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Empirical Research without Certainty
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Floden, Robert E.
In this essay, Robert Floden reviews three recent volumes in the Philosophy, Theory, and Educational Research series that address the philosophical implications of three "isms"-- postpositivism, pragmatism, and poststructuralism--for empirical educational research. These volumes, written by D.C. Phillips, Gert J.J. Biesta, and Michael A. Peters,…
Empirically Driven Software Engineering Research
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rombach, Dieter
Software engineering is a design discipline. As such, its engineering methods are based on cognitive instead of physical laws, and their effectiveness depends highly on context. Empirical methods can be used to observe the effects of software engineering methods in vivo and in vitro, to identify improvement potentials, and to validate new research results. This paper summarizes both the current body of knowledge and further challenges wrt. empirical methods in software engineering as well as empirically derived evidence regarding software typical engineering methods. Finally, future challenges wrt. education, research, and technology transfer will be outlined.
Assessing empirical research in bioethics.
Brody, B A
Empirical research can aid ethical reflection in bioethics by identifying issues, by seeing how they are currently resolved, and by assessing the consequences of these current resolutions. This potential can be misused when the ethical issues in question are fundamentally non-consequentialist or when they are consequentialist but the empirical research fails to address the important consequences. An example of the former problem is some recent studies about bad consequences resulting from commercialized living kidney donor programs. These consequences could be avoided, but the crucial non-consequentialist ethical issues about exploitation and commercialization would still remain. Examples of the latter problem are provided by recent studies of the allocation of ICU beds and of physician deception, where important consequences were not adequately studied. PMID:8259528
Empire: An Analytical Category for Educational Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coloma, Roland Sintos
In this article Roland Sintos Coloma argues for the relevance of empire as an analytical category in educational research. He points out the silence in mainstream studies of education on the subject of empire, the various interpretive approaches to deploying empire as an analytic, and the importance of indigeneity in research on empire and…
Linguistics, Empirical Research, and Evaluating Composition.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Houlette, Forrest
Argues that empiricism has a role as a complement to humanistic methodologies in composition research. Humanistic methodologies yield the stuff of hypotheses; empirically proven hypotheses provide further ground for humanistic interpretation. (MS)
A research program in empirical computer science
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Knight, J. C.
During the grant reporting period our primary activities have been to begin preparation for the establishment of a research program in experimental computer science. The focus of research in this program will be safety-critical systems. Many questions that arise in the effort to improve software dependability can only be addressed empirically. For example, there is no way to predict the performance of the various proposed approaches to building fault-tolerant software. Performance models, though valuable, are parameterized and cannot be used to make quantitative predictions without experimental determination of underlying distributions. In the past, experimentation has been able to shed some light on the practical benefits and limitations of software fault tolerance. It is common, also, for experimentation to reveal new questions or new aspects of problems that were previously unknown. A good example is the Consistent Comparison Problem that was revealed by experimentation and subsequently studied in depth. The result was a clear understanding of a previously unknown problem with software fault tolerance. The purpose of a research program in empirical computer science is to perform controlled experiments in the area of real-time, embedded control systems. The goal of the various experiments will be to determine better approaches to the construction of the software for computing systems that have to be relied upon. As such it will validate research concepts from other sources, provide new research results, and facilitate the transition of research results from concepts to practical procedures that can be applied with low risk to NASA flight projects. The target of experimentation will be the production software development activities undertaken by any organization prepared to contribute to the research program. Experimental goals, procedures, data analysis and result reporting will be performed for the most part by the University of Virginia.
Empirical research in medical ethics: How conceptual accounts on normative-empirical collaboration may improve research practice
Background The methodology of medical ethics during the last few decades has shifted from a predominant use of normative-philosophical analyses to an increasing involvement of empirical methods. The articles which have been published in the course of this so-called 'empirical turn' can be divided into conceptual accounts of empirical-normative collaboration and studies which use socio-empirical methods to investigate ethically relevant issues in concrete social contexts. Discussion A considered reference to normative research questions can be expected from good quality empirical research in medical ethics. However, a significant proportion of empirical studies currently published in medical ethics lacks such linkage between the empirical research and the normative analysis. In the first part of this paper, we will outline two typical shortcomings of empirical studies in medical ethics with regard to a link between normative questions and empirical data: (1) The complete lack of normative analysis, and (2) cryptonormativity and a missing account with regard to the relationship between 'is' and 'ought' statements. Subsequently, two selected concepts of empirical-normative collaboration will be presented and how these concepts may contribute to improve the linkage between normative and empirical aspects of empirical research in medical ethics will be demonstrated. Based on our analysis, as well as our own practical experience with empirical research in medical ethics, we conclude with a sketch of concrete suggestions for the conduct of empirical research in medical ethics. Summary High quality empirical research in medical ethics is in need of a considered reference to normative analysis. In this paper, we demonstrate how conceptual approaches of empirical-normative collaboration can enhance empirical research in medical ethics with regard to the link between empirical research and normative analysis. PMID:22500496
The Problem of Empirical Redundancy of Constructs in Organizational Research: An Empirical Investigation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Le, Huy; Schmidt, Frank L.; Harter, James K.; Lauver, Kristy J.
Construct empirical redundancy may be a major problem in organizational research today. In this paper, we explain and empirically illustrate a method for investigating this potential problem. We applied the method to examine the empirical redundancy of job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC), two well-established organizational…
The Community of Inquiry: Blending Philosophical and Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Golding, Clinton
Philosophical research tends to be done separately from empirical research, but this makes it difficult to tackle questions which require both. To make it easier to address these hybrid research questions, I argue that we should sometimes combine philosophical and empirical investigations. I start by describing a continuum of research methods from…
Psychoanalytic attitudes towards homosexuality: an empirical research.
Lingiardi, Vittorio; Capozzi, Paola
Homosexuality is a challenging subject for the psychoanalytic community, which is now rethinking some of its basic theoretical and institutional assumptions. In recent decades psychoanalytic theory has changed, and the classical psychosexual model has been challenged. After a short review of major psychoanalytical theories of homosexuality, the authors focus on the existence of contrasting attitudes towards homosexuality. This plurality of theories and their clinical and institutional consequences stimulated the authors to investigate the relationship between the individual analyst's theoretical model and his/her clinical practice. The authors present the results of empirical research conducted in the Italian psychoanalytic community on the attitude of psychoanalysts towards homosexuality and the implications for cultural, theoretical and institutional issues. A questionnaire was sent to 600 psychoanalysts (206 of which responded), members of the five main Italian psychoanalytic institutions. First, analysts' personal characteristics and preferred theoretical models were investigated. Second, the respondents responded to statements eliciting their theoretical and clinical approach towards homosexuality. Results indicate that: a) cultural and theoretical background influences the analysts' attitudes towards homosexuality more than gender; b) there is a discrepancy between analysts' theoretical position and their clinical practice; and c) IPA institutes are more discriminatory towards homosexual colleagues than are Jungian ones. PMID:15005898
Using Empirical Article Analysis to Assess Research Methods Courses
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bachiochi, Peter; Everton, Wendi; Evans, Melanie; Fugere, Madeleine; Escoto, Carlos; Letterman, Margaret; Leszczynski, Jennifer
Developing students who can apply their knowledge of empirical research is a key outcome of the undergraduate psychology major. This learning outcome was assessed in two research methods courses by having students read and analyze a condensed empirical journal article. At the start and end of the semester, students in multiple sections of an…
Philosophy Pursued through Empirical Research: Introduction to the Special Issue
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wilson, Terri S.; Santoro, Doris A.
Many scholars have pursued philosophical inquiry through empirical research. These empirical projects have been shaped--to varying degrees and in different ways--by philosophical questions, traditions, frameworks and analytic approaches. This issue explores the methodological challenges and opportunities involved in these kinds of projects. In…
Using empirical research to formulate normative ethical principles in biomedicine.
Ebbesen, Mette; Pedersen, Birthe D
Bioethical research has tended to focus on theoretical discussion of the principles on which the analysis of ethical issues in biomedicine should be based. But this discussion often seems remote from biomedical practice where researchers and physicians confront ethical problems. On the other hand, published empirical research on the ethical reasoning of health care professionals offer only descriptions of how physicians and nurses actually reason ethically. The question remains whether these descriptions have any normative implications for nurses and physicians? In this article, we illustrate an approach that integrates empirical research into the formulation of normative ethical principles using the moral-philosophical method of Wide Reflective Equilibrium (WRE). The research method discussed in this article was developed in connection with the project 'Bioethics in Theory and Practice'. The purpose of this project is to investigate ethical reasoning in biomedical practice in Denmark empirically. In this article, we take the research method as our point of departure, but we exclusively discuss the theoretical framework of the method, not its empirical results. We argue that the descriptive phenomenological hermeneutical method developed by Lindseth and Norberg (2004) and Pedersen (1999) can be combined with the theory of WRE to arrive at a decision procedure and thus a foundation for the formulation of normative ethical principles. This could provide health care professionals and biomedical researchers with normative principles about how to analyse, reason and act in ethically difficult situations in their practice. We also show how to use existing bioethical principles as inspiration for interpreting the empirical findings of qualitative studies. This may help researchers design their own empirical studies in the field of ethics. PMID:16955345
Forensic Psychology: An Empirical Review of Experimental Research.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moore, Lisa R.; Finn, Paul E.
Evaluated the first eleven years of experimental research (1973-1983) publications, with a focus on forensic psychology, that were cited in Psychological Abstracts. Results indicate: a paucity of experimental research; a significant difference between empirical and nonempirical publications; and a transition from descriptive to correlational and…
Responsible research and innovation: A manifesto for empirical ethics?
Williams, Clare
In 2013 the Nuffield Council on Bioethics launched their report Novel Neurotechnologies: Intervening in the Brain. The report, which adopts the European Commission's notion of Responsible Research and Innovation, puts forward a set of priorities to guide ethical research into, and the development of, new therapeutic neurotechnologies. In this paper, we critically engage with these priorities. We argue that the Nuffield Council's priorities, and the Responsible Research and Innovation initiative as a whole, are laudable and should guide research and innovation in all areas of healthcare. However, we argue that operationalising Responsible Research and Innovation requires an in-depth understanding of the research and clinical contexts. Providing such an understanding is an important task for empirical ethics. Drawing on examples from sociology, science and technology studies, and related disciplines, we propose four avenues of social science research which can provide such an understanding. We suggest that these avenues can provide a manifesto for empirical ethics. PMID:26089743
Emerging Empirical Evidence on the Ethics of Schizophrenia Research
Dunn, Laura B; Candilis, Philip J; Roberts, Laura Weiss
Many challenging ethical questions come with the scientific efforts to understand the nature and treatment of schizophrenia. The empirical study of ethical aspects of schizophrenia research has sought to clarify and resolve many of these questions. In this article we provide an overview of the existing data-based literature on schizophrenia research ethics and outline directions for future inquiry. We examine 5 broad categories of inquiry into the ethics of schizophrenia research: (1) Scientific designs (eg, placebo-controlled studies and medication-free intervals, prodromal and high-risk research, and genetics research); (2) informed consent and decision-making capacity, including assessment of decisional abilities, as well as intervention studies; (3) understanding and perceptions of risk and benefit (including the therapeutic misconception); (4) influences on research participation (including voluntarism, altruism, and other motivations); and (5) key participant safeguards, such as protocol review and participant advocates. We discuss how empirical work in each of these areas answers certain questions and raises new ones. Finally, we highlight important gaps in our understanding of ethically relevant aspects of schizophrenia research and offer a specific research agenda for empirical ethics. PMID:16237201
Cheerleading and Cynicism of Effective Mentoring in Current Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Crutcher, Paul A.; Naseem, Samina
This article presents the results of a review of current empirical research of effective practices in teacher mentoring. Compiling literature published since 2000 in peer-reviewed journals, we examine arguments for mentoring practices to improve teacher candidate and novice teacher experiences and skills. The emergent "effective"…
Race and Ethnicity in Empirical Research: An 18-Year Review
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shelton, Kimber L.; Delgado-Romero, Edward A.; Wells, Eliza M.
Extending previous research (E. A. Delgado-Romero, N. Galvan, P. Maschino, & M. Rowland, 2005) regarding race and ethnicity in counseling and counseling psychology, this article examined how race and ethnicity were reported and used in empirical studies published in diversity-focused journals from 1990 to 2007. The results are discussed and…
Framework for Empirical Research on Science Teaching and Learning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fischer, Hans Ernst; Klemm, Klaus; Leutner, Detlev; Sumfleth, Elke; Tiemann, Rüdiger; Wirth, Joachim
In view of the research on education—and subject-related education in particular—that has been conducted in recent years, it would seem useful to describe the current state and future trends of research on science teaching and learning. In the present article, research findings are described, the deficits of science education are analyzed, and medium- and long-term research goals are specified from the perspective of an interdisciplinary cooperative effort between specialists in the fields of empirical educational research; the psychology of learning and instruction; and biology, chemistry, and physics education.
Empirical versus Etiological Approaches in Oriental Medical Research.
Wagman, Gary
Although Oriental medicine, by nature, may be considered an etiology-based approach to healing, its role in modern research is primarily empirical. The absolute dependence on symptomatic presentation to establish acupuncture point selection goes against the grain of traditional Oriental methods, which emphasize pulse, tongue, and other diagnostic tools to determine the overall biological and psychological conditions of the patient. Recently introduced diagnostic methods in Oriental medical research indicate a potential shift from empirically to etiologically centered designs. This article reviews current mainstream approaches to efficacy trial designs and proceeds with the analysis of newer research models, such as a constitutional approach spearheaded in Korea by the field of four-constitutional medicine. PMID:25952127
Towards Multi-Method Research Approach in Empirical Software Engineering
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mandić, Vladimir; Markkula, Jouni; Oivo, Markku
This paper presents results of a literature analysis on Empirical Research Approaches in Software Engineering (SE). The analysis explores reasons why traditional methods, such as statistical hypothesis testing and experiment replication are weakly utilized in the field of SE. It appears that basic assumptions and preconditions of the traditional methods are contradicting the actual situation in the SE. Furthermore, we have identified main issues that should be considered by the researcher when selecting the research approach. In virtue of reasons for weak utilization of traditional methods we propose stronger use of Multi-Method approach with Pragmatism as the philosophical standpoint.
The implications of conceptual critiques and empirical research on unconscious processes for psychoanalytic theory.
Eagle, Morris N
The paper examines the implications of conceptual critiques and empirical research on psychoanalytic formulations of unconscious processes. Different conceptions of unconscious processes and states are discussed: as markers for brain states, as unformulated and not-spelled-out fleeting experiences, and as implicit knowledge. The author notes and discusses the interpersonal and interactional aspects of unconscious processes in classical theory as well as in contemporary formulations. Representative examples of empirical research on unconscious processes are presented and their implications for psychoanalytic conceptions are examined. The author then discusses the conception of unconscious processes that emerges in view of conceptual critiques, empirical research findings, and clinical phenomena. Finally, the emphasis of both early and late Freudian theory on integration of various aspects of the personality rather than (or at least in addition to) on conscious versus unconscious is noted, and various ways of understanding what it means to make the unconscious conscious are discussed. PMID:24325185
Bruch, Elizabeth; Atwell, Jon
Agent-based modeling has become increasingly popular in recent years, but there is still no codified set of recommendations or practices for how to use these models within a program of empirical research. This article provides ideas and practical guidelines drawn from sociology, biology, computer science, epidemiology, and statistics. We first discuss the motivations for using agent-based models in both basic science and policy-oriented social research. Next, we provide an overview of methods and strategies for incorporating data on behavior and populations into agent-based models, and review techniques for validating and testing the sensitivity of agent-based models. We close with suggested directions for future research. PMID:25983351
A new prescription for empirical ethics research in pharmacy: a critical review of the literature
Cooper, R J; Bissell, P; Wingfield, J
Empirical ethics research is increasingly valued in bioethics and healthcare more generally, but there remain as yet under‐researched areas such as pharmacy, despite the increasingly visible attempts by the profession to embrace additional roles beyond the supply of medicines. A descriptive and critical review of the extant empirical pharmacy ethics literature is provided here. A chronological change from quantitative to qualitative approaches is highlighted in this review, as well as differing theoretical approaches such as cognitive moral development and the four principles of biomedical ethics. Research with pharmacy student cohorts is common, as is representation from American pharmacists. Many examples of ethical problems are identified, as well as commercial and legal influences on ethical understanding and decision making. In this paper, it is argued that as pharmacy seeks to develop additional roles with concomitant ethical responsibilities, a new prescription is needed for empirical ethics research in pharmacy—one that embraces an agenda of systematic research using a plurality of methodological and theoretical approaches to better explore this under‐researched discipline. PMID:17264193
Research across the disciplines: a road map for quality criteria in empirical ethics research
Background Research in the field of Empirical Ethics (EE) uses a broad variety of empirical methodologies, such as surveys, interviews and observation, developed in disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, and psychology. Whereas these empirical disciplines see themselves as purely descriptive, EE also aims at normative reflection. Currently there is literature about the quality of empirical research in ethics, but little or no reflection on specific methodological aspects that must be considered when conducting interdisciplinary empirical ethics. Furthermore, poor methodology in an EE study results in misleading ethical analyses, evaluations or recommendations. This not only deprives the study of scientific and social value, but also risks ethical misjudgement. Discussion While empirical and normative-ethical research projects have quality criteria in their own right, we focus on the specific quality criteria for EE research. We develop a tentative list of quality criteria – a "road map" – tailored to interdisciplinary research in EE, to guide assessments of research quality. These quality criteria fall into the categories of primary research question, theoretical framework and methods, relevance, interdisciplinary research practice and research ethics and scientific ethos. Summary EE research is an important and innovative development in bioethics. However, a lack of standards has led to concerns about and even rejection of EE by various scholars. Our suggested orientation list of criteria, presented in the form of reflective questions, cannot be considered definitive, but serves as a tool to provoke systematic reflection during the planning and composition of an EE research study. These criteria need to be tested in different EE research settings and further refined. PMID:24580847
Results of Chilean water markets: Empirical research since 1990
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bauer, Carl J.
Chile's free-market Water Code turned 20 years old in October 2001. This anniversary was an important milestone for both Chilean and international debates about water policy because Chile has become the world's leading example of the free-market approach to water law and water resources management, the textbook case of treating water rights not merely as private property but also as a fully marketable commodity. The predominant view outside of Chile is that Chilean water markets and the Chilean model of water management have been a success, and this perception has encouraged other countries to follow Chile's lead in water law reform. Much of the debate about Chilean water markets, however, has been based more on theoretical or political beliefs than on empirical study. This paper reverses that emphasis by reviewing the evolution of empirical research about these markets since 1990, when Chile returned to democratic government after 16 years of military rule. During the period since 1990, understanding of how Chilean water markets have worked in practice has gradually improved. There have been two major trends in this research: first, a gradual shift from exaggerated claims of the markets' success toward more balanced assessments of mixed results and, second, a heavy emphasis on the economics of water rights trading with very little attention given to the Water Code's impacts on social equity, river basin management, environmental protection, or resolution of water conflicts. The analysis in this study is qualitative and interdisciplinary, combining law, economics, and institutions.
Asphalt and asphalt additives. Transportation research record
Not Available
Contents: use of asphalt emulsions for in-place recycling: oregon experience; gap-graded cold asphalt concrete: benefits of polymer-modified asphalt cement and fibers; cold in-place recycling for rehabilitation and widening of low-volume flexible pavements in indiana; in situ cold recycling of bituminous pavements with polymer-modified high float emulsions; evaluation of new generation of antistripping additives; correlation between performance-related characteristics of asphalt cement and its physicochemical parameters using corbett's fractions and hpgc; reaction rates and hardening susceptibilities as determined from pressure oxygen vessel aging of asphalts; evaluation of aging characteristics of asphalts by using tfot and rtfot at different temperature levels; summary of asphalt additive performance at selected sites; relating asphalt absorption to properties of asphalt cement and aggregate; study of the effectiveness of styrene-butadiene rubber latex in hot mix asphalt mixes; stability of straight and polymer-modified asphalts.
Media and Sexualization: State of Empirical Research, 1995-2015.
Ward, L Monique
Sexually objectifying portrayals of women are a frequent occurrence in mainstream media, raising questions about the potential impact of exposure to this content on others' impressions of women and on women's views of themselves. The goal of this review was to synthesize empirical investigations testing effects of media sexualization. The focus was on research published in peer-reviewed, English-language journals between 1995 and 2015. A total of 109 publications that contained 135 studies were reviewed. The findings provided consistent evidence that both laboratory exposure and regular, everyday exposure to this content are directly associated with a range of consequences, including higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater self-objectification, greater support of sexist beliefs and of adversarial sexual beliefs, and greater tolerance of sexual violence toward women. Moreover, experimental exposure to this content leads both women and men to have a diminished view of women's competence, morality, and humanity. Limitations with the existing research approaches and measures are discussed, and suggestions for future research directions are provided. PMID:26979592
"Privileging" Public Research Universities: An Empirical Analysis of the Distribution of State Appropriations across Research and Non-Research Universities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McLendon, Michael K.; Mokher, Christine G.; Doyle, William
No empirical studies have attempted to explain why states invest differentially in their research and in their non-research universities, although these differences hold important implications for students, postsecondary systems, and society. Deploying a form of hierarchical-linear modeling, our study examines across-state variation in state…
Empirically Supported Interventions in School Psychology: The Role of Negative Results in Outcome Research.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kratochwill, Thomas R.; Stoiber, Karen Callan; Gutkin, Terry B.
Article discusses the role that negative results or "no-difference" findings play in research and research reviews of empirically supported interventions in school psychology. Argues for publication of these findings in school psychology journals when they occur in the context of development of empirically supported interventions and translations…
Teaching Integrity in Empirical Research: A Protocol for Documenting Data Management and Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ball, Richard; Medeiros, Norm
This article describes a protocol the authors developed for teaching undergraduates to document their statistical analyses for empirical research projects so that their results are completely reproducible and verifiable. The protocol is guided by the principle that the documentation prepared to accompany an empirical research project should be…
Technology in Gifted Education: A Review of Best Practices and Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Periathiruvadi, Sita; Rinn, Anne N.
