Horizon definition study summary - Horizon definition study

Earth infrared horizon definition for space guidance, navigation, control, and pointing systems - feasibility stud

The Influence of Disciplinary Background on Peer Reviewers’ Evaluations of Engineering Education Journal Manuscripts

This is the first of a series of studies that explore the relationship between disciplinary background and the weighting of various elements of a manuscript in peer reviewers’ determination of publication recommendations. Research questions include: (1) To what extent are tacit criteria for determining quality or value of EER manuscripts influenced by reviewers’ varied disciplinary backgrounds and levels of expertise? and (2) To what extent does mentored peer review professional development influence reviewers’ EER manuscript evaluations? Data were collected from 27 mentors and mentees in a peer review professional development program. Participants reviewed the same two manuscripts, using a form to identify strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Responses were coded by two researchers (70% IRR). Our findings suggest that disciplinary background influences reviewers’ evaluation of EER manuscripts. We also found evidence that professional development can improve reviewers’ understanding of EER disciplinary conventions. Deeper understanding of the epistemological basis for manuscript reviews may reveal ways to strengthen professional preparation in engineering education as well as other disciplines

Building a Community of Mentors in Engineering Education Research Through Peer Review Training

Peer review of scholarship is critical to the advancement of knowledge in a scholarly discipline. Despite this, scholars receive little or no training in effective and constructive peer review. The process of peer review has been routinely criticized in higher education for lack of quality reviews and reviewers, and reviews that are personal and not constructive. As a discipline, engineering education research (EER) benefits from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives of scholars, and as such relies on peer review of scholarship to generate, interpret, and translate knowledge. Supported by funding through the National Science Foundation, this project is developing, implementing, and assessing a project that conducts training in EER peer review for journal articles and grant proposals. This paper describes the Engineering Education Research Peer Review Training (EER PERT) project, which is designed to develop EER scholars’ peer review skills through mentored reviewing experiences. The overall goals of the EER PERT project are twofold: to establish, assess and evaluate a mentored reviewer program for 1) EER journal manuscripts and 2) EER grant proposals. In the first year of the project, two cohorts have participated in the mentored EER journal manuscript program through partnership with the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), where triads (two mentees and one mentor) work collaboratively to review three manuscripts. Triads work with coaches informally to provide feedback on their experience and discuss manuscripts they are reviewing. Across the two cohorts, 42 mentees have collaborated with 18 mentors and 3 coaches, with some mentors and coaches participating in both cohorts. Project evaluation activities for the mentored manuscript review program included focus groups and exit surveys with both mentees and mentors in the first cohort. The main findings from the evaluation of the first cohort included the following themes: 1) the program provided valuable training and increased participant’s confidence in conducting EER scholarship, 2) the program fostered a sense of community and inclusion, particularly for those without EER backgrounds and from outside the US, and 3) program logistics could create barriers for participants, including working across time zones and tracking triad progress. Two main changes were implemented for the second cohort, including 1) a program dashboard for teams to track progress and organize update form submissions and 2) an optional monthly discussion meeting to supplement initial program orientation and triad meetings. The monthly discussions are intended to provide additional training in peer review topics and develop community among participants through networking opportunities. Planned discussion topics include updated JEE Author Guidelines and Review Criteria, inclusive language in scholarly publications, anti-racism in peer review, getting involved with the EER community, and roles and processes within the JEE Editorial Board. Program evaluation of the mentored manuscript review program is being leveraged to develop a mentored grant proposal review program wherein participants will work with former NSF program officers to review six grant proposals and participate in a mock review panel. This paper will present an overview of the journal manuscript and proposal mentored reviewer programs and findings from program evaluation

A dynamical systems investigation of lower extremity coordination during running over obstacles

Objective. To investigate intralimb coordination during running over a level surface and over obstacles of three different heights. Design. The phasing relationships between the foot and leg motions in the frontal plane, and the shank and thigh motions in the sagittal plane were used to compare patterns of coordination. Background. The coordinated actions of lower extremity segments are necessary to absorb the impact forces generated during running. The behavioral patterns of these segments can be studied under changing task demands using analysis techniques from the Dynamical Systems Theory. Methods. Ten subjects ran at their self-selected pace under four conditions: over a level surface and over obstacles of different heights (5%, 10%, 15% of their standing height). A force platform was used to record impact forces during landing after obstacle clearance, while kinematics were collected using a two-camera system. Results. The increases in obstacle height resulted in significant changes in impact forces (34% increase between the two extreme conditions) and more in-phase relationships between the segments during early stance. No changes were observed in the variability of the phasing relationships. Conclusions. The coordination changes observed might be compensatory strategies aimed to reduce forces and potential injury. However, since the impact forces still increased significantly, it is also possible that the observed changes might be at-risk movement patterns predisposing runners to injury. Relevance Tools from the Dynamical Systems Theory, such as intralimb coordination, can be used as a way to evaluate running mechanics so that comparisons can be made to various patient populations in subsequent studies. This approach might be a viable alternative to examine questions in therapeutics

Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner

AbstractObjectiveThe SEM Scanner is a medical device designed for use by healthcare providers as part of pressure ulcer prevention programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner.MethodsThirty-one (31) volunteers free of pressure ulcers or broken skin at the sternum, sacrum, and heels were assessed with the SEM Scanner. Each of three operators utilized each of three devices to collect readings from four anatomical sites (sternum, sacrum, left and right heels) on each subject for a total of 108 readings per subject collected over approximately 30 min. For each combination of operator-device-anatomical site, three SEM readings were collected. Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability were estimated.ResultsOver the course of this study, more than 3000 SEM Scanner readings were collected. Agreement between operators was good with mean differences ranging from −0.01 to 0.11. Inter-operator and inter-device reliability exceeded 0.80 at all anatomical sites assessed.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate the high reliability and good agreement of the SEM Scanner across different operators and different devices. Given the limitations of current methods to prevent and detect pressure ulcers, the SEM Scanner shows promise as an objective, reliable tool for assessing the presence or absence of pressure-induced tissue damage such as pressure ulcers

Effects of several types of biomass fuels on the yield, nanostructure and reactivity of soot from fast pyrolysis at high temperatures

peer-reviewedThis study presents the effect of biomass origin on the yield, nanostructure and reactivity of soot. Soot was produced from wood and herbaceous biomass pyrolysis at high heating rates and at temperatures of 1250 and 1400° C in a drop tube furnace. The structure of solid residues was characterized by electron microscopy techniques, X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption. The reactivity of soot was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Results showed that soot generated at 1400° C was more reactive than soot generated at 1250° C for all biomass types. Pinewood, beechwood and wheat straw soot demonstrated differences in alkali content, particle size and nanostructure. Potassium was incorporated in the soot matrix and significantly influenced soot reactivity. Pinewood soot particles produced at 1250° C had a broader particle size range (27.2–263 nm) compared to beechwood soot (33.2–102 nm) and wheat straw soot (11.5–165.3 nm), and contained mainly multi-core structures

Clinical Factors Associated with Low Valsalva Leak Point Pressure Among Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the predictive factors that are associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) in women. Methods Between January 2008 and December 2009, 185 women with urodynamically proven SUI were included in this study and retrospectively reviewed the medical record. Preoperative SUI symptoms were classified by Stamey grade. Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) determination series was repeated two times in each subject after finishing one series of VLPP measurement. The patients were classified into three groups according to VLPP; 1) ISD: VLPP≤60 cm H2O, 2) equivocal: 60<VLPP≤90 cm H2O, 3) anatomical incontinence (AI): VLPP>90 cm H2O. Chi-square test and multivariate (logistic regression test) analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with ISD. Results The mean patient age was 54.2 years (range, 44.5 to 68.4 years). Seventy-one women (38.3%) were in the ISD group and 70 (37.8%) in the AI group. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses found that women with ISD had a higher symptom grade than women with AI (P=0.001 and 0.0001, respectively). The number of patients in the ISD and AI group in accordance with the symptom grade were 7 (10%) and 44 (62%) in grade I, 50 (54%) and 23 (25%) in grade II, and 14 (63%) and 3 (14%) in grade III respectively. There was no correlation between VLPP and other clinical factors. Conclusions High symptom grade was the only independent clinical factor that predicted the presence of ISD. This should be considered when counseling the patients with SUI

EPUAP classification system for pressure ulcers: European reliability study

‘The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com .' Copyright Blackwell PublishingPeer reviewe

Theory of commensurable magnetic structures in holmium

The tendency for the period of the helically ordered moments in holmium to lock into values which are commensurable with the lattice is studied theoretically as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The commensurable effects are derived in the mean-field approximation from numerical calculations of the free energy of various commensurable structures, and the results are compared with the extensive experimental evidence collected during the last ten years on the magnetic structures in holmium. In general the stability of the different commensurable structures is found to be in accord with the experiments, except for the tau=5/18 structure observed a few degrees below T_N in a b-axis field. The trigonal coupling recently detected in holmium is found to be the interaction required to explain the increased stability of the tau=1/5 structure around 42 K, and of the tau=1/4 structure around 96 K, when a field is applied along the c-axis.Comment: REVTEX, 31 pages, 7 postscript figure