that violate the stability of vacuum (particle-creating backgrounds). Our purpose is to study the exact form of the final quantum state (the density operator at the final instant of time) that has emerged from a given arbitrary initial state (from a given arbitrary density operator at the initial time instant) in the course of evolution. We find a generating functional that allows one to obtain density operators for an arbitrary initial state. Averaging over states of the subsystem of antiparticles (particles), we obtain explicit forms of reduced density operators for the subsystem of particles (antiparticles). Analyzing one-particle correlation functions, we establish a one-to-one correspondence between these functions and the reduced density operators. It is shown that in the general case a presence of bosons (e.g., gluons) in the initial state increases the creation rate of the same type of bosons. We discuss the question (and its relation to the initial stage of quark-gluon plasma formation) whether a thermal form of one-particle distribution can appear even if the final state of the complete system is not in thermal equilibrium. In this respect, we discuss some cases when pair-creation by an electric-like field can mimic the one-particle thermal distribution. We apply our technics to some QFT problems in slowly varying electric-like backgrounds: electric, SU(3) chromoelectric, and metric. In particular, we analyze the time and temperature behavior of the mean numbers of created particles, provided that the effects of switching the external field on and off are negligible. It is demonstrated that at high temperatures and in slowly varying electric fields the rate of particle-creation is essentially time-dependent

Density matrix of a quantum field in a particle-creating background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavrilov, S.P. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 66318, CEP 05315-970 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: gavrilovsergeyp@yahoo.com; Gitman, D.M. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 66318, CEP 05315-970 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: gitman@dfn.if.usp.br; Tomazelli, J.L. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 66318, CEP 05315-970 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: tomazelli@fsc.ufsc.br

2008-06-01

We examine the time evolution of a quantized field in external backgrounds that violate the stability of vacuum (particle-creating backgrounds). Our purpose is to study the exact form of the final quantum state (the density operator at the final instant of time) that has emerged from a given arbitrary initial state (from a given arbitrary density operator at the initial time instant) in the course of evolution. We find a generating functional that allows one to obtain density operators for an arbitrary initial state. Averaging over states of the subsystem of antiparticles (particles), we obtain explicit forms of reduced density operators for the subsystem of particles (antiparticles). Analyzing one-particle correlation functions, we establish a one-to-one correspondence between these functions and the reduced density operators. It is shown that in the general case a presence of bosons (e.g., gluons) in the initial state increases the creation rate of the same type of bosons. We discuss the question (and its relation to the initial stage of quark-gluon plasma formation) whether a thermal form of one-particle distribution can appear even if the final state of the complete system is not in thermal equilibrium. In this respect, we discuss some cases when pair-creation by an electric-like field can mimic the one-particle thermal distribution. We apply our technics to some QFT problems in slowly varying electric-like backgrounds: electric, SU(3) chromoelectric, and metric. In particular, we analyze the time and temperature behavior of the mean numbers of created particles, provided that the effects of switching the external field on and off are negligible. It is demonstrated that at high temperatures and in slowly varying electric fields the rate of particle-creation is essentially time-dependent.

Coffee Drinking Is Widespread in the United States, but Usual Intake Varies by Key Demographic and Lifestyle Factors123

Science.gov (United States)

Loftfield, Erikka; Freedman, Neal D; Dodd, Kevin W; Vogtmann, Emily; Xiao, Qian; Sinha, Rashmi; Graubard, Barry I

2016-01-01

Background: Despite widespread popularity and possible health effects, the prevalence and distribution of coffee consumption in US adults are poorly characterized. Objective: We sought to estimate usual daily coffee intakes from all coffee-containing beverages, including decaffeinated and regular coffee, among US adults according to demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors. Methods: Dietary intake data from ≤2 nonconsecutive 24-h dietary recalls and a food-frequency questionnaire administered during the NHANES 2003–2006 were used to estimate the person-specific probability of consuming coffee on a particular day and the usual amount consumed on consumption days. Trends in population mean coffee consumption over time were evaluated by using multiple linear regression and 1-d 24-h recall data from NHANES 2003–2012. Analyses were weighted to be representative of the US adult population aged ≥20 y. Results: An estimated 154 million adults, or 75% of the US population, aged ≥20 y reported drinking coffee; 49% reported drinking coffee daily. Prevalence did not vary by sex, education, income, or self-reported general health (all P ≥ 0.05) but did vary by age, race/ethnicity, smoking status, and alcohol drinking (all P coffee drinkers, the mean ± SE usual intake was 14.1 ± 0.5 fluid ounces/d (417 ± 15 mL/d). Mean usual intakes were higher in men than women, in older age groups than in those aged 20 to coffee consumption was stable from 2003 to 2012 (P-trend = 0.09). Conclusions: Coffee is widely consumed in the United States, with usual intakes varying by lifestyle and demographic factors, most notably by age. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether observed differences by age reflect birth cohort effects or changes in drinking patterns over the lifetime. PMID:27489008

Family Background and Students' Achievement on a University Entrance Exam in Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Guimaraes, Juliana; Sampaio, Breno

2013-01-01

This paper examines the determinants of students' performance on the entrance test at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil. Particular attention is paid to the importance of family background variables, such as parents' education and family income, on students' performance and how they relate to the probability of attending public schools…

Knowing One’s Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Janke

2017-08-01

focusing solely on first-generation status may not be sufficient to fully understand the importance of parental educational background for students’ well-being. More specifically, continuing-generation students might reap benefits from their parental educational background. These benefits widen the social gap in academia in addition to the disadvantages of students with first-generation status. In sum, understanding the benefits of continuing-generation status has important implications for interventions aiming to reduce social class gaps in academia.

Knowing One’s Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University

Science.gov (United States)

Janke, Stefan; Rudert, Selma C.; Marksteiner, Tamara; Dickhäuser, Oliver

2017-01-01

-generation status may not be sufficient to fully understand the importance of parental educational background for students’ well-being. More specifically, continuing-generation students might reap benefits from their parental educational background. These benefits widen the social gap in academia in addition to the disadvantages of students with first-generation status. In sum, understanding the benefits of continuing-generation status has important implications for interventions aiming to reduce social class gaps in academia. PMID:28824505

From the Reality of Work to Grounded Work-Based Learning in German Vocational Education and Training: Background, Concept and Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Gessler

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The "Riga Conclusions" of the European Ministries of Education of 22 June 2015 for the orientation of vocational education and training in Europe are promoting work-based learning as one of five "medium-term deliverables" for the next five years. But: How should and can work-based teaching and learning be designed? Our approach was developed within the German Dual VET System. Therefore it is not surprising that the work reality is for us the major principle for designing curricula and learning settings. As a starting point for developing didactical measures in the field of vocational education and training it is crucial in this approach to identify practices, routines and experiences of skilled workers that are experts for what they are doing. What are those people doing when handling a task, how are they acting, what work objects and tools are they operating with, and what requirements do they have to be aware of? To answer these kinds of questions, the real work in practice must be explored. A useful approach for doing this is a vocational work process analysis. The next step comprises developing a workbased learning project for the classroom. These two steps, vocational work process analysis and work-based learning projects, build the core of the article and enable a grounded work-based learning. Additional the changing priorities of curriculum design in the last century are introduced to reach a better understanding of the background and the actual work-oriented focus in German Dual VET. Our key proposition is: If work-based learning in vocational schools is wanted, the gap between the reality of work and the formal learning settings has to be closed.

Inequalities in Educational Outcomes: How Important is the Family?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Nina; Bredtmann, Julia

In this paper, we investigate sibling correlations in educational outcomes, which serve as a broad measure of the importance of family and community background. Making use of rich longitudinal survey and register data for Denmark, our main aim is to identify the parental background characteristics...... that are able to explain the resemblance in educational outcomes among siblings. We find sibling correlations in educational outcomes in the range of 15 to 33 percent, suggesting that up to a third of the variation in educational achievement can be explained by family and community background. Our results...... further reveal that parents' socio-economic background can account for a large part of the sibling correlation. Other family characteristics such as family structure, the incidence of social problems, and parents' educational preferences also play a role, though these factors only contribute to explaining...

Derotation of the cosmic microwave background polarization: Full-sky formalism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gluscevic, Vera; Kamionkowski, Marc; Cooray, Asantha

2009-01-01

Mechanisms have been proposed that might rotate the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) as it propagates from the surface of last scatter. In the simplest scenario, the rotation will be uniform across the sky, but the rotation angle may also vary across the sky. We develop in detail the complete set of full-sky quadratic estimators for the rotation of the CMB polarization that can be constructed from the CMB temperature and polarization. We derive the variance with which these estimators can be measured and show that these variances reduce to the simpler flat-sky expressions in the appropriate limit. We evaluate the variances numerically. While the flat-sky formalism may be suitable if the rotation angle arises as a realization of a random field, the full-sky formalism will be required to search for rotations that vary slowly across the sky as well as for models in which the angular power spectrum for the rotation angle peaks at large angles.

Backgrounds of Outdoor Education: A Review of Early Studies in Camping as Education. Taft Campus Occasional Paper No. IX.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiener, Morris

Until the depression of the 1930s, camping was valued simply for its recreational and health benefits. Then, with the advent of the philosophy of progressivism and the consequent changes in educational goals and practices, the educational potentials of camping also began to be examined. Attempts to redefine the role of camping and to seek…

A comparison of bilingual education and generalist teachers' approaches to scientific biliteracy

Science.gov (United States)

Garza, Esther

The purpose of this study was to determine if educators were capitalizing on bilingual learners' use of their biliterate abilities to acquire scientific meaning and discourse that would formulate a scientific biliterate identity. Mixed methods were used to explore teachers' use of biliteracy and Funds of Knowledge (Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N., 1992; Gonzales, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) from the students' Latino heritage while conducting science inquiry. The research study explored four constructs that conceptualized scientific biliteracy. The four constructs include science literacy, science biliteracy, reading comprehension strategies and students' cultural backgrounds. There were 156 4th-5th grade bilingual and general education teachers in South Texas that were surveyed using the Teacher Scientific Biliteracy Inventory (TSBI) and five teachers' science lessons were observed. Qualitative findings revealed that a variety of scientific biliteracy instructional strategies were frequently used in both bilingual and general education classrooms. The language used to deliver this instruction varied. A General Linear Model revealed that classroom assignment, bilingual or general education, had a significant effect on a teacher's instructional approach to employ scientific biliteracy. A simple linear regression found that the TSBI accounted for 17% of the variance on 4th grade reading benchmarks. Mixed methods results indicated that teachers were utilizing scientific biliteracy strategies in English, Spanish and/or both languages. Household items and science experimentation at home were encouraged by teachers to incorporate the students' cultural backgrounds. Finally, science inquiry was conducted through a universal approach to science learning versus a multicultural approach to science learning.

Durability 2007. Injection grout investigations. Background description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orantie, K.; Kuosa, H.

2008-12-01

The aim of this project was to evaluate the durability risks of injection grouts. The investigations were done with respect to the application conditions, materials and service life requirements at the ONKALO underground research facility. The study encompassed injection grout mixtures made of ultrafine cement with and without silica fume. Some of the mixtures hade a low pH and thus a high silica fume content. The project includes a background description on durability literature, laboratory testing programme, detailed analysis of results and recommendations for selecting of ideal grout mixtures. The background description was made for the experimental study of low-pH and reference rock injection grouts as regards pore- and microstructure, strength, shrinkage/swelling and thus versatile durability properties. A summary of test methods is presented as well as examples, i.e. literature information or former test results, of expected range of results from the tests. Also background information about how the test results correlate to other material properties and mix designs is presented. Besides the report provides basic information on the pore structure of cement based materials. Also the correlation between the pore structure of cement based materials and permeability is shortly discussed. The test methods included in the background description are compressive strength, measurement of bulk drying, autogenous and chemical shrinkage and swelling, hydraulic conductivity / permeability, capillary water uptake test, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and thin section analysis. Three main mixtures with water-binder ratio of 0.8, 1.0 and 1.4 and silica fume content of 0, 15 and 40% were studied in the laboratory. Besides two extra mixtures were studied to provide additional information about the effect of varying water-dry-material ratio and silica fume content on durability. The evaluation of water tightness based on water permeability coefficient and micro cracking was

The Extended Family and Children's Educational Success

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jæger, Mads Meier

2012-01-01

Research on family background and educational success focuses almost exclusively on two generations and on parents and children. This paper argues that the extended family makes up a significant part of the total effect of family background on educational success. Empirical results based...... on the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study show that, net of family factors shared by siblings from the same immediate family, factors shared by first cousins from the same extended family account for a nontrivial part of the total variance in children’s educational success. Results also show that while socioeconomic...... characteristics of grandparents and aunts and uncles have few direct effects on educational success, resources in the extended family compensate lacking resources in low-SES families, which in turn promote children’s educational success. The main conclusion is that the total effect of family background...

Nuclear Car Wash sensitivity in varying thicknesses of wood and steel cargo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Church, J; Slaughter, D; Asztalos, S; Biltoft, P; Descalle, M; Hall, J; Manatt, D; Mauger, J; Norman, E; Petersen, D; Prussin, S

2006-01-01

The influence of incident neutron attenuation on signal strengths in the Nuclear Car Wash has been observed experimentally for both wood and steel-pipe mock cargos. Measured decay curves are presented for β-delayed high-energy γ-rays and thermalized neutrons following neutron-induced fission of HEU through varying irradiation lengths. Error rates are extracted for delayed-γ and delayed-n signals integrated to 30 seconds, assuming Gaussian distributions for the active background. The extrapolation to a field system of 1 mA deuterium current and to a 5 kg sample size is discussed

Pathways of Intergenerational Transmission of Advantages during Adolescence: Social Background, Cognitive Ability, and Educational Attainment.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Wiebke; Schunck, Reinhard; Diewald, Martin; Johnson, Wendy

2017-10-01

Educational attainment in adolescence is of paramount importance for attaining higher education and for shaping subsequent life chances. Sociological accounts focus on the role of differences in socioeconomic resources in intergenerational reproduction of educational inequalities. These often disregard the intergenerational transmission of cognitive ability and the importance of children's cognitive ability to educational attainment. Psychological perspectives stress the importance of cognitive ability for educational attainment but underemphasize potentially different roles of specific socioeconomic resources in shaping educational outcomes, as well as individual differences in cognitive ability. By integrating two strands of research, a clearer picture of the pathways linking the family of origin, cognitive ability, and early educational outcomes can be reached. Using the population-based TwinLife study in Germany, we investigated multidimensional pathways linking parental socioeconomic position to their children's cognitive ability and academic track attendance in the secondary school. The sample included twins (N = 4008), respectively ages 11 and 17, and siblings (N = 801). We observed strong genetic influences on cognitive ability, whereas shared environmental influences were much more important for academic tracking. In multilevel analyses, separate dimensions of socioeconomic resources influenced child cognitive ability, controlling parental cognitive ability. Controlling adolescent cognitive ability and parental cognitive ability, parental socioeconomic resources also directly affected track attendance. This indicated that it is crucial to investigate the intertwined influences on educational outcomes in adolescence of both cognitive ability and the characteristics of the family of origin.

Aluminum as a source of background in low background experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majorovits, B., E-mail: bela@mppmu.mpg.de [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Abt, I. [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Laubenstein, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, S.S.17/bis, km 18 plus 910, I-67100 Assergi (Italy); Volynets, O. [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany)

2011-08-11

Neutrinoless double beta decay would be a key to understanding the nature of neutrino masses. The next generation of High Purity Germanium experiments will have to be operated with a background rate of better than 10{sup -5} counts/(kg y keV) in the region of interest around the Q-value of the decay. Therefore, so far irrelevant sources of background have to be considered. The metalization of the surface of germanium detectors is in general done with aluminum. The background from the decays of {sup 22}Na, {sup 26}Al, {sup 226}Ra and {sup 228}Th introduced by this metalization is discussed. It is shown that only a special selection of aluminum can keep these background contributions acceptable.

Geographic divergence and colour change in response to visual backgrounds and illumination intensity in bearded dragons.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadena, Viviana; Smith, Kathleen R; Endler, John A; Stuart-Fox, Devi

2017-03-15

Animals may improve camouflage by both dynamic colour change and local evolutionary adaptation of colour but we have little understanding of their relative importance in colour-changing species. We tested for differences in colour change in response to background colour and light intensity in two populations of central bearded dragon lizards ( Pogona vitticeps ) representing the extremes in body coloration and geographical range. We found that bearded dragons change colour in response to various backgrounds and that colour change is affected by illumination intensity. Within-individual colour change was similar in magnitude in the two populations but varied between backgrounds. However, at the endpoints of colour change, each population showed greater similarity to backgrounds that were representative of the local habitat compared with the other population, indicating local adaptation to visual backgrounds. Our results suggest that even in species that change colour, both phenotypic plasticity and geographic divergence of coloration may contribute to improved camouflage. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Systematic measurement of fast neutron background fluctuations in an urban area using a mobile detection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iyengar, A.; Beach, M.; Newby, R.J.; Fabris, L.; Heilbronn, L.H.; Hayward, J.P.

2015-01-01

Neutron background measurements using a mobile trailer-based system were conducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The 0.5 m 2 system, consisting of eight EJ-301 liquid scintillation detectors, was used to collect neutron background measurements in order to better understand the systematic variations in background that depend solely on the street-level measurement position in a downtown area. Data was collected along 5 different streets, and the measurements were found to be repeatable. Using 10-min measurements, the fractional uncertainty in each measured data point was <2%. Compared with fast neutron background count rates measured away from downtown Knoxville, a reduction in background count rates ranging from 10% to 50% was observed in the downtown area, sometimes varying substantially over distances of tens of meters. These reductions are attributed to the net shielding of the cosmic ray neutron flux by adjacent buildings. For reference, the building structure as observed at street level is quantified in part here by a measured angle-of-open-sky metric

Systematic measurement of fast neutron background fluctuations in an urban area using a mobile detection system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyengar, A., E-mail: aiyengar@utk.edu [Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Beach, M. [Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Newby, R.J.; Fabris, L. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Heilbronn, L.H. [Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Hayward, J.P. [Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-02-11

Neutron background measurements using a mobile trailer-based system were conducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The 0.5 m{sup 2} system, consisting of eight EJ-301 liquid scintillation detectors, was used to collect neutron background measurements in order to better understand the systematic variations in background that depend solely on the street-level measurement position in a downtown area. Data was collected along 5 different streets, and the measurements were found to be repeatable. Using 10-min measurements, the fractional uncertainty in each measured data point was <2%. Compared with fast neutron background count rates measured away from downtown Knoxville, a reduction in background count rates ranging from 10% to 50% was observed in the downtown area, sometimes varying substantially over distances of tens of meters. These reductions are attributed to the net shielding of the cosmic ray neutron flux by adjacent buildings. For reference, the building structure as observed at street level is quantified in part here by a measured angle-of-open-sky metric.