The article aims to explore the progress of technology use in gifted education and highlight the best practices and empirical research in this area. The literature on the use of technology with gifted students and their teachers has been extensive, with articles on best practices, but the empirical research in this area is still emerging. With the…
Budish, Eric; Roin, Benjamin N.; Williams, Heidi L.
A well-developed theoretical literature — dating back at least to Nordhaus (1969) — has analyzed optimal patent policy design. We re-present the core trade-off of the Nordhaus model and highlight an empirical question which emerges from the Nordhaus framework as a key input into optimal patent policy design: namely, what is the elasticity of R&D investment with respect to the patent term? We then review the — surprisingly small — body of empirical evidence that has been developed on this question over the nearly half century since the publication of Nordhaus's book. PMID:27239058
Semi-empirical equation of limiting current for cobalt electrodeposition in the presence of magnetic field and additive electrolyte
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sudibyo, Aziz, N.
One of the available methods to solve a roughening in cobalt electrodeposition is magneto electrodeposition (MED) in the presence of additive electrolyte. Semi-empirical equation of limiting current under a magnetic field for cobalt MED in the presence of boric acid as an additive electrolyte was successfully developed. This semi empirical equation shows the effects of the electrode area (A), the concentration of the electro active species (C), the diffusion coefficient of the electro active species (D), the kinematic viscosity of the electrolyte (v), magnetic strength (B) and the number of electrons involved in the redox process (n). The presence of boric acid led to decrease in the limiting current, but the acid was found useful as a buffer to avoid the local pH rise caused by parallel hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
Research on Mathematical Thinking of Young Children: Six Empirical Studies.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Steffe, Leslie P., Ed.
This volume includes reports of six studies of the thought processes of children aged four through eight. In the first paper Steffe and Smock outline a model for learning and teaching mathematics. Six reports on empirical studies are then presented in five areas of mathematics learning: (1) equivalence and order relations; (2) classification and…
Structural Patterns in Empirical Research Articles: A Cross-Disciplinary Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lin, Ling; Evans, Stephen
This paper presents an analysis of the major generic structures of empirical research articles (RAs), with a particular focus on disciplinary variation and the relationship between the adjacent sections in the introductory and concluding parts. The findings were derived from a close "manual" analysis of 433 recent empirical RAs from high-impact…
Causal diagrams for empirical legal research: a methodology for identifying causation, avoiding bias and interpreting results
VanderWeele, Tyler J.; Staudt, Nancy
In this paper we introduce methodology—causal directed acyclic graphs—that empirical researchers can use to identify causation, avoid bias, and interpret empirical results. This methodology has become popular in a number of disciplines, including statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology and computer science, but has yet to appear in the empirical legal literature. Accordingly we outline the rules and principles underlying this new methodology and then show how it can assist empirical researchers through both hypothetical and real-world examples found in the extant literature. While causal directed acyclic graphs are certainly not a panacea for all empirical problems, we show they have potential to make the most basic and fundamental tasks, such as selecting covariate controls, relatively easy and straightforward. PMID:25685055
A Scoping Review of Empirical Research Relating to Quality and Effectiveness of Research Ethics Review
Nicholls, Stuart G.; Hayes, Tavis P.; Brehaut, Jamie C.; McDonald, Michael; Weijer, Charles; Saginur, Raphael; Fergusson, Dean
Background To date there is no established consensus of assessment criteria for evaluating research ethics review. Methods We conducted a scoping review of empirical research assessing ethics review processes in order to identify common elements assessed, research foci, and research gaps to aid in the development of assessment criteria. Electronic searches of Ovid Medline, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, CCTR, CMR, HTA, and NHSEED, were conducted. After de-duplication, 4234 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Altogether 4036 articles were excluded following screening of titles, abstracts and full text. A total of 198 articles included for final data extraction. Results Few studies originated from outside North America and Europe. No study reported using an underlying theory or framework of quality/effectiveness to guide study design or analyses. We did not identify any studies that had involved a controlled trial - randomised or otherwise – of ethics review procedures or processes. Studies varied substantially with respect to outcomes assessed, although tended to focus on structure and timeliness of ethics review. Discussion Our findings indicate a lack of consensus on appropriate assessment criteria, exemplified by the varied study outcomes identified, but also a fragmented body of research. To date research has been largely quantitative, with little attention given to stakeholder experiences, and is largely cross sectional. A lack of longitudinal research to date precludes analyses of change or assessment of quality improvement in ethics review. PMID:26225553
Framework for Empirical Research on Science Teaching and Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fischer, Hans Ernst; Klemm, Klaus; Leutner, Detlev; Sumfleth, Elke; Tiemann, Rudiger; Wirth, Joachim
In view of the research on education--and subject-related education in particular--that has been conducted in recent years, it would seem useful to describe the current state and future trends of research on science teaching and learning. In the present article, research findings are described, the deficits of science education are analyzed, and…
Reviewing Reviews of Research in Educational Leadership: An Empirical Assessment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hallinger, Philip
Purpose: Reviews of research play a critical but underappreciated role in knowledge production and accumulation. Yet, until relatively recently, limited attention has been given to the "methodology" of conducting reviews of research. This observation also applies in educational leadership and management where reviews of research have…
Empirical Research on Ethnic Minority Students: 1995-2009
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vasquez, Eleazar, III; Lopez, Angel; Straub, Carrie; Powell, Selma; McKinney, Tracy; Walker, Zachary; Gonzalez, Tiphanie; Slocum, Timothy A.; Mason, Lee; Okeeffe, Breda V.; Bedesem, Pena L.
Ethnic minority disproportionality has been a topic of extensive discussion and research for many years. In 1997, Artiles, Trent, and Kuan conducted a seminal review of the special education research literature to identify how often researchers report and disaggregate data in ways that would support conclusions about specific ethnic minority…
Transferability and additivity of dihedral parameters in polarizable and nonpolarizable empirical force fields.
Zgarbová, Marie; Rosnik, Andreana M; Luque, F Javier; Curutchet, Carles; Jurečka, Petr
Recent advances in polarizable force fields have revealed that major reparameterization is necessary when the polarization energy is treated explicitly. This study is focused on the torsional parameters, which are crucial for the accurate description of conformational equilibria in biomolecules. In particular, attention is paid to the influence of polarization on the (i) transferability of dihedral terms between molecules, (ii) transferability between different environments, and (iii) additivity of dihedral energies. To this end, three polarizable force fields based on the induced point dipole model designed for use in AMBER are tested, including two recent ff02 reparameterizations. Attention is paid to the contributions due to short range interactions (1-2, 1-3, and 1-4) within the four atoms defining the dihedral angle. The results show that when short range 1-2 and 1-3 polarization interactions are omitted, as for instance in ff02, the 1-4 polarization contribution is rather small and unlikely to improve the description of the torsional energy. Conversely, when screened 1-2 and 1-3 interactions are included, the polarization contribution is sizeable and shows potential to improve the transferability of parameters between different molecules and environments as well as the additivity of dihedral terms. However, to reproduce intramolecular polarization effects accurately, further fine-tuning of the short range damping of polarization is necessary. PMID:26224547
Empirical Approach to Understanding the Fatigue Behavior of Metals Made Using Additive Manufacturing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Witkin, David B.; Albright, Thomas V.; Patel, Dhruv N.
High-cycle fatigue measurements were performed on alloys prepared by powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing techniques. Selective laser melted (SLM) nickel-based superalloy 625 and electron beam melted (EBM) Ti-6Al-4V specimens were prepared as round fatigue specimens and tested with as-built surfaces at stress ratios of -1, 0.1 and 0.5. Data collected at R = -1 were used to construct Goodman diagrams that correspond closely to measured experimental data collected at R > 0. A second way to interpret the HCF data is based on the influence of surface roughness on fatigue, and approximate the surface feature size as a notch. On this basis, the data were interpreted using the fatigue notch factor k f and average stress models relating k f and stress concentration factor K t. The depth and root radius of surface features associated with fatigue crack initiation were used to estimate a K t of 2.8 for SLM 625. For Ti-6Al-4V, a direct estimate of K t from HCF data was not possible, but approximate values of k f based on HCF data and K t from crack initiation site geometry are found to explain other published EBM Ti-6Al-4V.
Empirical Approach to Understanding the Fatigue Behavior of Metals Made Using Additive Manufacturing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Witkin, David B.; Albright, Thomas V.; Patel, Dhruv N.
High-cycle fatigue measurements were performed on alloys prepared by powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing techniques. Selective laser melted (SLM) nickel-based superalloy 625 and electron beam melted (EBM) Ti-6Al-4V specimens were prepared as round fatigue specimens and tested with as-built surfaces at stress ratios of -1, 0.1 and 0.5. Data collected at R = -1 were used to construct Goodman diagrams that correspond closely to measured experimental data collected at R > 0. A second way to interpret the HCF data is based on the influence of surface roughness on fatigue, and approximate the surface feature size as a notch. On this basis, the data were interpreted using the fatigue notch factor k f and average stress models relating k f and stress concentration factor K t. The depth and root radius of surface features associated with fatigue crack initiation were used to estimate a K t of 2.8 for SLM 625. For Ti-6Al-4V, a direct estimate of K t from HCF data was not possible, but approximate values of k f based on HCF data and K t from crack initiation site geometry are found to explain other published EBM Ti-6Al-4V.
Too Much Emphasis on Research? An Empirical Examination of the Relationship between Research and Teaching in Multitasking Environments
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bak, Hee-Je; Kim, Do Han
While the public is concerned that emphasizing research performance among university faculty results in inadequate attention to undergraduate teaching, research on the relationship between research and teaching in higher education has failed to confirm or deny the validity of this concern. To empirically test this popular concern, we examined how…
Evidence-based Nursing Education - a Systematic Review of Empirical Research
Reiber, Karin
The project "Evidence-based Nursing Education – Preparatory Stage", funded by the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg within the programme Impulsfinanzierung Forschung (Funding to Stimulate Research), aims to collect information on current research concerned with nursing education and to process existing data. The results of empirical research which has already been carried out were systematically evaluated with aim of identifying further topics, fields and matters of interest for empirical research in nursing education. In the course of the project, the available empirical studies on nursing education were scientifically analysed and systematised. The over-arching aim of the evidence-based training approach – which extends beyond the aims of this project - is the conception, organisation and evaluation of vocational training and educational processes in the caring professions on the basis of empirical data. The following contribution first provides a systematic, theoretical link to the over-arching reference framework, as the evidence-based approach is adapted from thematically related specialist fields. The research design of the project is oriented towards criteria introduced from a selection of studies and carries out a two-stage systematic review of the selected studies. As a result, the current status of research in nursing education, as well as its organisation and structure, and questions relating to specialist training and comparative education are introduced and discussed. Finally, the empirical research on nursing training is critically appraised as a complementary element in educational theory/psychology of learning and in the ethical tradition of research. This contribution aims, on the one hand, to derive and describe the methods used, and to introduce the steps followed in gathering and evaluating the data. On the other hand, it is intended to give a systematic overview of empirical research work in nursing education. In order to preserve a
Women and Minority Faculty: A Synthesis of Extant Empirical Researchers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Finkelstein, Martin J.
The current status of women and minority faculty is briefly reviewed, and alternative explanations for patterns of differences that exist are identified. Although female faculty have gained in their proportionate representation during the 1970s, they still lag behind their strength of a half century ago. In addition, female scholars tend to be…
Internalized Homonegativity: A Systematic Mapping Review of Empirical Research
Berg, Rigmor C.; Munthe-Kaas, Heather M.; Ross, Michael W.
ABSTRACT Internalized homonegativity (IH) is an important variable affecting the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons. We included 201 studies in a systematic mapping review of IH. Most studies were conducted in North America and examined IH as a predictor of poor health. The primary focus of 14 studies was IH scale measurement, and, in total, these studies detailed nine distinct scales. Eighteen studies compared levels of IH in LGB populations, four described prevention programs, and one investigated IH using qualitative methods. Our review indicates that further research is needed, particularly qualitative research and ways to ameliorate IH. PMID:26436322
Internalized Homonegativity: A Systematic Mapping Review of Empirical Research.
Berg, Rigmor C; Munthe-Kaas, Heather M; Ross, Michael W
Internalized homonegativity (IH) is an important variable affecting the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons. We included 201 studies in a systematic mapping review of IH. Most studies were conducted in North America and examined IH as a predictor of poor health. The primary focus of 14 studies was IH scale measurement, and, in total, these studies detailed nine distinct scales. Eighteen studies compared levels of IH in LGB populations, four described prevention programs, and one investigated IH using qualitative methods. Our review indicates that further research is needed, particularly qualitative research and ways to ameliorate IH. PMID:26436322
An Empirical Analysis of Team-Building Research.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
DeMeuse, Kenneth P.; Liebowitz, S. Jay
Reviewed published studies (N=36) of an organization development and team building strategy, focusing on research designs, sample sizes, dependent variables, and the length of time the intervention was investigated. Results indicated team building appeared to be an intervention with great potential for improving employee attitudes and…
Internet Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuss, Daria Joanna; Griffiths, Mark D.
The activity of play has been ever present in human history and the Internet has emerged as a playground increasingly populated by gamers. Research suggests that a minority of Internet game players experience symptoms traditionally associated with substance-related addictions, including mood modification, tolerance and salience. Because the…
An Empirical Study of Knowledge Structures of Research Topics.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wang, Peiling
Examines cognitive maps on research topics generated by experts and non-experts. Both experts and non-experts modified the given vocabulary by either adding or dropping terms. The dominant configuration for the maps was top-down. Experts tended to use a problem-oriented approach to organize vocabulary while non-experts often applied a…
The Process of Empirical Research: A Learning Experience?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gaskell, Tilda
In interviews, Scottish adults aged 55-96 in formal, self-help, and distance learning or not participating in group learning reflected on the process of working together to make meaning and on beliefs about learning, education, knowledge, and wisdom. The research process itself was a learning experience for subjects and interviewer. (SK)
Pedagogy and Space: Empirical Research on New Learning Environments
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Walker, J. D.; Brooks, D. Christopher; Baepler, Paul
In a previous "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" article, the authors reported the results of quasi-experimental research on the University of Minnesota's (UMN) new, technology-enhanced learning spaces called Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs). That investigation found--after controlling for potentially confounding factors such as instructor, instructional…
A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Research for Classifying Visual Descriptors.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jorgensen, Corinne; Jaimes, Alejandro; Benitez, Ana B.; Chang, Shih-Fu
Presents exploratory research evaluating a conceptual structure for the description of visual content of images. The structure classifies visual attributes into a "Pyramid" containing four syntactic levels and six semantic levels. Experiments performed suggest the Pyramid is conceptually robust and can be used to: organize visual content for…
Motivation Research in Writing: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Troia, Gary A.; Shankland, Rebecca K.; Wolbers, Kimberly A.
This article reviews research on motivation in the academic domain of writing situated within a social cognitive perspective. First we summarize major findings related to 4 theorized components of human motivation--self-efficacy beliefs or perceived competence, mastery and performance goal orientations, task interest and value, and attributions…
Establishing an Empirically Determined National Rural Education Research Agenda.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Helge, Doris
Rural schools, which comprise 67% of the nation's school systems, experience distinct educational environments and have unique strengths and weaknesses. Quality research to assess the effectiveness of rural education has been hampered by inconsistently applied definitions of "rural" and inadequate data to compare rural and urban districts. A study…
How Often Are Theories Developed through Empirical Research into Higher Education?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ashwin, Paul
This article reports on a review of empirical research published in selected higher education journals in 2008, which was focused on examining how often theories are developed through research. This review found relatively little evidence of theory development. Drawing on the notions of internal and external languages of description, it is argued…
Empirical Research and Geography Teaching. Nederlandse Geografische Studies 142 (Netherlands Geographical Studies 142).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schrettenbrunner, H., Ed.; Westrhenen, J. van, Ed.
This volume contains 10 articles that concern research efforts undertaken in the field of geography education and training. Written by researchers from around the world, the articles include: (1) "Empirical Didactics of Geography: History of a Working Group" (H. Schrettenbrunner); (2) "The Development and Evaluation of a Geography Computer…
Educational Virtual Environments: A Ten-Year Review of Empirical Research (1999-2009)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mikropoulos, Tassos A.; Natsis, Antonis
This study is a ten-year critical review of empirical research on the educational applications of Virtual Reality (VR). Results show that although the majority of the 53 reviewed articles refer to science and mathematics, researchers from social sciences also seem to appreciate the educational value of VR and incorporate their learning goals in…
An Empirical Review of Research Methodologies and Methods in Creativity Studies (2003-2012)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Long, Haiying
Based on the data collected from 5 prestigious creativity journals, research methodologies and methods of 612 empirical studies on creativity, published between 2003 and 2012, were reviewed and compared to those in gifted education. Major findings included: (a) Creativity research was predominantly quantitative and psychometrics and experiment…
University Students' Understanding of the Concepts Empirical, Theoretical, Qualitative and Quantitative Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Murtonen, Mari
University research education in many disciplines is frequently confronted by problems with students' weak level of understanding of research concepts. A mind map technique was used to investigate how students understand central methodological concepts of empirical, theoretical, qualitative and quantitative. The main hypothesis was that some…
Debates as a Pedagogical Learning Technique: Empirical Research with Business Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rao, Pramila
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to enhance knowledge on debates as a pedagogical learning technique. Design/methodology/approach: This empirical research was conducted in a northeastern university in the USA on graduate and undergraduate business students taking human resource management (HRM) classes. This research was conducted in the…
Converging Paradigms: A Reflection on Parallel Theoretical Developments in Psychoanalytic Metapsychology and Empirical Dream Research.
Schmelowszky, Ágoston
In the last decades one can perceive a striking parallelism between the shifting perspective of leading representatives of empirical dream research concerning their conceptualization of dreaming and the paradigm shift within clinically based psychoanalytic metapsychology with respect to its theory on the significance of dreaming. In metapsychology, dreaming becomes more and more a central metaphor of mental functioning in general. The theories of Klein, Bion, and Matte-Blanco can be considered as milestones of this paradigm shift. In empirical dream research, the competing theories of Hobson and of Solms respectively argued for and against the meaningfulness of the dream-work in the functioning of the mind. In the meantime, empirical data coming from various sources seemed to prove the significance of dream consciousness for the development and maintenance of adaptive waking consciousness. Metapsychological speculations and hypotheses based on empirical research data seem to point in the same direction, promising for contemporary psychoanalytic practice a more secure theoretical base. In this paper the author brings together these diverse theoretical developments and presents conclusions regarding psychoanalytic theory and technique, as well as proposing an outline of an empirical research plan for testing the specificity of psychoanalysis in developing dream formation. PMID:27500705
Emotional Risks to Respondents in Survey Research: Some Empirical Evidence
Labott, Susan M.; Johnson, Timothy P.; Fendrich, Michael; Feeny, Norah C.
Some survey research has documented distress in respondents with pre-existing emotional vulnerabilities, suggesting the possibility of harm. In this study, respondents were interviewed about a personally distressing event; mood, stress, and emotional reactions were assessed. Two days later, respondents participated in interventions to either enhance or alleviate the effects of the initial interview. Results indicated that distressing interviews increased stress and negative mood, although no adverse events occurred. Between the interviews, moods returned to baseline. Respondents who again discussed a distressing event reported moods more negative than those who discussed a neutral or a positive event. This study provides evidence that, among nonvulnerable survey respondents, interviews on distressing topics can result in negative moods and stress, but they do not harm respondents. PMID:24169422
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Smalheer, C. V.
The chemistry of lubricant additives is discussed to show what the additives are chemically and what functions they perform in the lubrication of various kinds of equipment. Current theories regarding the mode of action of lubricant additives are presented. The additive groups discussed include the following: (1) detergents and dispersants, (2) corrosion inhibitors, (3) antioxidants, (4) viscosity index improvers, (5) pour point depressants, and (6) antifouling agents.
Identification of Child Pedestrian Training Objectives: The Role of Task Analysis and Empirical Research.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
van der Molen, Hugo H.
Describes a study designed to demonstrate that child pedestrian training objectives may be identified systematically through various task analysis methods, making use of different types of empirical information. Early approaches to analysis of pedestrian tasks are reviewed, and an outline of the Traffic Research Centre's pedestrian task analysis…
Conceptual Diversities and Empirical Shortcomings - A Critical Analysis of Research on Inclusive Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Göransson, Kerstin; Nilholm, Claes
The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse research about inclusive education. Prior reviews and the outcome of a recent search of databases are analysed with regard to (a) how inclusion is defined and (b) what empirical knowledge there is regarding factors that make schools and classrooms more inclusive. Our point of departure is that we…
The Poverty of Empirical Research in Moral Education: Beyond John Wilson.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barrow, Robin
Argues that empirical questions about laws governing human activity do not have definite answers, but certain conceptional questions do; and many conceptual questions do not have definitive answers. Focuses on John Wilson's views on philosophy and moral education. Explores the implications for educational research. (CMK)
Differentiating the Hypodermic Model from Empirical Research: A Comment on Bineham's Commentaries.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chaffee, Steven H.
Responds to Jeffery Bineham's article, "A Historical Account of the Hypodermic Model in Mass Communication" (same issue). Argues that the history of the hypodermic model (viewing media's all-powerful and direct influence on society) is distinct from the history and literature of empirical research on mass media effects. (MM)
Teaching Clinical Interviewing in the Health Professions: A Review of Empirical Research.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carroll, J. Gregory; Monroe, Judy
A review of 36 empirical studies on teaching interviewing skills in various health profession programs is presented. The focus is on teaching skills which consider the interpersonal skills relevant to effective clinical interviewing. Programs are compared and implications for future research are discussed. (GDC)
Undergraduate Instruction in Empirical Research Methods in Communication: Assessment and Recommendations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parks, Malcolm R.; Faw, Meara; Goldsmith, Daena
This study assesses the current state of undergraduate instruction in empirical research methods in communication and offers recommendations for enhancing such instruction. Responses to an online questionnaire were received from 149 communication-related programs at four-year colleges and universities. Just over 85% of responding programs offered…
Implementing Evidence-Based Practice: A Review of the Empirical Research Literature
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gray, Mel; Joy, Elyssa; Plath, Debbie; Webb, Stephen A.
