Communication Apprehension, Self-Efficacy, and Grades in the Basic Course: Correlations and Implications

This article presents a study examining the relationship among communication apprehension (CA), self-efficacy (S-E), and grades in the basic communication course. Data were gathered from 208 undergraduate students enrolled in a public speaking course that fulfills a university-wide core curriculum requirement. Respondents completed MCroskey\u27s (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), the Self-Efficacy in the Class scale (SECL) adapted from Pintrich and DeGroot\u27s (1990) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and two researcher-designed questions regarding S-E for college (SECOL). Results indicated that although trait and context CA are significantly correlated with final grades. In fact, multiple-regression showed that S-E contributed significant unique variance to grade. Implications for teaching the basic course are discussed

Real time Kalman filtering for torpedo range tracking.

Two Extended Kalman filter routines, one using a one-step estimation/prediction and the other a sequential approach, were developed and compared to provide real time estimates of target positions on the three dimensional underwater tracking range at Naval Underwater Weapons Engineering Station, Keyport, Washington. Inputs to the routines were acoustic pulse transit times from the target to receiving array elements which are non-linear functions of the position coordinates. These inputs were linearized and the filter gains calculated on-line. Simulated runs were conducted for tracks in the area of one hydrophone array and for tracks that transited through multiple arrays. It was found that the sequential estimate routine exhibited better performance in recovering from transients caused by random measurement noise or target movement.http://archive.org/details/realtimekalmanfi00dwyeLieutenant, United States Nav

How to overcome governance gaps? Collaborative governance in an evolving landscape of crises

Transboundary crises effortlessly transcend boundaries between organizations, sectors, jurisdictions, geographies, levels of authority and across time, creating complex interdependencies and unusual impact patterns that current collaborative governance arrangements are ill-equipped to deal with. While some guidance has been developed with regard to how collaborative governance arrangements could be made more robust in the face of transboundary crises, we still lack a detailed and empirically grounded understanding of how extant collaborative governance arrangements (under)perform during transboundary events to inform future adaptation. Based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of 60 interviews with actors involved in responding to the ‘Black Summer’ bushfire crisis, we develop a typology of 6 ‘pathways’ through which transboundary crises expose ‘governance gaps’ across major ‘fault-lines’ in extant collaborative governance arrangements: Stretching, Collapsing, Fracturing, Ossifying, Improvising and Inattention & Myopia. We contend that this typology serves as a useful heuristic for identifying and explaining the ways in which transboundary crises expose governance gaps in collaborative governance arrangements, as well as, demonstrate how this typology might be used to inform the design of bridges for mitigating governance gaps brought on by transboundary crises moving forward

Connected Classroom Climate and Communication Apprehension: Correlations and Implications of the Basic Course

Although scholars have recommended increasing relational variables in the classroom such as familiarity, acquaintance level, and collaboration to help students moderate communication apprehension (CA), few, if any, academic studies have investigated the relationship between CA and a supportive climate among students in the college classroom. Self-report data were collected from 523 undergraduate students from a Midwestern university who participated in a large curriculum assessment program using the Connected Classroom Climate Inventory (CCCI) and the PRCA-24. Results showed significant relationships between student perceptions of connected-classroom climate and CA levels throughout the course

Almost Linear B\"uchi Automata

We introduce a new fragment of Linear temporal logic (LTL) called LIO and a new class of Buechi automata (BA) called Almost linear Buechi automata (ALBA). We provide effective translations between LIO and ALBA showing that the two formalisms are expressively equivalent. While standard translations of LTL into BA use some intermediate formalisms, the presented translation of LIO into ALBA is direct. As we expect applications of ALBA in model checking, we compare the expressiveness of ALBA with other classes of Buechi automata studied in this context and we indicate possible applications