Comparing Background and Recent Erosion Rates in Degraded Areas of Southeastern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, N.; Bierman, P. R.; Sosa-Gonzalez, V.; Rood, D. H.; Fontes, R. L.; Santos, A. C.; Godoy, J. M.; Bhering, S.

2014-12-01

Soil erosion is a major problem in northwestern Rio de Janeiro State where, during the last three centuries, major land-use changes took place, associated with the replacement of the original rainforest by agriculture and grazing. The combination of steep hillslopes, erodible soils, sparse vegetation, natural and human-induced fires, as well as downslope ploughing, led to an increase in surface runoff and surface erosion on soil-mantled hillslopes; together, these actions and responses caused a decline in soil productivity. In order to estimate changes in erosion rates over time, we compared erosion rates measured at different spatial and temporal scales, both background (natural) and short-term (human-induced during last few decades). Background long-term erosion rates were measured using in-situ produced cosmogenic 10Be in the sand fraction quartz of active river channel sediment in four basins in the northwestern portion of Rio de Janeiro State. In these basins, average annual precipitation varies from 1,200 to 1,300 mm, while drainage areas vary from 15 to 7,200 km2. Short-term erosion rates were measured in one of these basins from fallout 210Pb in soil samples collected along a hillslope transect located in an abandoned agriculture field. In this transect, 190 undisturbed soil samples (three replicates) were collected from the surface to 0.50 m depth (5 cm vertical intervals) in six soil pits. 10Be average background, basin-wide, erosion rates in the area are ~ 13 m/My; over the last decades, time-integrated (210Pb) average hillslope erosion rates are around 1450 m/Myr, with maximum values at the steepest portion of convex hillslopes of about 2000 m/Myr. These results suggest that recent hillslope erosion rates are about 2 orders of magnitude above background rates of sediment generation integrated over many millennia. This unsustainable rate of soil loss has severely decreased soil productivity eventually leading to the abandonment of farming activities in

Complexity and Reductionism in Educational Philosophy--John Dewey's Critical Approach in "Democracy and Education" Reconsidered

Science.gov (United States)

Reich, Kersten; Garrison, Jim; Neubert, Stefan

2016-01-01

Against the background of the Deweyan tradition of "Democracy and Education," we discuss problems of complexity and reductionism in education and educational philosophy. First, we investigate some of Dewey's own criticisms of reductionist tendencies in the educational traditions, theories, and practices of his time. Secondly, we explore…

The Experiences of Israeli Early Childhood Educators Working With Children of Ethiopian Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Firstater

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study offers an in-depth examination of the experiences of early childhood educators, focusing on their work with Ethiopian immigrant children and their families. We aim to describe and analyze the teachers’ insider views vis-à-vis the challenges faced by these children and their parents in the Israeli preschool system. Using narrative methodology, the analysis of findings is based upon 20 stories written by 10 early childhood educators. It reveals that for these teachers, the chief struggle is their relationship with the parents of their Ethiopian pupils, one characterized by difficulties, frustrations, and burdens. The engagement with parents of Ethiopian children exhibited a range of possibilities: from the expression of patronizing, hierarchical viewpoints, to a search for ad hoc ways of coping with a persistent cultural gap, to the attainment of genuine, successful partnerships. Lack of sufficient knowledge and understanding of the unique cultural attributes of the Ethiopian community appears to be the basis for the teachers’ view of the parents as lacking faith in them and in the educational system as a whole. In addition, suggestions are made about implications for educational practice and for policies that might assist teachers in ameliorating these challenges via the development of, and professional training in, skills which help coping with the problems and dilemmas unique to the multicultural classroom.

Elite Education Abroad and Social Reproduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munk, Martin D.; Poutvaara, Panu; Foged, Mette

Previous research has shown that family background still plays a role in educational choices, especially when it comes to elite education. We examine how family background affects the likelihood of graduating in an elite or non-elite university abroad. We use two unique surveys of Danish emigrants...... international elite education have considerable cosmopolitan capital and a mindset for operating abroad. Father’s education plays a bigger role for men while mother’s education plays a bigger role for women, especially among women going for elite ducation. When we asked respondents why they studied abroad...... and register data on full population. Overall, we find that children with highly educated and positioned parents are more likely to seek distinctive educational capital. Also, around half of those pursuing elite education abroad have parents who have studied or worked abroad. Hence, people pursuing...

Family Perspectives: Using a Cultural Prism to Understand Families from Asian Cultural Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Suk-Hyang; Turnbull, Ann P.; Zan, Fei

2009-01-01

Educators can better serve students who come from diverse cultural backgrounds by understanding the differing cultural values of these students and their families. This article explores different cultural perspectives using a cultural prism approach, focused most specifically on the Korean and Chinese cultures. (Contains 2 tables.)

Investigation of background radiation and associated anomalies in Rifle, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smuin, D.R.; Wilson, M.J.; Crutcher, J.W.

1988-02-01

In addition to examining anomalies and establishing the background gamma exposure rate range, the study presents a formula to convert thousand counts per minute (kcpm) from a gamma scintillator to microroentgen per hour (μRh) for the Rifle region. Also, a method is presented to identify contaminated areas containing excess 226 Ra, by using a GR-410 gamma spectrometer. This method is suggested to be applied to all property surveys in the Rifle area. The Wasatch Formation, which outcrops extensively in the Rifle area, was found to have a major influence on the background radiation. Varying potassium concentrations and naturally occurring uranium in this rock unit reveal varying gamma exposure rates. Examining RaTh ratios from laboratory analysis of soil samples or use of RaTh ratios from GR-410 gamma spectrometer readings on site allows discrimination between mill related contamination and naturally occuring radioactivity. Radioactive coal clinkers were found used as fill material throughout the Rifle region and have been determined to be a product of the mill and subject to remediation. Finally, windblown mill tailings contamination is addressed in some detail. Mill tailings redistributed from the Rifle uranium mill tailings piles by prevailing winds were detected extensively on vicinity properties in Rifle. Some radioactive components of the windblown tailings were found to have leached into the subsurface soil. The combination of Wasatch Formation, radioactive coal clinkers, and windblown tailings accounts for many of the anomalous gamma exposure rates observed by the radiological survey teams. 11 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs

Geographically determined dependencies in the value of the constant natural radiation gamma-background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miloslavov, V.

2001-01-01

The problem of the assessment of the influence of natural gamma background changes on the population is discussed. It is considered that the populations in different geographic regions have adapted by evolution mechanisms to the respective unchanged (without human activities) radiation background. The background limits for each area form the 'radiation comfortable zone' which varies very much for the different geographic areas. Leaving the 'comfortable zone' leads to a triggering of adaptive mechanisms in the population including the natural selection in order to reach an equilibrium. Thus, the radiation impact exceeding the 'comfortable zone' is expected to cause harm for a part of the population which is preliminarily burden or uncapable to adapt. From this point of view the increased morbidity due to radiation factor in those cases remains hidden. As a conclusion it is pointed out that the proposed increase of the annual dose for the population might result with harmful consequences for the whole human population

Ship detection using STFT sea background statistical modeling for large-scale oceansat remote sensing image

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lixia; Pei, Jihong; Xie, Weixin; Liu, Jinyuan

2018-03-01

Large-scale oceansat remote sensing images cover a big area sea surface, which fluctuation can be considered as a non-stationary process. Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) is a suitable analysis tool for the time varying nonstationary signal. In this paper, a novel ship detection method using 2-D STFT sea background statistical modeling for large-scale oceansat remote sensing images is proposed. First, the paper divides the large-scale oceansat remote sensing image into small sub-blocks, and 2-D STFT is applied to each sub-block individually. Second, the 2-D STFT spectrum of sub-blocks is studied and the obvious different characteristic between sea background and non-sea background is found. Finally, the statistical model for all valid frequency points in the STFT spectrum of sea background is given, and the ship detection method based on the 2-D STFT spectrum modeling is proposed. The experimental result shows that the proposed algorithm can detect ship targets with high recall rate and low missing rate.

From the School Health Education Study to the National Health Education Standards: Concepts Endure

Science.gov (United States)

Nobiling, Brandye D.; Lyde, Adrian R.

2015-01-01

Background: The landmark School Health Education Study (SHES) project influenced by the conceptual approach to teaching and learning provides perspective on modern school health instruction. Conceptual education, the cornerstone of the SHES curriculum framework (CF), "Health Education: A Conceptual Approach to Curriculum Design," fosters…

Medical Education for Tennessee. A Report of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Science.gov (United States)

Boone, Jerry N.; Woods, Myra S.

This study of medical education was conducted as a part of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission's responsibility to design a master plan for higher education in Tennessee. It provides a background of information on Tennessee's needs for physicians and on the production of physicians by the three medical schools in the state. The study…

Effects of Classical Background Music on Stress, Anxiety, and Knowledge of Filipino Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelista, Kevin; Macabasag, Romeo Luis A; Capili, Brylle; Castro, Timothy; Danque, Marilee; Evangelista, Hanzel; Rivero, Jenica Ana; Gonong, Michell Katrina; Diño, Michael Joseph; Cajayon, Sharon

2017-10-28

Previous work on the use of background music suggests conflicting results in various psychological, behavioral, and educational measures. This quasi-experiment examined the effect of integrating classical background music during a lecture on stress, anxiety, and knowledge. A total of 42 nursing students participated this study. We utilized independent sample t-test and multivariate analysis of variance to examine the effect of classical background music. Our findings suggest that the presence or absence of classical background music do not affect stress, anxiety, and knowledge scores (Λ = 0.999 F(3, 78) = 0.029, p = 0.993). We provided literature to explain the non-significant result. Although classical music failed to establish a significant influence on the dependent variables, classical background music during lecture hours can be considered a non-threatening stimulus. We recommend follow up studies regarding the role of classical background music in regulating attention control of nursing students during lecture hours.

Initial education and training pathways for danish adult educators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milana, Marcella

2008-01-01

The contribution aims at mapping out initial education and training opportunities for Danish adult educators and to examine key structural features that characterise professionalisation processes in the field of adult education. The analysis draws on policy documents and available research...... three provides a detailed account of existing qualification pathways for individuals willing to enter the system as adult educators. Notwithstanding the range of opportunities to acquire pedagogical qualifications in teaching adults, the knowledge and skills provided may vary substantially. Consequently......, the author's main argument is that it is not possible to speak of tailored-made pathways of professionalisation in the field of adult education, at least in the Danish context....

Sibling Similarities and Social Stratification : The Impact of Family Background across Countries and Cohorts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sieben, Inge Josephina Petra

2001-01-01

The family of origin is an important factor influencing someone’s educational and occupational attainment. Sociologists have shown over and over again that children of higher status backgrounds reach higher levels of schooling and higher occupational positions. So far, these researchers have focused

Sibling similarities and social stratification : the impact of family background across countries and cohorts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sieben, Inge Josephina Petra

2001-01-01

The family of origin is an important factor influencing someone's educational and occupational attainment. Sociologists have shown over and over again that children of higher status backgrounds reach higher levels of schooling and higher occupational positions. So far, these researchers have focused

The Emerging Global Education Industry: Analysing Market-Making in Education through Market Sociology

Science.gov (United States)

Verger, Antoni; Steiner-Khamsi, Gita; Lubienski, Christopher

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the rise and consequences of an emerging global education industry (GEI), which represents new forms of private, for profit involvement in education across the globe. The paper explores the emergence within the GEI of new and varied, largely transnational, markets in education by focusing on three examples of the GEI at work.…

ADULT EDUCATION IN INDIA.

Science.gov (United States)

STYLER, W.E.

AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF MASS ILLITERACY, POOR PAY AND STATUS OF TEACHERS, AND AN ALIEN EDUCATION PATTERN, THE STATE GOVERNMENTS OF INDIA HAVE PROVIDED SOCIAL EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP AS WELL AS LITERACY. INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP METHODS HAVE BEEN USED, VIDYAPEETHS (RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES) AND EDUCATIONAL CENTERS HAVE BEEN SET UP, AND ALL INDIA RADIO…

Genome-wide DNA polymorphism analyses using VariScan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilella Albert J

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA sequence polymorphisms analysis can provide valuable information on the evolutionary forces shaping nucleotide variation, and provides an insight into the functional significance of genomic regions. The recent ongoing genome projects will radically improve our capabilities to detect specific genomic regions shaped by natural selection. Current available methods and software, however, are unsatisfactory for such genome-wide analysis. Results We have developed methods for the analysis of DNA sequence polymorphisms at the genome-wide scale. These methods, which have been tested on a coalescent-simulated and actual data files from mouse and human, have been implemented in the VariScan software package version 2.0. Additionally, we have also incorporated a graphical-user interface. The main features of this software are: i exhaustive population-genetic analyses including those based on the coalescent theory; ii analysis adapted to the shallow data generated by the high-throughput genome projects; iii use of genome annotations to conduct a comprehensive analyses separately for different functional regions; iv identification of relevant genomic regions by the sliding-window and wavelet-multiresolution approaches; v visualization of the results integrated with current genome annotations in commonly available genome browsers. Conclusion VariScan is a powerful and flexible suite of software for the analysis of DNA polymorphisms. The current version implements new algorithms, methods, and capabilities, providing an important tool for an exhaustive exploratory analysis of genome-wide DNA polymorphism data.

"More Religion in Education and More Education in Religion": Liberal Progressivism and the Educational "Common Faith," 1917-1940

Science.gov (United States)

Setran, David P.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Educational historians have given a great deal of attention to the early-twentieth-century growth, development, and implementation of liberal progressive educational theories and techniques. However, with the exception of a few scholars, they have devoted far less attention to the religious dimensions of liberal progressive…

Does a Rater's Professional Background Influence Communication Skills Assessment?

Science.gov (United States)

Artemiou, Elpida; Hecker, Kent G; Adams, Cindy L; Coe, Jason B

2015-01-01

There is increasing pressure in veterinary education to teach and assess communication skills, with the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) being the most common assessment method. Previous research reveals that raters are a large source of variance in OSCEs. This study focused on examining the effect of raters' professional background as a source of variance when assessing students' communication skills. Twenty-three raters were categorized according to their professional background: clinical sciences (n=11), basic sciences (n=4), clinical communication (n=5), or hospital administrator/clinical skills technicians (n=3). Raters from each professional background were assigned to the same station and assessed the same students during two four-station OSCEs. Students were in year 2 of their pre-clinical program. Repeated-measures ANOVA results showed that OSCE scores awarded by the rater groups differed significantly: (F(matched_station_1) [2,91]=6.97, p=.002), (F(matched_station_2) [3,90]=13.95, p=.001), (F(matched_station_3) [3,90]=8.76, p=.001), and ((Fmatched_station_4) [2,91]=30.60, p=.001). A significant time effect between the two OSCEs was calculated for matched stations 1, 2, and 4, indicating improved student performances. Raters with a clinical communication skills background assigned scores that were significantly lower compared to the other rater groups. Analysis of written feedback provided by the clinical sciences raters showed that they were influenced by the students' clinical knowledge of the case and that they did not rely solely on the communication checklist items. This study shows that it is important to consider rater background both in recruitment and training programs for communication skills' assessment.

Measuring Attitude towards RE: Factoring Pupil Experience and Home Faith Background into Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Thanissaro, Phra Nicholas

2012-01-01

Recent studies have increasingly favoured contextualisation of religious education (RE) to pupils' home faith background in spite of current assessment methods that might hinder this. For a multi-religious, multi-ethnic sample of 369 London school pupils aged from 13 to 15 years, this study found that the participatory, transformative and…

JEM-X background models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huovelin, J.; Maisala, S.; Schultz, J.

2003-01-01

Background and determination of its components for the JEM-X X-ray telescope on INTEGRAL are discussed. A part of the first background observations by JEM-X are analysed and results are compared to predictions. The observations are based on extensive imaging of background near the Crab Nebula...... on revolution 41 of INTEGRAL. Total observing time used for the analysis was 216 502 s, with the average of 25 cps of background for each of the two JEM-X telescopes. JEM-X1 showed slightly higher average background intensity than JEM-X2. The detectors were stable during the long exposures, and weak orbital...... background was enhanced in the central area of a detector, and it decreased radially towards the edge, with a clear vignetting effect for both JEM-X units. The instrument background was weakest in the central area of a detector and showed a steep increase at the very edges of both JEM-X detectors...

Multiple paths in educational transitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karlson, Kristian Bernt

2011-01-01

In many countries educational branching points consist of more than two qualitatively different alternatives, and only some alternatives provide the opportunity of continuing into higher education. I develop a multinomial transition model for modeling the effects of family background...... characteristics and individual characteristics on these complex educational careers. The model controls for unobserved heterogeneity that may, if ignored, result in biased estimates. Compared to previous research, I explicitly include instrumental variables that ensure identification of the unobserved component....... I apply the model to the Danish case and analyze data which covers the educational careers of a cohort of Danes born around 1954. I find that the model brings forward non-trivial heterogeneity in the influence of family background and ability on qualitatively different choice alternatives both...

Relativistic Absolutism in Moral Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogt, W. Paul

1982-01-01

Discusses Emile Durkheim's "Moral Education: A Study in the Theory and Application of the Sociology of Education," which holds that morally healthy societies may vary in culture and organization but must possess absolute rules of moral behavior. Compares this moral theory with current theory and practice of American educators. (MJL)

[Algorithm for taking into account the average annual background of air pollution in the assessment of health risks].

Science.gov (United States)

Fokin, M V

2013-01-01

State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University" of the Ministry of Health care and Social Development, Moscow, Russian Federation. The assessment of health risks from air pollution with emissions from industrial facilities, without the average annual background of air pollution does not meet sanitary legislation. However Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring issues official certificates for a limited number of areas covered by the observations of the full program on the stationary points. Questions of accounting average background air pollution in the evaluation of health risks from exposure to emissions from industrial facilities are considered.

