Ethical and Methodological Considerations in Clinical Communication Research with Hispanic Populations

Spanish speakers, whether in monolingual or bilingual situations, or in majority or minority contexts, represent a considerable population worldwide. Spanish speakers in the U.S. constitute an illustrative context of the challenges faced by speech-language practitioners to provide realistic services to an increasing and diverse Spanish-speaking caseload. There is still considerable paucity in the amount of literature on Hispanic individuals with clinical relevance in speech-language pathology. Particularly lacking are works that link both empirical and theoretical bases to evidence-based procedures for child and adult Spanish users with communication disorders. Further, because communication skills depend on multiple phenomena beyond strictly linguistic factors, speech-language students and practitioners require multidisciplinary bases to realistically understand Spanish clients\u27 communication performance. This volume attempts to address those gaps. This publication takes a multidisciplinary approach that integrates both theoretical and empirical grounds from Speech-Language Pathology, Neurolinguistics, Neuropsychology, Education, and Clinical Psychology to develop evidence-based clinical procedures for monolingual Spanish and bilingual Spanish-English children and adults with communication disorders

The influence of coronal EUV irradiance on the emission in the He I 10830 A and D3 multiplets

Two of the most attractive spectral windows for spectropolarimetric investigations of the physical properties of the plasma structures in the solar chromosphere and corona are the ones provided by the spectral lines of the He I 10830 A and 5876 A (or D3) multiplets, whose polarization signals are sensitive to the Hanle and Zeeman effects. However, in order to be able to carry out reliable diagnostics, it is crucial to have a good physical understanding of the sensitivity of the observed spectral line radiation to the various competing driving mechanisms. Here we report a series of off-the-limb non-LTE calculations of the He I D3 and 10830 A emission profiles, focusing our investigation on their sensitivity to the EUV coronal irradiation and the model atmosphere used in the calculations. We show in particular that the intensity ratio of the blue to the red components in the emission profiles of the He I 10830 A multiplet turns out to be a good candidate as a diagnostic tool for the coronal irradiance. Measurements of this observable as a function of the distance to the limb and its confrontation with radiative transfer modeling might give us valuable information on the physical properties of the solar atmosphere and on the amount of EUV radiation at relevant wavelengths penetrating the chromosphere from above.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures (pre-print format). Accepted for publication in Ap

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Vector Magnetic Field Pipeline: Optimization of the Spectral Line Inversion Code

The Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector (VFISV) is a Milne-Eddington spectral line inversion code used to determine the magnetic and thermodynamic parameters of the solar photosphere from observations of the Stokes vector in the 6173 A Fe I line by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We report on the modifications made to the original VFISV inversion code in order to optimize its operation within the HMI data pipeline and provide the smoothest solution in active regions. The changes either sped up the computation or reduced the frequency with which the algorithm failed to converge to a satisfactory solution. Additionally, coding bugs which were detected and fixed in the original VFISV release, are reported here.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Colorimetry technique for scalable characterization of suspended graphene

Previous statistical studies on the mechanical properties of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) suspended graphene membranes have been performed by means of measuring individual devices or with techniques that affect the material. Here, we present a colorimetry technique as a parallel, non-invasive, and affordable way of characterizing suspended graphene devices. We exploit Newton rings interference patterns to study the deformation of a double-layer graphene drum 13.2 micrometer in diameter when a pressure step is applied. By studying the time evolution of the deformation, we find that filling the drum cavity with air is 2-5 times slower than when it is purged

Development of a Standard Methodology for Documenting Processes in an Organization