The article reports on the findings of a review of empirical studies examining the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the human services. Eleven studies were located that defined EBP as a research-informed, clinical decision-making process and identified barriers and facilitators to EBP implementation. A thematic analysis of the…
Culminating Experience Empirical and Theoretical Research Projects, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Spring, 2005
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Watson, Sandy White, Ed.
This document represents a sample collection of master's theses from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Teacher Education Program, spring semester, 2005. The majority of these student researchers were simultaneously student teaching while writing their theses. Studies were empirical and conceptual in nature and demonstrate some ways in…
Connecting Research to Teaching: Using Data to Motivate the Use of Empirical Sampling Distributions. Connecting Research to Teaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Hollylynne S.; Starling, Tina T.; Gonzalez, Marggie D.
Research shows that students often struggle with understanding empirical sampling distributions. Using hands-on and technology models and simulations of problems generated by real data help students begin to make connections between repeated sampling, sample size, distribution, variation, and center. A task to assist teachers in implementing…
Extending Reading Research with a Focus on Cultural Understanding and Research on Intercultural Communication: An Empirical Investigation in Argentina
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Porto, Melina
The work presented here is an empirical study of how advanced learners of English as a foreign language in Argentina access and understand the culture-specific dimensions of literary narrative texts. It has three purposes. First, to extend research into reading in a foreign language to take account of the culture-specific content of texts. Second,…
Enhancement, ethics and society: towards an empirical research agenda for the medical humanities and social sciences
Hogle, Linda
For some time now, bioethicists have paid close attention to issues associated with 'enhancement'; specifically, the appropriate use and regulation of substances and artefacts understood by some to improve the functioning of human bodies beyond that associated with 'normal' function. Medical humanities scholars (aside from philosophers and lawyers) and social scientists have not been frequent participants in debates around enhancement, but could shine a bright light on the range of dilemmas and opportunities techniques of enhancement are purported to introduce. In this paper, we argue that empirical research into the notion and practice of enhancement is necessary and timely. Such work could fruitfully engage with—and further develop—existing conceptual repertoires within the medical humanities and social sciences in ways that would afford benefit to scholars in those disciplines. We maintain that empirical engagements could also provide important resources to bioethicists seeking to regulate new enhancements in ways that are sensitive to societal context and cultural difference. To this end, we outline an empirical agenda for the medical humanities and social sciences around enhancement, emphasising especially how science and technology studies could bring benefits to—and be benefitted by—research in this area. We also use the example of (pharmaceutical) cognitive enhancement to show how empirical studies of actual and likely enhancement practices can nuance resonant bioethical debates. PMID:26260624
A Review of the Empirical Generations at Work Research: Implications for School Leaders and Future Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Edge, Karen
Most schools currently employ three generations of teachers and leaders: Baby Boomers (1946-65), Generation X (1966-80) and Generation Y (1981-2003). However, the implications for school leaders of multi-generational schools remain relatively unexplored. This paper examines the empirical multi-disciplinary generations at work evidence to identify…
The Impact of a Researcher's Structural Position on Scientific Performance: An Empirical Analysis.
Contandriopoulos, Damien; Duhoux, Arnaud; Larouche, Catherine; Perroux, Mélanie
This article discusses the nature and structure of scientific collaboration as well as the association between academic collaboration networks and scientific productivity. Based on empirical data gathered from the CVs of 73 researchers affiliated with an academic research network in Canada, this study used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the association between researchers' structural position in the network and their scientific performance. With reference to Granovetter's and Burt's theories on weak ties and structural holes, we argue it is the bridging position a researcher holds in a scientific network that matters most to improve scientific performance. The results of correlation scores between network centrality and two different indicators of scientific performance indicate there is a robust association between researchers' structural position in collaboration networks and their scientific performance. We believe this finding, and the method we have developed, could have implications for the way research networks are managed and researchers are supported. PMID:27579954
The rise of empirical research in medical ethics: a MacIntyrean critique and proposal.
Lawrence, Ryan E; Curlin, Farr A
Hume's is/ought distinction has long limited the role of empirical research in ethics, saying that data about what something is cannot yield conclusions about the way things ought to be. However, interest in empirical research in ethics has been growing despite this countervailing principle. We attribute some of this increased interest to a conceptual breakdown of the is/ought distinction. MacIntyre, in reviewing the history of the is/ought distinction, argues that is and ought are not strictly separate realms but exist in a close relationship that is clarified by adopting a teleological orientation. We propose that, instead of recovering a teleological orientation, society tends to generate its own goals via democratic methods like those described by Rousseau or adopt agnosticism about teleology such as described by Richard Rorty. In both latter scenarios, the distinction between is and ought is obscured, and the role for empirical research grows, but for controversial reasons. MacIntyre warns that the is/ought distinction should remain, but reminds ethicists to make careful arguments about when and why it is legitimate to move from is to ought. PMID:21339390
Hidden Empirical Research Ethics: A Review of Three Health Journals from 2005 through 2006
DuBois, James M.; Volpe, Rebecca L.; Rangel, Erica K.
We hypothesized that a significant amount of empirical data pertinent to research ethics is currently inaccessible to research ethics committee or Institutuional Review Board (IRB) members for at least three reasons: it is published in non-ethics journals; articles are not adequately indexed using ethics-related keywords; and articles do not discuss the ethical significance of their data. We reviewed all articles from three health journals from January 2005 to December 2006, and identified 26 articles that contained data pertinent to research ethics. Only 7 articles contained keywords clearly related to research ethics; 15 of the articles contained no discussion of the ethical significance of their findings. Overall the articles we found constituted 2.2% of the research articles published in the three journals during the two-year period. If the same average number of articles were extrapolated to the top 100 of the approximately 5,000 journals indexed in MEDLINE, then at least 433 hidden ethics articles would be published each year. We conclude that better indexing of articles is needed, that IRB members and researchers need training to identify relevant data in the literature, and that IRB composition should include members from diverse disciplines familiar with ethics-relevant empirical data in their respective disciplines. PMID:19385766
Empirical correlation of residual gamma radiation resulting from operation of the Health Physics Research Reactor
Chou, T.L.; Ragan, G.E.; Sims, C.S.
An empirical equation has been developed which gives gamma dose equivalent rate as a function of time, distance, and fission yield after a pulsed operation of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) unshielded Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR). A related expression which is applicable to steady-state reactor operation has been mathematically derived from the aforementioned empirical equation. The two relations can be used to predict the gamma dose equivalent rate to within 25% for times between 1 minute and 90 minutes after reactor shutdown. Similar agreement is expected for up to several days. In most cases the relations are expected to overestimate the gamma dose equivalent rate. 5 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.
Research on Youth Violence: Progress by Replacement, Not Addition.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hoagwood, Kimberly
This article discusses the need to concentrate more educational research into efficacy studies on the effectiveness of specific preventive and treatment interventions targeted at disruptive behavior disorders. Other research needs are highlighted such as underlying mechanisms by which aggressive behavior develops, involvement in gangs, positive…
Perception and communication of flood risks: a systematic review of empirical research.
Kellens, Wim; Terpstra, Teun; De Maeyer, Philippe
Flood hazards are the most common and destructive of all natural disasters. For decades, experts have been examining how flood losses can be mitigated. Just as in other risk domains, the study of risk perception and risk communication has gained increasing interest in flood risk management. Because of this research growth, a review of the state of the art in this domain is believed necessary. The review comprises 57 empirically based peer-reviewed articles on flood risk perception and communication from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The characteristics of these articles are listed in a comprehensive table, presenting research design, research variables, and key findings. From this review, it follows that the majority of studies are of exploratory nature and have not applied any of the theoretical frameworks that are available in social science research. Consequently, a methodological standardization in measuring and analyzing people's flood risk perceptions and their adaptive behaviors is hardly present. This heterogeneity leads to difficulties in comparing results among studies. It is also shown that theoretical and empirical studies on flood risk communication are nearly nonexistent. The article concludes with a summary on methodological issues in the fields of flood-risk perception and flood-risk communication and proposes an agenda for future research. PMID:22651128
Empirical-Analytical Methodological Research in Environmental Education: Response To a Negative Trend in Methodological and Ideological Discussions.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Connell, Sharon
Explores the current status of the empirical-analytical methodology and its "positivist" ideologies in environmental education research through the critical analysis of three criticisms outlined in an article by Robottom and Hart. Suggests that the criticisms misrepresent empirical-analytical methodology in their dismissal of it as behaviorist…
An Examination of Qualitative Empirical Studies at the AHRD from 1999-2003: Research Purpose, Research Questions, and Inquiry Literature Cited
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Plakhotnik, Maria S.; Rocco, Tonette S.; McCarley, Howard; Ianinska, Silvana; Bernier, Judith D.
The paper examines the nature of qualitative empirical studies published in the AHRD proceedings from 1999-2003 and discusses findings on research purpose, research question(s), and inquiry literature cited. (Contains 4 tables.)
The Influence of Education and Socialization on Radicalization: An Exploration of Theoretical Presumptions and Empirical Research.
Pels, Trees; de Ruyter, Doret J
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Research into radicalization does not pay much attention to education. This is remarkable and possibly misses an important influence on the process of radicalization. Therefore this article sets out to explore the relation between education on the one hand and the onset or prevention of radicalization on the other hand. METHOD: This article is a theoretical literature review. It has analyzed empirical studies-mainly from European countries-about the educational aims, content and style of Muslim parents and parents with (extreme) right-wing sympathies. RESULTS: Research examining similarity in right-wing sympathies between parents and children yields mixed results, but studies among adolescents point to a significant concordance. Research also showed that authoritarian parenting may play a significant role. Similar research among Muslim families was not found. While raising children with distrust and an authoritarian style are prevalent, the impact on adolescents has not been investigated. The empirical literature we reviewed does not give sufficient evidence to conclude that democratic ideal in and an authoritative style of education are conducive to the development of a democratic attitude. CONCLUSION: There is a knowledge gap with regard to the influence of education on the onset or the prevention of radicalization. Schools and families are underappreciated sources of informal social control and social capital and therefore the gap should be closed. If there is a better understanding of the effect of education, policy as well as interventions can be developed to assist parents and teachers in preventing radicalization. PMID:22611328
[Immigration from outside the European Community in Campania: results of empirical research in three provinces].
Di Gennaro, G; Pizzuti, D; Conte, M
"The study is based on the results of empirical research and deals with non-European Community immigrants living in Campania [Italy]....The essential aspects analyzed in the study refer to immigrants' motivations, place and country of origin, working conditions at home and in the new environment, [and] characteristics of working activity in Campania. The final part deals with social integration and migrants' relations with local institutions. The specific character of Campanian immigration is for many reasons connected with a widespread irregular economy which deeply affects migrants' personal attitudes and strategies." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND FRE) PMID:12292143
Scientific thinking in young children: theoretical advances, empirical research, and policy implications.
Gopnik, Alison
New theoretical ideas and empirical research show that very young children's learning and thinking are strikingly similar to much learning and thinking in science. Preschoolers test hypotheses against data and make causal inferences; they learn from statistics and informal experimentation, and from watching and listening to others. The mathematical framework of probabilistic models and Bayesian inference can describe this learning in precise ways. These discoveries have implications for early childhood education and policy. In particular, they suggest both that early childhood experience is extremely important and that the trend toward more structured and academic early childhood programs is misguided. PMID:23019643
Empirical Requirements Analysis for Mars Surface Operations Using the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clancey, William J.; Lee, Pascal; Sierhuis, Maarten; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)
Living and working on Mars will require model-based computer systems for maintaining and controlling complex life support, communication, transportation, and power systems. This technology must work properly on the first three-year mission, augmenting human autonomy, without adding-yet more complexity to be diagnosed and repaired. One design method is to work with scientists in analog (mars-like) setting to understand how they prefer to work, what constrains will be imposed by the Mars environment, and how to ameliorate difficulties. We describe how we are using empirical requirements analysis to prototype model-based tools at a research station in the High Canadian Arctic.
Linguistic research in the empirical paradigm as outlined by Mario Bunge.
Zielińska, Dorota
In view of the critique of the methodology of the dominant interdisciplinary research involving language studies as the main component, in particular clinical linguistics, Cummings (Pragmatic disorders. Perspectives in pragmatics, philosophy and psychology, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht, 2014) proposes that "It is perhaps appropriate at this point to move the debate onto non-empirical grounds." In Cummings (2014: 113) she starts such a debate on the grounds of the philosophy of language and pragmatics. In this article, I propose to expand that debate by including the input of the philosophy of science. I start the discussion by presenting the way one may carry out language research in the paradigm of empirical sciences from the perspective outlined in Bunge (Scientific research. Strategy and philosophy. Berlin, Springer, 1967; Method, model and matter (synthese library). D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, 1973; Emergence and convergence: qualitative novelty and the unity of knowledge. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 2003) and constrained by Altmann's (Towards a theory of language. Glottometrica 1:1-25, 1978) assumption about self-originating and self-regulatory nature of language. PMID:27512642
Formal Classification of Research Information: An Empirical Test of the McGrath-Altman Approach and an Illustrative Case
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rice, Robert W.
The classification of data generated by empirical research is presented as an important but generally neglected problem facing contemporary psychology. It is concluded that formal classification can facilitate conceptual developments. (Author)
An Empirically Derived Approach to the Latent Structure of the Adult Attachment Interview: Additional Convergent and Discriminant Validity Evidence
Haydon, Katherine C.; Roisman, Glenn I.; Marks, Michael J.; Fraley, R. Chris
Building on studies examining the latent structure of attachment-related individual differences as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) via Principal Components Analysis, the current report further explores the validity of four AAI dimensions reported by Haydon, Roisman, and Burt (in press): dismissing states of mind, preoccupied states of mind, and inferred negative experience with maternal and paternal caregivers. Study 1 reports evidence of distinctive cognitive correlates of dismissing v. preoccupied states of mind with reaction time in an attachment Stroop task and the valence of endorsed self-descriptors, respectively. Study 2 replicates prior meta-analytic findings of generally trivial convergence between state of mind dimensions and self-reported avoidance and anxiety (i.e., Roisman, Holland, et al., 2007). Study 3 contrastively demonstrates moderate empirical overlap between inferred experience—but not state of mind—AAI scales and self-reported avoidance and anxiety when the latter were assessed at the level of specific caregivers. Taken together, these findings add to accumulating evidence that an empirically-driven approach to scaling adults on AAI dimensions (Haydon et al., in press; Roisman et al., 2007) aids in identifying theoretically anticipated and distinctive affective, behavioral, and cognitive correlates of dismissing versus preoccupied states of mind. PMID:21838649
Campus Grids: Bringing Additional Computational Resources to HEP Researchers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Weitzel, Derek; Fraser, Dan; Bockelman, Brian; Swanson, David
It is common at research institutions to maintain multiple clusters that represent different owners or generations of hardware, or that fulfill different needs and policies. Many of these clusters are consistently under utilized while researchers on campus could greatly benefit from these unused capabilities. By leveraging principles from the Open Science Grid it is now possible to utilize these resources by forming a lightweight campus grid. The campus grids framework enables jobs that are submitted to one cluster to overflow, when necessary, to other clusters within the campus using whatever authentication mechanisms are available on campus. This framework is currently being used on several campuses to run HEP and other science jobs. Further, the framework has in some cases been expanded beyond the campus boundary by bridging campus grids into a regional grid, and can even be used to integrate resources from a national cyberinfrastructure such as the Open Science Grid. This paper will highlight 18 months of operational experiences creating campus grids in the US, and the different campus configurations that have successfully utilized the campus grid infrastructure.
Additional Research Needs to Support the GENII Biosphere Models
Napier, Bruce A.; Snyder, Sandra F.; Arimescu, Carmen
In the course of evaluating the current parameter needs for the GENII Version 2 code (Snyder et al. 2013), areas of possible improvement for both the data and the underlying models have been identified. As the data review was implemented, PNNL staff identified areas where the models can be improved both to accommodate the locally significant pathways identified and also to incorporate newer models. The areas are general data needs for the existing models and improved formulations for the pathway models. It is recommended that priorities be set by NRC staff to guide selection of the most useful improvements in a cost-effective manner. Suggestions are made based on relatively easy and inexpensive changes, and longer-term more costly studies. In the short term, there are several improved model formulations that could be applied to the GENII suite of codes to make them more generally useful. • Implementation of the separation of the translocation and weathering processes • Implementation of an improved model for carbon-14 from non-atmospheric sources • Implementation of radon exposure pathways models • Development of a KML processor for the output report generator module data that are calculated on a grid that could be superimposed upon digital maps for easier presentation and display • Implementation of marine mammal models (manatees, seals, walrus, whales, etc.). Data needs in the longer term require extensive (and potentially expensive) research. Before picking any one radionuclide or food type, NRC staff should perform an in-house review of current and anticipated environmental analyses to select "dominant" radionuclides of interest to allow setting of cost-effective priorities for radionuclide- and pathway-specific research. These include • soil-to-plant uptake studies for oranges and other citrus fruits, and • Development of models for evaluation of radionuclide concentration in highly-processed foods such as oils and sugars. Finally, renewed
[Decision making, empathy and morality in psychopaths: does empirical research offer new perspectives concerning legal responsibility?].
Schmoll, D
Psychopathy is a well explored dimensional construct only partially overlapping with dissocial personality disorder according to ICD-10. Until now, psychopaths have not been assessed as having diminished legal responsibility, unless they show impulsive or dissocial behaviour in an early stage of development, since they are considered able to adapt themselves to social norms. This forensic practice has been criticised from a deterministic-neurobiological point of view. This article discusses whether the latest empirical results on the psychopath's capacity for decision-making, empathy, and morality should lead to a new assessment of legal responsibility. The author shows that the psychopath's reduced capacities for decision-making, response reversal, and emotional empathy do not tell us much about the way such an individual arrives at decisions outside the laboratory since there has been no exploration of how compensation is made for psychophysiological deviation. Studies comparing criminal and non-criminal (so called "successful") psychopaths support the view that single physiological findings such as a hypoarousal do not necessarily lead to criminal behaviour. The moral knowledge of psychopaths is not disturbed. That is why criminality seems to be caused mainly by developed motivational factors (risk-seeking and hedonistic life-style). Empirical research into psychopathy may enlarge our knowledge about pathogenesis but does not offer new perspectives concerning legal responsibility. PMID:22113366
Weathering the empire: meteorological research in the early British Straits Settlements.
Williamson, Fiona
This article explores meteorological interest and experimentation in the early history of the Straits Settlements. It centres on the establishment of an observatory in 1840s Singapore and examines the channels that linked the observatory to a global community of scientists, colonial officers and a reading public. It will argue that, although the value of overseas meteorological investigation was recognized by the British government, investment was piecemeal and progress in the field often relied on the commitment and enthusiasm of individuals. In the Straits Settlements, as elsewhere, these individuals were drawn from military or medical backgrounds, rather than trained as dedicated scientists. Despite this, meteorology was increasingly recognized as of fundamental importance to imperial interests. Thus this article connects meteorology with the history of science and empire more fully and examines how research undertaken in British dependencies is revealing of the operation of transnational networks in the exchange of scientific knowledge. PMID:26234178
Assessing communities of practice in health policy: a conceptual framework as a first step towards empirical research
Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of people that interact regularly to deepen their knowledge on a specific topic. Thanks to information and communication technologies, CoPs can involve experts distributed across countries and adopt a 'transnational' membership. This has allowed the strategy to be applied to domains of knowledge such as health policy with a global perspective. CoPs represent a potentially valuable tool for producing and sharing explicit knowledge, as well as tacit knowledge and implementation practices. They may also be effective in creating links among the different 'knowledge holders' contributing to health policy (e.g., researchers, policymakers, technical assistants, practitioners, etc.). CoPs in global health are growing in number and activities. As a result, there is an increasing need to document their progress and evaluate their effectiveness. This paper represents a first step towards such empirical research as it aims to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis and assessment of transnational CoPs in health policy. The framework is developed based on the findings of a literature review as well as on our experience, and reflects the specific features and challenges of transnational CoPs in health policy. It organizes the key elements of CoPs into a logical flow that links available resources and the capacity to mobilize them, with knowledge management activities and the expansion of knowledge, with changes in policy and practice and, ultimately, with an improvement in health outcomes. Additionally, the paper addresses the challenges in the operationalization and empirical application of the framework. PMID:24139662
Assessing communities of practice in health policy: a conceptual framework as a first step towards empirical research.
Bertone, Maria Paola; Meessen, Bruno; Clarysse, Guy; Hercot, David; Kelley, Allison; Kafando, Yamba; Lange, Isabelle; Pfaffmann, Jérôme; Ridde, Valéry; Sieleunou, Isidore; Witter, Sophie
Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of people that interact regularly to deepen their knowledge on a specific topic. Thanks to information and communication technologies, CoPs can involve experts distributed across countries and adopt a 'transnational' membership. This has allowed the strategy to be applied to domains of knowledge such as health policy with a global perspective. CoPs represent a potentially valuable tool for producing and sharing explicit knowledge, as well as tacit knowledge and implementation practices. They may also be effective in creating links among the different 'knowledge holders' contributing to health policy (e.g., researchers, policymakers, technical assistants, practitioners, etc.). CoPs in global health are growing in number and activities. As a result, there is an increasing need to document their progress and evaluate their effectiveness. This paper represents a first step towards such empirical research as it aims to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis and assessment of transnational CoPs in health policy.The framework is developed based on the findings of a literature review as well as on our experience, and reflects the specific features and challenges of transnational CoPs in health policy. It organizes the key elements of CoPs into a logical flow that links available resources and the capacity to mobilize them, with knowledge management activities and the expansion of knowledge, with changes in policy and practice and, ultimately, with an improvement in health outcomes. Additionally, the paper addresses the challenges in the operationalization and empirical application of the framework. PMID:24139662
Think-Aloud Protocols in Research on Essay Rating: An Empirical Study of Their Veridicality and Reactivity
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barkaoui, Khaled
Think-aloud protocols (TAPs) are frequently used in research on essay rating processes. However, there are very few empirical studies of the completeness of TAP data and the effects of this technique on rater performance (i.e., rating processes and outcomes). This study aims to start to address this research gap. As part of a larger study on rater…
Empirical-Analytical Methodological Research in Environmental Education: Response to a Negative Trend in Methodological and Ideological Discussions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Connell, Sharon
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to methodological discourse about research approaches to environmental education. More specifically, the paper explores the current status of the "empirical-analytical methodology" and its "positivist" (traditional- and post-positivist) ideologies, in environmental education research through the critical…
Using Generalized Additive Modeling to Empirically Identify Thresholds within the ITERS in Relation to Toddlers' Cognitive Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Setodji, Claude Messan; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Schaack, Diana
Research linking high-quality child care programs and children's cognitive development has contributed to the growing popularity of child care quality benchmarking efforts such as quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). Consequently, there has been an increased interest in and a need for approaches to identifying thresholds, or cutpoints,…
Rape treatment outcome research: empirical findings and state of the literature.