Latin American immigrant parents and their children's teachers in U.S. early childhood education programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Crosnoe, Robert; Ansari, Arya

2015-12-01

For many immigrants, their children's schools offer their first sustained interaction with the major societal institutions of their new countries, and so exploring the ways in which immigrant parents manage their children's educational experiences offers insight into how they adapt to new cultural norms, customs and expectations and how they are treated in return. This study delved into the involvement of Latin American immigrant parents in U.S. education, shifting the traditional focus down from elementary and secondary school to early childhood education. Statistical analysis of nationally representative data revealed that Latina immigrants had lower frequencies of most home- and community-based involvement behaviours than U.S.-born and foreign-born parents of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds but higher frequencies of involvement behaviours requiring participation in early childhood education programmes. As a window into these national patterns, qualitative data from an early childhood programme in an immigration-heavy state revealed that Latina immigrant mothers and their children's teachers often talked about each other as partners in supporting children's educational experiences but that their actual interactions tended to socialise mothers into being more passive recipients of teachers' directives. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Multicultural Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Ulla Ambrosius

2015-01-01

This paper is about ethnic minority education and builds on theories, principles and practices of multicultural education – a term we apply to summarize some of the more essential contributions in the field. First, we introduce to the background of multicultural education and the implications...... such term has for the understanding of the relation between the ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ groups. Second, key-concepts that surround and relate to multicultural education are defined, culture, ethnic minority, religion, language, diversity, integration, assimilation, inclusion- exclusion. Third, we identify...... the aims and objectives of multicultural education while the fourth section in as introduction to six essential dimensions of multicultural education. The fifth section includes examples of multicultural education and/or bilingual education from different countries in different parts of the world; Canada...

Report: National Conference on Cooperative Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education (DHEW/OE), Washington, DC. Div. of Vocational and Technical Education.

The conference report on cooperative vocational education contains four main sections. The first, background papers, contains three papers: Education in a Changing Society, Carl H. Madden; A Prospectus for Cooperative Vocational Education, William F. Pierce; and Critical Issues in Cooperative Vocational Education, Robert M. Worthington. The second…

Do Substance Use, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Sexual Experiences Vary for Dating Violence Victims Based on Type of Violent Relationships?

Science.gov (United States)

Zweig, Janine M.; Yahner, Jennifer; Dank, Meredith; Lachman, Pamela

2016-01-01

Background: We examined whether substance use, psychosocial adjustment, and sexual experiences vary for teen dating violence victims by the type of violence in their relationships. We compared dating youth who reported no victimization in their relationships to those who reported being victims of intimate terrorism (dating violence involving one…

Scientific Management: Professional Background in Sciences, Humanities, and the Effectiveness of School Superintendents.

Science.gov (United States)

Chand, Krishan

Administrators who have been trained in the sciences may be more effective than those who have been trained in the humanities, according to a review of the literature. This paper asserts that the effectiveness of superintendents is a function both of their specific preparation for administration and of their educational backgrounds. The…

Education and Ethnic Prejudice in Europe : explanations for crossnational variances in the educational effect on ethnic prejudice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hello, Evelyn; Scheepers, Peer; Gijsberts, Mérove

2002-01-01

Education is often found to be a strong determinant of ethnic prejudice. However, there is preliminary evidence that this educational effect varies across countries. Moreover, there are also theoretical arguments to expect cross-national variances in the educational effect on ethnic prejudice. From

Public science policy and administration. [cooperation of government industry, foundations, and educational institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, A. H. (Editor)

1973-01-01

Science, the overwhelming concern of our time, is no longer a matter of private research and development but one of public policy and administration, in which government, industry, foundations, and educational institutions must all work together as never before. Few other single tasks are of such decisive importance to the collective and individual welfare of American citizens as the formulation of public science policy and the administration of scientific programs. Eleven national authorities of varied background in science, education, and government administration contribute their experience and their judgment in an effort to deal with the major aspects of the subject. Their focus is on the meeting of actual problems; they consider the decision making process in both public and public-private organizations. Topics are grouped in three general categories: personnel needs and resources, organizational problems and techniques, and the administrative role in policy leadership.

Optimal background matching camouflage.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalis, Constantine; Scott-Samuel, Nicholas E; Gibson, David P; Cuthill, Innes C

2017-07-12

Background matching is the most familiar and widespread camouflage strategy: avoiding detection by having a similar colour and pattern to the background. Optimizing background matching is straightforward in a homogeneous environment, or when the habitat has very distinct sub-types and there is divergent selection leading to polymorphism. However, most backgrounds have continuous variation in colour and texture, so what is the best solution? Not all samples of the background are likely to be equally inconspicuous, and laboratory experiments on birds and humans support this view. Theory suggests that the most probable background sample (in the statistical sense), at the size of the prey, would, on average, be the most cryptic. We present an analysis, based on realistic assumptions about low-level vision, that estimates the distribution of background colours and visual textures, and predicts the best camouflage. We present data from a field experiment that tests and supports our predictions, using artificial moth-like targets under bird predation. Additionally, we present analogous data for humans, under tightly controlled viewing conditions, searching for targets on a computer screen. These data show that, in the absence of predator learning, the best single camouflage pattern for heterogeneous backgrounds is the most probable sample. © 2017 The Authors.

Pre-big-bang cosmology and circles in the cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, William; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

2011-01-01

We examine the possibility that circles in the cosmic microwave background could be formed by the interaction of a gravitational wave pulse emitted in some pre-big-bang phase of the universe with the last scattering surface. We derive the expected size distribution of such circles, as well as their typical ring width and (for concentric circles) angular separation. We apply these results, in particular, to conformal cyclic cosmology, ekpyrotic cosmology as well as loop quantum cosmology with and without inflation in order to determine how the predicted geometric properties of these circles would vary from one model to the other, and thus, if detected, could allow us to differentiate between various pre-big-bang cosmological models. We also obtain a relation between the angular ring width and the angular radius of such circles that can be used in order to determine whether or not circles observed in the cosmic microwave background are due to energetic pre-big-bang events.

Systematic measurement of fast neutron background fluctuations in an urban area using a mobile detection system

Science.gov (United States)

Iyengar, A.; Beach, M.; Newby, R. J.; Fabris, L.; Heilbronn, L. H.; Hayward, J. P.

2015-02-01

Neutron background measurements using a mobile trailer-based system were conducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The 0.5 m2 system, consisting of eight EJ-301 liquid scintillation detectors, was used to collect neutron background measurements in order to better understand the systematic variations in background that depend solely on the street-level measurement position in a downtown area. Data was collected along 5 different streets, and the measurements were found to be repeatable. Using 10-min measurements, the fractional uncertainty in each measured data point was rates measured away from downtown Knoxville, a reduction in background count rates ranging from 10% to 50% was observed in the downtown area, sometimes varying substantially over distances of tens of meters. These reductions are attributed to the net shielding of the cosmic ray neutron flux by adjacent buildings. For reference, the building structure as observed at street level is quantified in part here by a measured angle-of-open-sky metric.

A Research Synthesis of the Associations between Socioeconomic Background, Inequality, School Climate, and Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Berkowitz, Ruth; Moore, Hadass; Astor, Ron Avi; Benbenishty, Rami

2017-01-01

Educational researchers and practitioners assert that supportive school and classroom climates can positively influence the academic outcomes of students, thus potentially reducing academic achievement gaps between students and schools of different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Nonetheless, scientific evidence establishing directional…

Background Material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zandersen, Marianne; Hyytiäinen, Kari; Saraiva, Sofia

This document serves as a background material to the BONUS Pilot Scenario Workshop, which aims to develop harmonised regional storylines of socio-ecological futures in the Baltic Sea region in a collaborative effort together with other BONUS projects and stakeholders.......This document serves as a background material to the BONUS Pilot Scenario Workshop, which aims to develop harmonised regional storylines of socio-ecological futures in the Baltic Sea region in a collaborative effort together with other BONUS projects and stakeholders....

The Tax Treatment of Training and Educational Expenses. Background Paper No. 14.

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, John M.; Smolensky, Eugene

For those students incurring direct educational expenditures that are high enough, the current personal income tax will discourage investment in human capital, assuming tax rates are essentially proportional over the relevant range. In all probability, however, any distortion between investment in human and physical capital is quantitatively…

Cosmic Microwave Background Timeline

Science.gov (United States)

Cosmic Microwave Background Timeline 1934 : Richard Tolman shows that blackbody radiation in an will have a blackbody cosmic microwave background with temperature about 5 K 1955: Tigran Shmaonov anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background, this strongly supports the big bang model with gravitational

Changes in classification of suicide in England and Wales : Time trends and associations with coroners' professional backgrounds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neeleman, J; Wessely, S

Background. The legal definition of suicide in England and Wales (E&W) gives rise to a high proportion of open verdicts and an underestimated suicide rate. We examined whether the ratio between open and suicide verdicts in E&W has changed between 1974 and 1991 and whether it varies according to

College Students' Goals, Plans, and Background Characteristics; A Synthesis of Three Empirical Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenske, Robert H.; Scott, Craig S.

This study was designed to provide longitudinal data bearing on the change and/or stability of college-bound students' educational and vocational goals, as well as their background characteristics. Data from three studies were contrasted and compared. Included in these studies were: (1) a 2-year followup of 4,009 junior college students; (2) a…

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes. Revision 1, Volume 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-04-01

Volume two contains the following appendices: Description of soil sampling sites; sampling narrative; raw data soil background; background data analysis; sitewide background soil sampling plan; and use of soil background data for the detection of contamination at waste management unit on the Hanford Site.

Work productivity among adults with varied Body Mass Index: Results from a Canadian population-based survey

OpenAIRE

Arnaldo Sanchez Bustillos; Kris Gregory Vargas, III; Raul Gomero-Cuadra

2015-01-01

Background: The relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and work productivity, including absenteeism and presenteeism remains unclear. The objective of this study was to examine work productivity among adults with varied BMI using population-based data. Methods: Data source was the 2009–2010 Canadian Community Health Survey. The outcomes reflected work absence (absenteeism) and reduced activities at work (presenteeism). The key explanatory variable was BMI in six categories. Logistic re...

Physical Education Teacher Educators' Professional Identities, Continuing Professional Development and the Issue of Gender Equality

Science.gov (United States)

Dowling, Fiona

2006-01-01

Background: Despite the evidence that many girls and some boys are regularly subjected to inequalities within school physical education (PE) in Norway today, and international research showing how physical education teacher education (PETE) courses often construct unequal learning opportunities for their students on the basis of gender, few…

Radiation dose in the high background radiation area in Kerala, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Christa, E P; Jojo, P J; Vaidyan, V K; Anilkumar, S; Eappen, K P

2012-03-01

A systematic radiological survey has been carried out in the region of high-background radiation area in Kollam district of Kerala to define the natural gamma-radiation levels. One hundred and forty seven soil samples from high-background radiation areas and five samples from normal background region were collected as per standard sampling procedures and were analysed for (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K by gamma-ray spectroscopy. External gamma dose rates at all sampling locations were also measured using a survey meter. The activities of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K was found to vary from 17 to 3081 Bq kg(-1), 54 to 11976 Bq kg(-1) and BDL (67.4 Bq kg(-1)) to 216 Bq kg(-1), respectively, in the study area. Such heterogeneous distribution of radionuclides in the region may be attributed to the deposition phenomenon of beach sand soil in the region. Radium equivalent activities were found high in several locations. External gamma dose rates estimated from the levels of radionuclides in soil had a range from 49 to 9244 nGy h(-1). The result of gamma dose rate measured at the sampling sites using survey meter showed an excellent correlation with dose rates computed from the natural radionuclides estimated from the soil samples.

Background sources at PEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, H.; Schwitters, R.F.; Toner, W.T.

1988-01-01

Important sources of background for PEP experiments are studied. Background particles originate from high-energy electrons and positrons which have been lost from stable orbits, γ-rays emitted by the primary beams through bremsstrahlung in the residual gas, and synchrotron radiation x-rays. The effect of these processes on the beam lifetime are calculated and estimates of background rates at the interaction region are given. Recommendations for the PEP design, aimed at minimizing background are presented. 7 figs., 4 tabs

Initial Perceptions of Open Higher Education Students with Learner Management Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asu ALTUNOGLU

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Learner management systems (LMS are used in open education as a means of managing and recording e-learning facilities as well as improving student engagement. Students benefit from them to become active participants in the decision-making process of their own learning. This study aims to investigate the initial perceptions of students experiencing the LMS for the first time in the Open Education System of Anadolu University with the purpose of identifying the effective and ineffective aspects of it from their perspective and their demands and suggestions for how to improve their the engagement in the system. To do this, an interpretive qualitative case study research design was used in order to focus on individual contexts and perceptions formed within those contexts. According to the findings, students were found to have highly personalized and customized user habits and engagement levels with the LMS depending on their varying ages, occupational statuses, IT capacities, and educational backgrounds. In terms of their satisfaction with the LMS, the quality, quantity and variety of content in LMS was found to have a major influence on their initial perceptions of satisfaction.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in surface soil in urban and background areas of Mongolia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamontova, Elena A.; Mamontov, Alexander A.; Tarasova, Eugenia N.; Kuzmin, Mikhail I.; Ganchimeg, Darmaa; Khomutova, Marina Yu.; Gombosuren, Odontuya; Ganjuurjav, Erdenebayasgalan

2013-01-01

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in soil in some industrial towns (Ulaanbaatar, Suhbaatar, Erdenet, Darhan, Tsetserleg, Hovd, Ulaangom, Altay, Bayanhongor, Arvayheer, Saynshand, Choybalsan) and in background and rural areas of Mongolia. The average sum of all investigated PCB congeners in soil of Mongolia comes to 7.4 ng/g dry weight (DW) and varies from 0.53 ng/g DW till 114 ng/g DW. PCB levels in soil from towns are significantly higher than those in soil from background and rural areas. The PCB homological composition in soil sampled in highly-PCB-polluted sites is similar to the PCB homological pattern in Sovol and Aroclor 1254. Significant correlation between soil organic carbon and low chlorinated PCB both for towns and background sites was found. Significant differences in PCB means in soil in different natural zones were found. -- Highlights: •First study to measure PCBs in surface soil sampled throughout Mongolia. •The PCB patterns in polluted soil were similar to those in Sovol or Aroclor 1254. •Significant differences in PCB means in soil in different natural zones were found. -- Polychlorinated biphenyls were measured in soils throughout Mongolia

Differences and similarities in medicine use, perceptions and sharing among adolescents in two different educational settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Vestergaard, Stense; Ravn, Pernille; Hallgreen, Christine Erikstrup; Kaae, Susanne

2017-11-23

Background Evidence suggests that there are differences in medicine habits among adolescents with different sociodemographic backgrounds and that peers might also influence medicine use. More knowledge is needed regarding how these aspects together affect how different young people use medicines. Objective To explore the differences in medicine use, perceptions and sharing between adolescents at two different educational (and socio-demographic) settings and assess the influence of parents and peers. Subjects Fifty-nine students from a private high school (HS) and 34 students from a public vocational school (VS) in Denmark between the ages of 15 and 19 years old were subjects in this study. Methods A questionnaire was used that included background, medicine consumption, perceptions and social interaction. Descriptive analyses along with a Fishers test were used to determine differences and similarities between students' medicine patterns at the school settings. Results Of the 93 respondents, 74% used medicine within the past month, with females using more medicines. A significant difference was found with students at the VS using a higher number of medicines. Analgesics were the most frequently consumed medicine; however, reasons for using medicines appear to vary between the schools. Similarities between the schools were identified for perception of safety, sharing medicine and talking primarily with parents about medicine. Conclusion Fewer differences between students' medicine use at two educational settings than expected were identified, showing that aspects other than social background influence adolescents' use of medicine. A general tendency among young people believing that using medicines is a safe might explain these findings.

Portuguese Coaches' Perceptions of and Preferences for Knowledge Sources Related to their Professional Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Isabel; Isidro, Sofia; Rosado, António

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse Portuguese coaches' perceptions of, and preferences for, knowledge sources as related to professional background; namely academic education level, coach education level and coaching experience. The study's participants comprised 336 Portuguese coaches from twenty-two sports. A questionnaire was used to identify coaches' demographic characteristics and representations about their preferred sources of coaching knowledge. MANOVA using Tukey's HSD test was used to compare groups. The results highlighted that coaches perceived that coaching knowledge is built from a broad range of sources from personal coaching and playing experiences to more explicit formal, informal and non-formal learning situations. Results indicated that the coaches ascribed more importance to experiential sources such as working with experts, learning by doing, interacting with peer coaches and attending informal seminars and clinics, than to the formal learning situations provided by the national coaching certification programs. Differences, however, were found in that coaches who had a greater background within higher education (physical) and sport valued informal and non-formal learning sources more than did coaches who were defined as not coming from an academic background. The findings point to the importance of developing new learning, experientially-based, opportunities within the Portuguese context, where curricula content continues to be delivered via didactic means. Key pointsCoaches recognized that learning is obtained from a broad range of sources of coaching knowledge and each source has a particular role in the development of a coach.Experiential guided sources reached more importance to coaches as working with experts, learning by doing, attending seminars/clinics outside of the formal system and interaction with peers were the most acknowledged.The only source that is related to formal learning, national certification programs, was

Portuguese Coaches’ Perceptions of and Preferences for Knowledge Sources Related to their Professional Background

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Isabel; Isidro, Sofia; Rosado, António

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse Portuguese coaches’ perceptions of, and preferences for, knowledge sources as related to professional background; namely academic education level, coach education level and coaching experience. The study’s participants comprised 336 Portuguese coaches from twenty-two sports. A questionnaire was used to identify coaches’ demographic characteristics and representations about their preferred sources of coaching knowledge. MANOVA using Tukey’s HSD test was used to compare groups. The results highlighted that coaches perceived that coaching knowledge is built from a broad range of sources from personal coaching and playing experiences to more explicit formal, informal and non-formal learning situations. Results indicated that the coaches ascribed more importance to experiential sources such as working with experts, learning by doing, interacting with peer coaches and attending informal seminars and clinics, than to the formal learning situations provided by the national coaching certification programs. Differences, however, were found in that coaches who had a greater background within higher education (physical) and sport valued informal and non-formal learning sources more than did coaches who were defined as not coming from an academic background. The findings point to the importance of developing new learning, experientially-based, opportunities within the Portuguese context, where curricula content continues to be delivered via didactic means. Key points Coaches recognized that learning is obtained from a broad range of sources of coaching knowledge and each source has a particular role in the development of a coach. Experiential guided sources reached more importance to coaches as working with experts, learning by doing, attending seminars/clinics outside of the formal system and interaction with peers were the most acknowledged. The only source that is related to formal learning, national certification programs

Holographic cinematography of time-varying reflecting and time-varying phase objects using a Nd:YAG laser

Science.gov (United States)

Decker, A. J.