Fortification: new findings and implications

This article reviews the current landscape regarding food fortification in the United States; the content is based on aworkshop sponsored by the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute. Fortification of the food supply with vitamins and minerals is a public health strategy to enhance nutrient intakes of the population without increasing caloric intake. Many individuals in the United States would not achieve recommended micronutrient intakes without fortification of the food supply. The achievement and maintenance of a desirable level of nutritional quality in the nation\u27s food supply is, thus, an important public health objective. While the addition of nutrients to foods can help maintain and improve the overall nutritional quality of diets, indiscriminate fortification of foods could result in overfortification or underfortification in the food supply and nutrient imbalances in the diets of individuals. Any changes in food fortification policy for micronutrients must be considered within the context of the impact they will have on all segments of the population and of food technology and safety applications and their limitations. This article discusses and evaluates the value of fortification, the success of current fortification efforts, and the future role of fortification in preventing or reversing nutrient inadequacies

A polytetrafluoroethylene porous membrane and dimethylhexadecylamine quaternized poly (vinyl benzyl chloride) composite membrane for intermediate temperature fuel cells

AbstractA composite material for phosphoric acid (PA) loaded membrane was prepared using a porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thin film. N, N-Dimethylhexadecylamine partially quaternized poly (vinyl benzyl chloride) (qPVBzCl−) was synthesized as the substrate for the phosphoric acid loaded polymer membrane. SEM observation indicated that the pores were filled with the qPVBzCl−. The maximum PA loading level was calculated to be 4.67–5.12 per repeat unit on average. TGA results showed that resultant composite membrane was stable in the intermediate temperature from 100 °C to 200 °C. The composite membrane tensile stress was 56.23 MPa, and the Young's Modulus was 0.25 GPa, and the fractured elongation was 23%. The conductivity of the composite membrane after the PA addition (H3PO4@PTFE/qPVBzCl−) increased from 0.085 S cm−1 to 0.11 S cm−1 from 105 °C to 180 °C. The peak power density of the H2/O2 at 175 °C under low humidity condition (<1%) for H3PO4@PTFE/qPVBzCl− membranes was 360 mW cm−2

A forward genetic screen with a thalamocortical axon reporter mouse yields novel neurodevelopment mutants and a distinct emx2 mutant phenotype

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The dorsal thalamus acts as a gateway and modulator for information going to and from the cerebral cortex. This activity requires the formation of reciprocal topographic axon connections between thalamus and cortex. The axons grow along a complex multistep pathway, making sharp turns, crossing expression boundaries, and encountering intermediate targets. However, the cellular and molecular components mediating these steps remain poorly understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To further elucidate the development of the thalamocortical system, we first created a thalamocortical axon reporter line to use as a genetic tool for sensitive analysis of mutant mouse phenotypes. The TCA-<it>tau-lacZ </it>reporter mouse shows specific, robust, and reproducible labeling of thalamocortical axons (TCAs), but not the overlapping corticothalamic axons, during development. Moreover, it readily reveals TCA pathfinding abnormalities in known cortical mutants such as <it>reeler</it>. Next, we performed an unbiased screen for genes involved in thalamocortical development using random mutagenesis with the TCA reporter. Six independent mutant lines show aberrant TCA phenotypes at different steps of the pathway. These include ventral misrouting, overfasciculation, stalling at the corticostriatal boundary, and invasion of ectopic cortical cell clusters. An outcross breeding strategy coupled with a genomic panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms facilitated genetic mapping with small numbers of mutant mice. We mapped a ventral misrouting mutant to the <it>Emx2 </it>gene, and discovered that some TCAs extend to the olfactory bulbs in this mutant. Mapping data suggest that other lines carry mutations in genes not previously known for roles in thalamocortical development.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data demonstrate the feasibility of a forward genetic approach to understanding mammalian brain morphogenesis and wiring. A robust axonal reporter enabled sensitive analysis of a specific axon tract inside the mouse brain, identifying mutant phenotypes at multiple steps of the pathway, and revealing a new aspect of the <it>Emx2 </it>mutant. The phenotypes highlight vulnerable choice points and latent tendencies of TCAs, and will lead to a refined understanding of the elements and interactions required to form the thalamocortical system.</p> <p>See Commentary: <url>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/9/1</url></p

Observation of Parametric Instability in Advanced LIGO

Parametric instabilities have long been studied as a potentially limiting effect in high-power interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Until now, however, these instabilities have never been observed in a kilometer-scale interferometer. In this work we describe the first observation of parametric instability in an Advanced LIGO detector, and the means by which it has been removed as a barrier to progress