Vickerman, Katrina A; Margolin, Gayla
This article reviews empirical support for treatments targeting women sexually assaulted during adolescence or adulthood. Thirty-two articles were located using data from 20 separate samples. Of the 20 samples, 12 targeted victims with chronic symptoms, three focused on the acute period post-assault, two included women with chronic and acute symptoms, and three were secondary prevention programs. The majority of studies focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and/or anxiety as treatment targets. Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure have garnered the most support with this population. Stress Inoculation Training and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing also show some efficacy. Of the four studies that compared active treatments, few differences were found. Overall, cognitive behavioral interventions lead to better PTSD outcomes than supportive counseling does. However, even in the strongest treatments more than one-third of women retain a PTSD diagnosis at post-treatment or drop out of treatment. Discussion highlights the paucity of research in this area, methodological limitations of examined studies, generalizability of findings, and important directions for future research at various stages of trauma recovery. PMID:19442425
Coupled computational simulation and empirical research into the foraging system of Pharaoh's ant (Monomorium pharaonis).
Jackson, Duncan; Holcombe, Mike; Ratnieks, Francis
The Pharaoh's ant (Monomorium pharaonis), a significant pest in many human environments, is phenomenally successful at locating and exploiting available food resources. Several pheromones are utilized in the self-organized foraging of this ant but most aspects of the overall system are poorly characterised. Agent-based modelling of ants as individual complex X-machines facilitates study of the mechanisms underlying the emergence of trails and aids understanding of the process. Conducting simultaneous modelling, and simulation, alongside empirical biological studies is shown to drive the research by formulating hypotheses that must be tested before the model can be verified and extended. Integration of newly characterised behavioural processes into the overall model will enable testing of general theories giving insight into division of labour within insect societies. This study aims to establish a new paradigm in computational modelling applicable to all types of multi-agent biological systems, from tissues to animal societies, as a powerful tool to accelerate basic research. PMID:15351134
Rape Treatment Outcome Research: Empirical Findings and State of the Literature
Vickerman, Katrina A.; Margolin, Gayla
This article reviews empirical support for treatments targeting women sexually assaulted during adolescence or adulthood. Thirty-two articles were located using data from 20 separate samples. Of the 20 samples, 12 targeted victims with chronic symptoms, three focused on the acute period post-assault, two included women with chronic and acute symptoms, and three were secondary prevention programs. The majority of studies focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and/or anxiety as treatment targets. Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure have garnered the most support with this population. Stress Inoculation Training and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing also show some efficacy. Of the four studies that compared active treatments, few differences were found. Overall, cognitive behavioral interventions lead to better PTSD outcomes than supportive counseling does. However, even in the strongest treatments more than one-third of women retain a PTSD diagnosis at post-treatment or drop out of treatment. Discussion highlights the paucity of research in this area, methodological limitations of examined studies, generalizability of findings, and important directions for future research at various stages of trauma recovery. PMID:19442425
Implementing community-based provider participation in research: an empirical study
Background Since 2003, the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) has sought to restructure the clinical research enterprise in the United States by promoting collaborative research partnerships between academically-based investigators and community-based physicians. By increasing community-based provider participation in research (CBPPR), the NIH seeks to advance the science of discovery by conducting research in clinical settings where most people get their care, and accelerate the translation of research results into everyday clinical practice. Although CBPPR is seen as a promising strategy for promoting the use of evidence-based clinical services in community practice settings, few empirical studies have examined the organizational factors that facilitate or hinder the implementation of CBPPR. The purpose of this study is to explore the organizational start-up and early implementation of CBPPR in community-based practice. Methods We used longitudinal, case study research methods and an organizational model of innovation implementation to theoretically guide our study. Our sample consisted of three community practice settings that recently joined the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) in the United States. Data were gathered through site visits, telephone interviews, and archival documents from January 2008 to May 2011. Results The organizational model for innovation implementation was useful in identifying and investigating the organizational factors influencing start-up and early implementation of CBPPR in CCOP organizations. In general, the three CCOP organizations varied in the extent to which they achieved consistency in CBPPR over time and across physicians. All three CCOP organizations demonstrated mixed levels of organizational readiness for change. Hospital management support and resource availability were limited across CCOP organizations early on, although they improved in one CCOP organization
Is Project Based Learning More Effective than Direct Instruction in School Science Classrooms? An Analysis of the Empirical Research Evidence
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dann, Clifford
An increasingly loud call by parents, school administrators, teachers, and even business leaders for "authentic learning", emphasizing both group-work and problem solving, has led to growing enthusiasm for inquiry-based learning over the past decade. Although "inquiry" can be defined in many ways, a curriculum called "project-based learning" has recently emerged as the inquiry practice-of-choice with roots in the educational constructivism that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. Often, project-based learning is framed as an alternative instructional strategy to direct instruction for maximizing student content knowledge. This study investigates the empirical evidence for such a comparison while also evaluating the overall quality of the available studies in the light of accepted standards for educational research. Specifically, this thesis investigates what the body of quantitative research says about the efficacy of project-based learning vs. direct instruction when considering student acquisition of content knowledge in science classrooms. Further, existing limitations of the research pertaining to project based learning and secondary school education are explored. The thesis concludes with a discussion of where and how we should focus our empirical efforts in the future. The research revealed that the available empirical research contains flaws in both design and instrumentation. In particular, randomization is poor amongst all the studies considered. The empirical evidence indicates that project-based learning curricula improved student content knowledge but that, while the results were statistically significant, increases in raw test scores were marginal.
Translating Autoethnography across the AERA Standards: Toward Understanding Autoethnographic Scholarship as Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hughes, Sherick; Pennington, Julie L.; Makris, Sara
The purpose of this article is to move readers toward a deeper understanding of and widened respect for autoethnography's capacity as an empirical endeavor. An argument is presented in favor of autoethnography as empirical by translating information from its epistemological and methodological history across the AERA standards for reporting…
Hospital Board Oversight of Quality and Patient Safety: A Narrative Review and Synthesis of Recent Empirical Research
Millar, Ross; Mannion, Russell; Freeman, Tim; Davies, Huw TO
Context Recurring problems with patient safety have led to a growing interest in helping hospitals' governing bodies provide more effective oversight of the quality and safety of their services. National directives and initiatives emphasize the importance of action by boards, but the empirical basis for informing effective hospital board oversight has yet to receive full and careful review. Methods This article presents a narrative review of empirical research to inform the debate about hospital boards' oversight of quality and patient safety. A systematic and comprehensive search identified 122 papers for detailed review. Much of the empirical work appeared in the last ten years, is from the United States, and employs cross-sectional survey methods. Findings Recent empirical studies linking board composition and processes with patient outcomes have found clear differences between high- and low-performing hospitals, highlighting the importance of strong and committed leadership that prioritizes quality and safety and sets clear and measurable goals for improvement. Effective oversight is also associated with well-informed and skilled board members. External factors (such as regulatory regimes and the publication of performance data) might also have a role in influencing boards, but detailed empirical work on these is scant. Conclusions Health policy debates recognize the important role of hospital boards in overseeing patient quality and safety, and a growing body of empirical research has sought to elucidate that role. This review finds a number of areas of guidance that have some empirical support, but it also exposes the relatively inchoate nature of the field. Greater theoretical and methodological development is required if we are to secure more evidence-informed governance systems and practices that can contribute to safer care. PMID:24320168
Development and Validation of the Controller Acceptance Rating Scale (CARS): Results of Empirical Research
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Katharine K.; Kerns, Karol; Bone, Randall
The measurement of operational acceptability is important for the development, implementation, and evolution of air traffic management decision support tools. The Controller Acceptance Rating Scale was developed at NASA Ames Research Center for the development and evaluation of the Passive Final Approach Spacing Tool. CARS was modeled after a well-known pilot evaluation rating instrument, the Cooper-Harper Scale, and has since been used in the evaluation of the User Request Evaluation Tool, developed by MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development. In this paper, we provide a discussion of the development of CARS and an analysis of the empirical data collected with CARS to examine construct validity. Results of intraclass correlations indicated statistically significant reliability for the CARS. From the subjective workload data that were collected in conjunction with the CARS, it appears that the expected set of workload attributes was correlated with the CARS. As expected, the analysis also showed that CARS was a sensitive indicator of the impact of decision support tools on controller operations. Suggestions for future CARS development and its improvement are also provided.
Individual Differences in Reading Development: A Review of 25 Years of Empirical Research on Matthew Effects in Reading
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pfost, Maximilian; Hattie, John; Dörfler, Tobias; Artelt, Cordula
The idea of Matthew effects in reading--the widening achievement gap between good and poor reader--has attracted considerable attention in education research in the past 25 years. Despite the popularity of the topic, however, empirical studies that have analyzed the core assumption of Matthew effects in reading have produced inconsistent results.…
A Reliable and Valid Weighted Scoring Instrument for Use in Grading APA-Style Empirical Research Report
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Greenberg, Kathleen Puglisi
The scoring instrument described in this article is based on a deconstruction of the seven sections of an American Psychological Association (APA)-style empirical research report into a set of learning outcomes divided into content-, expression-, and format-related categories. A double-weighting scheme used to score the report yields a final grade…
Effects of Student Participation in Decision Making at School. A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mager, Ursula; Nowak, Peter
This article reviews empirical research on the effects of student participation in school decision-making processes. Out of 3102 searched citations, a total of 32 publications met the inclusion criteria. The qualitative analyses employed in this review yielded a typology of student participation, a categorisation of the diverse effects of student…
State of Research on Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Survey of Empirical Studies Published during 1998-2010 (April)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dai, David Yun; Swanson, Joan Ann; Cheng, Hongyu
This study surveyed 1,234 empirical studies on giftedness, gifted education, and creativity during 1998-2010 (April), using PsycINFO database and targeted journals as main sources, with respect to main topics these studies focused on, methods they used for investigation, and the conceptual spaces they traversed. Four main research topics emerged…
Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation
Sussman, Steve; McCuller, William J; Zheng, Hong; Pfingston, Yvonne M; Miyano, James; Dent, Clyde W
This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described. Through use of focus groups, a theme study (concept evaluation of written activity descriptions), a component study, and pilot studies, an eight-session program was developed. This program involves novel activities (e.g., "talk show enactments," games, and alternative medicine-type activities such as yoga and meditation) in combination with motivation enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies to motivate and instruct in cessation initiation and maintenance efforts. The outcomes of the first experimental trial of Project EX, a school-based clinic program, are described, followed by a posthoc analysis of its effects mediation. A second EX study, a multiple baseline single group pilot study design in Wuhan, China, is described next. Description of a second experimental trial follows, which tested EX with nicotine gum versus a natural herb. A third experimental trial that tests a classroom prevention/cessation version of EX is then introduced. Finally, the implications of this work are discussed. The intent-to-treat quit rate for Project EX is approximately 15% across studies, double that of a standard care comparison. Effects last up to a six-month post-program at regular and alternative high schools. Through a systematic protocol of empirical program development and field trials, an effective and replicable model teen tobacco use cessation program is established. Future cessation work might expand on this work. PMID:19570278
Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation
Sussman, Steve; McCuller, William J; Zheng, Hong; Pfingston, Yvonne M; Miyano, James; Dent, Clyde W
This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described. Through use of focus groups, a theme study (concept evaluation of written activity descriptions), a component study, and pilot studies, an eight-session program was developed. This program involves novel activities (e.g., "talk show enactments," games, and alternative medicine-type activities such as yoga and meditation) in combination with motivation enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies to motivate and instruct in cessation initiation and maintenance efforts. The outcomes of the first experimental trial of Project EX, a school-based clinic program, are described, followed by a posthoc analysis of its effects mediation. A second EX study, a multiple baseline single group pilot study design in Wuhan, China, is described next. Description of a second experimental trial follows, which tested EX with nicotine gum versus a natural herb. A third experimental trial that tests a classroom prevention/cessation version of EX is then introduced. Finally, the implications of this work are discussed. The intent-to-treat quit rate for Project EX is approximately 15% across studies, double that of a standard care comparison. Effects last up to a six-month post-program at regular and alternative high schools. Through a systematic protocol of empirical program development and field trials, an effective and replicable model teen tobacco use cessation program is established. Future cessation work might expand on this work.
48 CFR 1852.235-74 - Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
...-Research and Development. 1852.235-74 Section 1852.235-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations System NATIONAL... Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-74 Additional Reports of Work—Research and Development. As prescribed in 1835.070(e), insert a clause substantially the same as the following: Additional Reports of...
48 CFR 1852.235-74 - Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
...-Research and Development. 1852.235-74 Section 1852.235-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations System NATIONAL... Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-74 Additional Reports of Work—Research and Development. As prescribed in 1835.070(e), insert a clause substantially the same as the following: Additional Reports of...
48 CFR 1852.235-74 - Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
... Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-74 Additional Reports of Work—Research and Development. As prescribed in 1835... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development. 1852.235-74 Section 1852.235-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations System...
48 CFR 1852.235-74 - Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
... Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-74 Additional Reports of Work—Research and Development. As prescribed in 1835... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development. 1852.235-74 Section 1852.235-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations System...
48 CFR 1852.235-74 - Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
... Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-74 Additional Reports of Work—Research and Development. As prescribed in 1835... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Additional Reports of Work-Research and Development. 1852.235-74 Section 1852.235-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations System...
Use of empirically-supported interventions for psychopathology: Can the participatory approach move us beyond the research-to-practice gap?
Becker, Carolyn Black; Stice, Eric; Shaw, Heather; Woda, Susan
Dissemination, or distribution, of empirically-supported interventions (ESIs) for psychopathology remains a significant challenge. This paper reviews the principles of community-partnership research (CPR) and explores why CPR might improve distribution of psychological ESIs. Benefits of CPR include building trust, pooling resources and knowledge, and better serving a community by directly involving its members in the design and implementation of research. In addition, after establishing a community's trust using CPR, researchers are likely to be better positioned to partner with communities in the further distribution of ESIs via community networks. This paper reviews the case of dissonance-based eating disorder prevention interventions to provide an example of how CPR can facilitate the adoption and distribution of an ESI by a community, in this case, sororities. CPR also presents a number of challenges, however, because it is time consuming and does not always align with funding mechanisms and research designs used in randomized controlled trials. Further, CPR does not necessarily solve the challenge of training providers, though it may help with problem solving. Ultimately, we suggest that the benefits of CPR far outweigh the challenges, and hope that more researchers will adopt these practices so that more individuals can benefit from empirically supported psychological interventions. PMID:19281965
Why Psychology Cannot be an Empirical Science.
Smedslund, Jan
The current empirical paradigm for psychological research is criticized because it ignores the irreversibility of psychological processes, the infinite number of influential factors, the pseudo-empirical nature of many hypotheses, and the methodological implications of social interactivity. An additional point is that the differences and correlations usually found are much too small to be useful in psychological practice and in daily life. Together, these criticisms imply that an objective, accumulative, empirical and theoretical science of psychology is an impossible project. PMID:26712604
An Analysis of the Conceptualisation of "Quality" in Early Childhood Education and Care Empirical Research: Promoting "Blind Spots" as Foci for Future Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fenech, Marianne
This article critically analyses how empirical research investigating quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the period 1980-2008 has conceptualised "quality". Applying Foucault's notion of "critique" to 338 peer-reviewed journal articles uncovered six interconnected truths: quality is an objective reality; quality enhances…
Marine research in Greece and the additional Greek marine research centres: Progress and present situation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haritonidis, S.
Greece, as is known, has a coastline of 17 000 km, and over 2000 small and large islands. As expected, the quest of humankind for new sources of matter and energy has been focussed on the sea, with fishery being its primary interest. A number of philosophers and scientists have been involved in the study of this vast ecosystem since ancient times (Aristotle). The political, social and geographical upheavals witnessed in the Greek area, have, however resulted in bringing all these activities to a halt. The first contemporary research work commenced at the end of the 18th century/beginning of the 19th — with marine flora and fauna as its starting point. The first investigations had, of course, been limited to random collections of marine material done in the frame of international exploratory expeditions. Studies became more systematic by the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, with priority being given to the animal kingdom (fish, molluscs, etc.). Investigation of the marine phytobenthos (macrophyceae, phytoplankton) was to follow. The past 40 years research has been more extensive, not limited only to biogeographical evaluations, but also having expanded to physiological and ecological levels. The relevant institutes of Greek universities have all the while watched and contributed to this effort. Today, this kind of research is being supported by the N.M.R.C., the Center of Marine Research, University of Crete, and two research boats which sail the Greek seas. In the ever-changing world, the study of marine flora and fauna has certainly made great progress; however, there are still two big problems to be faced. The first deals with increasing pollution of the seas, the second, with the difficulties in finding and affording adequate financial resources that would enable a more detailed and complete execution of this research work.
PERC Handbook (Program Effectiveness and Related Costs). Empire State College Research Series.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Palola, Ernest G.; And Others
This handbook is a "how to do it" set of definitions, instruments, and procedures based on program effectiveness and related costs (PERC) evaluation at Empire State College (Saratoga Springs, New York) and four other cooperating institutions. The handbook focuses first on program effectiveness and then considers program costs. It utilizes a…
Parent Training Research: An Analysis of the Empirical Literature 1975-1985.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wiese, Margaret R. Rogers; Kramer, Jack J.
Reviewed 18 journals with behavioral psychology, clinical or counseling psychology, school psychology, and special education emphases. Results indicated that behavioral journals published most empirically based parent training articles, followed by clinical or counseling psychology, special education, and school psychology journals. Parents with…
The Role of Empirical Research in Informing Debates about the Constitutionality of School Choice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Saiger, Aaron
Federal constitutional law currently permits choice programs that include religious schools only if they provide parents with "genuine and independent choice"; as the leading federal case demonstrates, whether this test is satisfied is an interesting and difficult empirical question. State doctrine regarding establishment of religion can be…
Students' Misconceptions of Statistical Inference: A Review of the Empirical Evidence from Research on Statistics Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sotos, Ana Elisa Castro; Vanhoof, Stijn; Van den Noortgate, Wim; Onghena, Patrick
A solid understanding of "inferential statistics" is of major importance for designing and interpreting empirical results in any scientific discipline. However, students are prone to many misconceptions regarding this topic. This article structurally summarizes and describes these misconceptions by presenting a systematic review of publications…
A Synthesis of Empirical Research on the Linguistic Outcomes of Early Foreign Language Instruction
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Huang, Becky H.
Early foreign language (FL) programmes have grown rapidly worldwide in the past two decades, resting on the assumption that "earlier is better" for learning a FL. However, the majority of empirical studies that investigated the "earlier is better" hypothesis were conducted in naturalistic immersion contexts. Given the…
Student Interactions in Online Discussion Forum: Empirical Research from "Media Richness Theory" Perspective
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Balaji, M. S.; Chakrabarti, Diganta
The present study contributes to the understanding of the effectiveness of online discussion forum in student learning. A conceptual model based on "theory of online learning" and "media richness theory" was proposed and empirically tested. We extend the current understanding of media richness theory to suggest that use of multiple media can…
Seating Arrangements that Promote Positive Academic and Behavioural Outcomes: A Review of Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wannarka, Rachel; Ruhl, Kathy
Seating arrangements are important classroom setting events because they have the potential to help prevent problem behaviours that decrease student attention and diminish available instructional time. The purpose of this synthesis of empirical literature is to determine which arrangements of desks best facilitate positive academic and behavioural…
An Analysis of Enabling School Structure: Theoretical, Empirical, and Research Considerations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sinden, James E.; Hoy, Wayne K.; Sweetland, Scott R.
The construct of enabling school structure is empirically analyzed in this qualitative study of high schools. First, the theoretical underpinning of enabling school structure is developed. Then, six high schools, which were determined to have enabling structures in a large quantitative study of Ohio schools, were analyzed in depth using…
Empirical and Normative Foundations of Holocaust Education: Bringing Research and Advocacy into Dialogue
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stevick, E. Doyle; Michaels, Deborah L.
A scenario of Holocaust education gone awry, which was constructed from a real event in one author's experience, and a 2010 critique of Holocaust education by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, are used to explore key issues and dilemmas for Holocaust education. The authors argue that we should pursue clarity about the empirical and moral…
40 CFR 26.304 - Additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses involved in observational research.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
... research. The provisions of 45 CFR 46.204 are applicable to this section. ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Additional protections for pregnant... Protections for Pregnant Women and Fetuses Involved as Subjects in Observational Research Conducted...