1982-01-01

The use of a Nd:YAG laser to record holographic motion pictures of time-varying reflecting objects and time-varying phase objects is discussed. Sample frames from both types of holographic motion pictures are presented. The holographic system discussed is intended for three-dimensional flow visualization of the time-varying flows that occur in jet-engine components.

Selling a gun to a stranger without a background check: acceptable behaviour?

Science.gov (United States)

Hemenway, David; Azrael, Deborah; Miller, Matthew

2017-06-24

One way that guns get into the wrong hands is via gun sales without a background check. While the large majority of Americans support laws requiring universal background checks, no prior study has assessed whether Americans think it is acceptable behaviour to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check, whether or not there is a law against it. We sponsored a nationally representative survey of over 3900 American adults, oversampling gun owners, using an online panel provided by the survey firm Growth for Knowledge. Over 72% of American adults agree or strongly agree with the statement that 'whether it is legal or not, it is NOT acceptable to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check' and 11% disagree or strongly disagree. Subgroups less likely to agree are young adults, men, conservatives, those with less than a high school education and gun owners. Reducing the number of guns sold without a background check could help reduce the flow of guns to felons. Changes in normative attitudes and behaviours, as well as changes in law, could help accomplish this goal. Most Americans, including gun owners, believe selling a gun to a stranger without a background check is not acceptable behaviour. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Background of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) Policy in Some Countries: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Alkahtani, Mohammed Ali; Kheirallah, Sahar Abdelfattah

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to provide a cogent outline of the current policies that six separate countries have on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), identifying the key features in each system. The chosen countries are Australia (Queen Island), Canada (British Columbia), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Saudi Arabia. The…

Time-varying BRDFs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Bo; Sunkavalli, Kalyan; Ramamoorthi, Ravi; Belhumeur, Peter N; Nayar, Shree K

2007-01-01

The properties of virtually all real-world materials change with time, causing their bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs) to be time varying. However, none of the existing BRDF models and databases take time variation into consideration; they represent the appearance of a material at a single time instance. In this paper, we address the acquisition, analysis, modeling, and rendering of a wide range of time-varying BRDFs (TVBRDFs). We have developed an acquisition system that is capable of sampling a material's BRDF at multiple time instances, with each time sample acquired within 36 sec. We have used this acquisition system to measure the BRDFs of a wide range of time-varying phenomena, which include the drying of various types of paints (watercolor, spray, and oil), the drying of wet rough surfaces (cement, plaster, and fabrics), the accumulation of dusts (household and joint compound) on surfaces, and the melting of materials (chocolate). Analytic BRDF functions are fit to these measurements and the model parameters' variations with time are analyzed. Each category exhibits interesting and sometimes nonintuitive parameter trends. These parameter trends are then used to develop analytic TVBRDF models. The analytic TVBRDF models enable us to apply effects such as paint drying and dust accumulation to arbitrary surfaces and novel materials.

Educational Encouragement, Parenting Styles, Gender and Ethnicity as Predictors of Academic Achievement among Special Education Students

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Aqeel; Ahmad, Roslee; Hamdan, Abdul Rahim; Mustaffa, Mohamed Sharif

2014-01-01

Current study examines the predictors of academic achievement: role of parenting styles, educational encouragement, gender and ethnicity among special education students. Participants of this study consisted 200 special education students (N = 105 boys and N = 95 girls) age varies 14 to 19 years from one school located at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.…

Genetic variation and co-variation for fitness between intra-population and inter-population backgrounds in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Science.gov (United States)

Drury, Douglas W.; Wade, Michael J.

2010-01-01

Hybrids from crosses between populations of the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, express varying degrees of inviability and morphological abnormalities. The proportion of allopatric population hybrids exhibiting these negative hybrid phenotypes varies widely, from 3% to 100%, depending upon the pair of populations crossed. We crossed three populations and measured two fitness components, fertility and adult offspring numbers from successful crosses, to determine how genes segregating within populations interact in inter-population hybrids to cause the negative phenotypes. With data from crosses of 40 sires from each of three populations to groups of 5 dams from their own and two divergent populations, we estimated the genetic variance and covariance for breeding value of fitness between the intra- and inter-population backgrounds and the sire × dam-population interaction variance. The latter component of the variance in breeding values estimates the change in genic effects between backgrounds owing to epistasis. Interacting genes with a positive effect, prior to fixation, in the sympatric background but a negative effect in the hybrid background cause reproductive incompatibility in the Dobzhansky-Muller speciation model. Thus, the sire × dam-population interaction provides a way to measure the progress toward speciation of genetically differentiating populations on a trait by trait basis using inter-population hybrids. PMID:21044199

Education, underemployment and job satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shujaat Farooq

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Education is an effective vehicle for producing the required skills to maintain economic growth. The benefits of education range from human to economic, social and cultural. In Pakistan, there is significant rise in the average level of education, but over time, more and more workers incapable to use their educational background on the job. Supply of labor may have outstripped the demand of labor in some professions, and high qualified peoples taking job on low positions. Such underemployment/overeducation has not been fully explored in Pakistan. The theme of paper is “underemployment symbolizes an inefficient usage of human resources and lost output for society”.The research is based on case study on clerical workers of SNGPL. By comparing their educational backgrounds with their nature of job, this paper examines the impact of overeducation on job satisfaction. Our results show that underemployment/overeducation is correlated with higher level of job dissatisfaction, reduced job involvement, impaired co-worker relationship, and more emphasis on future aspirations.

Creativity and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Robina

2010-01-01

This paper starts with a brief background of the link between creativity and education, including the beginning of the most recent interest in the two. There is a short summary of the reasons for this renewed interest. This is followed by a discussion into the dissatisfactions over current education and its changing role in the light of increasing…

Estimating time-varying exposure-outcome associations using case-control data: logistic and case-cohort analyses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth H. Keogh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Traditional analyses of standard case-control studies using logistic regression do not allow estimation of time-varying associations between exposures and the outcome. We present two approaches which allow this. The motivation is a study of vaccine efficacy as a function of time since vaccination. Methods Our first approach is to estimate time-varying exposure-outcome associations by fitting a series of logistic regressions within successive time periods, reusing controls across periods. Our second approach treats the case-control sample as a case-cohort study, with the controls forming the subcohort. In the case-cohort analysis, controls contribute information at all times they are at risk. Extensions allow left truncation, frequency matching and, using the case-cohort analysis, time-varying exposures. Simulations are used to investigate the methods. Results The simulation results show that both methods give correct estimates of time-varying effects of exposures using standard case-control data. Using the logistic approach there are efficiency gains by reusing controls over time and care should be taken over the definition of controls within time periods. However, using the case-cohort analysis there is no ambiguity over the definition of controls. The performance of the two analyses is very similar when controls are used most efficiently under the logistic approach. Conclusions Using our methods, case-control studies can be used to estimate time-varying exposure-outcome associations where they may not previously have been considered. The case-cohort analysis has several advantages, including that it allows estimation of time-varying associations as a continuous function of time, while the logistic regression approach is restricted to assuming a step function form for the time-varying association.

Social Justice and Music Education: Toward a Multicultural Concept of Music Education

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrota, Snježana

2015-01-01

One of the primary goals of multicultural education is to change the current structure of the educational system and to bridge the widening gaps between students of different background. Similarly, multicultural art curriculum fosters the formation of attitudes and perceptions that help people confront their sociocultural biases. The aim of this…

Citizenship Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dorf, Hans

2008-01-01

a key role to education in engendering European democratic citizenship. It can be questioned whether it is within the scope of educational programmes to ensure social integration and democracy. However, to clarify the perspectives of the educational issue, the article discusses the conflicts...... and relationships between cultural identity and democracy within a framework of modernity before returning to the issue of education for democratic citizenship. It is shown on the basis of empirical studies that family background interacts with school factors in the reproduction of democratic inequalities....... It is also indicated, however, that this must not be considered an unchangeable pedagogical fact, and the article briefly sketches a set of pedagogical and research challenges concerned with educating for democratic empowerment at different levels of school practice. Although this paper focuses on education...

Exploring the Relationship Between Working Memory, Compressor Speed, and Background Noise Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohlenforst, Barbara; Souza, Pamela E; MacDonald, Ewen N

2016-01-01

Previous work has shown that individuals with lower working memory demonstrate reduced intelligibility for speech processed with fast-acting compression amplification. This relationship has been noted in fluctuating noise, but the extent of noise modulation that must be present to elicit such an effect is unknown. This study expanded on previous study by exploring the effect of background noise modulations in relation to compression speed and working memory ability, using a range of signal to noise ratios. Twenty-six older participants between ages 61 and 90 years were grouped by high or low working memory according to their performance on a reading span test. Speech intelligibility was measured for low-context sentences presented in background noise, where the noise varied in the extent of amplitude modulation. Simulated fast- or slow-acting compression amplification combined with individual frequency-gain shaping was applied to compensate for the individual's hearing loss. Better speech intelligibility scores were observed for participants with high working memory when fast compression was applied than when slow compression was applied. The low working memory group behaved in the opposite way and performed better under slow compression compared with fast compression. There was also a significant effect of the extent of amplitude modulation in the background noise, such that the magnitude of the score difference (fast versus slow compression) depended on the number of talkers in the background noise. The presented signal to noise ratios were not a significant factor on the measured intelligibility performance. In agreement with earlier research, high working memory allowed better speech intelligibility when fast compression was applied in modulated background noise. In the present experiment, that effect was present regardless of the extent of background noise modulation.

The effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention in reducing heavy drinking among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Voogt, Carmen V; Poelen, Evelien A P; Lemmers, Lex A C J; Engels, Rutger C M E

2012-06-15

The serious negative health consequences of heavy drinking among adolescents is cause for concern, especially among adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background. In the Netherlands, there is a lack of alcohol prevention programs directed to the drinking patterns of this specific target group. The study described in this protocol will test the effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention that aims to reduce alcohol use among heavy drinking adolescents aged 15 to 20 years with a low educational background. The effectiveness of the What Do You Drink (WDYD) web-based brief alcohol intervention will be tested among 750 low-educated, heavy drinking adolescents. It will use a two-arm parallel group cluster randomized controlled trial. Classes of adolescents from educational institutions will be randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 375: web-based brief alcohol intervention) or control condition (n = 375: no intervention). Primary outcomes measures will be: 1) the percentage of participants who drink within the normative limits of the Dutch National Health Council for low-risk drinking, 2) reductions in mean weekly alcohol consumption, and 3) frequency of binge drinking. The secondary outcome measures include the alcohol-related cognitions, attitudes, self-efficacy, and subjective norms, which will be measured at baseline and at one and six months after the intervention. This study protocol presents the study design of a two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the WDYD web-based brief alcohol intervention. We hypothesized a reduction in mean weekly alcohol consumption and in the frequency of binge drinking in the experimental condition, resulting from the web-based brief alcohol intervention, compared to the control condition. Netherlands Trial Register NTR2971.

A formação do professor para o ensino superior: prática docente com alunos com deficiência visual The professor educational background for the university academic practice towards visually impaired students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele Xavier dos Reis

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Apesar de existirem políticas que garantem aos alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais o acesso ao ensino regular, inúmeras barreiras são encontradas para que esse processo se efetive, sendo uma delas a formação do professor. A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a formação de professores universitários formados em Ciências Biológicas/licenciatura para o atendimento de pessoas com deficiência visual no sistema universitário. Buscando entender a formação docente como fenômeno singular e diverso, a metodologia adotada foi qualitativa, sendo selecionados cinco professores que atuavam no curso de Ciências Biológicas/licenciatura de uma universidade pública localizada no sul de Minas Gerais. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os sujeitos de pesquisa, buscando averiguar a formação e a experiência docente dos sujeitos com alunos com deficiência visual. Os resultados evidenciaram que ainda são grandes as dificuldades encontradas no processo de inclusão, tanto devido a lacunas na formação docente quanto devido à postura adotada pelo professor em sala de aula.In spite of the existence of countless policies assuring impaired students access to the regular educational process, barriers are found preventing the consolidation of the mentioned process. The professor educational background is pointed out as an expressive cause to the failure of the student in the educational process. So far, the objective of the present research was to analyze the professor educational background concerning visually impaired people within the university system. The present theme is relevant considering that few studies have been dedicated to the inclusion process at advanced education. In order to understand the teaching process as a unique and diverse phenomenon, the methodology applied was qualitative and five professors, teaching Biological Sciences - graduated from a public university in the southern of Minas Gerais

The Interplay of Employment Uncertainty and Education in explaining Second Births in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Adsera, Alicia

2011-08-23

This paper analyzes how labor market instability since the late 1980s in Europe mediated decisions to second births. In particular, it examines which are the dimensions of economic uncertainty that affect women with different educational backgrounds. First, employing time varying measures of aggregate market conditions for women in twelve European countries as well as micro-measures of each woman's labor market history, it shows that delays in second births are significant in countries with high unemployment, among women who are unemployed, particularly the least educated, and who have temporary jobs. Holding a very short contract is more critical than unemployment for college graduates. Second, using the 2006 Spanish Fertility Survey, it presents remarkably similar findings for Spain, the country with the most dramatic changes in both fertility and unemployment in the last decades: a high jobless rate and the widespread use of limited-duration contracts were correlated with a substantial postponement of second births.

Immigrant Students' Educational Expectations: The Role of Religious Affiliation and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Hemmerechts, Kenneth; Kavadias, Dimokritos; Agirdag, Orhan

2018-01-01

A body of scholarly work has emerged on educational expectations. More recently, the relationship between educational expectations and immigrant background in Western Europe has been investigated. Although the results of this type of inquiry show that students with an immigrant background tend to have higher educational expectations, potential…

Road to the Future. General Aspects of Brazilian Higher Education and a Brief Comparison with Other Educational Modes. Yale Higher Education Research Group Working Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Simao, Jose Veiga

After a brief explanation of the economic and social background of Brazil, its educational system is described and the prospects for higher education there are explored. Like most nations, Brazil's higher education system is unique and adapted to its own needs. Its system bears similarities to both European and American traditions. In the near…

Educator Sexual Misconduct and Texas Educator Discipline Database Construction.

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, Catherine E; Thompson, David P

2018-05-24

The purpose of this research is to describe Texas educator sexual misconduct (ESM) by examining 8 years of sanctions issued to educators (N = 1415) for either sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with students or minors. We first examine Texas ESM from the perspective of quality database construction and then describe the demographic characteristics of educators sanctioned for ESM between 2008 and 2016. Differences in the demographic characteristics of educators sanctioned for ESM vary according to the definition of ESM employed by the state education agency. Younger and early career educators are more likely to engage in inappropriate relationships with students or minors, whereas older and later-career teachers are more likely to engage in sexual misconduct as that term is defined by the state education agency. Over one-third of educators sanctioned for ESM were either new to the profession or new to their school district when sanctioned. Recommendations are offered for database construction, policy, and practice.

Education, training and continuous professional development in the radiological protection of patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, L.K.

2001-01-01

Education and training in the radiological protection of patients has to face many challenges. These stem from the interdisciplinary nature of the personnel involved, their varied backgrounds, the difficult to quantify risk and benefit considerations, concern for quality of the end product, changing attitudes as knowledge develops in fast growing areas of technology and the wide complexity of the equipment used. On the one hand there is a need for giving orientation about the medical exigencies and situations in clinical practice to the radiation protection regulators and, on the other, more and more clinicians without any training in radiation protection are getting involved in the use of high levels of radiation through angiographic procedures. It is hence no wonder that the deterministic effects of radiation have been observed in patients undergoing angiographic procedures. A review of the state of the art in education and training and identifying educational challenges is therefore needed. The medical training of physicians and support personnel in the health care use of ionizing or other radiation in patients is particularly challenging for many reasons, most of which are unique to health care. These include those described in the paper. (author)

Background radon levels in Germany and how to take them into account in radiological evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehrcke, K.; Kuemmel, M.; Dushe, C.

2008-01-01

A mean background radon level of 9 ±, 1 Bq/m 3 was determined for Germany as a whole. This value is lower by about 5 Bq/m3 compared to previous, less representative measurements. For 17 former mining areas in the east of Germany representative regional background levels were derived. Characteristic limits (decision thresholds and detection limits) were determined for these areas to facilitate statistically sound decisions in the radiological evaluation of mining legacies. The detection limits for the anthropogenic contribution to the radon concentration vary from 10 to more than 20 Bq/m 3 in the different mining areas. Especially the higher values are governed by the spatial and temporal variability of the background concentrations rather than measurement uncertainties. The fact that man-made contributions of partly more than 20 Bq/m3 cannot be detected with sufficient statistical accuracy has to be taken into account in radiological investigations and evaluations of mining legacies. (author)(tk)

Social Class, Family Background and Intergenerational Mobility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

D. Munk, Martin; McIntosh, James

This research examines the various approaches taken by economists and sociologists for analyzing intergenerational mobility. Social mobility models based on social classes arising from an occupational classification scheme are analyzed. A test for the statistical validity of classification schemes...... is proposed and tested using Danish sample survey data that was first collected in 1976 and augmented in 2000. This is referred to as a homogeneity test and is a likelihood ratio test of a set of linear restrictions which define social classes. For Denmark it is shown that this test fails for an Erikson......-Goldthorpe classification system, raising doubts about the statistical validity of occupational classification systems in general. We also estimate regression models of occupational earnings, household earnings, and educational attainment using family background variables as covariates controlling for unobservables...

Social Class, Family Background and Intergenerational Mobility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

D. Munk, Martin; McIntosh, James

This research examines the various approaches taken by economists and sociologists for analyzing intergenerational mobility. Social mobility models based on social classes arising from an occupational classi.cation scheme are analyzed. A test for the statistical validity of classi.cation schemes...... is proposed and tested using Danish sample survey data that was .rst collected in 1976 and augmented in 2000. This is referred to as a homogeneity test and is a likelihood ratio test of a set of linear restrictions which define social classes. For Denmark it is shown that this test fails for an Erikson......-Goldthorpe classi.cation system, raising doubts about the statistical validity of occupational classication systems in general. We also estimate regression models of occupational earnings, household earnings, and educational attainment using family background variables as covariates controlling for unobservables...

Determining site-specific background level with geostatistics for remediation of heavy metals in neighborhood soils

OpenAIRE

Tammy M. Milillo; Gaurav Sinha; Joseph A. Gardella Jr.

