1,217 research outputs found
What makes a 'good group'? Exploring the characteristics and performance of undergraduate student groups
Group work forms the foundation for much of student learning within higher education, and has many educational, social and professional benefits. This study aimed to explore the determinants of success or failure for undergraduate student teams and to define a ‘good group’ through considering three aspects of group success: the task, the individuals, and the team. We employed a mixed methodology, combining demographic data with qualitative observations and task and peer evaluation scores. We determined associations between group dynamic and behaviour, demographic composition, member personalities and attitudes towards one another, and task success. We also employed a cluster analysis to create a model outlining the attributes of a good small group learning team in veterinary education. This model highlights that student groups differ in measures of their effectiveness as teams, independent of their task performance. On the basis of this, we suggest that groups who achieve high marks in tasks cannot be assumed to have acquired team working skills, and therefore if these are important as a learning outcome, they must be assessed directly alongside the task output
A Comparison of Near-Infrared Photometry and Spectra for Y Dwarfs with a New Generation of Cool Cloudy Models
We present YJHK photometry, or a subset, for the six Y dwarfs discovered in
WISE data by Cushing et al.. The data were obtained using NIRI on the Gemini
North telescope. We also present a far-red spectrum obtained using GMOS-North
for WISEPC J205628.90+145953.3. We compare the data to Morley et al. (2012)
models, which include cloud decks of sulfide and chloride condensates. We find
that the models with these previously neglected clouds can reproduce the energy
distributions of T9 to Y0 dwarfs quite well, other than near 5um where the
models are too bright. This is thought to be because the models do not include
departures from chemical equilibrium caused by vertical mixing, which would
enhance the abundance of CO, decreasing the flux at 5um. Vertical mixing also
decreases the abundance of NH_3, which would otherwise have strong absorption
features at 1.03um and 1.52um that are not seen in the Y0 WISEPC
J205628.90+145953.3. We find that the five Y0 to Y0.5 dwarfs have 300 < T_eff K
< 450, 4.0 < log g < 4.5 and f_sed ~ 3. These temperatures and gravities imply
a mass range of 5 - 15 M_Jupiter and ages around 5 Gyr. We suggest that WISEP
J182831.08+265037.8 is a binary system, as this better explains its luminosity
and color. We find that the data can be made consistent with observed trends,
and generally consistent with the models, if the system is composed of a T_eff
= 325 K and log g ~ 4.0
secondary, corresponding to masses of 10 and 7 M_Jupiter and an age around 2
Gyr. If our deconvolution is correct, then the T_eff = 300 K cloud-free model
fluxes at K and W2 are too faint by 0.5 - 1.0 magnitudes. We will address this
discrepancy in our next generation of models, which will incorporate water
clouds and mixing.Comment: 39 pages, 10 Figures, 8 Tables. Accepted by ApJ. This revision
replaces Figures 9 and 10 with B & W versions, corrects figure captions for
color online only, corrects references. Text is unchanged. Tables 3, 4 and 8
are available at http://www.gemini.edu/staff/sleggett, other model data are
available at http://www.ucolick.org/~cmorley/cmorley/Data.htm
The impact of maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety on children's emotional problems: a systematic review
Maternal mental health problems during pregnancy and the postnatal period are a major public health issue. Despite evidence that symptoms of both depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy and the postpartum, the impact of maternal anxiety on the child has received relatively less attention than the impact of maternal depression. Furthermore, the evidence base for the direct impact of maternal anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum on children’s emotional outcomes lacks cohesion. The aim of this systematic review is to summarise the empirical evidence regarding the impact of maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety on children’s emotional outcomes. Overall, both maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety have a small adverse effect on child emotional outcomes. However, the evidence appears stronger for the negative impact of prenatal anxiety. Several methodological weaknesses make conclusions problematic and replication of findings is required to improve the identification of at-risk parents and children with appropriate opportunities for intervention and prevention
Molecular mechanisms of Takotsubo syndrome
Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a severe but reversible acute heart failure syndrome that occurs following high catecholaminergic stress. TTS patients are similar to those with acute coronary syndrome, with chest pain, dyspnoea and ST segment changes on electrocardiogram, but are characterised by apical akinesia of the left ventricle, with basal hyperkinesia in the absence of culprit coronary artery stenosis. The pathophysiology of TTS is not completely understood and there is a paucity of evidence to guide treatment. The mechanisms of TTS are thought to involve catecholaminergic myocardial stunning, microvascular dysfunction, increased inflammation and changes in cardiomyocyte metabolism. Here, we summarise the available literature to focus on the molecular basis for the pathophysiology of TTS to advance the understanding of the condition
Mentalising and social problem solving in adults with Asperger's syndrome
It is well established that autistic spectrum disorder is linked to difficulties with mentalising, but the ways in which this affects everyday behaviour is less well understood. This study explored the nature and extent of difficulties in everyday social functioning in adults with Asperger's syndrome (AS), since increased understanding can enhance the development of more effective intervention strategies. Methods Individuals with AS (n=21) were compared with healthy control participants (n=21) on three tests of social cognition: the Mentalistic Interpretation task, which assesses interpretation of sarcasm and actions; the Social Problem Fluency task, which assesses ability to generate problem solutions; and the Social Problem Resolution task, which assesses judgement in selecting problem solutions. Results Comprehension of both sarcastic remarks and actions was impaired in those with AS on the mentalistic interpretation task. Participants with AS showed difficulties in identifying the awkward elements of everyday social scenarios, and they were also impaired in generating problem solutions but not in judging alternative solutions on the social problem fluency and resolution tasks. Conclusions These tasks potentially provide a means of profiling strengths and weaknesses in social processing, which in turn has implications for informing clinical evaluation and training. © 2013 Taylor & Francis
Emergence in genetic programming:let's exploit it!
