Math anxiety, intrusive thoughts and performance: Exploring the relationship between mathematics anxiety and performance: The role of intrusive thoughts

The current study examined the relationship between math anxiety and arithmetic performance by focusing on intrusive thoughts experienced during problem solving. Participants (N = 122) performed two-digit addition problems on a verification task. Math anxiety significantly predicted response time and error rate. Further, the extent to which intrusive thoughts impeded calculation mediated the relationship between math anxiety and per cent of errors on problems involving a carry operation. Moreover, results indicated that participants experienced a range of intrusive thoughts and these were related to significantly higher levels of math anxiety. The findings lend support to a deficient inhibition account of the math anxiety-to-performance relationship and highlight the importance of considering intrusive thoughts in future work

Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Mission 1 Experiments

Spaceborne experiments using the space shuttle payload known as the Long Duration Exposure Facility are described. Experiments in the fields of materials, coatings, thermal systems, power and propulsion, electronic, and optics are discussed

The effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life noncancer care in acute hospital-based services: A systematic review

A systematic review was conducted in order to explore the effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life care with noncancer acute-based healthcare staff. Articles were included if they (1) focused on communication-skills training in end-of-life/palliative care for noncancer acute-based staff and (2) reported an outcome related to behavior change with regard to communication. Sixteen online databases were searched, which resulted in 4,038 potential articles. Screening of titles left 393 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Abstracts (n = 346) and full-text articles (n = 47) were reviewed, leaving 10 papers that met the criteria for our review. All articles explored the effect of communication-skills training on aspects of staff behavior; one study measured the effect on self-efficacy, another explored the impact on knowledge and competence, and another measured comfort levels in discussing the end of life with patients/families. Seven studies measured a number of outcomes, including confidence, attitude, preparedness, stress, and communication skills. Few studies have focused on end-of-life communication-skills training in noncancer acute-based services. Those that do have report positive effects on staff behavior with regard to communication about the end of life with patients and families. The studies varied in terms of the population studied and the health services involved, and they scored only moderately or weakly on quality. It is a challenge to draw a definite conclusion about the effectiveness of training interventions in end-of-life communication because of this. However, the findings from our review demonstrate the potential effectiveness of a range of training interventions with healthcare professionals on confidence, attitude, self-efficacy, and communication skills. Further research is needed to fully explore the effectiveness of existing training interventions in this population, and evidence using objective measures is particularly needed. Ideally, randomized controlled trials or studies using control groups and longer follow-ups are needed to test the effectiveness of interventions

Understanding Shared Familiarity and Team Performance through Network Analytics

In this article, we propose a network approach to understanding team knowledge with archival data, offering conceptual and methodological advantages. Often, the degree to which team members’ possess shared knowledge has been conceptualized and measured as an aggregate property of a team as a whole. Rather than an aggregate property, however, we argue that shared team knowledge is more appropriately conceptualized as a network of knowledge overlaps or linkages between sets of team members. We created shared knowledge networks for a sample of 1,942 software teams based on members’ prior experiences working with one another on different tasks and teams. We included metrics representing topological features of team shared knowledge networks within predictive models of team performance. Our results suggest that network patterning provides additional predictive power for explaining software development team performance over and above the effects of average level of knowledge similarity within a team

Automation of duplicate record detection for systematic reviews: Deduplicator

Background: To describe the algorithm and investigate the efficacy of a novel systematic review automation tool “the Deduplicator” to remove duplicate records from a multi-database systematic review search. Methods: We constructed and tested the efficacy of the Deduplicator tool by using 10 previous Cochrane systematic review search results to compare the Deduplicator’s ‘balanced’ algorithm to a semi-manual EndNote method. Two researchers each performed deduplication on the 10 libraries of search results. For five of those libraries, one researcher used the Deduplicator, while the other performed semi-manual deduplication with EndNote. They then switched methods for the remaining five libraries. In addition to this analysis, comparison between the three different Deduplicator algorithms (‘balanced’, ‘focused’ and ‘relaxed’) was performed on two datasets of previously deduplicated search results. Results: Before deduplication, the mean library size for the 10 systematic reviews was 1962 records. When using the Deduplicator, the mean time to deduplicate was 5 min per 1000 records compared to 15 min with EndNote. The mean error rate with Deduplicator was 1.8 errors per 1000 records in comparison to 3.1 with EndNote. Evaluation of the different Deduplicator algorithms found that the ‘balanced’ algorithm had the highest mean F1 score of 0.9647. The ‘focused’ algorithm had the highest mean accuracy of 0.9798 and the highest recall of 0.9757. The ‘relaxed’ algorithm had the highest mean precision of 0.9896. Conclusions: This demonstrates that using the Deduplicator for duplicate record detection reduces the time taken to deduplicate, while maintaining or improving accuracy compared to using a semi-manual EndNote method. However, further research should be performed comparing more deduplication methods to establish relative performance of the Deduplicator against other deduplication methods.</p