2017-01-01

The choice of a relevant, uncontaminated site for the determination of site-specific background concentrations for pollutants is critical for planning remediation of a contaminated site. The guidelines used to arrive at concentration levels vary from state to state, complicating this process. The residential neighborhood of Hickory Woods in Buffalo, NY is an area where heavy metal concentrations and spatial distributions were measured to plan remediation. A novel geostatistics based decision ...

Cognitive development in Dutch primary education, the impact of individual background and classroom composition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luyten, Johannes W.; Schildkamp, Kim; Folmer, Elvira

2009-01-01

A sample of 815 Dutch pupils from 49 classes was followed from age 6 (Dutch Grade 3) through age 11 (Grade 7) to estimate growth trajectories for pupils with different socio-ethnic backgrounds. The results indicate that the disadvantage for spelling already present in Grade 3 increases more strongly

Becoming a teacher educator: experiences with a specific induction period for beginning teacher educators.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

dr Rita Schildwacht; MEd Marly Gootzen; dr.ir. Quinta Kools; MEd Marije Veraa

2012-01-01

Introduction and theoretical background In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in the specific position of beginning teacher educators. In the book 'Becoming a teacher Educator' (Swennen & Van der Klink, 2009) several chapters deal with this subject. In conclusion, teacher

Childlessness and fertility by couples' educational gender (inequality in Austria, Bulgaria, and France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beata Osiewalska

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background: In modern, highly developed countries the association between education and fertility seems to be equivocal: A negative influence of education mainly applies to women, while among men the correlation is often positive or negligible. Although the gender differences have been examined in depth, couples' procreative behaviour treated as the result of a conflict between male and female characteristics is still understudied. Objective: This study aims to investigate couples' reproductive behaviour among contemporary European populations with regard to (inequality between partners' educational levels and the joint educational resources of a couple. Various measures of educational endogamy are considered. Methods: The hurdle zero-truncated Poisson model within the Bayesian framework is applied. The data comes from the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey for Austria, Bulgaria, and France. Results: Homogamous low-educated partners have, on average, the highest fertility. The highly educated postpone childbearing and have a smaller number of children in all countries except France, where their completed fertility does not differ from that of other unions. The effect of hypergamy is insignificant and is thus similar to homogamy in medium education. Hypogamy negatively influences fertility in Bulgaria and Austria, while in France the effect is insignificant. Conclusions: The small variation in fertility due to couple-level education observed in France indicates that proper institutional support for families might help couples overcome possible obstacles and enhance fertility for all educational profiles. Contribution: This study provides a perspective on the relationship between reproductive behaviour and educational pairing in varying country-specific contexts. It reaches key conclusions on contemporary fertility regarding both childlessness and parenthood and their association with couples' different educational profiles.

Special Education in Jordan

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Hamour, Bashir; Al-Hmouz, Hanan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief background about special education system in Jordan and particularly describes the present types of programmes and legislation provided within the country to students with special needs, as well as integration movement. Jordan has historically provided a limited number of educational opportunities…

The Operation Mechanisms of External Quality Assurance Frameworks of Foreign Higher Education and Implications for Graduate Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Mengquan; Chang, Kai; Gong, Le

2016-01-01

The higher education quality evaluation and assurance frameworks and their operating mechanisms of countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States show that higher education systems, traditional culture, and social background all impact quality assurance operating mechanisms. A model analysis of these higher education quality…

Physical Education Teacher Education Students' Knowledge, Perceptions and Experiences of Promoting Healthy, Active Lifestyles in Secondary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Jo

2014-01-01

Background: Physical education teacher education (PETE) offers a context for students to learn about the promotion of active lifestyles in secondary schools through their interactions and experiences during the teacher education process. However, previous studies have found low levels of health-related fitness knowledge amongst PETE students,…

Indigenous education and heritage revitalization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ke, Wen-Li

2011-01-01

The thesis (working title: 'Indigenous Education and Heritage Revitalization') focuses on the (possible) roles of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the education of indigenous peoples in Taiwan, against the background of worldwide discussions and studies of the possibilities to create and

The Influence of Parental Education on Timing and Type of Union Formation: Changes Over the Life Course and Over Time in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Mooyaart, Jarl E; Liefbroer, Aart C

2016-08-01

Family background shapes young adults' decisions in their transition to adulthood, and the outcomes of these decisions lay the foundation for their subsequent life course. This study examines the influence of parental education on their children's union formation. We examine the timing of entry into a first union (a married or a cohabiting union), the choice between marriage and cohabitation, and the timing of first marriage. Data from eight nationally representative surveys conducted in the Netherlands are pooled (N = 39,777), with respondents being born between 1930 and 1990, to examine not only the effect of parental education on union formation but also whether this effect changes over birth cohorts, periods, and the life course, and varies by gender. Results from discrete-time hazard analyses show little change in the effect of parental education across cohorts and periods but strong life-course effects. Gender differences in the effect of parental education are relatively small.

Varied definitions of risk related to sensation seeking trait

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daastoel, P.Oe.U.; Drottz-Sjoeberg, B.M.

1999-01-01

This pilot study is based on the assumption and the knowledge that previous results show that the normal use of the word risk varies across subjects. The risk definitions the subjects use have also been shown to be related to various educational interests. A related field of research has developed measures for Sensation Seeking personality trait, with four facets. Three independent groups of first year psychology students reported their normal definition of the word risk using one of three measurement formats. The results showed, e.g. that the typical open-ended response to the personal definition of risk was danger. Subjects who defined risk as the combination of probability and consequences tended to score higher on the total Sensation Seeking Scale, as compared to those defining risk as the probability of an event

Varied definitions of risk related to sensation seeking trait

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daastoel, P.Oe.U.; Drottz-Sjoeberg, B.M. [Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway). Dept. of Psychology

1999-12-01

This pilot study is based on the assumption and the knowledge that previous results show that the normal use of the word risk varies across subjects. The risk definitions the subjects use have also been shown to be related to various educational interests. A related field of research has developed measures for Sensation Seeking personality trait, with four facets. Three independent groups of first year psychology students reported their normal definition of the word risk using one of three measurement formats. The results showed, e.g. that the typical open-ended response to the personal definition of risk was danger. Subjects who defined risk as the combination of probability and consequences tended to score higher on the total Sensation Seeking Scale, as compared to those defining risk as the probability of an event.

Targeting “hardly reached” people with chronic illness: a feasibility study of a person-centered self-management education approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Varming AR

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Annemarie Reinhardt Varming,1 Rikke Torenholt,1 Tue Helms Andersen,2 Birgitte Lund Møller,3 Ingrid Willaing1 1Diabetes Management Research, Health Promotion, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, 2Danish Diabetes Association, 3Department of Intersectoral Collaboration, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark Background: Self-management education is critical to the development of successful health behavior changes related to chronic illness. However, people in high-risk groups attend less frequently or benefit less from patient education programs than do people with more socioeconomic advantages.Aim: The aim was to test the feasibility of a participatory person-centered education approach and tool-kit targeting self-management of chronic illness in hardly reached people.Methods: After participating in a training program, educators (n=77 tested the approach in practice. Data collection included online questionnaires for educators (n=65, observations of education sessions (n=7, and interviews with educators (n=11 and participants (n=22. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Transcripts of interviews and observations were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Feasibility was examined in terms of practicality, integration, suitability, and efficacy.Results: Educators had a positive response to the approach and found that the tools supported involving participants in education and support. Participant satisfaction varied, depending on the ability of educators to integrate the tools into programs in a meaningful way. The tools provided time for reflection in the education process that benefited participants and educators alike. Educators found it challenging to allow participants to help set the agenda and to exchange experiences without educator control. Barriers to use reported by educators included lack of time for both training and preparation.Limitations: The testing included varied groups of participants, some

A varying-α brane world cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youm, Donam

2001-08-01

We study the brane world cosmology in the RS2 model where the electric charge varies with time in the manner described by the varying fine-structure constant theory of Bekenstein. We map such varying electric charge cosmology to the dual variable-speed-of-light cosmology by changing system of units. We comment on cosmological implications for such cosmological models. (author)

Identity Change during Vocational Teacher Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duch, Henriette

where the teacher is employed. Regardless of the teacher’s educational background, he has to attend the same course when he is employed at a vocational school. During that education, the teacher is in transition to become a vocational teacher. It is mandatory to complete the Diploma of Education in four...

Incidence, timing and outcome of AKI in critically ill patients varies with the definition used and the addition of urine output criteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koeze, J.; Keus, F.; Dieperink, W.; van der Horst, I. C. C.; Zijlstra, J. G.; van Meurs, M.

2017-01-01

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of critical illness with both attributed morbidity and mortality at short-term and long-term. The incidence of AKI reported in critically ill patients varies substantially with the population evaluated and the definitions used. We aimed

Does food group consumption vary by differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle factors in young adults? The Bogalusa Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Deshmukh-Taskar, Priya; Nicklas, Theresa A; Yang, Su-Jau; Berenson, Gerald S

2007-02-01

To examine if food group consumption varies by differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle factors in young adults from a semirural setting in Louisiana. Cross-sectional. Young adults (n=1,266, 74% European American, 26% African American; 39% men, 61% women) aged 20 to 38 years, enrolled in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Food group consumption was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. Socioeconomic (eg, income and education), demographic (eg, age, sex, and ethnicity), and lifestyle (eg, marital status and physical activity) information was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire and the subjects were stratified according to these groups. Analysis of covariance (adjusted for covariates) was used to detect differences in the mean servings of food groups consumed per day between the various socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle groups. Compared to income$45,000 had lower consumption of burgers/sandwiches (Pconsumption of mixed dishes (P12 years of education. European-American men consumed more servings of dairy products (Pfood group consumption varies by socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle factors in young adults from a semirural setting. Food and nutrition professionals who encounter diverse populations need to consider the influence of income, education, sex, ethnicity, marital status, and physical activity on food consumption patterns when planning diets, nutrition education programs, and interventions for young adults.

Students' Learning Environment and Education Quality in Faculty of Education of University of Tehran

Science.gov (United States)

Keshavarz, Mohsen; Vaziri, Seyed Ali; Jafari, Ahmad; Alizadeh, Hadi

2013-01-01

The main aim of this article is to review between students' learning environment and education quality. A non-experimental, quantitative, SPSS 17.0 research design was used to explore the relationship between background demographic characteristics, transformational, and transactional leadership styles, learning environment, and education quality.…

Research and higher education background of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. Past and present

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Csom, Gy.

2002-01-01

The connection of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary, with research and development as well as with higher education is discussed. The main research areas include reactor physics, thermohydraulics, radiochemistry and radiochemical analysis, electronics and nuclear instruments, computers, materials science. The evolution of relations with higher education in Hungary and the PNPP is presented, before and after the installation of the various units. (R.P.)

Study on the background information for the geological disposal concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Kazuaki; Murano, Tohru; Hirusawa, Shigenobu; Komoto, Harumi

2000-03-01

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) has published first R and D report in 1992, in which the fruits of the R and D work were compiled. Since then, JNC, has been promoting the second R and D progress report until before 2000, in which the background information on the geological disposal of high level radioactive waste (HLW) was to be presented as well as the technical basis. Recognizing the importance of the social consensus to the geological disposal, understanding and consensus by the society are essential to the development and realization of the geological disposal of HLW. In this fiscal year, studies were divided into 2 phases, considering the time schedule of the second R and D progress report. 1. Phase 1: Analysis of the background information on the geological disposal concept. Based on the recent informations and the research works of last 2 years, final version of the study was made to contribute to the background informations for the second R and D progress report. (This was published in Nov. 1999 as the intermediate report: JNC TJ 1420 2000-006). 2. Phase 2: Following 2 specific items were selected for the candidate issues which need to be studied, considering the present circumstances around the R and D of geological disposal. (1) Educational materials and strategies related to nuclear energy and nuclear waste. Specific strategies and approaches in the area of nuclear energy and nuclear waste educational outreach and curriculum activities by the nuclear industry, government and other entities in 6 countries were surveyed and summarized. (2) Alternatives to geological disposal of HLW: Past national/international consideration and current status. The alternatives for the disposal of HLW have been discussed in the past and the major waste-producing countries have almost all chosen deep geological disposal as preferred method. Here past histories and recent discussions on the variations to geological disposal were studied. (author)

Correlation Among Students’ Family Background, Academic Performance in Junior High School, and Senior High School Tracking in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Fu Huang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available There were numerous previous studies on educational tracking. However, most of the data adopted in these studies were collected a decade ago, involving sample population 20-64 years of age. Among them, many elderly samples had undergone senior high school tracking in the early years. The present study used the data of students and parents from the 3rd wave (2005 of the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS. A path analysis was conducted to investigate the inequality of opportunities involved in the influence of student family background on educational tracking at the senior high school stage. The results show: although the overall percentage of junior high school graduates entering advanced levels was approximately 100% and almost all students of different family backgrounds entered advanced levels, the most crucial factor among those affecting educational tracking of senior high school stage was students’ academic performance during junior high school. Students with higher family socioeconomic status and fewer siblings showed better academic performance in junior high schools, and consequently had higher possibilities of entering public senior high schools leading to a more promising future. This indicates that though the inequality in the quantity of opportunities approached 0, the inequality in the quality of opportunities still remained, which fails to support the hypothesis of the maximally maintained inequality of educational opportunity (MMI; however, the result supports the hypothesis of the effectively maintained inequality of educational opportunity (EMI.

Physical Education as Porn!

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, John

2013-01-01

Background: This paper offers critical commentary on the culture of "performativity" that has dominated educational discourse over the last 20 years, affecting the way in which researchers, teachers, pupils and parents think and act toward Physical Education and sport (PESP) in schools. It is a culture that, in the UK, is likely to…

School Performance: A Matter of Health or Socio-Economic Background? Findings from the PIAMA Birth Cohort Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijsbroek, Annemarie; Wijga, Alet H; Gehring, Ulrike; Kerkhof, Marjan; Droomers, Mariël

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Performance in primary school is a determinant of children's educational attainment and their socio-economic position and health inequalities in adulthood. We examined the relationship between five common childhood health conditions (asthma symptoms, eczema, general health, frequent

School Performance : A Matter of Health or Socio-Economic Background? Findings from the PIAMA Birth Cohort Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijsbroek, Annemarie; Wijga, Alet H.; Gehring, Ulrike; Kerkhof, Marjan; Droomers, Mariel

2015-01-01

Background Performance in primary school is a determinant of children's educational attainment and their socio-economic position and health inequalities in adulthood. We examined the relationship between five common childhood health conditions (asthma symptoms, eczema, general health, frequent

Educational software reflecting two philosophical approaches to ethics education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hettinga, marike; Collis, Betty

1994-01-01

Ethics education can vary considerably in its instructional strategies based on differences in the theoretical positions underlying the approach to moral development being stressed. Two such approaches are the 'justice' approach as exemplified by Kohlberg's six stages of moral development, and the

Grenada Education Management Information System

OpenAIRE

Porta, Emilio; Klein, Jennifer; Arcia, Gustavo; Nannyonjo, Harriet

2012-01-01

The Education Management Information System (EMIS) country report for Grenada includes the following headings: background which includes education data in Grenada, EMIS staff, facilities and equipment, EMIS data, and publications; prerequisites of quality; assurances of integrity; methodological soundness; accuracy and reliability; serviceability; and accessibility.

A Case Study of the Experiences of Instructors and Students in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with Different Cultural Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Keol; Kim, Mi Hwa

2015-01-01

The use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) has become more common and educators recognized the potential of VLEs as educational environments. The learning community in VLEs can be a mixture of people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds. However, despite many studies about the use of virtual environments for learning,…

Background enhancement in breast MR: Correlation with breast density in mammography and background echotexture in ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Eun Sook; Lee, Byung Hee; Choi, Hye Young; Kim, Rock Bum; Noh, Woo-Chul

2011-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether background enhancement on MR was related to mammographic breast density or ultrasonographic background echotexture in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: We studied 142 patients (79 premenopausal, 63 postmenopausal) who underwent mammography, ultrasonography, and breast MR. We reviewed the mammography for overall breast density of the contralateral normal breast according to the four-point scale of the BI-RADS classification. Ultrasound findings were classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous background echotexture according to the BI-RADS lexicon. We rated background enhancement on a contralateral breast MR into four categories based on subtraction images: absent, mild, moderate, and marked. All imaging findings were interpreted independently by two readers without knowledge of menstrual status, imaging findings of other modalities. Results: There were significant differences between the premenopausal and postmenopausal group in distribution of mammographic breast density, ultrasonographic background echotexture, and degree of background enhancement. Regarding the relationship between mammographic density and background enhancement, there was no significant correlation. There was significant relationship between ultrasonographic background echotexture and background enhancement in both premenopausal and postmenopausal groups. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between ultrasonographic background echotexture and background enhancement in MR regardless of menopausal status. Interpreting breast MR, or scheduling for breast MR of women showing heterogeneous background echotexture needs more caution.

Immigrant students’ educational expectations : The role of religious affiliation and practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hemmerechts, K.; Kavadias, D.; Agirdag, O.

2018-01-01

A body of scholarly work has emerged on educational expectations. More recently, the relationship between educational expectations and immigrant background in Western Europe has been investigated. Although the results of this type of inquiry show that students with an immigrant background tend to

Educational Thinking and the Conservation of the Revolutionary

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Eduardo Manuel

2010-01-01

Background/Context: Prior work on Hannah Arendt and education has focused on democratic education, multicultural education, and conservatism in education. Most of these studies have concentrated on her essay, "The Crisis in Education." While this study extends that work, it does so by taking up the lesser studied but equally relevant piece,…

Let the Music Play!--A Short-Term but No Long-Term Detrimental Effect of Vocal Background Music with Familiar Language Lyrics on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Science.gov (United States)

de Groot, Annette M. B.; Smedinga, Hilde E.

2014-01-01

Participants learned foreign vocabulary by means of the paired-associates learning procedure in three conditions: (a) in silence, (b) with vocal music with lyrics in a familiar language playing in the background, or (c) with vocal music with lyrics in an unfamiliar language playing in the background. The vocabulary to learn varied in concreteness…

Predictors of Teacher Educators' Research Productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Nasser-Abu Alhija, Fadia M.; Majdob, Arin

2017-01-01

This study examined the relationship between teacher educators' research productivity (RP) and their background and professional characteristics, attitudes, motives, obstacles and time devoted to research. The sample included 161 teacher educators from four teacher education colleges in Israel. The findings indicate the significance of five…

Influence of Complete Coriolis Force on the Dispersion Relation of Ocean Internal-wave in a Background Currents Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Yongjun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this thesis, the influence of complete Coriolis force (the model includes both the vertical and horizontal components of Coriolis force on the dispersion relation of ocean internal-wave under background currents field are studied, it is important to the study of ocean internal waves in density-stratified ocean. We start from the control equation of sea water movement in the background of the non-traditional approximation, and the vertical velocity solution is derived where buoyancy frequency N(z gradually varies with the ocean depth z. The results show that the influence of complete Coriolis force on the dispersion relation of ocean internal-wave under background currents field is obvious, and these results provide strong evidence for the understanding of dynamic process of density stratified ocean internal waves.