The Impact of Internet Health Information on Patient Compliance: A Research Model and an Empirical Study
Hassanein, Khaled; Yuan, Yufei
Background Patients have been increasingly seeking and using Internet health information to become more active in managing their own health in a partnership with their physicians. This trend has both positive and negative effects on the interactions between patients and their physicians. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact that the increasing use of Internet health information has on the patient-physician relationship and patients' compliance with their treatment regimens. Objective This study examines the impact of patients' use of Internet health information on various elements that characterize the interactions between a patient and her/his physician through a theoretical model based on principal-agent theory and the information asymmetry perspective. Methods A survey-based study consisting of 225 participants was used to validate a model through various statistical techniques. A full assessment of the measurement model and structural model was completed in addition to relevant post hoc analyses. Results This research revealed that both patient-physician concordance and perceived information asymmetry have significant effects on patient compliance, with patient-physician concordance exhibiting a considerably stronger relationship. Additionally, both physician quality and Internet health information quality have significant effects on patient-physician concordance, with physician quality exhibiting a much stronger relationship. Finally, only physician quality was found to have a significant impact on perceived information asymmetry, whereas Internet health information quality had no impact on perceived information asymmetry. Conclusions Overall, this study found that physicians can relax regarding their fears concerning patient use of Internet health information because physician quality has the greatest impact on patients and their physician coming to an agreement on their medical situation and recommended treatment regimen as well as
Organizational Learning, Strategic Flexibility and Business Model Innovation: An Empirical Research Based on Logistics Enterprises
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bao, Yaodong; Cheng, Lin; Zhang, Jian
Using the data of 237 Jiangsu logistics firms, this paper empirically studies the relationship among organizational learning capability, business model innovation, strategic flexibility. The results show as follows; organizational learning capability has positive impacts on business model innovation performance; strategic flexibility plays mediating roles on the relationship between organizational learning capability and business model innovation; interaction among strategic flexibility, explorative learning and exploitative learning play significant roles in radical business model innovation and incremental business model innovation.
The Attitudes of Females in Drug Court Toward Additional Safeguards in HIV Prevention Research
O'Leary, Catina Callahan; Cottler, Linda B.
This article examines the attitudes of 97 women from the St. Louis City Drug Court who previously participated in an HIV prevention study. Data from the previous study indicated that the women met multiple criteria for vulnerability in research. Federal regulations require that such participants be provided with "additional safeguards." The survey explored the following questions: (1) What are participants' attitudes toward commonly proposed additional safeguards for vulnerable participants in research, and (2) Are attitudes toward safeguards related to participants' previous compliance with an HIV prevention protocol? Preferences regarding safeguards in research were not significantly related to participants' compliance in the previous study. Most participants wanted researchers to take extra measures not only to provide consent information, but to ensure that they are not high on drugs, that they understand relevant information, and that they retain consent information at each visit. Most participants wanted researchers themselves, and not a third party, to assume this responsibility. PMID:19452277
Cancer Control Research Training for Native Researchers: A Model for Development of Additional Native Researcher Training Programs
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Becker, Thomas M.; Dunn, Esther; Tom-Orme, Lillian; Joe, Jennie
Several social and biological scientists who have Native status are engaged in productive research careers, but the encouragement that has been offered to Native students to formulate career goals devoted to cancer etiology or cancer control in Native peoples has had limited success. Hence, the Native Researchers' Cancer Control Training Program…
A Review of Research on the Literacy of Students with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parker, Amy T.; Pogrund, Rona L.
Research on the development of literacy in children with visual impairments and additional disabilities is minimal even though these children make up approximately 65% of the population of children with visual impairments. This article reports on emerging themes that were explored after a review of the literature revealed nine literacy studies…
[Research on the hospital construction and structure in Daehan empire and colonial modern period].
Han, Dong Gwan; Ryu, Chang Ug; Ko, Sang Kyun; Jung, Jae Kook; Moon, Jong Youn; Park, Yoon Hyung
It was the late Chosun Dynasty and Daehan Empire era that Western Medicine has firstly been introduced to Korea, previously operating on a basis of Korean traditional medicine. Western Medicine has been introduced by American missionary and Japanese Imperialism. An introduction of Western Medicine made it feasible to proceed new type medical care including operation, leading to require a new form of medical facilities. In the beginning, new facilities were constructed by Japanese Imperialism. Other hand many of facilities including Severance Hospital were established by missionaries. First of all, Daehan Empire established and managed a modern type of medical facility named "Jejoongwon" in 1885 as a government institution hospital. The Red Cross Hospital built in 1889. Afterwards, Jejoongwon and the Red Cross Hospital were taken over to missionary hospital and Japanese Imperialism, respectively. Japanese Imperialists firstly have protected their nationals residing in Chosun but have proceeded care a few Chosun people to exploit medical treatment as a mean to advertise superiority of the Empire of Japan. The facility that has firstly been established and managed was Jeseang Hospital in Busan in 1877, leading to establish in Wonju, Wonsan, and Mokpo. Afterwards, Japan has organized "Donginhoi" as a civil invasion organization, leading for "Donginhoi" to established "Dongin Hospital" in Pyeongyang, Daegu, and Seoul. Since 1909, governmental leading medical facility named Jahye Hospital was established according to an imperial order, leading to establish 32 hospitals all over the nation. American missionaries have established and managed 28 hospitals started from Severance Hospital built in 1904. However, Chosun doctors started to having educated and opening up their own hospital since 1920, leading for many of medical facilities to be established, but most of them have taken different roles followed by 6.25 War and economic development period. However, some of them
Using a tag team of undergraduate researchers to construct an empirical model of auroral Poynting flux, from satellite data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cosgrove, R. B.; Bahcivan, H.; Klein, A.; Ortega, J.; Alhassan, M.; Xu, Y.; Chen, S.; Van Welie, M.; Rehberger, J.; Musielak, S.; Cahill, N.
Empirical models of the incident Poynting flux and particle kinetic energy flux, associated with auroral processes, have been constructed using data from the FAST satellite. The models were constructed over a three-year period by a tag-team of three groups of undergraduate researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), working under the supervision of researchers at SRI International, a nonprofit research institute. Each group spent one academic quarter in residence at SRI, in fulfillment of WPI's Major Qualifying Project (MQP), required for graduation from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The MQP requires a written group report, which was used to transition from one group to the next. The student's research involved accessing and processing a data set of 20,000 satellite orbits, replete with flaws associated with instrument failures, which had to be removed. The data had to be transformed from the satellite reference frame into solar coordinates, projected to a reference altitude, sorted according to geophysical conditions, and etc. The group visits were chaperoned by WPI, and were jointly funded. Researchers at SRI were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, which was tailored to accommodate the undergraduate tag-team approach. The NSF grant extended one year beyond the student visits, with increased funding in the final year, permitting the researchers at SRI to exercise quality control, and to produce publications. It is expected that the empirical models will be used as inputs to large-scale general circulation models (GCMs), to specify the atmospheric heating rate at high altitudes.; Poynting Flux with northward IMF ; Poynting flux with southward IMF
Mokken scale analysis of mental health and well-being questionnaire item responses: a non-parametric IRT method in empirical research for applied health researchers
Background Mokken scaling techniques are a useful tool for researchers who wish to construct unidimensional tests or use questionnaires that comprise multiple binary or polytomous items. The stochastic cumulative scaling model offered by this approach is ideally suited when the intention is to score an underlying latent trait by simple addition of the item response values. In our experience, the Mokken model appears to be less well-known than for example the (related) Rasch model, but is seeing increasing use in contemporary clinical research and public health. Mokken's method is a generalisation of Guttman scaling that can assist in the determination of the dimensionality of tests or scales, and enables consideration of reliability, without reliance on Cronbach's alpha. This paper provides a practical guide to the application and interpretation of this non-parametric item response theory method in empirical research with health and well-being questionnaires. Methods Scalability of data from 1) a cross-sectional health survey (the Scottish Health Education Population Survey) and 2) a general population birth cohort study (the National Child Development Study) illustrate the method and modeling steps for dichotomous and polytomous items respectively. The questionnaire data analyzed comprise responses to the 12 item General Health Questionnaire, under the binary recoding recommended for screening applications, and the ordinal/polytomous responses to the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Results and conclusions After an initial analysis example in which we select items by phrasing (six positive versus six negatively worded items) we show that all items from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) – when binary scored – were scalable according to the double monotonicity model, in two short scales comprising six items each (Bech's "well-being" and "distress" clinical scales). An illustration of ordinal item analysis confirmed that all 14
Sociology of pharmaceuticals development and regulation: a realist empirical research programme.
Abraham, John
A realist conceptualization of interests is proposed in opposition to the fashionable view that interests, objectivity and reality are merely social constructs, and that sociological analyses should be confined to discourse, actor-networks and micro-contextual practices. The objective interests of pharmaceutical companies in profit-maximization, and of patients/public health in the optimisation of drugs' benefit-risk ratios, can be empirically validated. The relationship between those interests and pharmaceutical regulation is best characterised by 'neo-liberal corporate bias' at the macro- and meso-levels. How such bias manifests itself at the micro-social level of science-based pharmaceutical testing and regulatory decision making is examined using a realist sociology of scientific knowledge, which appreciates that assessment of the validity of techno-scientific knowledge claims is essential for their sociological explanation. Commercial interests are shown to have biased science away from the interests of public health, in favour of industry. International comparisons of drug regulation demonstrate that drug injuries are not necessarily an inevitable by-product of pharmaceutical progress because some countries have fewer drug safety problems than others. Similarly, the lowering of techno-scientific standards for drug safety testing is not an inevitable cost of faster development of therapeutically valuable medicines, but a consequence of the internationalization of neo-liberal corporate bias. PMID:18761508
The Use of Weblogs in Higher Education Settings: A Review of Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sim, Jeffrey Wee Sing; Hew, Khe Foon
"Weblogs" or "blogs" are increasingly visible in higher education settings. Some scholars suggest that blogs are useful because of their reflective nature. However, as this review indicates the research regarding blogs is largely self-report data (surveys, interviews) or content analyses. This review summarizes results of this existing research on…
A Critical Examination of Empirical Research: The Case of Citizenship Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hyslop-Margison, Emery J.; Hamalian, Arpi; Anderson, Germell
The authors evaluate the actual contribution to classroom practice of recent research in citizenship education conducted by two major international organizations: the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The paper adopts Egan's (2002) critical…
Empirical grounding of the nature of scientific inquiry: A study of developing researchers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stucky, Amy Preece
This work uses grounded theory methodology for developing theory about the nature of authentic scientific inquiry that occurs on a day-to-day basis in an academic research laboratory. Symbolic interaction and situated learning provide a theoretical framework. Data were collected from field notes, over 100 hours of videotape of researchers working in a chemical research laboratory, and interviews with participants. The phenomena of a research laboratory suggest that authentic daily work stretches scientists in three learning modalities: cognitive, affective and motivational beliefs and goals, which influence action to promote learning. A laboratory's line of research is divided into individual, thematic projects. Researchers are enabled in a specialized laboratory environment with sets of unique artifacts, substances, people and theoretical concepts to facilitate production of significant research goals. The work itself consists of chemical and mechanical processes facilitated by human actions, appropriate mental states, and theoretical explanations. The cognitive, affective (emotional), and conative (motivational) stretching then leads to explicit learning as well as implicit learning in the gain of experience and tacit knowledge. Implications of these findings about the nature of authentic scientific research on a day-to-day basis are applied to inquiry in science education in undergraduate and graduate education.
Developmental research as a way to an empirically based didactical structure of science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lijnse, P. L.
In the past decades, much work has been done in science education on large-scale curriculum development, ranging from a structure-of-the-discipline approach to STS. At the same time, research on students' ideas has drawn attention to the underestimated problems of learning and teaching, which may largely explain the limited success of the curriculum efforts as far as cognitive learning is concerned. Proposed solutions are mainly inspired by a constructivist cognitive science perspective and are formulated as general teaching strategies that aim at a more or less forced process of conceptual change. However, in our view, developmental research is needed in which small-scale curriculum development is cyclically coupled to indepth classroom research of teaching-learning processes. Such research should resuit in worked out examples of successful ways of teaching, according to new conceptual curriculum structures. Designing such didactical structures constitutes a longer term research program, which asks for international exchange and cooperation.
A systematic review of empirical research into ethics in general practice.
Rogers, W A
Much of the bioethical literature addresses the problems of tertiary medicine, with little attention to the daily concerns of general practitioners (GPs). The present review assesses the current state of research into the range and nature of ethical issues for GPs, looking specifically at the content of the research, the methods employed, and the philosophical framework of the research. A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Sociofile identified nine articles which form the basis for this review. The majority of the research reviewed here is quantitative in nature, using hypothetical cases with closed questions and categorical responses. No consistently significant variables were identified. Decisions appear to be inconsistent in terms of theoretical models and moral psychology. Ethical issues of concern to GPs differed from those commonly reported in the bioethical literature. There is a paucity of research into the ethical concerns of general practice. The existing body of research is quantitative in nature, leaving many unanswered questions concerning the reasons behind the decisions of GPs. There is a need for qualitative studies to further our understanding of this area. PMID:9519523
How do we know about resilience? An analysis of empirical research on resilience, and implications for interdisciplinary praxis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Downes, Barbara J.; Miller, Fiona; Barnett, Jon; Glaister, Alena; Ellemor, Heidi
We sought to understand how knowledge about resilience is produced. We examined empirical research into resilience from the social and natural sciences, randomly selected a sample of these studies and analysed their methods using common criteria to enable comparison. We found that studies of resilience from social scientists largely focus on the response of individuals to human-induced change events, while those from natural scientists largely focus on the response of ecological communities and populations to both environmental and human-induced change events. Most studies were of change over short time periods and focused on small spatial scales. Social science studies were dominated by one-off surveys, whereas natural science studies used a diversity of study designs to draw inferences about cause-and-effect. Whilst these differences typically reflect epistemological and methodological traditions, they also imply quite different understandings of resilience. We suggest that there are significant methodological barriers to producing empirical evidence about interactions between complex social and ecological systems.
An Empirical Research on the Factors Impacting the Development Scale of Chinese Higher Education
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bin, Xu; Liang, Xu
Since the reform and opening up, especially since the 1990s, Chinese higher education has achieved great development. Especially in recent years, various universities ceaselessly expanding enrolment and constructing new campus of higher education. Therefore, the scale of higher education is expanding. But blindly expanding higher education scale will also bring about tremendous risks, so, higher education development scale and its influence factors become a focus of economic research and education. In this paper, we, first, put forward the background and meaning of researching higher education development. Secondly, according to both domestic and overseas research results of higher education, we screened influence factors of higher education development and made use of statistical methods to analyze the data of related indicators. Finally, we carried out the analysis and summary on the above-mentioned calculation result.
A Meta-Analysis of Empirical Research on Teaching Students with Mathematics Learning Difficulties
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dennis, Minyi Shih; Sharp, Emily; Chovanes, Jacquelyn; Thomas, Amanda; Burns, Raquel M.; Custer, Beth; Park, Junkoung
This article quantitatively summarizes experimental and quasi-experimental studies on teaching students with mathematics difficulties (MD) published between 2000 and 2014, research that was available following earlier syntheses. It reports the analysis of effect sizes of 25 intervention studies on participant characteristics, intervention…
A Simple Syllogism-Solving Test: Empirical Findings and Implications for "g" Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shikishima, Chizuru; Yamagata, Shinji; Hiraishi, Kai; Sugimoto, Yutaro; Murayama, Kou; Ando, Juko
It has been reported that the ability to solve syllogisms is highly "g"-loaded. In the present study, using a self-administered shortened version of a syllogism-solving test, the "BAROCO Short," we examined whether robust findings generated by previous research regarding IQ scores were also applicable to "BAROCO Short" scores. Five…
Empirical Evidence in Support of a Research-Informed Water Conservation Education Program
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thompson, Ruthanne; Serna, Victoria Faubion
Based on results from a 2008 research study of regional citizen knowledge concerning watershed issues, a water conservation education program was designed and implemented. Findings from the initial study demonstrated program success as evidenced by knowledge gain and willingness to "commit" to water saving behaviors in 94% of students. A…
Healthy Variability in Organizational Behavior: Empirical Evidence and New Steps for Future Research.
Navarro, José; Rueff-Lopes, Rita
The healthy variability thesis suggests that healthy systems function in a complex manner over time. This thesis is well-established in fields like physiology. In the field of organizational behavior, however, this relation is only starting to be explored. The objective of this article is threefold: First, we aim to provide a comprehensive review of the healthy variability thesis including some of the most important findings across different fields, with a focus on evidences from organizational research in work motivation and performance. Second, we discuss an opposite pattern, unhealthy stability, i.e., the relationship between unhealthy behaviors and lower variability. Again, we provide evidence from diverse areas, from affective processes to disruptive organizational comportments like mobbing. Third, we provide a critical evaluation of current methodological trends and highlight what we believe to be the main factors that are stopping organizational research from advancing in the field. Theoretical, methodological and epistemological implications are discussed. To conclude, we draw a compilation of the lessons learned, which hopefully provide insights for prolific research avenues. Our main purpose is to raise awareness of the healthy variability thesis and to enthuse organizational researchers to consider it in order to advance existing knowledge, revisit old theories and create new ones. PMID:26375939
Respecting Autonomy Over Time: Policy and Empirical Evidence on Re‐Consent in Longitudinal Biomedical Research
Gourna, Elli G; Laurie, Graeme; Shoush, Osama; Wright, Jessica
Abstract Re‐consent in research, the asking for a new consent if there is a change in protocol or to confirm the expectations of participants in case of change, is an under‐explored issue. There is little clarity as to what changes should trigger re‐consent and what impact a re‐consent exercise has on participants and the research project. This article examines applicable policy statements and literature for the prevailing arguments for and against re‐consent in relation to longitudinal cohort studies, tissue banks and biobanks. Examples of re‐consent exercises are presented, triggers and non‐triggers for re‐consent discussed and the conflicting attitudes of commentators, participants and researchers highlighted. We acknowledge current practice and argue for a greater emphasis on 'responsive autonomy,' that goes beyond a one‐time consent and encourages greater communication between the parties involved. A balance is needed between respecting participants' wishes on how they want their data and samples used and enabling effective research to proceed. PMID:25960157
Evaluating the Efficiency of Research in Academic Departments: An Empirical Analysis in an Italian Region
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Agasisti, Tommaso; Dal Bianco, Antonio; Landoni, Paolo; Sala, Alessandro; Salerno, Mario
This paper investigates the efficiency of university departments in science, technology and medicine in an Italian Region (Lombardy). The aim of the paper is twofold: (i) to analyse the changes in productivity in recent years (from 2004 and 2007); and (ii) to detect factors that are potentially affecting efficiency. The research benefited from a…
A History of Research on Children and the Mass Media: An Empirical Investigation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Meadowcraft, Jeanne M.; McDonald, Daniel G.
Histories of media research commonly assume that models of mass media effects have progressed from direct or hypodermic effect models to indirect or multi-step models. Recently, however, B. Reeves and E. Wartella have objected to this assumption. To evaluate their alternative hypotheses, 163 studies from over 88 sources, representing nearly a…
An Empirical Analysis of Interspersal Research Evidence, Implications, and Applications of the Discrete Task Completion Hypothesis.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skinner, Christopher H.
Researchers have posited that when students work on assignments with many discrete tasks, that each completed discrete task may be a conditioned reinforcer. If the discrete task completion hypothesis is accurate, then relative task completion rates should influence choice behavior in the same manner as relative rates of reinforcement. Results of a…
Empirical Research on Native Chinese Speakers Reading in English: Data Driven Issues and Challenges
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brantmeier, Cindy; Xiucheng, Yu
Mastery of English in China has gathered increased prominence due to the need to foster cultural, political, and economic connections worldwide. Reading is an obvious skill of vital importance for advancing efforts as a player in the world economy. The present article examines research published in academic journals in Chinese and English to…
Introducing the Concept of Salutogenesis to School Leadership Research: Problematizing Empirical Methodologies and Findings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kelly, Anthony
This paper introduces and explores the concept of "salutogenesis" as a way of interpreting school leadership research and its findings in two significant areas: its effect on student outcomes and the motivation of incumbents. In its original setting, salutogenesis describes an approach that focuses on health, rather than on disease, but…
A Theoretical and Empirical Review of the Death-Thought Accessibility Concept in Terror Management Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hayes, Joseph; Schimel, Jeff; Arndt, Jamie; Faucher, Erik H.
Terror management theory (TMT) highlights the motivational impact of thoughts of death in various aspects of everyday life. Since its inception in 1986, research on TMT has undergone a slight but significant shift from an almost exclusive focus on the manipulation of thoughts of death to a marked increase in studies that measure the accessibility…
Doctoral Students' Reasons for Reading Empirical Research Articles: A Mixed Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burgess, Melissa L.; Benge, Cindy; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Mallette, Marla H.
Little is known about reading ability among doctoral students. Thus, we used a fully mixed concurrent equal status design (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2009) to examine 205 doctoral students in the College of Education and their reasons for reading research articles. A thematic analysis revealed 5 themes (subsumed by 2 meta-themes) explaining reasons…
Perceptual Organization in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Empirical Research and Theoretical Implications
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Uhlhaas, Peter J.; Silverstein, Steven M.
The research into perceptual organization in schizophrenia spectrum disorders has found evidence for and against a perceptual organization deficit and has interpreted the data from within several different theoretical frameworks. A synthesis of this evidence, however, reveals that this body of work has produced reliable evidence for deficits in…
The Influence of Education and Socialization on Radicalization: An Exploration of Theoretical Presumptions and Empirical Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pels, Trees; de Ruyter, Doret J.
Background and Objective: Research into radicalization does not pay much attention to education. This is remarkable and possibly misses an important influence on the process of radicalization. Therefore this article sets out to explore the relation between education on the one hand and the onset or prevention of radicalization on the other hand.…
The Selective Impact of Skinner's "Verbal Behavior" on Empirical Research: A Reply to Schlinger (2008)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dymond, Simon; Alonso-Alvarez, Benigno
In a recent article, Schlinger (2008) marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Skinner's "Verbal Behavior" (1957) by considering its impact on the field of behaviorism and research on verbal behavior. In the present article, we comment on Schlinger's conclusions regarding the impact of the book and highlight the extensions and…
Surveying Inclusion in Greece: Empirical Research in 2683 Primary School Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Soulis, Spyridon-Georgios; Georgiou, Alexandra; Dimoula, Katerina; Rapti, Danai
Students' point of view for inclusion and for their classmates with disability is essential for its successful implementation. The objectives of this work are to examine the primary school students' attitudes towards students with disabilities. The findings of the research indicate that the majority of typically developing students has a positive…
The ISO/IEC 11179 norm for metadata registries: does it cover healthcare standards in empirical research?