Anisotropic P‐wave attenuation measured from a multi‐azimuth surface seismic reflection survey

A system of aligned vertical fractures produces azimuthal variations in stacking velocity and amplitude variation with offset, characteristics often reported in seismic reflection data for hydrocarbon exploration. Studies of associated attenuation anisotropy have been mostly theoretical, laboratory or vertical seismic profiling based. We used an 11 common‐midpoint‐long portion of each of four marine surface‐seismic reflection profiles, intersecting each other at 45° within circa 100 m of a common location, to measure the azimuthal variation of effective attenuation, Q−1eff and stacking velocity, in a shallow interval, about 100 m thick, in which consistently orientated vertical fracturing was expected due to an underlying salt diapirism. We found qualitative and quantitative consistency between the azimuthal variation in the attenuation and stacking velocity, and published amplitude variation with offset results. The 135° azimuth line showed the least apparent attenuation (1000 Q−1eff= 16 ± 7) and the fastest stacking velocity, hence we infer it to be closest to the fracture trend: the orthogonal 45° line showed the most apparent attenuation (1000Q−1eff= 52 ± 15) and slowest stacking velocity. The variation of Q−1eff with azimuth φ is well fitted by 1000Q−1eff= 34 − 18cos[2(φ+40°)] giving a fracture direction of 140 ± 23° (±1SD, derived from ‘bootstrapping’ fits to all 114 combinations of individual common‐midpoint/azimuth measurements), compared to 134 ± 47° from published amplitude variation with offset data. The effects of short‐window spectral estimation and choices of spectral ratio bandwidth and offset ranges used in attenuation analysis, individually give uncertainties of up to ±13° in fracture direction. This magnitude of azimuthal variation can be produced by credible crack geometries (e.g., dry cracks, radius 6.5 m, aspect ratio 3 × 10−5, crack density 0.2) but we do not claim these to be the actual properties of the interval studied, because of the lack of well control (and its consequences for the choice of theoretical model and host rock physical properties) and the small number of azimuths available here

INCREASING PATIENT DEMAND FOR HOME MEDICINES REVIEWS: A MARKETING PLAN RESEARCH STUDY

Objectives: 1. To deliver a marketing plan which proposes strategies to increase consumer uptake of HMRs. Sub -objectives were to assess the: Awareness levels of eligible non-recipients prior to participation in this study Perceived potential benefits and barriers of having an HMR Perceived HMR facilitators Satisfaction levels of HMR recipients Intention to have an (another) HMR if the GP suggested it Intention to ask the GP for an (another) HMR and to recommend the service to others Drivers of perceived benefits, barriers and facilitators; drivers of satisfaction, intention to have and to ask GP for an (another) HMR Medicine information sources Differences across specific low incidence consumer groups vs. the broad HMR target population. 2. To investigate the extent to which pharmacists could cope with an increased demand for HMR services due to a possible increas e in consumer awareness and demand for HMRs. Key findings 1. Very low HMR awareness among eligible non-recipients 2. Extremely high HMR satisfaction levels among HMR recipients 3. Very positive HMR perceptions among eligible nonrecipients after being informed about the service Further research Focus on patients/carers of non-English speaking backgrounds, patients with cognitive disabilities, those who have recently been discharged from hospital and those who have refused to have an HMR Longitudinal studies for investigation of HMR effects on an individual’s attitudes/long-term behaviours Very strong latent demand for HMR service Immense opportunity to increase HMR uptake through direct-to-consumer promotion (For marketing strategies see poster 1 “Marketing Plan”)Pharmacy Guild of Australi