HIGHER EDUCATION, ONLINE TUTORING AND THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Roberto de Camargo Ribeiro

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This article brings the analysis of a study—of a descriptive-analytical nature—about online tutoring, some of its characteristics and peculiarities as compared to face-to-face education. To this end it analyzes the results of an online questionnaire answered by 222 tutors pertaining to programs offered at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar in partnership with Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB and Brazilian townships. The analysis focused on tutors’ characteristics (e.g., sex, education background and teaching experience, their work organization and activities, the division of labor (between tutors and teachers responsible for subjects, and their perceptions about the nature of tutoring and education at a distance (DE. This study is chiefly based on authors such as Lortie, Tardif, and Shulman—about face-to-face teaching—and Mill, Maggio, and Kenski—on distance education. The results of this study point to the predominance of female tutors, which resembles the makeup of the teaching body in face-to-face education at the lower levels, and indicate the respondents’ high levels of schooling and considerable face-to-face teaching experience. Despite the difficulties encountered by the tutors in this study, mainly due to their lack of experience in DE and varied technical problems, most of the tutors found it easy and pleasurable to work online. The dada also suggest that the tutors enjoyed comparative autonomy as regards actions associated with content transmission as well as actions related to (virtual classroom management. This autonomy may be the basis for the respondents’ perception that the online tutor, in the context under consideration, performs a genuine teaching function.

Education Status of Oral Genetics at the Fourth Military Medical University and other Chinese Dental Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan Li; Wang, Chang Ning; Fan, Zhi Peng; Jiao, Yang; Duan, Xiao Hong

To investigate the current state of genetics education at the Fourth Military Medical University (FMMU) and compare it with other dental schools of China. Detailed information about the history and current education status of Oral Genetics in the FMMU were collected and questionnaires were completed to acquire the feedback of twenty-seven students on the course. In the other thirty-five dental schools including the capitals of twenty-five provinces and four municipalities in China, information about the oral genetic course were collected by a telephone survey. The contents of survey included whether or not the Oral Genetic course is offered and some basic information about the curriculum (such as the content, hours, teachers' background and teaching methods). Among a total of thirty-six dental schools investigated, six of them (16.7%) offered the Oral Genetic course or related lectures/seminars. The length and contents of the curriculum vary among these schools. The FMMU offered the oral genetic curriculum both to undergraduates and graduated students. Their teachers had a broad range of backgrounds, such as dentistry, biology, genetics, and biochemistry. The students considered the Oral Genetics course to be helpful for their future professional careers. Genetic education in dentistry in China is still at a preliminary stage. More effort must be paid to spread the knowledge of Oral Genetics in China. In addition, domestic and international communications and networks for Oral Genetics should be set up in the near future.

Preparing informal science educators perspectives from science communication and education

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book provides a diverse look at various aspects of preparing informal science educators. Much has been published about the importance of preparing formal classroom educators, but little has been written about the importance, need, and best practices for training professionals who teach in aquariums, camps, parks, museums, etc. The reader will find that as a collective the chapters of the book are well-related and paint a clear picture that there are varying ways to approach informal educator preparation, but all are important. The volume is divided into five topics: Defining Informal Science Education, Professional Development, Designing Programs, Zone of Reflexivity: The Space Between Formal and Informal Educators, and Public Communication. The authors have written chapters for practitioners, researchers and those who are interested in assessment and evaluation, formal and informal educator preparation, gender equity, place-based education, professional development, program design, reflective practice, ...

Cosmological effects of scalar-photon couplings: dark energy and varying-α Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Avgoustidis, A. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Martins, C.J.A.P.; Monteiro, A.M.R.V.L.; Vielzeuf, P.E. [Centro de Astrofísica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Luzzi, G., E-mail: tavgoust@gmail.com, E-mail: Carlos.Martins@astro.up.pt, E-mail: mmonteiro@fc.up.pt, E-mail: up110370652@alunos.fc.up.pt, E-mail: gluzzi@lal.in2p3.fr [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire, Université de Paris-Sud, CNRS/IN2P3, Bâtiment 200, BP 34, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France)

2014-06-01

We study cosmological models involving scalar fields coupled to radiation and discuss their effect on the redshift evolution of the cosmic microwave background temperature, focusing on links with varying fundamental constants and dynamical dark energy. We quantify how allowing for the coupling of scalar fields to photons, and its important effect on luminosity distances, weakens current and future constraints on cosmological parameters. In particular, for evolving dark energy models, joint constraints on the dark energy equation of state combining BAO radial distance and SN luminosity distance determinations, will be strongly dominated by BAO. Thus, to fully exploit future SN data one must also independently constrain photon number non-conservation arising from the possible coupling of SN photons to the dark energy scalar field. We discuss how observational determinations of the background temperature at different redshifts can, in combination with distance measures data, set tight constraints on interactions between scalar fields and photons, thus breaking this degeneracy. We also discuss prospects for future improvements, particularly in the context of Euclid and the E-ELT and show that Euclid can, even on its own, provide useful dark energy constraints while allowing for photon number non-conservation.

The effect of background and illumination on color identification of real, 3D objects

OpenAIRE

Allred, Sarah R.; Olkkonen, Maria

2013-01-01

For the surface reflectance of an object to be a useful cue to object identity, judgments of its color should remain stable across changes in the object's environment. In 2D scenes, there is general consensus that color judgments are much more stable across illumination changes than background changes. Here we investigate whether these findings generalize to real 3D objects. Observers made color matches to cubes as we independently varied both the illumination impinging on the cube and th...

Goal setting education and counseling practices of diabetes educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Malemute, Charlene L; Shultz, Jill Armstrong; Ballejos, Miriam; Butkus, Sue; Early, Kathaleen Briggs

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify goal setting education practices used by diabetes educators working with type 2 diabetes patients. Data were collected by a mail questionnaire with 179 diabetes educators purposively selected from the 2008 American Association of Diabetes Educators membership listing. Many diabetes educators (52%) reported that more than 75% of their patients set goals for diabetes control. Independent factor patterns for the frequency of information collected from the patient for the first diabetes education session showed that educators either focused on patients' self-management practices (exercise and dietary practices, knowledge, and social impacts of diabetes) or issues with learning about self-management, such as understanding the patient's learning style and motivation for managing diabetes. Factor patterns overall showed diverse approaches to working with patients, including strategies used with patients struggling with dietary goals and the importance of tasks to complete during the first patient session. Although most educators reported practices that were largely patient centered as promoted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and models of chronic disease management, patterns of practice suggest that diabetes educators vary considerably in how they apply education practices, especially with dietary self-management education.

The Politics of Workers' Education in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Omole, M. A. Lanre

1998-01-01

Provides background on the concept and history of workers' education and opposition to it. States that workers' education should be targeted also to employers, government, media, and the general public. (SK)

Early education - strategic field of the educational reform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudiu Marian Bunaiasu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, early education represents the educational area that benefits from a multitude of researches and theoretical and practical contributions, pursuant to acknowledging the necessity in order to holistically approach pre-scool pupil's development and to report to education's European dimension. The managerial approach of the early education implies strategic decisions regarding the: a plan, organization and implementation of the school curriculum, by referring to legislative documents and in the spirit of focusing activities on pre-school pupil's global development; b institutional development of pre-school educational units, regarding all functional fields and managerial activity's efficiency, for reasons related to optimal organization of the pre-school pupils' learning and development conditions. The article approaches early education issues from multiple perspectives: a theoretical, legislative and conceptual premises; b strategic orientations and finalities of the curriculum for early education; c educational management as part of the early education area. The above mentioned premises, strategies and directions represent elements that supply new reflections and points of view as part of future studies and backgrounds of some empiric researches we foresee as part of early education field.

[Self-directed learning in nursing students with different background factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Kao, Yu-Hsiu; Yu, Chu-Wei; Kuo, Shu-Yi; Kuang, I-Hsiu

2013-08-01

Fostering self-directed learning skills in nursing students may provide a foundation for improving the specialty knowledge of these nurses. This study examines the current status of nursing student self-directed learning behavior and explores how different background factors impact self-directed learning. This research design used a cross-sectional survey and convenience sampling. A total of 550 questionnaires were distributed to participants in enrolled in nursing programs at a 2-year nursing program at an institute of technology in northern Taiwan and a 4-year nursing program at an institute of technology in southern Taiwan. A convenience sampling was used to collect data, with 537 valid questionnaires used in data analysis. Results indicated that the self-directed learning and self-management of nursing students between 20-21 years old was significantly higher than those of students between 18-19 years old. Self-directed learning, desire of learning and self-control in 2-year nursing students were significantly higher than in 4-year and extension education department nursing student participants. Two-year nursing students had the highest self-management scores, followed by extension education department participants and 4-year nursing students. Finally, participants who associated highly with the nursing profession earned the highest self-directed total score, followed by those participants who associated generally and those who associated mildly. The results recommend that teachers at nursing institutes help students develop self-directed learning. Results also recommend teachers increase their students' association with the nursing specialty through understanding the impact of different background factors on self-directed learning.

How well do you know your mutation? Complex effects of genetic background on expressivity, complementation, and ordering of allelic effects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher H Chandler

2017-11-01

Full Text Available For a given gene, different mutations influence organismal phenotypes to varying degrees. However, the expressivity of these variants not only depends on the DNA lesion associated with the mutation, but also on factors including the genetic background and rearing environment. The degree to which these factors influence related alleles, genes, or pathways similarly, and whether similar developmental mechanisms underlie variation in the expressivity of a single allele across conditions and among alleles is poorly understood. Besides their fundamental biological significance, these questions have important implications for the interpretation of functional genetic analyses, for example, if these factors alter the ordering of allelic series or patterns of complementation. We examined the impact of genetic background and rearing environment for a series of mutations spanning the range of phenotypic effects for both the scalloped and vestigial genes, which influence wing development in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetic background and rearing environment influenced the phenotypic outcome of mutations, including intra-genic interactions, particularly for mutations of moderate expressivity. We examined whether cellular correlates (such as cell proliferation during development of these phenotypic effects matched the observed phenotypic outcome. While cell proliferation decreased with mutations of increasingly severe effects, surprisingly it did not co-vary strongly with the degree of background dependence. We discuss these findings and propose a phenomenological model to aid in understanding the biology of genes, and how this influences our interpretation of allelic effects in genetic analysis.

Chronically ill patients’ expectations of therapeutic education and their health locus of control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Małgorzata Anna Basińska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background Beliefs as cognitive components of personality indicate what we consider as true or false and help us to answer questions concerning others, the world surrounding us and situations that we encounter. Beliefs about the health locus of control and their relations with expectations pertaining to therapeutic education seem to be of vital importance in the case of occurrence of a chronic illness. The aim of this paper is to verify whether expectations concerning therapeutic education in chronically ill patients demonstrate a relation with beliefs about the health locus of control and whether they vary according to gender, age and health, and to present the results of research that applies the Polish OE-15 scale for the evaluation of therapeutic education expectations depending on the health condition. Participants and procedure Two hundred and ninety-one persons were examined, including 180 patients and 111 healthy controls (the control group, 187 women and 104 men. The average age of subjects was 45.71 (SD = 13.51 years, ranging from 21 to 80 years. The OE-15 Therapeutic Education Expectations Scale and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale in versions relevant for patients and healthy controls as well as demographics were used. Results Age, gender and beliefs about the health locus of control are related to expectations of therapeutic education. Conclusions When providing therapeutic education for chronically ill patients, one should assess their expectations and pay attention to patients’ beliefs about the health locus of control.

Background noise levels in Europe

OpenAIRE

Gjestland, Truls

2008-01-01

- This report gives a brief overview of typical background noise levels in Europe, and suggests a procedure for the prediction of background noise levels based on population density. A proposal for the production of background noise maps for Europe is included.

The Varied Educational Effects of Parent-Child Communication: A Comparative Study of Fourteen Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyunjoon

2008-01-01

In this article, the author compares the ways in which parent-child communication--a major indicator of parental involvement--influences children's educational achievement across 14 countries. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the author examines the extent to which social class differences in the effect of…

The effect of a scanning flat fold mirror on a cosmic microwave background B-mode experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Grainger, William F; North, Chris E; Ade, Peter A R

2011-06-01

We investigate the possibility of using a flat-fold beam steering mirror for a cosmic microwave background B-mode experiment. An aluminium flat-fold mirror is found to add ∼0.075% polarization, which varies in a scan synchronous way. Time-domain simulations of a realistic scanning pattern are performed, and the effect on the power-spectrum illustrated, and a possible method of correction applied. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

A Conceptual Framework for Clinical Education in Athletic Training

Science.gov (United States)

Radtke, Sarah

2008-01-01

Objective: To develop a model for clinical education in athletic training education based on integration of various allied health professional clinical education models. Background: Clinical education is a critical component of allied health education programs. It allows for the transfer of knowledge and skills from classroom to practical…

The Impact of Age, Educational Background,Gender, and Monthly Expenditure on the Potential of Green Products Buyers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edi Abdurachman

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The level of environmental degradation continues rising to lead a global warming. Without immediate prevention measures, this could bring the Earth into total breakdown. Therefore environmental preservation campaign buzzing for every element of the society to participate in the campaign. Number of people understand and care about environmen-tal degradation and global warming is growing. Many people aim is to influence the lifestyle and consumption pattern of the society. The campaign is to attract and motivate the society to purchase environ mentally friendly goods which are also known as green products. The number of potential people to the purchase green products continues rising along with the spread of knowledge concerning the importance of conserving the environment. Such condition recognized by the com-panies. Therefore they start to consist them as the target market. One of the important marketing aspects is market segmentation. There are many ways and statistical methods to classifying consumers into par-ticular segmentations; one of the methods is the Chi-squared Auto- matic Interaction Detector (CHAID. CHAID, it is implemented in this research for green product market segmentation (Segmentation result subsequently used to determination of the following strategic marketing measures. CHAID examines independent variables used in classification and arrangement process based on the level of chi-square statistical significance towards the dependent variable. Dependent variable used in this research is potential customer trend to purchase preference of green products. The result shows that significantly influential variables towards the potential of green products buyers are age, educational background, gender and their monthly amount of expenditure / spending.

The Impact of Age, Educational Background,Gender, and Monthly Expenditure on the Potential of Green Products Buyers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edi Abdurachman

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The level of environmental degradation continues rising to lead a global warming. Without immediate prevention measures, this could bring the Earth into total breakdown. Therefore environmental preservation campaign buzzing for every element of the society to participate in the campaign. Number of people understand and care about environmental degradation and global warming is growing. Many people aim is to influence the lifestyle and consumption pattern of the society. The campaign is to attract and motivate the society to purchase environ mentally friendly goods which are also known as green products. The number of potential people to the purchase green products continues rising along with the spread of knowledge concerning the importance of conserving the environment. Such condition recognized by the companies. Therefore they start to consist them as the target market. One of the important marketing aspects is market segmentation. There are many ways and statistical methods to classifying consumers into particular segmentations; one of the methods is the Chi-squared Auto-matic Interaction Detector (CHAID. CHAID, it is implemented in this research for green product market segmentation (Segmentation result subsequently used to determination of the following strategic marketing measures. CHAID examines independent variables used in classification and arrangement process based on the level of chi-square statistical significance towards the dependent variable. Dependent variable used in this research is potential customer trend to purchase preference of green products. The result shows that significantly influential variables towards the potential of green products buyers are age, educational background, gender and their monthly amount of expenditure / spending.

Background radiation accumulation and lower limit of detection in thermoluminescent beta-gamma dosimeters used by the centralized external dosimetry system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonder, E.; Ahmed, A.B.

1991-12-01

A value for ''average background radiation'' of 0.75 mR/week has been determined from a total of 1680 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD's) exposed in 70 houses for periods up to one year. The distribution of results indicates a rather large variation among houses, with a few locations exhibiting backgrounds double the general average. Some discrepancies in the short-term background accumulation of TLD's have been explained as being due to light leakage through the dosimeter cases. In addition the lower limit of detection (L D ) for deep and shallow dose equivalents has been determined for these dosimeters. The L D for occupational exposure depends strongly on the time a dosimeter is exposed to background radiation in the field. The L D can vary from a low of 2.4 mrem for high energy gamma rays when the background accumulation period is less than a few weeks to values as high as 66 mrem for uranium beta particles when background has been allowed to accumulate for more than 21 weeks

An Overview of Management Education for Sustainability in Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yen-Chun Jim; Shen, Ju-Peng; Kuo, Tsuang

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the holistic picture of sustainability curricula in Asian higher education. Design/methodology/approach: Content analysis was conducted based on Asian management education for sustainability in higher education. Online courses arrangement, teaching methods, instructors' educational background and…

Robots: An Impact on Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Blaesi, LaVon; Maness, Marion

1984-01-01

Provides background information on robotics and robots, considering impact of robots on the workplace and concerns of the work force. Discusses incorporating robotics into the educational system at all levels, exploring industry-education partnerships to fund introduction of new technology into the curriculum. New funding sources and funding…

Religion, social mobility and education in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Paterson, Lindsay; Iannelli, Cristina

2006-09-01

The relationship among religion, education and social mobility in Scotland is analysed statistically using the Scottish Household Survey of 2001. The large sample size allows much greater statistical power for this purpose than any previous source, and thus allows a more reliable assessment of claims that the stratifying effect of religion in Scotland may have declined. The questions investigated are as follows. What are the religious differences in the distributions of class origins and class destinations, in the movement between these (absolute mobility), and in the association of these (relative mobility, or social fluidity)? Do changes in social fluidity across cohorts vary among people with different religious affiliation? Are there religious differences in the association of origins and education, in the association of education and destinations, or in the role of education in social fluidity, and do any of these vary over cohorts? The conclusions are that, in younger cohorts, there is no religious difference in social status, and that in older cohorts Catholics are generally of lower status than Protestants and the non-religious. Social fluidity does not, however, vary among religious groups, even for older cohorts, and does not change over time. The reason for convergence in social status of religious groups over time is probably the equalizing of educational attainment among the groups: there is no evidence for any of the cohorts that the labour-market rewards to education differ by religion.