Ngouongo, Sylvie M N; Löbe, Matthias; Stausberg, Jürgen
In order to support empirical medical research concerning reuse and improvement of the expressiveness of study data and hence promote syntactic as well as semantic interoperability, services are required for the maintenance of data element collections. As part of the project for the implementation of a German metadata repository for empirical research we assessed the ability of ISO/IEC 11179 "Information technology - Metadata registries (MDR)" part 3 edition 3 Final Committee Draft "Registry metamodel and basic attributes" to represent healthcare standards. First step of the evaluation was a reformulation of ISO's metamodel with the terms and structures of the different healthcare standards. In a second step, we imported instances of the healthcare standards into a prototypical database implementation representing ISO's metamodel. Whereas the flat structure of disease registries as well as some controlled vocabularies could be easily mapped to the ISO's metamodel, complex structures as used in reference models of electronic health records or classifications could be not exhaustively represented. A logical reconstruction of an application will be needed in order to represent them adequately. Moreover, the correct linkage between elements from ISO/IEC 11179 edition 3 and concepts of classifications remains unclear. We also observed some restrictions of ISO/IEC 11179 edition 3 concerning the representation of items of the Operational Data Model from the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium, which might be outside the scope of a MDR. Thus, despite the obvious strength of the ISO/IEC 11179 edition 3 for metadata registries, some issues should be considered in its further development. PMID:23246614
Past Research in Instructional Technology: Results of a Content Analysis of Empirical Studies Published in Three Prominent Instructional Technology Journals from the Year 2000 through 2004
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hew, Khe Foon; Kale, Ugur; Kim, Nari
This article reviews and categorizes empirical studies related to instructional technology that were published in three prominent journals: "Educational Technology Research and Development, Instructional Science," and the "Journal of Educational Computing Research" from the year 2000 through 2004. Four questions guided this review: 1) What…
Empirical Reporting Practices in "Community College Journal of Research and Practice" and "Journal of Developmental Education" from 2002 to 2011: A Systematic Review
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skidmore, Susan Troncoso; Zientek, Linda Reichwein; Combs, Julie P.; Fuller, Matthew B.; Hirai, Michiyo; Price, Debra P.; Moore, George W.
The empirical reporting practices of developmental education and community college researchers who published in the "Community College Journal of Research and Practice" ("CCJRP") and the "Journal of Developmental Education" ("JDE") from 2002 to 2011 were investigated. Of the 1,165 articles available, 181…
Are prejudices against disabled persons determined by personality characteristics? Reviewing a theoretical approach on the basis of empirical research findings.
Cloerkes, G
Taking as point of departure the results obtained from research on prejudice, many authors believe that the quality of attitudes toward disabled persons is influenced by the personality structure of the nondisabled. In order to verify this assumption, a secondary analysis of 67 empirical studies was undertaken. These studies referred to different personality variables such as authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, dogmatism, rigidity, intolerance of ambiguity, cognitive simplicity, anxiety, ego-weakness, self-concept, body-concept, aggressiveness, empathy, intelligence, etc. The results can be summarized as follows: Statistical criteria show that single personality traits have relatively little influence on the attitudes towards disabled persons. An adequate evaluation of the research findings is complicated by, at times, considerable methodological problems which arise when applying the proper test instruments to non-clinical populations. Marked correlations are to be found in particular in the case of authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, intolerance of ambiguity, anxiety, and ego-weakness. The intercorrelations, however, between most of the personality variables are rather high, which by cumulation of "extreme" factors may, in fact, sometimes result in particularly unfavorable attitudes toward the disabled. Thus, personality-related research findings to provide certain valuable explanations. Special attention should be devoted to the multiple connections between personality structure and social structure. PMID:6452419
Is There Evidence that Friends Influence Body Weight? A Systematic Review of Empirical Research
Cunningham, Solveig A.; Vaquera, Elizabeth; Maturo, Claire C.; Narayan, K.M. Venkat
Researchers and policymakers from diverse fields are engaged in efforts to understand the biological and social causes of obesity in order to develop policies, interventions, and recommendations to stop or reverse increases in obesity. One potentially promising approach is to harness influence from social contacts. An important foundation for this approach involves critically analyzing available data regarding whether and how body weight can be affected by close social contacts, especially friends. This systematic review examines evidence from published studies addressing the influences of friends on body weight. The majority of the sixteen studies conclude that there is evidence of influence: six reported that friends influence body weight and ten reported evidence of influence in some circumstances or specifications. However, this literature sheds little light on mechanisms of influence. There is limited evidence that friends' communication about weight is associated with weight status and no compelling evidence that friends' behaviors affect one's weight. Many of the studies best designed to examine influence were the ones that did not explore mechanisms of influence. A priority for future research is to understand how, when, and how much friends affect the risk of obesity. PMID:22749656
RESEARCH NOTE: Empirical 3-D basis for the internal density of a planet
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chambat, Frédéric; Ricard, Yanick
Various papers have discussed the forward relationships between internal density anomalies of a planet and its external gravity field. The inverse modelling, i.e. finding the internal density anomalies from the external potential is known to be highly non-unique. In this research note, we explain how a 3-D basis can be built to represent the internal density variations that includes a subset that explicitly spans the kernel of the forward gravity operator. This representation clarifies the origin of the non-uniqueness of the gravity sources and implies the existence of a natural minimal norm inverse for the internal density. We illustrate these ideas by comparing a tomographic model of the mantle to the minimal norm density.
Autopoiesis and nonlinear modeling methods: an empirical approach to psychotherapy process research.
Amunátegui, L Felipe; Dowd, E Thomas
Psychotherapy process research needs a paradigm capable of integrating activity across biological, affective, linguistic and social domains into one causal model. It also needs a methodology capable of measuring complex deterministic activity spontaneously generated by the therapy participants. Here we articulate a model based on Autopoietic theory and nonlinear quantitative analysis that stands to provide a method and a metric to explore how psychotherapy processes lead to a measurable outcome. Perturbations are the unit of study within the autopoietic framework. Lyapunov exponents are the quantitative tools for the analysis of phase portraits generated by cardiac activity. We propose that these phase portraits can be used to measure the perturbational activity of psychotherapy participants. We buttress this argument with results from a preliminary application of this method in a psychotherapy analogue situation. PMID:16519868
Empirical recommendations for improving the stability of the dot-probe task in clinical research.
Price, Rebecca B; Kuckertz, Jennie M; Siegle, Greg J; Ladouceur, Cecile D; Silk, Jennifer S; Ryan, Neal D; Dahl, Ronald E; Amir, Nader
The dot-probe task has been widely used in research to produce an index of biased attention based on reaction times (RTs). Despite its popularity, very few published studies have examined psychometric properties of the task, including test-retest reliability, and no previous study has examined reliability in clinically anxious samples or systematically explored the effects of task design and analysis decisions on reliability. In the current analysis, we used dot-probe data from 3 studies in which attention bias toward threat-related faces was assessed at multiple (≥5) time-points. Two of the studies were similar (adults with social anxiety disorder, similar design features) whereas 1 was more disparate (pediatric healthy volunteers, distinct task design). We explored the effects of analysis choices (e.g., bias score formula, outlier handling method) on reliability and searched for convergent findings across the 3 studies. We found that, when concurrently considering the 3 studies, the most reliable RT index of bias used data from dot-bottom trials, comparing congruent to incongruent trials, with rescaled outliers, particularly after averaging across more than 1 assessment point. Although reliability of RT bias indices was moderate to low, within-session variability in bias (attention bias variability; ABV), a recently proposed RT index, was more reliable across sessions. Several eyetracking-based indices of attention bias (available in the pediatric healthy sample only) showed reliability that matched the optimal RT index (ABV). On the basis of these findings, we make specific recommendations to researchers using the dot-probe, particularly those wishing to investigate individual differences and/or single-patient applications. PMID:25419646
Empirical Recommendations for Improving the Stability of the Dot-Probe Task in Clinical Research
Price, Rebecca B.; Kuckertz, Jennie M.; Siegle, Greg J.; Ladouceur, Cecile D.; Silk, Jennifer S.; Ryan, Neal D.; Dahl, Ronald E.; Amir, Nader
The dot-probe task has been widely used in research to produce an index of biased attention based on reaction times (RTs). Despite its popularity, very few published studies have examined psychometric properties of the task, including test-retest reliability, and no previous study has examined reliability in clinically anxious samples or systematically explored the effects of task design and analysis decisions on reliability. In the current analysis, we utilized dot-probe data from three studies where attention bias towards threat-related faces was assessed at multiple (≥5) timepoints. Two of the studies were similar (adults with Social Anxiety Disorder, similar design features) while one was much more disparate (pediatric healthy volunteers, distinct task design). We explored the effects of analysis choices (e.g., bias score calculation formula, methods for outlier handling) on reliability and searched for convergence of findings across the three studies. We found that, when considering the three studies concurrently, the most reliable RT bias index utilized data from dot-bottom trials, comparing congruent to incongruent trials, with rescaled outliers, particularly after averaging across more than one assessment point. Although reliability of RT bias indices was moderate to low under most circumstances, within-session variability in bias (attention bias variability; ABV), a recently proposed RT index, was more reliable across sessions. Several eyetracking-based indices of attention bias (available in the pediatric healthy sample only) showed reliability that matched the optimal RT index (ABV). On the basis of these findings, we make specific recommendations to researchers using the dot probe, particularly those wishing to investigate individual differences and/or single-patient applications. PMID:25419646
Empirical studies on informal patient payments for health care services: a systematic and critical review of research methods and instruments
Background Empirical evidence demonstrates that informal patient payments are an important feature of many health care systems. However, the study of these payments is a challenging task because of their potentially illegal and sensitive nature. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review and analysis of key methodological difficulties in measuring informal patient payments. Methods The systematic review was based on the following eligibility criteria: English language publications that reported on empirical studies measuring informal patient payments. There were no limitations with regard to the year of publication. The content of the publications was analysed qualitatively and the results were organised in the form of tables. Data sources were Econlit, Econpapers, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SocINDEX. Results Informal payments for health care services are most often investigated in studies involving patients or the general public, but providers and officials are also sample units in some studies. The majority of the studies apply a single mode of data collection that involves either face-to-face interviews or group discussions. One of the main methodological difficulties reported in the publication concerns the inability of some respondents to distinguish between official and unofficial payments. Another complication is associated with the refusal of some respondents to answer questions on informal patient payments. We do not exclude the possibility that we have missed studies that reported in non-English language journals as well as very recent studies that are not yet published. Conclusions Given the recent evidence from research on survey methods, a self-administrated questionnaire during a face-to-face interview could be a suitable mode of collecting sensitive data, such as data on informal patient payments. PMID:20849658
Empirical research on attachment in group psychotherapy: moving the field forward.
Marmarosh, Cheri L
Despite a large literature applying attachment to individual, family, and couple psychotherapy, it has taken much longer for clinicians to apply attachment theory to group psychotherapy. The lack of research attention in this area makes these three studies in this special section even more important to the field. They contribute significant findings that have the potential to help group leaders facilitate more cohesive and effective treatments for patients as well as move the field forward. Not only do we see the long-term impact of group treatment for those with insecure attachments, but we also learn how attachment anxiety impacts the group process, and how the attachment to the therapy group itself relates to changes in group member's personal attachment styles. The greatest contribution is the drawing of our attention to the many future studies that are needed to fully understand how group therapy facilitates change and how attachment theory plays a critical role in this process. Clinical implications are presented. PMID:24059737
Toward Reproducible Computational Research: An Empirical Analysis of Data and Code Policy Adoption by Journals
Stodden, Victoria; Guo, Peixuan; Ma, Zhaokun
Journal policy on research data and code availability is an important part of the ongoing shift toward publishing reproducible computational science. This article extends the literature by studying journal data sharing policies by year (for both 2011 and 2012) for a referent set of 170 journals. We make a further contribution by evaluating code sharing policies, supplemental materials policies, and open access status for these 170 journals for each of 2011 and 2012. We build a predictive model of open data and code policy adoption as a function of impact factor and publisher and find higher impact journals more likely to have open data and code policies and scientific societies more likely to have open data and code policies than commercial publishers. We also find open data policies tend to lead open code policies, and we find no relationship between open data and code policies and either supplemental material policies or open access journal status. Of the journals in this study, 38% had a data policy, 22% had a code policy, and 66% had a supplemental materials policy as of June 2012. This reflects a striking one year increase of 16% in the number of data policies, a 30% increase in code policies, and a 7% increase in the number of supplemental materials policies. We introduce a new dataset to the community that categorizes data and code sharing, supplemental materials, and open access policies in 2011 and 2012 for these 170 journals. PMID:23805293
Recruitment strategies should not be randomly selected: empirically improving recruitment success and diversity in developmental psychology research
Sugden, Nicole A.; Moulson, Margaret C.
Psychological and developmental research have been critiqued for the lack of diversity of research samples. Because differences in culture, race, and ethnicity can influence participant behavior, limited diversity limits the generalizability of the findings. These differences may also impact how participants behave in response to recruitment attempts, which suggests that recruitment itself may be leveraged to increase sample diversity. The goal of the current study was to determine what factors, within a recruitment interaction, could be leveraged to increase success and diversity when recruiting families with children for developmental research. Study 1 found three factors influenced success: (1) recruitment was more successful when other potential participants were also interested (i.e., recruiters were busy), (2) recruiters of particular races were more successful than recruiters of other races, and (3) differences in success were related to what the recruiter said to engage the potential participant (i.e., the script). The latter two factors interacted, suggesting some recruiters were using less optimal scripts. To improve success rates, study 2 randomly assigned scripts to recruiters and encouraged them to recruit more vigorously during busy periods. Study 2 found that two factors influenced success: (1) some scripts were more successful than others and (2) we were more successful at recruiting non-White potential participants than White participants. These two interacted, with some scripts being more successful with White and other scripts being more successful with non-White families. This intervention significantly increased recruitment success rate by 8.1% and the overall number of families recruited by 15.3%. These findings reveal that empirically evaluating and tailoring recruitment efforts based on the most successful strategies is effective in boosting diversity through increased participation of children from non-White families. PMID:25972829
Research on the factors of return on equity: empirical analysis in Chinese port industries from 2000-2008
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Wei
Port industries are the basic industries in the national economy. The industries have become the most modernized departments in every country. The development of the port industry is not only advantageous to promote the optimizing arrangement of social resources, but also to promote the growth of foreign trade volume through enhancing the transportation functions. Return on equity (ROE) is a direct indicator related to the maximization of company's wealth. It makes up the shortcomings of earnings per share (EPS). The aim of this paper is to prove the correlation between ROE and other financial indicators by choosing the listed port companies as the research objectives and selecting the data of these companies from 2000 to 2008 as empirical sample data with statistical analysis of the chartered figure and coefficient. The detailed analysis method used in the paper is the combination of trend analysis, comparative analysis and the ratio of the factor analysis method. This paper analyzes and compares all these factors and draws the conclusions as follows: Firstly, ROE has a positive correlation with total assets turnover, main profit margin and fixed asset ratio, while has a negative correlation with assets liabilities ratio, total assets growth rate and DOL. Secondly, main profit margin has the greatest positive effect on ROE among all these factors. The second greatest factor is total assets turnover, which shows the operation capacity is also an important indicator after the profitability. Thirdly, assets liabilities ratio has the greatest negative effect on ROE among all these factors.
Research on the factors of return on equity: empirical analysis in Chinese port industries from 2000-2008
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Wei
Port industries are the basic industries in the national economy. The industries have become the most modernized departments in every country. The development of the port industry is not only advantageous to promote the optimizing arrangement of social resources, but also to promote the growth of foreign trade volume through enhancing the transportation functions. Return on equity (ROE) is a direct indicator related to the maximization of company's wealth. It makes up the shortcomings of earnings per share (EPS). The aim of this paper is to prove the correlation between ROE and other financial indicators by choosing the listed port companies as the research objectives and selecting the data of these companies from 2000 to 2008 as empirical sample data with statistical analysis of the chartered figure and coefficient. The detailed analysis method used in the paper is the combination of trend analysis, comparative analysis and the ratio of the factor analysis method. This paper analyzes and compares all these factors and draws the conclusions as follows: Firstly, ROE has a positive correlation with total assets turnover, main profit margin and fixed asset ratio, while has a negative correlation with assets liabilities ratio, total assets growth rate and DOL. Secondly, main profit margin has the greatest positive effect on ROE among all these factors. The second greatest factor is total assets turnover, which shows the operation capacity is also an important indicator after the profitability. Thirdly, assets liabilities ratio has the greatest negative effect on ROE among all these factors.
The Credibility Revolution in Empirical Economics: How Better Research Design is Taking the Con out of Econometrics. NBER Working Paper No. 15794
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Angrist, Joshua; Pischke, Jorn-Steffen
This essay reviews progress in empirical economics since Leamer'rs (1983) critique. Leamer highlighted the benefits of sensitivity analysis, a procedure in which researchers show how their results change with changes in specification or functional form. Sensitivity analysis has had a salutary but not a revolutionary effect on econometric practice.…
Comparing Child, Parent, and Family Characteristics in Usual Care and Empirically Supported Treatment Research Samples for Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baker-Ericzen, Mary J.; Hurlburt, Michael S.; Brookman-Frazee, Lauren; Jenkins, Melissa M.; Hough, Richard L.
This study compared data from 34 research trials of five empirically supported treatments (ESTs) with one large usual care (UC) sample on child, parent, and family characteristics for children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Large variations were found within and across ESTs on sample characteristics during the past two decades. Most parent…
A Country in Focus: Empirical Studies on Foreign Language Learning and Teaching in China (2008-2011)--A Review of Selected Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gao, Xuesong; Liao, Yanyi; Li, Yuxia
In this review, we highlight 60 articles from 1,120 empirical studies in leading language learning and teaching journals published on the Chinese mainland during the years 2008-2011. In preparing the review, we have found Chinese researchers addressing a wide range of topics including language learners' cognitive processes, their language…
Empirical Issues in the Design of Group-Randomized Studies to Measure the Effects of Interventions for Children. MDRC Working Papers on Research Methodology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bloom, Howard; Zhu, Pei; Jacob, Robin; Raudenbush, Stephen; Martinez, Andres; Lin, Fen
This paper provides practical guidance for researchers who are designing studies that randomize groups to measure the impacts of interventions on children. To do so, the paper: (1) provides new empirical information about the values of parameters that influence the precision of impact estimates (intra-class correlations and R-squares); (2)…
Turbulent Drag Reduction with Surfactant Additives — Basic Research and Application to an Air Conditioning System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kawaguchi, Y.; Li, F. C.; Yu, B.; Wei, J. J.
It is well known that a small amount of chemicals such as water-soluble polymers or surfactants dramatically suppresses turbulence when they are added to liquid flow at large Reynolds number. In the last two decades, the application of surfactants to heat transportation systems such as district heating and cooling systems has attracted much interest among researchers. It has been revealed that 70% of the pumping power used to drive hot water in primary pipelines or district heating systems was saved by adding only a few hundred ppm of surfactant into the circulating water. The technological achievement requires a new design strategy for pipeline networks and heat exchangers to handle the drag reducing liquid flow. In the case of a Newtonian fluid such as water or air, the knowledge for designing fluid systems has been accumulated and the accuracy of numerical prediction is sufficient. On the other hand, the design system for surfactant solutions is not mature because drag-reducing flow phenomena are much more complicated than for Newtonian flow, for example, the friction factor for a surfactant solution depends not only on Reynolds number but also pipe diameter. In order to provide a design strategy for heat transportation systems using surfactant additives, we are now carrying out both experimental and numerical studies for surfactant solutions. In this lecture, experimental and numerical studies on the turbulence structure in drag reducing flow will be introduced. The result of an application study relating to the air conditioning system will be also shown.
The Making of a Researcher, Researcher-in-the-Making: An Empirical Examination of Practices and Processes Involved with Doctoral Research Training
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jenkins, Damian Elizabeth Corbin
Over the past three decades, researchers have studied doctoral research training programs using large scale surveys making visible trends in numbers of and kinds of research courses required, or using focused qualitative methods to gain rich, textured accounts of graduate school experiences. Both kinds of studies fail to capture the local,…
PowerPoint Presentations: A Creative Addition to the Research Process.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Perry, Alan E.
Contends that the requirement of a PowerPoint presentation as part of the research process would benefit students in the following ways: learning how to conduct research; starting their research project sooner; honing presentation and public speaking skills; improving cooperative and social skills; and enhancing technology skills. Outlines the…
Statement Summarizing Research Findings on the Issue of the Relationship Between Food-Additive-Free Diets and Hyperkinesis in Children.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lipton, Morris; Wender, Esther
The National Advisory Committee on Hyperkinesis and Food Additives paper summarized some research findings on the issue of the relationship between food-additive-free diets and hyperkinesis in children. Based on several challenge studies, it is concluded that the evidence generally refutes Dr. B. F. Feingold's claim that artificial colorings in…
Genomic research with human samples. Points of view from scientists and research subjects about disclosure of results and risks of genomic research. Ethical and empirical approach.
Valle Mansilla, José Ignacio
Biomedical researchers often now ask subjects to donate samples to be deposited in biobanks. This is not only of interest to researchers, patients and society as a whole can benefit from the improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention that the advent of genomic medicine portends. However, there is a growing debate regarding the social and ethical implications of creating biobanks and using stored human tissue samples for genomic research. Our aim was to identify factors related to both scientists and patients' preferences regarding the sort of information to convey to subjects about the results of the study and the risks related to genomic research. The method used was a survey addressed to 204 scientists and 279 donors from the U.S. and Spain. In this sample, researchers had already published genomic epidemiology studies; and research subjects had actually volunteered to donate a human sample for genomic research. Concerning the results, patients supported more frequently than scientists their right to know individual results from future genomic research. These differences were statistically significant after adjusting by the opportunity to receive genetic research results from the research they had previously participated and their perception of risks regarding genetic information compared to other clinical data. A slight majority of researchers supported informing participants about individual genomic results only if the reliability and clinical validity of the information had been established. Men were more likely than women to believe that patients should be informed of research results even if these conditions were not met. Also among patients, almost half of them would always prefer to be informed about individual results from future genomic research. The three main factors associated to a higher support of a non-limited access to individual results were: being from the US, having previously been offered individual information and considering
75 FR 34277 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; FAR Case 2008-007, Additional Requirements for Market Research
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
... Research AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National... executive agencies. Specifically, the head of the agency must conduct market research before issuing an... million for the procurement of items other than commercial items is required to conduct market...