Banzhaf explores the concept of emergence and how and where it happens in genetic programming [1]. Here we consider the question: what shall we do with it? We argue that given our ultimate goal to produce genetic programming systems that solve new and difficult problems, we should take advantage of emergence to get closer to this goal
Using and reasoning about social strategies in autism spectrum disorder in everyday situations
Although a substantial amount of previous work has been dedicated to the study of the possible theoretical mechanisms underpinning autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little research has examined the types of difficulties experienced by individuals in their everyday social functioning. University students with ASD and matched control participants performed the Social Strategy task. In this, they read a range of descriptions of social interactions, all ending with an awkward question asked by the story main character. The types of strategies they used to answer the awkward questions were examined. Compared to control participants, those with ASD used a more negative emotional tone in responding, generated more simple strategies including acquiescence or refusal, and fewer sophisticated strategies that considered all parties' perspectives. In a novel task condition, participants rank-ordered simple and sophisticated strategies, and gave justifications for their use. Rank-ordering did not differentiate the groups. Justifications given by those with ASD for simple strategies were more practical and less often character-based than those given by control participants; the groups did not differ in the justifications given for sophisticated strategies. The possible explanations of these findings and implications for informing current intervention programmes are considered
High temperature condensate clouds in super-hot Jupiter atmospheres
Deciphering the role of clouds is central to our understanding of exoplanet
atmospheres, as they have a direct impact on the temperature and pressure
structure, and observational properties of the planet. Super-hot Jupiters
occupy a temperature regime similar to low mass M-dwarfs, where minimal cloud
condensation is expected. However, observations of exoplanets such as WASP-12b
(Teq ~ 2500 K) result in a transmission spectrum indicative of a cloudy
atmosphere. We re-examine the temperature and pressure space occupied by these
super-hot Jupiter atmospheres, to explore the role of the initial Al- and
Ti-bearing condensates as the main source of cloud material. Due to the high
temperatures a majority of the more common refractory material is not depleted
into deeper layers and would remain in the vapor phase. The lack of depletion
into deeper layers means that these materials with relatively low cloud masses
can become significant absorbers in the upper atmosphere. We provide
condensation curves for the initial Al- and Ti-bearing condensates that may be
used to provide quantitative estimates of the effect of metallicity on cloud
masses, as planets with metal-rich hosts potentially form more opaque clouds
because more mass is available for condensation. Increased metallicity also
pushes the point of condensation to hotter, deeper layers in the planetary
atmosphere further increasing the density of the cloud. We suggest that planets
around metal-rich hosts are more likely to have thick refractory clouds, and
discuss the implication on the observed spectra of WASP-12b.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 10 pages, 1 table, 5 figure
Retrieval of atmospheric properties of cloudy L dwarfs
© 2017 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.We present the first results from applying the spectral inversion technique in the cloudy L dwarf regime. Our new framework provides a flexible approach to modelling cloud opacity which can be built incrementally as the data requires, and improves upon previous retrieval experiments in the brown dwarf regime by allowing for scattering in two stream radiative transfer. Our first application of the tool to two mid-L dwarfs is able to reproduce their near-infrared spectra far more closely than grid models. Our retrieved thermal, chemical, and cloud profiles allow us to estimate K and for 2MASS J05002100+0330501 and for 2MASSW J2224438-015852 we find K and , in close agreement with previous empirical estimates. Our best model for both objects includes an optically thick cloud deck which passes (looking down) at a pressure of around 5 bar. The temperature at this pressure is too high for silicate species to condense, and we argue that corundum and/or iron clouds are responsible for this cloud opacity. Our retrieved profiles are cooler at depth, and warmer at altitude than the forward grid models that we compare, and we argue that some form of heating mechanism may be at work in the upper atmospheres of these L dwarfs. We also identify anomalously high CO abundance in both targets, which does not correlate with the warmth of our upper atmospheres or our choice of cloud model, and find similarly anomalous alkali abundance for one of our targets. These anomalies may reflect unrecognised shortcomings in our retrieval model, or inaccuracies in our gas phase opacities.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
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