WHY ADULTS LEARN: INTERPRETING ADULTS’ REASONS TO PARTICIPATE IN EDUCATION IN TERMS OF ECCLES’ SUBJECTIVE TASK VALUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Gorges

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Psychological research shows that subjective task value, a basic component of expectancyvalue theory as outlined by Eccles, predicts task choice (e.g., going to graduate school. However, Eccles’ approach has not been used to investigate adult learning so far. Therefore, the present study investigated a specific form of subjective task value and task choice, namely adults’ subjective task value of participation in education. Based on expectancy-value theory, qualitative content analyses of 16 interviews with adult learners (aged between 21 and 67 from varying age groups and educational backgrounds show a differentiation of positive value according to points of reference and a revised conceptualisation of cost as an independent component of subjective task value with four subcomponents. Apparently people estimate positive value and cost separately at first and only later weigh these components against each other to arrive at an overall evaluation of subjective task value, which, in turn, predicts participation in education. Moreover, results suggest a distinction between anticipated subjective task value prior to participation and subjective task value based on experience (i.e., in hindsight. Benefits of using expectancy-value theory for future research on adults’ participation in education are discussed.

Varied Practice in Laparoscopy Training: Beneficial Learning Stimulation or Cognitive Overload?

Science.gov (United States)

Spruit, Edward N; Kleijweg, Luca; Band, Guido P H; Hamming, Jaap F

2016-01-01

Determining the optimal design for surgical skills training is an ongoing research endeavor. In education literature, varied practice is listed as a positive intervention to improve acquisition of knowledge and motor skills. In the current study we tested the effectiveness of a varied practice intervention during laparoscopy training. Twenty-four trainees (control group) without prior experience received a 3 weeks laparoscopic skills training utilizing four basic and one advanced training task. Twenty-eight trainees (experimental group) received the same training with a random training task schedule, more frequent task switching and inverted viewing conditions on the four basic training tasks, but not the advanced task. Results showed inferior performance of the experimental group on the four basic laparoscopy tasks during training, at the end of training and at a 2 months retention session. We assume the inverted viewing conditions have led to the deterioration of learning in the experimental group because no significant differences were found between groups on the only task that had not been practiced under inverted viewing conditions; the advanced laparoscopic task. Potential moderating effects of inter-task similarity, task complexity, and trainee characteristics are discussed.

Varied Practice in Laparoscopy Training: Beneficial Learning Stimulation or Cognitive Overload?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward N. eSpruit

2016-05-01

Full Text Available AbstractDetermining the optimal design for surgical skills training is an ongoing research endeavor. In education literature, varied practice is listed as a positive intervention to improve acquisition of knowledge and motor skills. In the current study we tested the effectiveness of a varied practice intervention during laparoscopy training. 24 trainees (control group without prior experience received a three week laparoscopic skills training utilizing four basic and one advanced training task. 28 trainees (experimental group received the same training with a random training task schedule, more frequent task switching and inverted viewing conditions on the four basic training tasks, but not the advanced task. Results showed inferior performance of the experimental group on the four basic laparoscopy tasks during training, at the end of training and at a two month retention session. We assume the inverted viewing conditions have led to the deterioration of learning in the experimental group because no significant differences were found between groups on the only task that had not been practiced under inverted viewing conditions; the advanced laparoscopic task. Potential moderating effects of inter-task similarity, task complexity and trainee characteristics are discussed.

Research Schools: Grounding Research in Educational Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Christina; Fischer, Kurt W.

2008-01-01

Education lacks a strong infrastructure for connecting research with educational practice and policy. The need for this linkage grows as findings in cognitive science and biology become ever more relevant to education. Teachers often lack the background knowledge needed to interpret scientific results, whereas scientists often lack an…

Asynchronous Communication: Investigating the Influences of Relational Elements and Background on the Framing Structure of Emails

Science.gov (United States)

AlAfnan, Mohammad Awad

2015-01-01

This study explored the influences of relational elements and the background of communicators on the framing structure of email messages that were exchanged in an educational Institute in Malaysia. The investigation revealed that social distance played a more significant role than power relations as Malaysian respondents are, generally, more…

Non-collision backgrounds in ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Gibson, S M; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

The proton-proton collision events recorded by the ATLAS experiment are on top of a background that is due to both collision debris and non-collision components. The latter comprises of three types: beam-induced backgrounds, cosmic particles and detector noise. We present studies that focus on the first two of these. We give a detailed description of beam-related and cosmic backgrounds based on the full 2011 ATLAS data set, and present their rates throughout the whole data-taking period. Studies of correlations between tertiary proton halo and muon backgrounds, as well as, residual pressure and resulting beam-gas events seen in beam-condition monitors will be presented. Results of simulations based on the LHC geometry and its parameters will be presented. They help to better understand the features of beam-induced backgrounds in each ATLAS sub-detector. The studies of beam-induced backgrounds in ATLAS reveal their characteristics and serve as a basis for designing rejection tools that can be applied in physic...

Cosmic microwave background science at commercial airline altitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Feeney, Stephen M.; Gudmundsson, Jon E.; Peiris, Hiranya V.; Verde, Licia; Errard, Josquin

2017-07-01

Obtaining high-sensitivity measurements of degree-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization is the most direct path to detecting primordial gravitational waves. Robustly recovering any primordial signal from the dominant foreground emission will require high-fidelity observations at multiple frequencies, with excellent control of systematics. We explore the potential for a new platform for CMB observations, the Airlander 10 hybrid air vehicle, to perform this task. We show that the Airlander 10 platform, operating at commercial airline altitudes, is well suited to mapping frequencies above 220 GHz, which are critical for cleaning CMB maps of dust emission. Optimizing the distribution of detectors across frequencies, we forecast the ability of Airlander 10 to clean foregrounds of varying complexity as a function of altitude, demonstrating its complementarity with both existing (Planck) and ongoing (C-BASS) foreground observations. This novel platform could play a key role in defining our ultimate view of the polarized microwave sky.

Zhang neural network for online solution of time-varying convex quadratic program subject to time-varying linear-equality constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yunong; Li Zhan

2009-01-01

In this Letter, by following Zhang et al.'s method, a recurrent neural network (termed as Zhang neural network, ZNN) is developed and analyzed for solving online the time-varying convex quadratic-programming problem subject to time-varying linear-equality constraints. Different from conventional gradient-based neural networks (GNN), such a ZNN model makes full use of the time-derivative information of time-varying coefficient. The resultant ZNN model is theoretically proved to have global exponential convergence to the time-varying theoretical optimal solution of the investigated time-varying convex quadratic program. Computer-simulation results further substantiate the effectiveness, efficiency and novelty of such ZNN model and method.

Education of the Deaf Act: Background and Reauthorization Issues. CRS Report for Congress.

Science.gov (United States)

Aleman, Steven R.

This summary of the Education of the Deaf Act (Public Law 99-371) discusses the special institutions funded under the act and other issues related to the Act's reauthorization. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (Rochester, New York) and Gallaudet University (District of Columbia) provide postsecondary training for deaf individuals.…

Background characteristics, resources and volunteering among older adults (aged ≥70 years) in the community: A longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramm, Jane M; Nieboer, Anna P

2015-08-01

The aim of the present study was to describe (in)formal volunteering among older adults (aged ≥70 years) in the community, and the longitudinal relationships between background characteristics, resources (social, cognitive and physical functioning, social capital) and volunteering. At baseline, a total of 945 (out of 1440) independently living Dutch older adults (aged ≥70 years) completed the questionnaire (66% response). Two years later, these respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire again, of which 588 (62%) responded. Of 945 respondents (43% male; mean age 77.5 ± 5.8 years, range 70-101 years), 34.7% were married and 83.3% were born in the Netherlands. Social capital, social functioning and physical functioning were significantly higher among volunteering older adults. Being born in the Netherlands, higher educational level, social capital and social functioning were related to formal volunteering activities at baseline, and also predicted these activities 2 years later. Regarding informal volunteering activities, we found a significant association with age, being born in the Netherlands, marital status, educational level, social capital and social functioning at baseline. Examining their predictive nature, we found that younger age, being born in the Netherlands, social capital and physical functioning were associated with engagement in informal volunteering activities 2 years later. The present study shows that older adults remain engaged in volunteering activities, and that background characteristics (e.g. ethnic background, education) and resources (social functioning, social capital) contribute to this engagement. © 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Artificial Intelligence and Science Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Ron

1987-01-01

Defines artificial intelligence (AI) in relation to intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) and science education. Provides a brief background of AI work, examples of expert systems, examples of ICAI work, and addresses problems facing AI workers that have implications for science education. Proposes a revised model of the Karplus/Renner…

Two Ideals of Educational Justice

Science.gov (United States)

Stillwaggon, James

2016-01-01

Background/Context: This essay takes up McClintock's (2004) critique of educational discourses as overly dependent upon a distributive model of justice and largely ignorant of the formative assumptions that ground educational policy and practice. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The question that McClintock's analysis begs is…

Defense Management Education and Training

Science.gov (United States)

1991-07-01

Data Program F&T Education and Training FAA Economic Analysis Application 1[AC Estimates at Completion FAD Extended Active Duty [APM Economic Analysis...Management System Inteqrated Facilities System Inspector General Intcqrated Logistics Support Information Management 1T International Military Education ...in the grades of 0-2 or E-5 and above and civilians in grades GS-5 or WG-10 and above. Educational background: A course in basic statistics within the

New Perspectives on Translanguaging and Education

OpenAIRE

2017-01-01

This edited collection explores the immense potential of translanguaging in educational settings and highlights teachers and students negotiating language ideologies in their everyday communicative practices. It makes a significant contribution to scholarship on translanguaging and considers the need for pedagogy to reflect and embrace diversity. The chapters provide rich empirical research and document translanguaging in varied educational contexts, with studies from pre-school to adult educ...

Background subtraction theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Elgammal, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Background subtraction is a widely used concept for detection of moving objects in videos. In the last two decades there has been a lot of development in designing algorithms for background subtraction, as well as wide use of these algorithms in various important applications, such as visual surveillance, sports video analysis, motion capture, etc. Various statistical approaches have been proposed to model scene backgrounds. The concept of background subtraction also has been extended to detect objects from videos captured from moving cameras. This book reviews the concept and practice of back

Achieving Quality Education in Ghana: The Spotlight on Primary Education within the Kumasi Metropolis

Science.gov (United States)

Boakye-Amponsah, Abraham; Enninful, Ebenezer Kofi; Anin, Emmanuel Kwabena; Vanderpuye, Patience

2015-01-01

Background: Ghana being a member of the United Nations, committed to the Universal Primary Education initiative in 2000 and has since implemented series of educational reforms to meet the target for the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2. Despite the numerous government interventions to achieve the MDG 2, many children in Ghana have been denied…

A Dynamic Analysis of the Effects of Intelligence and Socioeconomic Background on Job-Market Success

Science.gov (United States)

Ganzach, Yoav

2011-01-01

We compare the effects of socioeconomic background (SEB) and intelligence on wage trajectories in a dynamic growth modeling framework in a sample that had completed just 12 years of education. I show that the main difference between the two is that SEB affected wages solely by its effect on entry pay whereas intelligence affected wages primarily…

The influence of socio-cultural background and product value in usability testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonderegger, Andreas; Sauer, Juergen

2013-05-01

This article examines the influence of socio-cultural background and product value on different outcomes of usability tests. A study was conducted in two different socio-cultural regions, Switzerland and East Germany, which differed in a number of aspects (e.g. economic power, price sensitivity and culture). Product value (high vs. low) was varied by manipulating the price of the product. Sixty-four test participants were asked to carry out five typical user tasks in the context of coffee machine usage, measuring performance, perceived usability, and emotion. The results showed that in Switzerland, high-value products were rated higher in usability than low-value products whereas in East Germany, high-value products were evaluated lower in usability. A similar interaction effect of socio-cultural background and product value was observed for user emotion. Implications are that the outcomes of usability tests do not allow for a simple transfer across cultures and that the mediating influence of perceived product value needs to be taken into consideration. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Background fluorescence estimation and vesicle segmentation in live cell imaging with conditional random fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Pécot, Thierry; Bouthemy, Patrick; Boulanger, Jérôme; Chessel, Anatole; Bardin, Sabine; Salamero, Jean; Kervrann, Charles

2015-02-01

Image analysis applied to fluorescence live cell microscopy has become a key tool in molecular biology since it enables to characterize biological processes in space and time at the subcellular level. In fluorescence microscopy imaging, the moving tagged structures of interest, such as vesicles, appear as bright spots over a static or nonstatic background. In this paper, we consider the problem of vesicle segmentation and time-varying background estimation at the cellular scale. The main idea is to formulate the joint segmentation-estimation problem in the general conditional random field framework. Furthermore, segmentation of vesicles and background estimation are alternatively performed by energy minimization using a min cut-max flow algorithm. The proposed approach relies on a detection measure computed from intensity contrasts between neighboring blocks in fluorescence microscopy images. This approach permits analysis of either 2D + time or 3D + time data. We demonstrate the performance of the so-called C-CRAFT through an experimental comparison with the state-of-the-art methods in fluorescence video-microscopy. We also use this method to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of Rab6 transport carriers at the cell periphery for two different specific adhesion geometries.

Spacetime-varying couplings and Lorentz violation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostelecky, V. Alan; Lehnert, Ralf; Perry, Malcolm J.

2003-01-01

Spacetime-varying coupling constants can be associated with violations of local Lorentz invariance and CPT symmetry. An analytical supergravity cosmology with a time-varying fine-structure constant provides an explicit example. Estimates are made for some experimental constraints

Work-Related Violence, Lifestyle, and Health among Special Education Teachers Working in Finnish Basic Education

Science.gov (United States)

Ervasti, Jenni; Kivimaki, Mika; Pentti, Jaana; Salmi, Venla; Suominen, Sakari; Vahtera, Jussi; Virtanen, Marianna

2012-01-01

Background: Studies have reported higher levels of absenteeism due to illness among special education teachers compared to other teachers, but it is not known which factors might contribute to this difference. We examined whether health, health behaviors, and exposure to violence at work differed between special education and general education…

Quality Street: Encountering Higher Education's Accountabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Leihy, Peodair; Salazar, José Miguel

2017-01-01

This article offers a new approach to quality, focusing on the dimensions that gather around it. The mismatched goals of controlling and improving higher education continue to trouble the conceptual clarity of accountability. Quality in higher education emerges as something agreed upon (to varying efficacy) through accountability measures, rather…

Constructivism as a Framework for Literacy Teacher Education Courses: The Cases of Six Literacy Teacher Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Kosnik, Clare; Menna, Lydia; Dharamshi, Pooja; Beck, Clive

2018-01-01

This paper presents findings from the large-scale study "Literacy Teacher Educators: Their Backgrounds, Visions, and Practices" that includes 28 literacy/English teacher educators (LTEs) from four countries. The participants were interviewed three times and shared their course outlines. Six pre-service LTEs who use a constructivist…

Are Schools Promoting Social and Economic Integration of Migrant and Ethnic Minorities? The Experiences of Some Young People of Ecuadorian Background in Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Ron-Balsera, Maria

2015-01-01

Although school is usually considered the most promising institution for the social and economic integration of young people of migration background, the educational outcomes of young people of Ecuadorian background signal a broken promise. Their families, peers, and teachers mediate the effect of the intersections of age, gender, class and…

Standards for educational and psychological testing

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

Developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education, Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Revised 2014) addresses professional and technical issues of test development and use in education, psychology, and employment. It includes changes in federal law and measurement trends affecting validity, testing individuals with disabilities or different linguistic backgrounds, and new types of tests, as well as new uses of existing tests.

The Effect of Background Music in Shark Documentaries on Viewers' Perceptions of Sharks.

Science.gov (United States)

Nosal, Andrew P; Keenan, Elizabeth A; Hastings, Philip A; Gneezy, Ayelet

2016-01-01

Despite the ongoing need for shark conservation and management, prevailing negative sentiments marginalize these animals and legitimize permissive exploitation. These negative attitudes arise from an instinctive, yet exaggerated fear, which is validated and reinforced by disproportionate and sensationalistic news coverage of shark 'attacks' and by highlighting shark-on-human violence in popular movies and documentaries. In this study, we investigate another subtler, yet powerful factor that contributes to this fear: the ominous background music that often accompanies shark footage in documentaries. Using three experiments, we show that participants rated sharks more negatively and less positively after viewing a 60-second video clip of swimming sharks set to ominous background music, compared to participants who watched the same video clip set to uplifting background music, or silence. This finding was not an artifact of soundtrack alone because attitudes toward sharks did not differ among participants assigned to audio-only control treatments. This is the first study to demonstrate empirically that the connotative attributes of background music accompanying shark footage affect viewers' attitudes toward sharks. Given that nature documentaries are often regarded as objective and authoritative sources of information, it is critical that documentary filmmakers and viewers are aware of how the soundtrack can affect the interpretation of the educational content.

The Effect of Background Music in Shark Documentaries on Viewers' Perceptions of Sharks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew P Nosal

Full Text Available Despite the ongoing need for shark conservation and management, prevailing negative sentiments marginalize these animals and legitimize permissive exploitation. These negative attitudes arise from an instinctive, yet exaggerated fear, which is validated and reinforced by disproportionate and sensationalistic news coverage of shark 'attacks' and by highlighting shark-on-human violence in popular movies and documentaries. In this study, we investigate another subtler, yet powerful factor that contributes to this fear: the ominous background music that often accompanies shark footage in documentaries. Using three experiments, we show that participants rated sharks more negatively and less positively after viewing a 60-second video clip of swimming sharks set to ominous background music, compared to participants who watched the same video clip set to uplifting background music, or silence. This finding was not an artifact of soundtrack alone because attitudes toward sharks did not differ among participants assigned to audio-only control treatments. This is the first study to demonstrate empirically that the connotative attributes of background music accompanying shark footage affect viewers' attitudes toward sharks. Given that nature documentaries are often regarded as objective and authoritative sources of information, it is critical that documentary filmmakers and viewers are aware of how the soundtrack can affect the interpretation of the educational content.

On the Use of Sibiling Data to Estimate the Effects of Family Background, Cognitive Skills, and Schooling: Results from the Kalamazoo Brothers Study. Discussion Papers 374-76.

Science.gov (United States)

Olneck, Michael R.