Additional flow quality measurements in the Langley Research Center 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Brooks, J. D.; Stainback, P. C.; Brooks, C. W., Jr.
Additional tests were conducted to further define the disturbance characteristics of the Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel. Measurements were made in the settling chamber with hot wire probes and in the test section with pressure transducers when various methods were used to choke the flow. In addition to presenting rms values measured at various locations and tunnel condition, autocorrelations and cross correlation data are also presented.
Defining an additivity framework for mixture research in inducible whole-cell biosensors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martin-Betancor, K.; Ritz, C.; Fernández-Piñas, F.; Leganés, F.; Rodea-Palomares, I.
A novel additivity framework for mixture effect modelling in the context of whole cell inducible biosensors has been mathematically developed and implemented in R. The proposed method is a multivariate extension of the effective dose (EDp) concept. Specifically, the extension accounts for differential maximal effects among analytes and response inhibition beyond the maximum permissive concentrations. This allows a multivariate extension of Loewe additivity, enabling direct application in a biphasic dose-response framework. The proposed additivity definition was validated, and its applicability illustrated by studying the response of the cyanobacterial biosensor Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 pBG2120 to binary mixtures of Zn, Cu, Cd, Ag, Co and Hg. The novel method allowed by the first time to model complete dose-response profiles of an inducible whole cell biosensor to mixtures. In addition, the approach also allowed identification and quantification of departures from additivity (interactions) among analytes. The biosensor was found to respond in a near additive way to heavy metal mixtures except when Hg, Co and Ag were present, in which case strong interactions occurred. The method is a useful contribution for the whole cell biosensors discipline and related areas allowing to perform appropriate assessment of mixture effects in non-monotonic dose-response frameworks
Defining an additivity framework for mixture research in inducible whole-cell biosensors.
Martin-Betancor, K; Ritz, C; Fernández-Piñas, F; Leganés, F; Rodea-Palomares, I
A novel additivity framework for mixture effect modelling in the context of whole cell inducible biosensors has been mathematically developed and implemented in R. The proposed method is a multivariate extension of the effective dose (EDp) concept. Specifically, the extension accounts for differential maximal effects among analytes and response inhibition beyond the maximum permissive concentrations. This allows a multivariate extension of Loewe additivity, enabling direct application in a biphasic dose-response framework. The proposed additivity definition was validated, and its applicability illustrated by studying the response of the cyanobacterial biosensor Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 pBG2120 to binary mixtures of Zn, Cu, Cd, Ag, Co and Hg. The novel method allowed by the first time to model complete dose-response profiles of an inducible whole cell biosensor to mixtures. In addition, the approach also allowed identification and quantification of departures from additivity (interactions) among analytes. The biosensor was found to respond in a near additive way to heavy metal mixtures except when Hg, Co and Ag were present, in which case strong interactions occurred. The method is a useful contribution for the whole cell biosensors discipline and related areas allowing to perform appropriate assessment of mixture effects in non-monotonic dose-response frameworks. PMID:26606975
Defining an additivity framework for mixture research in inducible whole-cell biosensors
Martin-Betancor, K.; Ritz, C.; Fernández-Piñas, F.; Leganés, F.; Rodea-Palomares, I.
A novel additivity framework for mixture effect modelling in the context of whole cell inducible biosensors has been mathematically developed and implemented in R. The proposed method is a multivariate extension of the effective dose (EDp) concept. Specifically, the extension accounts for differential maximal effects among analytes and response inhibition beyond the maximum permissive concentrations. This allows a multivariate extension of Loewe additivity, enabling direct application in a biphasic dose-response framework. The proposed additivity definition was validated, and its applicability illustrated by studying the response of the cyanobacterial biosensor Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 pBG2120 to binary mixtures of Zn, Cu, Cd, Ag, Co and Hg. The novel method allowed by the first time to model complete dose-response profiles of an inducible whole cell biosensor to mixtures. In addition, the approach also allowed identification and quantification of departures from additivity (interactions) among analytes. The biosensor was found to respond in a near additive way to heavy metal mixtures except when Hg, Co and Ag were present, in which case strong interactions occurred. The method is a useful contribution for the whole cell biosensors discipline and related areas allowing to perform appropriate assessment of mixture effects in non-monotonic dose-response frameworks PMID:26606975
Democracy and School Math: Teacher Belief-Practice Tensions and the Problem of Empirical Research on Educational Aims
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stemhagen, Kurt
This article describes an empirical project that studied fourth- through- eighth- grade math teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning and about the role of teaching and learning in broader society. Specifically, it examined relationships between teachers' reported beliefs and their use of transmittal, constructivist, and democratic classroom…
An Empirical Bayes Enhancement of Mantel-Haenszel DIF Analysis for Computer-Adaptive Tests. LSAC Research Report Series.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zwick, Rebecca; Thayer, Dorothy T.
This study investigated the applicability to computerized adaptive testing (CAT) data of a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis that involves an empirical Bayes (EB) enhancement of the popular Mantel Haenszel (MH) DIF analysis method. The computerized Law School Admission Test (LSAT) assumed for this study was similar to that currently…
Empirical Bayes Point Estimates of True Score Using a Compound Binomial Error Model. Research Memorandum 74-11.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kearns, Jack
Empirical Bayes point estimates of true score may be obtained if the distribution of observed score for a fixed examinee is approximated in one of several ways by a well-known compound binomial model. The Bayes estimates of true score may be expressed in terms of the observed score distribution and the distribution of a hypothetical binomial test.…
Changes to English as an Additional Language Writers' Research Articles: From Spoken to Written Register
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koyalan, Aylin; Mumford, Simon
The process of writing journal articles is increasingly being seen as a collaborative process, especially where the authors are English as an Additional Language (EAL) academics. This study examines the changes made in terms of register to EAL writers' journal articles by a native-speaker writing centre advisor at a private university in Turkey.…
The sustainability of new programs and innovations: a review of the empirical literature and recommendations for future research
Background The introduction of evidence-based programs and practices into healthcare settings has been the subject of an increasing amount of research in recent years. While a number of studies have examined initial implementation efforts, less research has been conducted to determine what happens beyond that point. There is increasing recognition that the extent to which new programs are sustained is influenced by many different factors and that more needs to be known about just what these factors are and how they interact. To understand the current state of the research literature on sustainability, our team took stock of what is currently known in this area and identified areas in which further research would be particularly helpful. This paper reviews the methods that have been used, the types of outcomes that have been measured and reported, findings from studies that reported long-term implementation outcomes, and factors that have been identified as potential influences on the sustained use of new practices, programs, or interventions. We conclude with recommendations and considerations for future research. Methods Two coders identified 125 studies on sustainability that met eligibility criteria. An initial coding scheme was developed based on constructs identified in previous literature on implementation. Additional codes were generated deductively. Related constructs among factors were identified by consensus and collapsed under the general categories. Studies that described the extent to which programs or innovations were sustained were also categorized and summarized. Results Although "sustainability" was the term most commonly used in the literature to refer to what happened after initial implementation, not all the studies that were reviewed actually presented working definitions of the term. Most study designs were retrospective and naturalistic. Approximately half of the studies relied on self-reports to assess sustainability or elements that
Greek research reactor performance characteristics after addition of beryllium reflector and LEU fuel
Deen, J.R.; Snelgrove, J.L.; Papastergiou, C.
The GRR-1 is a 5-MW pool-type, light-water-moderated and-cooled reactor fueled with MTR-type fuel elements. Recently received Be reflector blocks will soon be added to the core to add additional reactivity until fresh LEU fuel arrives. REBUS-3 xy fuel cycle analyses, using burnup dependent cross sections, were performed to assist in fuel management decisions for the water- and Be-reflected HEU nonequilibrium cores. Cross sections generated by EPRI-CELL have been benchmarked to identical VIM Monte Carlo models. The size of the Be-reflected LEU core has been reduced to 30 elements compared to 35 for the HEU water-reflected core, and an equilibrium cycle calculation has been performed.
Greek research reactor performance characteristics after addition of beryllium reflector and LEU fuel
Deen, J.R.; Snelgrove, J.L. ); Papastergiou, C. )
The GRR-1 is a 5-MW pool-type, light-water-moderated and-cooled reactor fueled with MTR-type fuel elements. Recently received Be reflector blocks will soon be added to the core to add additional reactivity until fresh LEU fuel arrives. REBUS-3 xy fuel cycle analyses, using burnup dependent cross sections, were performed to assist in fuel management decisions for the water- and Be-reflected HEU nonequilibrium cores. Cross sections generated by EPRI-CELL have been benchmarked to identical VIM Monte Carlo models. The size of the Be-reflected LEU core has been reduced to 30 elements compared to 35 for the HEU water-reflected core, and an equilibrium cycle calculation has been performed.
Research on the Technology Applying Anti-Rutting Additive to Asphalt Mixture
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sun, Jie; Huang, Liming; Li, Chun
High-temperature problems like rutting, displacement and upheaval are the most serious ones for bituminous pavement of urban roads. Especially, such problems at crossroads and fixed places where buses stop, for instance, BRT, affect service ability and life of roads largely. Application of anti-rutting asphalt mixture mainly aims at reducing strain and deformation generated by bituminous concrete under effect of vehicle load, decreasing remainders that cannot be recovered in deformation, improving the ability of bituminous pavement to resist deformation under high temperature and delaying generation of rutting. Anti-rutting asphalt mixture in this thesis refers to the asphalt mixture where anti-rutting additive is added by dry method and high-temperature stability is improved.
Literacy and Children Who Are Blind and Who Have Additional Disabilities--the Challenges for Teachers and Researchers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McCall, Steve; McLinden, Mike
This article describes an innovative action research project based at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom that involved the professional development of teachers and instruction using specially developed Moon tactile code materials to teach literacy to pupils who are blind and who have additional disabilities. (Contains references.)…
Attitudes of Hungarian asthmatic and COPD patients affecting disease control: empirical research based on Health Belief Model
Simon, Judit
Introduction: Patient non-adherence to treatment is a major problem across most chronic diseases. In COPD and asthma treatments it is a complex issue because people need to make behavioral and lifestyle changes while taking medications. Poor adherence results in increased rates of morbidity and mortality, more frequent hospitalizations, and ultimately higher healthcare expenditures. Materials and methods: The objective of the study was to assess asthmatic and COPD patient's attitudes toward adherence in Hungary. Health Belief Model was used to help explain reasons of non-adherence. The results of the study should provide additional support to understanding health-related behaviors and to developing health related programs enhancing adherence of asthmatic and COPD patients. 145 diagnosed COPD patients and 161 diagnosed asthmatic patients were involved in 6 pulmonary centers. The questions were designed to measure Health Belief Model dimensions A 1–5 point verbal Likert scale was used. As a second stage, the answers were compared with the registered patient's personal health data available in pulmonary center's documentation. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: More than 32% of patients are very interested in new asthma or COPD research results, but their main information source is physician. The trust toward the physician is very high. Patients accept treatments and rarely ask questions. Respondents are cooperative but sometimes fail to follow therapeutic recommendations. There is no willingness to join self-help groups or associations. Discussion: The paternalistic approach was generally accepted, moreover expected by the patients from the physicians. It is important to train patients, increase their self-efficacy, responsibility and involve them into self-management programs. Both physicians and patients should be trained how to communicate—this approach can lead to increased understanding and better adherence. PMID:24312052
An Empirical Research on the Correlation between Human Capital and Career Success of Knowledge Workers in Enterprise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guo, Wenchen; Xiao, Hongjun; Yang, Xi
Human capital plays an important part in employability of knowledge workers, also it is the important intangible assets of company. This paper explores the correlation between human capital and career success of knowledge workers. Based on literature retrieval, we identified measuring tool of career success and modified further; measuring human capital with self-developed scale of high reliability and validity. After exploratory factor analysis, we suggest that human capital contents four dimensions, including education, work experience, learning ability and training; career success contents three dimensions, including perceived internal competitiveness of organization, perceived external competitiveness of organization and career satisfaction. The result of empirical analysis indicates that there is a positive correlation between human capital and career success, and human capital is an excellent predictor of career success beyond demographics variables.
R Squared Shrinkage in Multiple Regression Research: An Empirical Evaluation of Use and Impact of Adjusted Effect Formulae.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thatcher, Greg W.; Henson, Robin K.
This study examined research in training and development to determine effect size reporting practices. It focused on the reporting of corrected effect sizes in research articles using multiple regression analyses. When possible, researchers calculated corrected effect sizes and determine if the associated shrinkage could have impacted researcher…
[Research on ECG de-noising method based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition and wavelet transform using improved threshold function].
Ye, Linlin; Yang, Dan; Wang, Xu
A de-noising method for electrocardiogram (ECG) based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and wavelet threshold de-noising theory is proposed in our school. We decomposed noised ECG signals with the proposed method using the EEMD and calculated a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then we selected IMFs and reconstructed them to realize the de-noising for ECG. The processed ECG signals were filtered again with wavelet transform using improved threshold function. In the experiments, MIT-BIH ECG database was used for evaluating the performance of the proposed method, contrasting with de-noising method based on EEMD and wavelet transform with improved threshold function alone in parameters of signal to noise ratio (SNR) and mean square error (MSE). The results showed that the ECG waveforms de-noised with the proposed method were smooth and the amplitudes of ECG features did not attenuate. In conclusion, the method discussed in this paper can realize the ECG denoising and meanwhile keep the characteristics of original ECG signal. PMID:25219236
Meta-Analysis and Empirical Research of Learning Style Theories in Higher Education: The Case of Slovenia
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Penger, Sandra; Tekavcic, Metka; Dimovski, Vlado
Researchers have pointed out that students learn effectively in a harmonic environment and by using teaching aids which match the students' learning style preferences (Li et al., 2008). The learning styles literature is having a revival during last years. Although learning styles have been heavily researched (Coffield et al., 2004; Reynold &…
Beyond "Brown": Empirical Research on Diverse Learners with or At-Risk for Specific Learning Disabilities from 1994-2012
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Trent, Stanley C.; Drivers, Melissa; Rodriguez, Diane; Oh, Kevin; Stewart, Shavon; Kea, Cathy; Artiles, Alfredo; Hull, Michael
We conducted a literature review to determine the presence of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners in research on specific learning disabilities (SLD) from 1994-2012. We believed that disaggregation of results by category might identify nuances that will guide future policies, research, and practice. We deemed it logical to begin…
Can empirical hypertonic saline or sodium bicarbonate treatment prevent the development of cardiotoxicity during serious amitriptyline poisoning? Experimental research
Sukru Paksu, Muhammet; Zengin, Halit; Uzun, Adem; Ilkaya, Fatih; Guzel, Hasan; Paksu, Sule; Ucar, Durmus; Alacam, Hasan; Duran, Latif; Murat, Naci; Guzel, Ahmet
Summary Objective The aim of this experimental study was to investigate whether hypertonic saline or sodium bicarbonate administration prevented the development of cardiotoxicity in rats that received toxic doses of amitriptyline. Method Thirty-six Sprague Dawley rats were used in the study. The animals were divided into six groups. Group 1 received toxic doses of i.p. amitriptyline. Groups 2 and 3 toxic doses of i.p. amitriptyline, plus i.v. sodium bicarbonate and i.v. hypertonic saline, respectively. Group 4 received only i.v. sodium bicarbonate, group 5 received only i.v. hypertonic saline, and group 6 was the control. Electrocardiography was recorded in all rats for a maximum of 60 minutes. Blood samples were obtained to measure the serum levels of sodium and ionised calcium. Results The survival time was shorter in group 1. In this group, the animals' heart rates also decreased over time, and their QRS and QTc intervals were significantly prolonged. Groups 2 and 3 showed less severe changes in their ECGs and the rats survived for a longer period. The effects of sodium bicarbonate or hypertonic saline treatments on reducing the development of cardiotoxicity were similar. The serum sodium levels decreased in all the amitriptyline-applied groups. Reduction of serum sodium level was most pronounced in group 1. Conclusion Empirical treatment with sodium bicarbonate or hypertonic saline can reduce the development of cardiotoxicity during amitriptyline intoxication. As hypertonic saline has no adverse effects on drug elimination, it should be considered as an alternative to sodium bicarbonate therapy. PMID:25939777
Demonstrating Patterns in the Views Of Stakeholders Regarding Ethically-Salient Issues in Clinical Research: A Novel Use of Graphical Models in Empirical Ethics Inquiry
Kim, Jane Paik; Roberts, Laura Weiss
Background Empirical ethics inquiry works from the notion that stakeholder perspectives are necessary for gauging the ethical acceptability of human studies and assuring that research aligns with societal expectations. Although common, studies involving different populations often entail comparisons of trends that problematize the interpretation of results. Using graphical model selection – a technique aimed at transcending limitations of conventional methods – this report presents data on the ethics of clinical research with two objectives: (1) to display the patterns of views held by ill and healthy individuals in clinical research as a test of the study's original hypothesis and (2) to introduce graphical model selection as a key analytic tool for ethics research. Methods In this IRB-approved, NIH-funded project, data were collected from 60 mentally ill and 43 physically ill clinical research protocol volunteers, 47 healthy protocol-consented participants, and 29 healthy individuals without research protocol experience. Respondents were queried on the ethical acceptability of research involving people with mental and physical illness (i.e., cancer, HIV, depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder) and non-illness related sources of vulnerability (e.g., age, class, gender, ethnicity). Using a statistical algorithm, we selected graphical models to display interrelationships among responses to questions. Results Both mentally and physically ill protocol volunteers revealed a high degree of connectivity among ethically-salient perspectives. Healthy participants, irrespective of research protocol experience, revealed patterns of views that were not highly connected. Conclusion Between ill and healthy protocol participants, the pattern of views is vastly different. Experience with illness was tied to dense connectivity, whereas healthy individuals expressed views with sparse connections. In offering a nuanced perspective on the interrelation of
Final Technical Report for "Collaborative Research. Regional climate-change projections through next-generation empirical and dynamical models"
Kravtsov, S.; Robertson, Andrew W.; Ghil, Michael; Smyth, Padhraic J.
This project was a continuation of previous work under DOE CCPP funding in which we developed a twin approach of non-homogeneous hidden Markov models (NHMMs) and coupled ocean-atmosphere (O-A) intermediate-complexity models (ICMs) to identify the potentially predictable modes of climate variability, and to investigate their impacts on the regional-scale. We have developed a family of latent-variable NHMMs to simulate historical records of daily rainfall, and used them to downscale seasonal predictions. We have also developed empirical mode reduction (EMR) models for gaining insight into the underlying dynamics in observational data and general circulation model (GCM) simulations. Using coupled O-A ICMs, we have identified a new mechanism of interdecadal climate variability, involving the midlatitude oceans mesoscale eddy field and nonlinear, persistent atmospheric response to the oceanic anomalies. A related decadal mode is also identified, associated with the oceans thermohaline circulation. The goal of the continuation was to build on these ICM results and NHMM/EMR model developments and software to strengthen two key pillars of support for the development and application of climate models for climate change projections on time scales of decades to centuries, namely: (a) dynamical and theoretical understanding of decadal-to-interdecadal oscillations and their predictability; and (b) an interface from climate models to applications, in order to inform societal adaptation strategies to climate change at the regional scale, including model calibration, correction, downscaling and, most importantly, assessment and interpretation of spread and uncertainties in multi-model ensembles. Our main results from the grant consist of extensive further development of the hidden Markov models for rainfall simulation and downscaling specifically within the non-stationary climate change context together with the development of parallelized software; application of NHMMs to
Final Technical Report for "Collaborative Research: Regional climate-change projections through next-generation empirical and dynamical models"
Robertson, A.W.; Ghil, M.; Kravtsov, K.; Smyth, P.J.
This project was a continuation of previous work under DOE CCPP funding in which we developed a twin approach of non-homogeneous hidden Markov models (NHMMs) and coupled ocean-atmosphere (O-A) intermediate-complexity models (ICMs) to identify the potentially predictable modes of climate variability, and to investigate their impacts on the regional-scale. We have developed a family of latent-variable NHMMs to simulate historical records of daily rainfall, and used them to downscale seasonal predictions. We have also developed empirical mode reduction (EMR) models for gaining insight into the underlying dynamics in observational data and general circulation model (GCM) simulations. Using coupled O-A ICMs, we have identified a new mechanism of interdecadal climate variability, involving the midlatitude oceans mesoscale eddy field and nonlinear, persistent atmospheric response to the oceanic anomalies. A related decadal mode is also identified, associated with the oceans thermohaline circulation. The goal of the continuation was to build on these ICM results and NHMM/EMR model developments and software to strengthen two key pillars of support for the development and application of climate models for climate change projections on time scales of decades to centuries, namely: (a) dynamical and theoretical understanding of decadal-to-interdecadal oscillations and their predictability; and (b) an interface from climate models to applications, in order to inform societal adaptation strategies to climate change at the regional scale, including model calibration, correction, downscaling and, most importantly, assessment and interpretation of spread and uncertainties in multi-model ensembles. Our main results from the grant consist of extensive further development of the hidden Markov models for rainfall simulation and downscaling specifically within the non-stationary climate change context together with the development of parallelized software; application of NHMMs to
Establishing an Empirical Link between Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and SLA: A Meta-Analysis of the Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lin, Huifen
Drawing on interactionist and socio-cultural theories, tools provided in computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments have long been considered able to create an environment that shares many communicative features with face-to-face communication. Over the past two decades, researchers have employed a variety of strategies to examine the…
A Meta-Synthesis of Empirical Research on the Effectiveness of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) in SLA
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lin, Huifen
This meta-analysis reports the results of a systematic synthesis of primary studies on the effectiveness of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in second language acquisition (SLA) for the period 2000-2012. By extracting information on 21 features from each primary study, this meta-analysis intends to summarize the CMC research literature for…
Going through the Process: An Examination of the Operationalization of Process Use in Empirical Research on Evaluation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Amo, Courtney; Cousins, J. Bradley
The study of the consequences of evaluation, or more specifically of evaluation use or utilization, represents a significant portion of the body of research on evaluation. Much has been written on the evolution of the multidimensional concept of evaluation use, most recently the examination of consequences of evaluation that are not a function of…
An Empirical Study of Presage Variables in the Teaching-Learning of Statistics, in the Light of Research on Competencies
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rodriguez, Clemente; Gutierrez-Perez, Jose; Pozo, Teresa
Introduction: This research seeks to determine the influence exercised by a set of presage and process variables (students' pre-existing opinion towards statistics, their dedication to mastery of statistics content, assessment of the teaching materials, and the teacher's effort in the teaching of statistics) in students' resolution of activities…
A Meta-Analysis of Distributed Leadership from 2002 to 2013: Theory Development, Empirical Evidence and Future Research Focus
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tian, Meng; Risku, Mika; Collin, Kaija
This article provides a meta-analysis of research conducted on distributed leadership from 2002 to 2013. It continues the review of distributed leadership commissioned by the English National College for School Leadership (NCSL) ("Distributed Leadership: A Desk Study," Bennett et al., 2003), which identified two gaps in the research…
Empirical Research in Chemistry and Physics Education. Proceedings of the International Seminar (Dortmund, Germany, June 10-12, 1992).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schmidt, Hans-Jurgen, Ed.