The application of process management in our country has been extended throughout the last decade; improvement in management, high performance levels, reduction of operation times, optimization of resources and obtaining of quality certifications are among the main reasons why both public and private organizations seek to implement it. However, despite being an implicit activity within the change of management model to the process approach and even the improvement of the functional administrative model, the documentation of processes becomes an uncomfortable, complex and time-consuming task that often generates nervousness and distrust in workers. Diversity of criteria and the lack of an adequate methodology with effective tools makes it difficult to achieve the expected results. This article presents in detail the steps, their sequence and instruments used that allow an organization to raise the information of its processes and document them. As a result of different research projects developed over several years, the methodology of process mapping allowed for the documentation of all the activities of different administrative units of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo and not only to comply with the laws and regulations but also to improve their management. In the last application, it contributed to the development of the documentary structure of a quality management system that allowed an academic unit to achieve international quality certification. Keywords: management, processes, process documentation, process manual. Resumen Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador *E-mail: [email protected] La aplicación de la gestión de procesos en nuestro país se ha ido extendiendo a lo largo de la última década; mejoras en la gestión, altos niveles de rendimiento, reducción de tiempos de operaciones, optimización de recursos y obtenciones de certificaciones de calidad son entre otros los principales motivos por los cuales organizaciones tanto públicas como privadas buscan implementarla. Sin embargo y a pesar de ser una actividad implícita dentro del cambio de modelo de gestión hacia el enfoque de procesos e incluso del mejoramiento del modelo administrativo funcional, la documentación de los procesos se convierte en una labor incomoda, compleja y con un alto consumo de tiempo que suele generar nerviosismo y desconfianza en los trabajadores. Diversidad de criterios y la falta de una metodología adecuada con instrumentos eficaces complica cumplir los resultados esperados. El presente artículo presenta a detalle los pasos, su secuencia e instrumentos utilizados que le permiten a una organización levantar la información de sus procesos y documentarlos. Resultado de diferentes proyectos de investigación desarrollados a los largo de varios años, la metodología de levantamiento de procesos permitió documentar todas las actividades de distintas unidades administrativas de la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo y no solo cumplir lo establecido el leyes y reglamentos sino también mejorar su gestión, en la última aplicación contribuyó a elaborar la estructura documental de un sistema de gestión de la calidad que logró que una unidad académica alcance una certificación internacional de calidad. Palabras claves: gestión, procesos, documentación de procesos, manual de procesos

Effect of Mindfulness on Empathy and Self-Compassion: An Adapted MBCT Program on Filipino College Students

Attending college is meaningful for many young adults. This period is marked by physical, emotional, and psychological changes that can have both positive and negative effects on college students. The last two decades have seen an alarming increase in the number of college students who suffer from mental health conditions, such as depression, suicide, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. It is recommended that actions to support the students’ wellbeing must be creative and evidence-based. Research suggests that a mindfulness-based intervention may be an effective strategy to address mental health conditions among college students. This study was done to examine the efficacy of an adapted mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program that was implemented in a classroom setting in the Philippines and to explore how mindfulness practice can affect empathy and self-compassion on senior Filipino college students aged 19–22 years old. Two classes were used to compare the effects of mindfulness intervention. One class underwent the adapted MBCT program while the other class underwent the same kind of class without mindfulness interventions. Self-report measures of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Perspective Taking subscale and Empathic Concern subscale of Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Self-compassion scale—short form were administered before undergoing the adapted MBCT and after the program. After going through the adapted MBCT, college students’ mindfulness significantly improved. Empathy and self-compassion also significantly improved after undergoing the program. This corroborates previous studies done on mindfulness and its efficacy with adolescents and suggests how practicing mindfulness can improve empathy and self-compassion with Filipino college students. It provides a promising groundwork for the emerging interest and research in Asia, particularly in the Philippines, on how the practice of mindfulness can help with the mental health of college students

Channeling 5-min photospheric oscillations into the solar outer atmosphere through small-scale vertical magnetic flux tubes

We report two-dimensional MHD simulations which demonstrate that photospheric 5-min oscillations can leak into the chromosphere inside small-scale vertical magnetic flux tubes. The results of our numerical experiments are compatible with those inferred from simultaneous spectropolarimetric observations of the photosphere and chromosphere obtained with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter (TIP) at 10830 A. We conclude that the efficiency of energy exchange by radiation in the solar photosphere can lead to a significant reduction of the cut-off frequency and may allow for the propagation of the 5 minutes waves vertically into the chromosphere.Comment: accepted by ApJ