Sibling data drawn from the Kalamazoo Brothers sample are used in this report to assess the adequacy of conventional sociological variables for measuring family background, to estimate the overall effects of family background on test scores, education, occupational status, and earning, and to control family background when estimating the effects…

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Electronic Education Among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Electronic education (E-education) is used worldwide as a basic tool for medical education for its advanced improving in medical training. In spite of its wide use in the system of the medical faculties in Sudan, e-education has not taken its right place yet. Objectives: To explore knowledge, attitude and practice ...

Theta frequency background tunes transmission but not summation of spiking responses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhanya Parameshwaran

Full Text Available Hippocampal neurons are known to fire as a function of frequency and phase of spontaneous network rhythms, associated with the animal's behaviour. This dependence is believed to give rise to precise rate and temporal codes. However, it is not well understood how these periodic membrane potential fluctuations affect the integration of synaptic inputs. Here we used sinusoidal current injection to the soma of CA1 pyramidal neurons in the rat brain slice to simulate background oscillations in the physiologically relevant theta and gamma frequency range. We used a detailed compartmental model to show that somatic current injection gave comparable results to more physiological synaptically driven theta rhythms incorporating excitatory input in the dendrites, and inhibitory input near the soma. We systematically varied the phase of synaptic inputs with respect to this background, and recorded changes in response and summation properties of CA1 neurons using whole-cell patch recordings. The response of the cell was dependent on both the phase of synaptic inputs and frequency of the background input. The probability of the cell spiking for a given synaptic input was up to 40% greater during the depolarized phases between 30-135 degrees of theta frequency current injection. Summation gain on the other hand, was not affected either by the background frequency or the phasic afferent inputs. This flat summation gain, coupled with the enhanced spiking probability during depolarized phases of the theta cycle, resulted in enhanced transmission of summed inputs during the same phase window of 30-135 degrees. Overall, our study suggests that although oscillations provide windows of opportunity to selectively boost transmission and EPSP size, summation of synaptic inputs remains unaffected during membrane oscillations.

Liberal Arts Education in Qatar: Intercultural Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Rostron, Magdalena

2009-01-01

This paper is an attempt to sketch a historical, cultural and social background of recent educational developments in Qatar, briefly review the traditions of western liberal arts education with its goals and teaching and learning methodologies, explain its benefits and their relevance to Muslim Qatari students of universities in Education City in…

Personal and Professional Characteristics of Music Education Professors: Factors Associated with Expectations and Preferences of Undergraduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Robison, Tiger

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine music education undergraduate students' expectations of and preferences for their music education faculty members' personal and professional backgrounds and compare them to the actual backgrounds of current music teacher educators. The research questions were: Do music education undergraduate students…

Luck, Choice, and Educational Equality

Science.gov (United States)

Calvert, John

2015-01-01

Harry Brighouse discusses two conceptions of educational equality. The first is a type of equality of opportunity, heavily influenced by the work of John Rawls, which he calls the meritocratic conception. According to this conception, an individual's educational prospects should not be influenced by factors such as their social class background.…

Nodule detection in digital chest radiography: Part of image background acting as pure noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baath, M.; Haakansson, M.; Boerjesson, S.; Kheddache, S.; Grahn, A.; Bochud, F. O.; Verdun, F. R.; Maansson, L. G.

2005-01-01

There are several factors that influence the radiologist's ability to detect a specific structure/lesion in a radiograph. Three factors that are commonly known to be of major importance are the signal itself, the system noise and the projected anatomy. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the image background acts as pure noise for the detection of subtle lung nodules in five different regions of the chest. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study with five observers was conducted on two different sets of images, clinical chest X-ray images and images with a similar power spectrum as the clinical images but with a random phase spectrum, resulting in an image background containing pure noise. Simulated designer nodules with a full-width-at-fifth-maximum of 10 mm but with varying contrasts were added to the images. As a measure of the part of the image background that acts as pure noise, the ratio between the contrast needed to obtain an area under the ROC curve of 0.80 in the clinical images to that in the random-phase images was used. The ratio ranged from 0.40 (in the lateral pulmonary regions) to 0.83 (in the hilar regions) indicating that there was a large difference between different regions regarding to what extent the image background acted as pure noise; and that in the hilar regions the image background almost completely acted as pure noise for the detection of 10 mm nodules. (authors)

Evidence-Based Sexuality Education Programs in Schools: Do They Align with the National Sexuality Education Standards?

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Sara C.; Wandersman, Abraham; Hills, Kimberly J.

2015-01-01

While many states mandate some type of sexuality education in schools, state legislation varies widely across the United States. Nevertheless, though much has been written about the behavioral outcomes of sexuality education programs shown to be effective at reducing one or more risky sexual behaviors in teenagers, less is known about the exact…

Educational software reflecting two philosophical approaches to ethics education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Betty Collis

1994-12-01

Full Text Available Ethics education can vary considerably in its instructional strategies based on differences in the theoretical positions underlying the approach to moral development being stressed. Two such approaches are the 'justice' approach as exemplified by Kohlberg's six stages of moral development, and the 'care ethic' approach as exemplified by Gilligan's work on empathy as a base for moral decision-making. Each of these approaches can be demonstrated through different instructional strategies in the ethics education course, but each strategy is often difficult to execute in practice, given time and resource constraints.

Robustness of cosmic neutrino background detection in the cosmic microwave background

CERN Document Server

Audren, Benjamin; Cuesta, Antonio J; Gontcho, Satya Gontcho A; Lesgourgues, Julien; Niro, Viviana; Pellejero-Ibanez, Marcos; Pérez-Ràfols, Ignasi; Poulin, Vivian; Tram, Thomas; Tramonte, Denis; Verde, Licia

2015-01-01

The existence of a cosmic neutrino background can be probed indirectly by CMB experiments, not only by measuring the background density of radiation in the universe, but also by searching for the typical signatures of the fluctuations of free-streaming species in the temperature and polarisation power spectrum. Previous studies have already proposed a rather generic parametrisation of these fluctuations, that could help to discriminate between the signature of ordinary free-streaming neutrinos, or of more exotic dark radiation models. Current data are compatible with standard values of these parameters, which seems to bring further evidence for the existence of a cosmic neutrino background. In this work, we investigate the robustness of this conclusion under various assumptions. We generalise the definition of an effective sound speed and viscosity speed to the case of massive neutrinos or other dark radiation components experiencing a non-relativistic transition. We show that current bounds on these effectiv...

About a theoretical Background of Outdoor Education in High School : A practical approach to the Integrated Classes

OpenAIRE

佐藤, 豊; 佐野, 裕

2004-01-01

This study aims to consider the educational values and prospects of outdoor education at the Integrated Classes for high school in Japan. As it should be recognized that "the cultivation of the vitality for children to live" is the most important educational target of the New Japanese Government Curriculum Guidelines. The vitality for children to live is explained as the abilities to feel nature, to collaborate with others, to take initiative, and to take own risk, for example. It should be s...

Education Websites and Their Benefits to Potential International Students: A Case Study of Higher Education Service Providers in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, Teik Chooi; Ho, Henry Wai Leong; Amri, Siti

2010-01-01

This paper looks at criteria on how education service providers' websites could benefit their potential students from overseas. Effective design of education website is important as web users are typically fastidious and want information fast--this serves as the background of this study. The study focuses on three selected education institutions'…

The Important Education In Turkish Tourism

OpenAIRE

Atınç Olcay

2008-01-01

In Turkey, the basic and vocational education levels of the staff who are employed in tourism sector are quite low and insufficent. This situation stems from not giving the necessary importance to the tourism education and the varied chain of problems that are on each level. However; providing the best profit from the tourism industry can only be possible with the effective and quality basic and vocational tourism education. In this study; why education in tourism is required together with ba...

Global Citizenship Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roesgaard, Marie Højlund

2016-01-01

published after 2000 was written by researchers based in the US and if you add other English-speaking countries such as Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand, the proportion is even higher. English in the field of education research often serves as the international lingua franca. Since there is also......Global citizenship as an idea has become an increasingly important issue on the educational agenda since the late 1970’s. The importance allotted to this issue is clear in the attention given to it by for example UNESCO where global citizenship education (GCED) is an area of strategic focus....... Increasingly schools all over the world are attempting to or expected to educate the global citizen, but how exactly do you educate the global citizen? What does this global citizenship consist of? While surely the type of training and education needed to train a global citizen will vary greatly depending...

Can Personality Traits and Intelligence Compensate for Background Disadvantage? Predicting Status Attainment in Adulthood

Science.gov (United States)

Damian, Rodica Ioana; Su, Rong; Shanahan, Michael; Trautwein, Ulrich; Roberts, Brent W.

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the interplay of family background and individual differences, such as personality traits and intelligence (measured in a large US representative sample of high school students; N = 81,000) in predicting educational attainment, annual income, and occupational prestige eleven years later. Specifically, we tested whether individual differences followed one of three patterns in relation to parental SES when predicting attained status: (a) the independent effects hypothesis (i.e., individual differences predict attainments independent of parental SES level), (b) the resource substitution hypothesis (i.e., individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at lower levels of parental SES), and (c) the Matthew effect hypothesis (i.e., “the rich get richer,” individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at higher levels of parental SES). We found that personality traits and intelligence in adolescence predicted later attained status above and beyond parental SES. A standard deviation increase in individual differences translated to up to 8 additional months of education, $4,233 annually, and more prestigious occupations. Furthermore, although we did find some evidence for both the resource substitution and the Matthew effect hypotheses, the most robust pattern across all models supported the independent effects hypothesis. Intelligence was the exception, where interaction models were more robust. Finally, we found that although personality traits may help compensate for background disadvantage to a small extent, they do not usually lead to a “full catch up” effect, unlike intelligence. This was the first longitudinal study of status attainment to test interactive models of individual differences and background factors. PMID:25402679

Can personality traits and intelligence compensate for background disadvantage? Predicting status attainment in adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Damian, Rodica Ioana; Su, Rong; Shanahan, Michael; Trautwein, Ulrich; Roberts, Brent W

2015-09-01

This study investigated the interplay of family background and individual differences, such as personality traits and intelligence (measured in a large U.S. representative sample of high school students; N = 81,000) in predicting educational attainment, annual income, and occupational prestige 11 years later. Specifically, we tested whether individual differences followed 1 of 3 patterns in relation to parental socioeconomic status (SES) when predicting attained status: (a) the independent effects hypothesis (i.e., individual differences predict attainments independent of parental SES level), (b) the resource substitution hypothesis (i.e., individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at lower levels of parental SES), and (c) the Matthew effect hypothesis (i.e., "the rich get richer"; individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at higher levels of parental SES). We found that personality traits and intelligence in adolescence predicted later attained status above and beyond parental SES. A standard deviation increase in individual differences translated to up to 8 additional months of education, $4,233 annually, and more prestigious occupations. Furthermore, although we did find some evidence for both the resource substitution and the Matthew effect hypotheses, the most robust pattern across all models supported the independent effects hypothesis. Intelligence was the exception, the interaction models being more robust. Finally, we found that although personality traits may help compensate for background disadvantage to a small extent, they do not usually lead to a "full catch-up" effect, unlike intelligence. This was the first longitudinal study of status attainment to test interactive models of individual differences and background factors. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences within: A comparative analysis of women in the physical sciences --- Motivation and background factors

Science.gov (United States)

Dabney, Katherine Patricia Traudel

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a critical focus in the United States due to economic concerns and public policy (National Academy of Sciences, 2007; U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Part of this focus has been an emphasis on encouraging and evaluating career choice and persistence factors among underrepresented groups such as females in the physical sciences (Hill et al., 2010; National Academy of Sciences, 2007). The majority of existing STEM research studies compare women to men, yet a paucity of research exists that examines what differentiates female career choice within the physical sciences. In light of these research trends and recommendations, this study examines the following questions: 1. On average, do females who select chemistry or physics doctoral programs differ in their reported personal motivations and background factors prior to entering the field? 2. Do such variables as racial and ethnic background, age, highest level of education completed by guardians/parents, citizenship status, family interest in science, first interest in general science, first interest in the physical sciences, average grades in high school and undergraduate studies in the physical sciences, and experiences in undergraduate physical science courses explain a significant amount of variance in female physical scientists' years to Ph.D. completion? These questions are analyzed using variables from the Project Crossover Survey dataset through a subset of female physical science doctoral students and scientists. Logistic regression analyses are performed to uncover what differentiates women in the physical sciences based on their background, interest, academic achievement, and experiences ranging prior to elementary school through postsecondary education. Significant variables that positively predict a career choice in chemistry or physics include content specific high school and undergraduate academic achievement and positive

Planning Imperatives for Sustainability of Qualitative Educational ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

kofimereku

... a frame-work to do effective planning and implementation of educational programmes in ... illiteracy in Nigeria, help to improve the quality of life, and help to acquire the ability to ... work to do, to plan education to suit the Nigerian culture and background, ... balanced with fishing-ports-education in the south to make both.

Migration Background Influences Consumption Patterns Based on Dietary Recommendations of Food Bank Users in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Stroebele-Benschop, Nanette; Depa, Julia; Gyngell, Fiona; Müller, Annalena; Eleraky, Laila; Hilzendegen, Carolin

2018-03-29

People with low income tend to eat less balanced than people with higher income. This seems to be particularly the case for people with migration background. This cross-sectional study examined the relation of consumption patterns of 597 food bank users with different migration background in Germany. Questionnaires were distributed assessing sociodemographic information and consumption patterns. Analyses were conducted using binary logistic regressions. Models were controlled for age, gender, type of household and education. The group of German food bank users consumed fewer fruits and vegetables and less fish compared to all other groups with migration background (former USSR, Balkan region, Middle East). A significant predictor for fruit and vegetable consumption was migration status. Participants from the former USSR consumed less often SSBs compared to the other groups. Dietary recommendations for low income populations should take into consideration other aspects besides income such as migration status.

Maternal labor force participation and differences by education in an urban birth cohort study - 1998-2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasha Pilkauskas

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Maternal labor force participation has increased dramatically over the last 40 years, yet surprisingly little is known about longitudinal patterns of maternal labor force participation in the years after a birth, or how these patterns vary by education. Objective: We document variation by maternal education in mothers' labor force participation (timing, intensity, non-standard work, multiple job-holding over the first nine years after the birth of a child. Methods: We use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N~3000 to predict longitudinal labor force participation in a recent longitudinal sample of mothers who gave birth in large US cities between 1998 and 2000. Families were followed until children were age 9, through 2010. Results: Labor force participation gradually increases in the years after birth for mothers with high school or less education, whereas for mothers with some college or more, participation increases between ages 1 and 3 and then remains mostly stable thereafter. Mothers with less than high school education have the highest rates of unemployment (actively seeking work, which remain high compared with all other education groups, whose unemployment declines over time. Compared with all other education groups, mothers with some college have the highest rates of labor force participation, but Contribution: Simple conceptualizations of labor force participation do not fully capture the dynamics of labor force attachment for mothers in terms of intensity, timing of entry, and type of work hours, as well as differences by maternal education.

Toward a Queer Inclusive Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Landi, Dillon

2018-01-01

Background: Physical education has historically been a repressive place for queer persons. Since physical education spaces are predominantly heteronormative, research on sexual identity management has shown lesbian teachers often try to "pass" as straight or distance themselves from their sexualities. There has been no research to date…

Academic perceptions amongst educators towards eLearning tools in dental education.

Science.gov (United States)

Handal, Boris; Groenlund, Catherine; Gerzina, Tania

2011-04-01

This paper reports an explorative study about academic educators' perceptions towards learning management systems (LMS) and eLearning tools as used in dental education. Fifty-five educators participated in an online survey which explored their views on eLearning tools within the context of their own professional training background and teaching needs. In general, educators felt that the eLearning LMS (also known as WebCT/Blackboard) was a tool that suited their teaching and learning needs in terms of flexibility, interactivity and accessibility despite a significant level of self-reported lack of competence in the technology. The paper describes current eLearning professional development initiatives in light of these findings. © 2011 FDI World Dental Federation.

Variation in the effects of family background and birth region on adult obesity: results of a prospective cohort study of a Great Depression-era American cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Hui; Tumin, Dmitry

2015-06-05

Studies have identified prenatal and early childhood conditions as important contributors to weight status in later life. To date, however, few studies have considered how weight status in adulthood is shaped by regional variation in early-life conditions, rather than the characteristics of the individual or their family. Furthermore, gender and life course differences in the salience of early life conditions to weight status remain unclear. This study investigates whether the effect of family background and birth region on adult obesity status varies by gender and over the life course. We used data from a population-based cohort of 6,453 adults from the Health and Retirement Study, 1992-2008. Early life conditions were measured retrospectively at and after the baseline. Obesity was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Logistic models were used to estimate the net effects of family background and birth region on adulthood obesity risk after adjusting for socioeconomic factors and health behaviors measured in adulthood. Four economic and demographic data sets were used to further test the birthplace effect. At ages 50-61, mother's education and birth region were associated with women's obesity risk, but not men's. Each year's increase in mother's education significantly reduces the odds of being obese by 6% (OR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.92, 0.97) among women, and this pattern persisted at ages 66-77. Women born in the Mountain region were least likely to be obese in late-middle age and late-life. Measures of per capita income and infant mortality rate in the birth region were also associated with the odds of obesity among women. Women's obesity status in adulthood is influenced by early childhood conditions, including regional conditions, while adulthood health risk factors may be more important for men's obesity risk. Biological and social mechanisms may account for the gender difference.

Adolescents' Preferences regarding Sex Education and Relationship Education

Science.gov (United States)

Turnbull, Triece; van Schaik, Paul; van Wersch, Anna

2010-01-01

Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine adolescents' perceptions of the quality of a Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) intervention, their preferences for sources of SRE and how these vary as a function of gender, school's faith and school type. Design: A non-experimental design was used. Setting: The participants (N = 759…

[The reasons and background for the rise of college education of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in modern times].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wen-jie; Huang, Ying; Li, Jie

2009-09-01

With western learning spreading throughout the orient, the survival and development of TCM was restrained to a large degree due to the medical administrative policy, educational system and diffusion of western medicine at different social levels. Facing this adversity, the TCM sector complied with the changing times and survived through persistent efforts as well as wide and solid popular foundations, striving actively for the legitimacy status of TCM education and establishing several TCM colleges. During the course of running the colleges, the TCM sector was brave in changing ideas and giving and accepting new knowledge, it explored a comprehensive educational syllabus, which not only promoted the development of TCM education in the Republican period of China, but also laid a foundation for TCM education in the new period.

Hypothyroidism among military infants born in countries of varied iodine nutrition status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smith Tyler C