In the course of the last decade the Dortmund Summer Symposium has developed into an internationally acknowledged conference, with English as the language of communication every other year. This book presents the following papers given at the 1992 conference: (1) Learning Science: Insights from Research on Teaching and Assessment (D. R. Baker);…
An empirical research in application of dynamic, multispectral-band IR thermal images for investigations of petrochemical furnaces
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pregowski, P.; Goleniewski, G.; Komosa, W.; Korytkowski, W.; Zwolenik, Sl.
A few years ago we have developed a patent pending method that allows to increase the reliability of the heater's tube temperature measurements through flames. The applications of this method showed additional potential for investigation of heating medium, i.e. mixture of various gases and aerosols inside flames and flue gases. This paper presents the recently developed, new version of the measuring system based on PtSi IRFPA commercial thermographic type camera. Two additional optical (8 filter wheel) and digital interfaces have been applied. The main special feature of elaborated techniques is the dynamic spectrally matched IR thermography, which bases on forming single images that consist of pixels of chosen statistical value, minimum and maximum, noted during adequately long sequence of thermograms with total independence to the moment of their capture. Sets of these data can be used either directly or as inputs to other artificial images. In this way, additive or suppressed interferences of fluctuating character could be minimized or exhibited, depending on the type of investigations i.e. studying tubes' temperature or energetic features of the flames and flue gases. Some of the results emerged as very promising - in the future they may help in creating a new field of thermal cameras application for furnaces control or steering to further enhance safety and efficiency of furnaces running.
Characterization of the Context of Drug Concepts in Research Protocols: An Empiric Study to Guide Ontology Development
Cimino, James J.; Huser, Vojtech
We examined a large body of research study documents (protocols) to identify mentions of drug concepts and established base concepts and roles needed to characterize the semantics of these instances. We found these concepts in three general situations: background knowledge about the drug, study procedures involving the drug, and other roles of the drug in the study. We identified 18 more specific contexts (e.g., adverse event information, administration and dosing of the drug, and interactions between the study drug and other drugs). The ontology was validated against a test set of protocol documents from NIH and ClinicalTrial.gov. The goal is to support the automated extraction of drug information from protocol documents to support functions such as study retrieval, determination of subject eligibility, generation of order sets, and creation of logic for decision support alerts and reminders. Further work is needed to formally extend existing ontologies of clinical research. PMID:26958176
Learning Presence: Additional Research on a New Conceptual Element within the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shea, Peter; Hayes, Suzanne; Smith, Sedef Uzuner; Vickers, Jason; Bidjerano, Temi; Pickett, Alexandra; Gozza-Cohen, Mary; Wilde, Jane; Jian, Shoubang
This paper presents an empirical study grounded in the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson Archer, 2000) and employs quantitative content analysis of student discourse and other artifacts of learning in online courses in an effort to enhance and improve the framework and offer practical implications for online education. As a…
Less is often more, but not always: additional evidence that familiarity breeds contempt and a call for future research.
Norton, Michael I; Frost, Jeana H; Ariely, Dan
Ullrich, Krueger, Brod, and Groschupf (2013)-using a replication of the trait paradigm from Norton, Frost, and Ariely (2007)-suggest that less information does not always equal greater liking. We first ground the current debate in a larger historical debate in social psychology regarding the merits of configural versus algebraic models of person perception. We next review (a) related research that has suggested that more information can in some cases lead to more liking and (b) a large body of "real world" data-from friendships, daters, married couples, employment, celebrities, and politics-that suggests that more information often leads to less liking. We then provide an additional replication of our "less is more" effect, using a slight variation of the trait-list paradigm. The existing data suggest a need for further integrative explorations of when familiarity leads to contempt or liking or has no effect. PMID:24295381
An empirical approach to selecting community-based alcohol interventions: combining research evidence, rural community views and professional opinion
Background Given limited research evidence for community-based alcohol interventions, this study examines the intervention preferences of rural communities and alcohol professionals, and factors that influence their choices. Method Community preferences were identified by a survey of randomly selected individuals across 20 regional Australian communities. The preferences of alcohol professionals were identified by a survey of randomly selected members of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs. To identify preferred interventions and the extent of support for them, a budget allocation exercise was embedded in both surveys, asking respondents to allocate a given budget to different interventions. Tobit regression models were estimated to identify the characteristics that explain differences in intervention preferences. Results Community respondents selected school programs most often (88.0%) and allocated it the largest proportion of funds, followed by promotion of safer drinking (71.3%), community programs (61.4%) and police enforcement of alcohol laws (60.4%). Professionals selected GP training most often (61.0%) and allocated it the largest proportion of funds, followed by school programs (36.6%), community programs (33.8%) and promotion of safer drinking (31.7%). Community views were susceptible to response bias. There were no significant predictors of professionals' preferences. Conclusions In the absence of sufficient research evidence for effective community-based alcohol interventions, rural communities and professionals both strongly support school programs, promotion of safer drinking and community programs. Rural communities also supported police enforcement of alcohol laws and professionals supported GP training. The impact of a combination of these strategies needs to be rigorously evaluated. PMID:22233608
How does green technology influence CO2 emission in China?--An empirical research based on provincial data of China.
Ding, Weina; Han, Botang; Zhao, Xin; Mazzanti, Massimiliano
This paper investigates the role of green innovations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions as a factor that compensates for growth and population effects. It has been shown from tests that the positive effect of green innovations on carbon emissions exists within a STIRPAT framework from a local perspective. The panel data is derived from China Statistical Yearbook and China Intellectual Property Office covered from 1999 to 2013. In addition,the static panel model was run to estimate the diversity among three typical regions of China. The main result shows that the green technology change has not played a dominant role yet in promoting environmental protection, while a scale effect (Affluence and Population)still prevails, although green patents show positive influences on the CO2 emission reduction inthe whole country as well as the East and West regions, except the Central region. Moreover, it turns out that the classical EKC hypothesis does stand in China, referring to the three regions with the inverted "U" shape. The analysis gives suggestions to the policy makers, which would support enlarging the investment scale on green patents and encourage international corporation with environmental related innovations. PMID:26387348
Health-care professionals' responsibility to patients' relatives in genetic medicine: a systematic review and synthesis of empirical research
Dheensa, Sandi; Fenwick, Angela; Shkedi-Rafid, Shiri; Crawford, Gillian; Lucassen, Anneke
Purpose: The extent of the responsibility of health-care professionals (HCPs) to ensure that patients' relatives are told of their risk is unclear. Current international guidelines take confidentiality to the individual patient as the default position, but some suggest that disclosure could be default and genetic information could be conceptualized as familial. Genet Med 18 4, 290–301. Methods: Our systematic review and synthesis of 17 studies explored the attitudes of HCPs, patients, and the public regarding the extent of HCPs' responsibility to relatives with respect to disclosure. Genet Med 18 4, 290–301. Results: Health-care professionals generally felt a responsibility to patients' relatives but perceived a variety of reasons why it would be difficult to act on this responsibility. Public/patient views were more wide-ranging. Participants identified several competing and overlapping arguments for and against HCP disclosure: guidelines do not permit/mandate it, privacy, medical benefit, impact on family dynamics, quality of communication, and respecting autonomy. Genet Med 18 4, 290–301. Conclusion: We argue that HCPs can sometimes share genetic information without breaching confidentiality and that they could factor into their considerations the potential harm to family dynamics of nondisclosure. However, we need more nuanced research about their responsibilities to relatives, particularly as genomic tests are used more frequently in clinical practice. Genet Med 18 4, 290–301. PMID:26110233
34 CFR 660.32 - What additional selection criteria does the Secretary use for an application for a research...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
... project are likely to be used by other research projects or programs with similar objectives. (c... use for an application for a research project, a survey, or a study? 660.32 Section 660.32 Education... evaluates an application for a research project, study, or survey on the basis of the criteria in...
34 CFR 660.32 - What additional selection criteria does the Secretary use for an application for a research...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
... project are likely to be used by other research projects or programs with similar objectives. (c... use for an application for a research project, a survey, or a study? 660.32 Section 660.32 Education... evaluates an application for a research project, study, or survey on the basis of the criteria in...
34 CFR 660.32 - What additional selection criteria does the Secretary use for an application for a research...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
... project are likely to be used by other research projects or programs with similar objectives. (c... use for an application for a research project, a survey, or a study? 660.32 Section 660.32 Education... evaluates an application for a research project, study, or survey on the basis of the criteria in...
34 CFR 660.32 - What additional selection criteria does the Secretary use for an application for a research...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
... the proposed teaching, testing, and research methodology; and (2) The size, scope, and duration of the... use for an application for a research project, a survey, or a study? 660.32 Section 660.32 Education..., DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND STUDIES PROGRAM How Does the Secretary Make a...
34 CFR 660.32 - What additional selection criteria does the Secretary use for an application for a research...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
... the proposed teaching, testing, and research methodology; and (2) The size, scope, and duration of the... use for an application for a research project, a survey, or a study? 660.32 Section 660.32 Education..., DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND STUDIES PROGRAM How Does the Secretary Make a...
A scoping study to identify opportunities to advance the ethical implementation and scale-up of HIV treatment as prevention: priorities for empirical research
Background Despite the evidence showing the promise of HIV treatment as prevention (TasP) in reducing HIV incidence, a variety of ethical questions surrounding the implementation and "scaling up" of TasP have been articulated by a variety of stakeholders including scientists, community activists and government officials. Given the high profile and potential promise of TasP in combatting the global HIV epidemic, an explicit and transparent research priority-setting process is critical to inform ongoing ethical discussions pertaining to TasP. Methods We drew on the Arksey and O'Malley framework for conducting scoping review studies as well as systematic approaches to identifying empirical and theoretical gaps within ethical discussions pertaining to population-level intervention implementation and scale up. We searched the health science database PubMed to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles on ethical and implementation issues pertaining to TasP. We included English language articles that were published after 2009 (i.e., after the emergence of causal evidence within this field) by using search terms related to TasP. Given the tendency for much of the criticism and support of TasP to occur outside the peer-reviewed literature, we also included grey literature in order to provide a more exhaustive representation of how the ethical discussions pertaining to TasP have and are currently taking place. To identify the grey literature, we systematically searched a set of search engines, databases, and related webpages for keywords pertaining to TasP. Results Three dominant themes emerged in our analysis with respect to the ethical questions pertaining to TasP implementation and scale-up: (a) balancing individual- and population-level interests; (b) power relations within clinical practice and competing resource demands within health care systems; (c) effectiveness considerations and socio-structural contexts of HIV treatment experiences within broader
Parameters and pitfalls to consider in the conduct of food additive research, Carrageenan as a case study.
Weiner, Myra L
This paper provides guidance on the conduct of new in vivo and in vitro studies on high molecular weight food additives, with carrageenan, the widely used food additive, as a case study. It is important to understand the physical/chemical properties and to verify the identity/purity, molecular weight and homogeneity/stability of the additive in the vehicle for oral delivery. The strong binding of CGN to protein in rodent chow or infant formula results in no gastrointestinal tract exposure to free CGN. It is recommended that doses of high Mw non-caloric, non-nutritive additives not exceed 5% by weight of total solid diet to avoid potential nutritional effects. Addition of some high Mw additives at high concentrations to liquid nutritional supplements increases viscosity and may affect palatability, caloric intake and body weight gain. In in vitro studies, the use of well-characterized, relevant cell types and the appropriate composition of the culture media are necessary for proper conduct and interpretation. CGN is bound to media protein and not freely accessible to cells in vitro. Interpretation of new studies on food additives should consider the interaction of food additives with the vehicle components and the appropriateness of the animal or cell model and dose-response. PMID:26615870
Piloting the Post-Entry Language Assessment: Outcomes from a New System for Supporting Research Candidates with English as an Additional Language
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tynan, Liz; Johns, Kellie
The Post-Entry Language Assessment (PELA) was introduced by the James Cook University Graduate Research School in February 2013 as a pilot programme to test a new mechanism for initiating post-enrolment support for research degree candidates who have English as an additional language. Language ability does not necessarily, on its own, predict…
Neutralization of acid mine drainage influenced lakes by organic additions. Final research report, 1 October 1987-31 December 1989
Brugam, R.B.; Gastineau, J.; Ratcliff, E.; Stevens, A.
The authors conducted a series of 5 experiments in which 1 m diameter and 3 to 6 m long cylindrical enclosures were built in an acidic lake on a coal mine site. The enclosures extended from the lake surface to the sediment. Limestone, phosphate, sewage sludge or wheat straw was added to the enclosures to test their neutralizing capabilities. The theory suggests that sewage sludge and wheat straw should be substrates for sulfate reduction by bacteria and that the production of H2S and its precipitation as FeS should remove sulfuric acid from the water column. The limestone additions raised pH as expected. Straw additions supported sulfate reduction. Sulfate reduction was strongest where both lime and straw were added together. Straw additions produced the expected neutralization in the experiments, but neutralization was not permanent.
English as an Additional Language--A Genealogy of Language-in-Education Policies and Reflections on Research Trajectories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Leung, Constant
The school population in England is linguistically diverse; according to official data, over one million pupils do not speak English as their first language. All teachers are expected to support English as an additional language (EAL) development as part of their professional responsibility. At the same time, there has been little specific…
Vitellone, Nicole
In a special issue of the journal Addictions (1995) academics, researchers and health care professionals debated the status of the empirical in socially orientated drugs research. A number of researchers noted that our knowledge and understanding of drugs and drug users has changed significantly since the 1990s. Post AIDS this shift is identified as a consequence of the development of qualitative research methods. The qualitative turn in drugs research has involved a shift away form traditional epidemiological approaches and the pursuit of more socially focused methods. Whilst qualitative research has yielded important empirical data on risk behavior the pursuit of these methods has not been without controversy. In addressing the debate on methods in the drugs field this article investigates the effects of social science methods for research on injecting drug use. In so doing I examine what counts and what gets left out of research on injecting beaviour. Drawing on Actor Network Theory (ANT) I suggest Bruno Latour's methodological approach offers critical insights for addressing the empirical objects of injecting drug use. PMID:23528994
Adding value in additive manufacturing: researchers in the United Kingdom and Europe look to 3D printing for customization.
Banks, Jim
Having already made a big impact in the medical sector, three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology continues to push the boundaries of cost efficiency, convenience, and customization. It has transformed some aspects of medical device production. However, expectations of the technology are often exaggerated in the media, so we spoke to leading researchers in the field about its practical applications and what can be expected in the near future. PMID:24233187
A synopsis of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) investment in additive manufacture and what challenges remain
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maher, Michael; Smith, Adrien; Margiotta, Jesse
DARPA's interest in additive manufacture dates back to the mid-80s with seedling programs that developed the foundational knowledge and equipment that led to the Solid Freeform Fabrication program in 1990. The drivers for this program included reducing development times by enabling "tool-less" manufacturing as well as integration of design and fabrication tools. DARPA consistently pushed the boundaries of additive manufacture with follow-on programs that expanded the material suite available for 3-D printing as well as new processes that expanded the technology's capability base. Programs such as the Mesoscopic Integrated Conformal Electronics (MICE) program incorporated functionality to the manufacturing processes through direct write of electronics. DARPA's investment in additive manufacture continues to this day but the focus has changed. DARPA's early investments were focused on developing and demonstrating the technology's capabilities. Now that the technology has been demonstrated, there is serious interest in taking advantage of the attributes unique to the processing methodology (such as customization and new design possibilities) for producing production parts. Accordingly, today's investment at DARPA addresses the systematic barriers to implementation rather than the technology itself. The Open Manufacturing program is enabling rapid qualification of new technologies for the manufacturing environment through the development of new modeling and informatics tools. While the technology is becoming more mainstream, there are plenty of challenges that need to be addressed. And as the technology continues to mature, the agency will continue to look for those "DARPA-hard" challenges that enable revolutionary changes in capability and performance for the Department of Defense.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martz, Carlton
This issue of "Bill of Rights in Action" explores issues raised by empires and imperial law. The first article, "Clash of Empires: The Fight for North America," looks at the clash of empires and the fight for North America during the 18th century. The second article, "When Roman Law Ruled the Western World," examines Roman Law, which helped hold…
Empirically derived injury prevention rules.
Peterson, L; Schick, B
This study describes a set of empirically derived safety rules that if followed, would have prevented the occurrence of minor injuries. Epidemiologists have criticized behavioral interventions as increasing "safe" behavior but failing to demonstrate a decrease in injury. The present study documents retrospectively the link between safe behavior and injury. It demonstrates that these empirically derived rules are very similar to rules for the prevention of serious injury. The study also shows that these rules are not widely accepted and implemented by parents. Suggestions for future research in this area are advanced. PMID:8307829
Research Summary of an Additive Manufacturing Technology for the Fabrication of 3D Composites with Tailored Internal Structure
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Holmes, Larry R.; Riddick, Jaret C.
A novel additive manufacturing technology is used to create micro-composites, which can be tailored for specific end-use applications. The Field-Aided Laminar Composite (FALCom) process uses specifically focused electric fields to align nano- to micro-sized particles into chain-like structures, which are referred to as pseudo-fibers. These pseudo-fibers are then immediately frozen into place by incident ultraviolet radiation on the photopolymer matrix. The pseudo-fibers are arranged by design, and they are used to create three-dimensional composite structures. Multiple filler materials have been evaluated for use in the FALCom system; however, this report describes aluminum micro-particles that are aligned and oriented in an acrylic photopolymer matrix. A description of the technology and a review of experimental processing are shown, and conclusions, as well as, future work are discussed.
A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Advancements
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wang, Mo; Henkens, Kene; van Solinge, Hanna
In this article, we review both theoretical and empirical advancements in retirement adjustment research. After reviewing and integrating current theories about retirement adjustment, we propose a resource-based dynamic perspective to apply to the understanding of retirement adjustment. We then review empirical findings that are associated with…
Tropical Tropospheric Ozone from SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere ADditional Ozonesondes) Network: A Project for Satellite Research, Process Studies, Education
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thompson, Anne M.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Schmidlin, Francis J.; Coetzee, G. J. R.; Hoegger, Bruno; Kirchhoff, V. W. J. H.; Ogawa, Toshihiro; Kawakami, Shuji; Posny, Francoise
The first climatological overview of total, stratospheric and tropospheric ozone in the southern hemisphere tropical and subtropics is based on ozone sounding data from 10 sites comprising the Southern Hemisphere Additional OZonesondes (SHADOZ) network. The period covered is 1998-2000. Observations were made over: Ascension Island; Nairobi, Kenya; Irene, South Africa; Reunion Island; Watukosek, Java; Fiji; Tahiti; American Samoa; San Cristobal, Galapagos; Natal, Brazil. Campaign data were collected on a trans-Atlantic oceanographic cruise and during SAFARI-2000 in Zambia. The ozone data, with simultaneous temperature profiles to approx. 7 hPa and relative humidity to approx. 200 hPa, reside at:
Demography and Population Projection of Aphis fabae (Hemiptera: Aphididae): with Additional Comments on Life Table Research Criteria.
Akca, Izzet; Ayvaz, Tamer; Yazici, Eda; Smith, Cecil L; Chi, Hsin
We collected developmental, survival, and reproduction data for Aphis fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae) reared on faba bean, Vicia faba L. 'Sevilla' at four constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, and 30°C), 70% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.4347 d(-1)) and finite rate (λ = 1.5445 d(-1)) were observed at 25°C. The population projection based on the age-stage, two-sex life table quantitatively revealed the growth potential and stage structure of the aphid. We have included the following suggestions to aid researchers in life table studies: 1) The bootstrap method should be used to estimate the variance and SEs of developmental time, survival rate, fecundity, and population parameters. 2) The required number of bootstraps is dependent on the life table data--the higher the variation among individuals, the higher the number of bootstraps should be. In most cases, we suggest that 100,000 bootstraps should be used to obtain a stable estimate of variance and SEs. 3) Computer projection based on the age-stage, two-sex life table should be used to reveal the stage structure during population growth. 4) We used a simple equation based on the total fecundity, survival rate to adult stage, and first reproductive age to detect possible errors in life table parameters. 5) To assist readers in comprehending results, life table studies should include the cohort size, preadult survival rate, number of emerged female adults, mean fecundity, survival and fecundity curves, and population parameters. PMID:26470285
Recent Developments in Empirical Industrial Organization.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Porter, Robert H.
Presents an bibliographic essay of recent empirical research in industrial organization. Examines topics such as the econometrics of markets with imperfect competition, technology and industry structure, industry evolution, and industry studies of regulation. (CFR)
Food additives are substances that become part of a food product when they are added during the processing or making of that food. "Direct" food additives are often added during processing to: Add nutrients ...
Spencer, Michael
Food additives are discussed from the food technology point of view. The reasons for their use are summarized: (1) to protect food from chemical and microbiological attack; (2) to even out seasonal supplies; (3) to improve their eating quality; (4) to improve their nutritional value. The various types of food additives are considered, e.g. colours, flavours, emulsifiers, bread and flour additives, preservatives, and nutritional additives. The paper concludes with consideration of those circumstances in which the use of additives is (a) justified and (b) unjustified. PMID:4467857