A laboratory study of the use of lime stabilisation on contaminated and uncontaminated clays

This study presents the results of experimental research carried out to investigate the effects of lime treatment on naturally deposited kaolinite clay, containing quartz, and a contaminated clay, containing calcium sulfide and heavy metals, known as galligu. The efficacy of lime stabilisation may be evaluated using unconfined compressive strength (U CS) tests which were carried out for different lime contents (0%, 5% and 10% of the sample mass) and various curing times (7, 28 and 90 days). Chemical and mineralogical changes of the two clays were established using X - R ay diffraction (XRD) and X - Ray flu orescence (XRF) in order to establish their effect on the geotechnical properties of the stabilised materials. Lime stabilised clay demonstrated improved geotechnical characteristics including a drop in moisture content (the ratio of the mass of water to the mass of solids in soil), increase in bulk density (the weight of the soil in a given volume, in this case 1m 3 ) and decrease in air voids (pockets of air between aggregate particles in the soil). However the net geotechnical improvements in the natural clay were demonstrably less than the galligu, principally in terms of strength. Galligu as recovered has a high moisture content and the alkaline conditions were able to supply sufficient moisture and the optimum chemical environment for effective cation exchanges and pozzolanic reactions. For the natural clay the lime addition caused an increase in the optimum moisture needed for effective compaction, which was higher than the natural moisture content of the clay

Increasing Research Requirements for Tenure at Teaching Universities: Mission Creep or Mission Critical?

What social forces are driving the increase in research requirements for tenure at teaching universities? Engaging Pierre Bourdieu\u27s field theory, this case study examines a state comprehensive university, at multiple levels of analysis, and via multiple methods. Field theory is a viable alternative to neoinstitutional theory for higher education scholars. The methods used are quantitative content analysis, qualitative discursive analysis and interviews. The study provides a detailed account of whether economic or cultural forces are the stronger influence on the trend to increase research requirements. Economic factors, such as national enrollment trends, do not necessarily have a strong effect on individual institutions, Also, the drive to increase research is not always initiated by administrators, as suggested by the academic-economy argument. Instead, faculty preferences, at the department level, tend to favor of the teacher-scholar model. This varies by academic discipline. The trend to increase research requirements is moving from the ground up, as faculty preferences become part of university manuals and eventually university missions. It is is suggested that it is mission critical for teaching universities to recognize the worth of integrating teaching and research. Teaching and research are theorized as two sides of a coin. The production and dissemination of knowledge is a key source of legitimacy for professors. This core cultural value may be more important than short-term regard for economic gains

A Large-Scale Analysis of Attentional Deployment across One Hundred Sessions of Adaptive Multitask Training

Human cognition is routinely challenged by today’s multitasking demands which require continuous attentional deployment to multiple task components in parallel. While practice-based multitasking training has been shown to improve multitasking performance, little is known about how attention should be best deployed for optimal training. To this end, we leveraged a large-scale dataset from an online cognitive-training platform to investigate individual differences in task learning across long-term training. We developed an index of attentional deployment that specifies the temporal dynamics of learning for each component of the multitask and calculate distance maps between clusters of users to specify distinct learning styles. While long-term practice improved the multitasking performance of all participant groups, participants who focused on learning one task component earlier and more emphatically, benefited from superior learning gains throughout the entirety of training

Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment in health professional students in a clinical workplace environment : Evaluating the psychometric properties of the clinical workplace learning NAQ-R scale

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all of the Associate Deans of Medical Education for Otago Medical School who assisted with the data collection for this questionnaire, as well as Faculty in The School of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic. We would also like to thank Dr Ella Iosua and Michel de Lange for their initial advice on the analysis of this paper. We would also like to thank the students for their time and effort in completing this questionnaire.Peer reviewedPostprin

Experimental assessment of capacities for cumulative culture : review and evaluation of methods

Funding information: H2020 European Research Council, Grant/Award Number: 648841 RATCHETCOGIn the current literature, there are few experimental tests of capacities for cumulative cultural evolution in nonhuman species. There are even fewer examples of such tests in young children. This limited evidence is noteworthy given widespread interest in the apparent distinctiveness of human cumulative culture, and the potentially significant theoretical implications of identifying related capacities in nonhumans or very young children. We evaluate experimental methods upon which claims of capacities for cumulative culture, or lack thereof, have been based. Although some of the established methods (those simulating generational succession) have the potential to identify positive evidence that fulfills widely accepted definitions of cumulative culture, the implementation of these methods entails significant logistical challenges. This is particularly true for testing populations that are difficult to access in large numbers, or those not amenable to experimental control. This presents problems for generating evidence that would be sufficient to support claims of capacities for cumulative culture, and these problems are magnified for establishing convincing negative evidence. We discuss alternative approaches to assessing capacities for cumulative culture, which circumvent logistical problems associated with experimental designs involving chains of learners. By inferring the outcome of repeated transmission from the input–output response patterns of individual subjects, sample size requirements can be massively reduced. Such methods could facilitate comparisons between populations, for example, different species, or children of a range of ages. We also detail limitations and challenges of this alternative approach, and discuss potential avenues for future research.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Cognitive Rehabilitation With Mobile Technology and Social Support for Veterans With TBI and PTSD: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of cognitive rehabilitation with mobile technology and social support on veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PARTICIPANTS: There were 112 dyads, comprised by a veteran and a family member or friend (224 participants in total). DESIGN: Dyads were randomized to the following: (1) a novel intervention, Cognitive Applications for Life Management (CALM), involving goal management training plus mobile devices for cueing and training attentional control; or (2) Brain Health Training, involving psychoeducation plus mobile devices to train visual memory. MAIN MEASURES: Executive dysfunction (disinhibition, impulsivity) and emotional dysregulation (anger, maladaptive interpersonal behaviors) collected prior to randomization and following intervention completion at 6 months. RESULTS: The clinical trial yielded negative findings regarding executive dysfunction but positive findings on measures of emotion dysregulation. Veterans randomized to CALM reported a 25% decrease in anger over 6 months compared with 8% reduction in the control (B = -5.27, P = .008). Family/friends reported that veterans randomized to CALM engaged in 26% fewer maladaptive interpersonal behaviors (eg, aggression) over 6 months compared with 6% reduction in the control (B = -2.08, P = .016). An unanticipated result was clinically meaningful change in reduced PTSD symptoms among veterans randomized to CALM (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This preliminary study demonstrated effectiveness of CALM for reducing emotional dysregulation in veterans with TBI and PTSD

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead