Being In Uncertainties, Mysteries, Doubt

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Alien Registration- Coburn, Stella J. (Brownville, Piscataquis County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/10036/thumbnail.jp

Prompting Self-Monitoring of Learning in Self-Paced Computer Based Training: The Effect on Self-Regulation and Learning

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of prompting students to monitor their use of learning strategies and comprehension while completing self-paced, work-related training in a computer-based learning environment. Study participants included 94 enlisted military volunteers, randomly assigned to one of three groups in the spring of 2012. Changes in strategy use and comprehension were evaluated within and between groups receiving either immediate, delayed or no prompts using multiple methods of measurement, both during and after training. Prompts asked participants to rate their level of agreement to statements regarding their strategy use and comprehension of lesson content. Dependent variables included declarative knowledge and self-regulation. Declarative knowledge was measured using multiple end-of-lesson tests and a comprehensive end-of-course test. Self-regulation of strategy use was measured using a post-treatment self-report instrument and strategy use scores derived from an evaluation of learner notes. Independent variables included prompts to self-monitor performance; prior knowledge was used as a covariate in all analyses. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to investigate the effects of the prompts on the combination of self-regulation and comprehension scores at the end of training. Mixed model repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to investigate changes in self-regulation and strategy use during training. Analysis of results revealed no statistically significant effects of the prompting treatments on combined scores of self-regulation and comprehension by the end of the treatment between groups. Furthermore, there were no significant effects of the prompts on strategy use or comprehension over time between groups. Findings from this study suggest the addition of prompts in computer-based learning events may not be effective for all learners or learning tasks. In contrast to similar experiments with college students, the prompts failed to influence participant strategy use and learning. Although groups receiving prompts invested more time in training, the additional time did not lead to improved overall strategy use or comprehension scores in comparison to the group that did not receive prompts. By the end of training, average comprehension scores among groups was equivalent and, on average, below passing (80%). The lack of effect on strategy use may have been a result of participants\u27 low prior knowledge, proficiency with learning strategies, task complexity and the value participants assigned to the learning task. Findings from this study expand the existing body of knowledge regarding the self-regulation of learning in computer-based learning environments, particularly with regard to the population of working adults, whose self-regulation of learning in the workplace has not been extensively investigated. Additionally, this study provides an example of how to employ multiple measures of self-regulation to more fully describe self-regulatory processes in computer-based learning environments, an approach researchers investigating self-regulation have called for

A computer operated mass spectrometer system

Digital computer system for processing mass spectrometer output dat

Computer control of mass analyzers

Digital computer control of mass spectrometer

Emergence and dynamics of influenza super-strains

Abstract Background Influenza super-strains can emerge through recombination of strains from birds, pigs, and humans. However, once a new recombinant strain emerges, it is not clear whether the strain is capable of sustaining an outbreak. In certain cases, such strains have caused major influenza pandemics. Methods Here we develop a multi-host (i.e., birds, pigs, and humans) and multi-strain model of influenza to analyze the outcome of emergent strains. In the model, pigs act as “mixing vessels” for avian and human strains and can produce super-strains from genetic recombination. Results We find that epidemiological outcomes are predicted by three factors: (i) contact between pigs and humans, (ii) transmissibility of the super-strain in humans, and (iii) transmissibility from pigs to humans. Specifically, outbreaks will reoccur when the super-strain intections are less frequent between humans (e.g., R0=1.4) but grequent from pigs to humans, and a large-scale outbreak followed by successively damping outbreaks will occur when human transmissibility is high (e.g., R0=2.3). The average time between the initial outbreak and the first resurgence varies from 41 to 82 years. We determine the largest outbreak will occur when 2.

Discovery of a flux-related change of the cyclotron line energy in Her X-1

We present the results of ten years of repeated measurements of the Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature (CRSF) in the spectrum of the binary X-ray pulsar Her X-1 and report the discovery of a positive correlation of the centroid energy of this absorption feature in pulse phase averaged spectra with source luminosity.Our results are based on a uniform analysis of observations bythe RXTE satellite from 1996 to 2005, using sufficiently long observations of 12 individual 35-day Main-On states of the source. The mean centroid energy E_c of the CRSF in pulse phase averaged spectra of Her X-1 during this time is around 40 keV, with significant variations from one Main-On state to the next. We find that the centroid energy of the CRSF in Her X-1 changes by ~5% in energy for a factor of 2 in luminosity. The correlation is positive, contrary to what is observed in some high luminosity transient pulsars. Our finding is the first significant measurement of a positive correlation between E_c and luminosity in any X-ray pulsar. We suggest that this behaviour is expected in the case of sub-Eddington accretion and present a calculation of a quantitative estimate, which is very consistent with the effect observed in Her X-1.We urge that Her X-1 is regularly monitored further and that other X-ray pulsars are investigated for a similar behaviour.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted by A&A Letter

Multiple Cyclotron Lines in the Spectrum of 4U 0115+63

We report phase resolved spectroscopy of the transient accreting pulsar, 4U0115+63. For the first time, more than two cylotron resonance scattering features are detected in the spectrum of an X-ray pulsar. The shape of the fundamental line appears to be complex, and this is in agreement with predictions of Monte-Carlo models. As in other pulsars, the line energies and optical depths are strong functions of pulse phase. One possible model for this is an offset of the dipole of the neutron star magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages. To appear in "Proceedings of the 5th Compton Symposium

The Effects of Eight Weeks of Leucine/Whey Protein Supplementation and Resistance Training on Isokinetic Peak Torque

Resistance training can lead to significant increases in muscle size and strength. Supplementing the diet with leucine and whey protein purportedly increases protein synthesis, potentially accelerating the processes involved with hypertrophy and strength increases. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of leucine and whey protein supplementation during 8 weeks of unilateral dynamic constant external resistance (DCER) training on isokinetic peak torque. METHODS: Thirty-five men (mean age ± SD = 22.3 ± 2.3 y) volunteered to participate in this investigation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: supplement (SUPP), placebo (PLA), or control (CON). The SUPP and PL participants then trained the leg extensors of the dominant limb (based on kicking preference) three times per week for eight weeks. Leg extension peak torque was determined for all participants pretraining and post training at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300°.s-1 using an isokinetic dynamometer. RESULTS: The results indicated there was no significant time × velocity × group interaction (p = 0.55). There was, however, a significant time × group interaction. Both the SUPP group (p \u3c 0.001) and the PLA group (p = 0.02) demonstrated significant increases in peak torque from pretraining to post training, while the CON group did not (p = 0.59). There was no difference in the magnitude of the gain in isokinetic peak torque between the SUPP and PLA groups (p = 0.62). CONCLUSION: Isokinetic peak torque increased significantly following 8 weeks of DCER training. However, the increase in peak torque was not augmented by leucine and whey protein supplementation

The Effective Mean-Free-Path of the Solar Wind

The high temperature and rarefied ionised gas (plasma) that constitutes the corona of the sun escapes the gravitational bound and flows out into interplanetary space. This plasma is called the solar wind. It is characterised by a long collision mean-free-path (i.e., weakly collisional); it is not in thermodynamic equilibrium. While the plasma is ultimately governed by a kinetic equation, it does appear that the solar wind is described by fluid equations, where it is assumed to be at equilibrium. This is in stark contradiction to the long collision mean-free-path. The suggestion is that collisionless relaxation processes are playing a strong role in dictating the dynamics of the solar wind. These processes are wave-particle interactions that cause the plasma to relax towards equilibrium, i.e., they are effective collision processes. This thesis takes a novel route to measure the effective mean-free-path of the solar wind, by modelling compressive fluctuations of arbitrary effective mean-free-path, and making a robust comparison to solar wind observations. The effective mean-free-path is measured to be approximately 10$^3$ times shorter than the collisional mean-free-path. It is shown to be consistent with and justify decades of past solar wind research that use fluid equations. The theory for the numerical model is derived from first principles and is shown to coincide with previous results, and draw together many concepts about compressive plasma waves. The solar wind dataset used in this thesis was not previously used for scientific analysis, so verification of the data quality is demonstrated. In addition, data analysis tools are constructed to measure some of the potential effective collision mechanisms. The analysis is tested on simulation data, to verify the accuracy, by measuring key quantities in identifying the relevant role of various effective collision mechanisms. The analysis of the numerical simulation data is shown to be satisfactory and can be employed on spacecraft data. This measurement resolves a long-standing debate on the utility and accuracy of fluid equations in studying the solar wind. The direct measurement of the effective mean-free-path is important for the field of plasma physics because it dictates the transport and thermodynamics of weakly collisional plasmas