Using Culturally Sensitive Methodologies When Researching Diverse Cultures

The purpose of this article is to introduce additional information in the ongoing conversation about using culturally sensitive research methods with diverse research populations. Research, including evaluation research, examining ethnic minorities, international, tribal members, and individuals within diverse cultures should be performed within a context of cultural understanding. Several methodological examples will be presented, expanding the discussion of contemporary research with diverse cultures. The demographics of the United States population are growing more diverse with each approaching year. According to the 2000 Census, (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001) 75 % of the population is White, 12.5 % Hispanic, 12.3 % Black, 3.6 % Asian, 0.9 American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.1 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.4% More than one race, and 5.5 % Some other race. Population projections estimate that the non-Hispanic White population will decline in size while the minority population will double or triple, with the highest rate of increase occurring amon

Transition in a numerical model of contact line dynamics and forced dewetting

We investigate the transition to a Landau-Levich-Derjaguin film in forced dewetting using a quadtree adaptive solution to the Navier-Stokes equations with surface tension. We use a discretization of the capillary forces near the receding contact line that yields an equilibrium for a specified contact angle $\theta_\Delta$ called the numerical contact angle. Despite the well-known contact line singularity, dynamic simulations can proceed without any explicit additional numerical procedure. We investigate angles from $15^\circ$ to $110^\circ$ and capillary numbers from $0.00085$ to $0.2$ where the mesh size $\Delta$ is varied in the range of $0.0035$ to $0.06$ of the capillary length $l_c$. To interpret the results, we use Cox's theory which involves a microscopic distance $r_m$ and a microscopic angle $\theta_e$. In the numerical case, the equivalent of $\theta_e$ is the angle $\theta_\Delta$ and we find that Cox's theory also applies. We introduce the scaling factor or gauge function $\phi$ so that $r_m = \Delta/\phi$ and estimate this gauge function by comparing our numerics to Cox's theory. The comparison provides a direct assessment of the agreement of the numerics with Cox's theory and reveals a critical feature of the numerical treatment of contact line dynamics: agreement is poor at small angles while it is better at large angles. This scaling factor is shown to depend only on $\theta_\Delta$ and the viscosity ratio $q$. In the case of small $\theta_e$, we use the prediction by Eggers [Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 93, pp 094502, 2004] of the critical capillary number for the Landau-Levich-Derjaguin forced dewetting transition. We generalize this prediction to large $\theta_e$ and arbitrary $q$ and express the critical capillary number as a function of $\theta_e$ and $r_m$. An analogy can be drawn between $r_m$ and the numerical slip length.Comment: This version of the paper includes the corrections indicated in Ref. [1

Geology of Caphouse Colliery, Wakefield, Yorkshire, UK

The National Coal Mining Museum in West Yorkshire affords a rare opportunity for the public to visit a former colliery (Caphouse) and experience at first hand the geology of a mine. The geology at the museum can be seen via the public tour, limited surface outcrop and an inclined ventilation drift, which provides the best geological exposure and information. The strata encountered at the site are c. 100 m thick and are of latest Langsettian (Pennsylvanian) age. The ventilation drift intersects several coal seams (Flockton Thick, Flockton Thin, Old Hards, Green Lane and New Hards) and their associated roof rocks and seatearths. In addition to exposures of bedrock, recent mineral precipitates of calcium carbonates, manganese carbonates and oxides, and iron oxyhydroxides can be observed along the drift, and there is a surface exposure of Flockton Thick Coal and overlying roof strata. The coals and interbedded strata were deposited in the Pennine Basin in a fluvio-lacustrine setting in an embayment distant from the open ocean with limited marine influence. A lacustrine origin for mudstone roof rocks of several of the seams is supported by the incidence of non-marine bivalves and fossilized fish remains whilst the upper part of the Flockton Thick Coal consists of subaqueously deposited cannel coal. The mudstones overlying the Flockton Thick containing abundant non-marine bivalves are of great lateral extent, indicating a basin-wide rise of base level following coal deposition that may be compared with a non-marine flooding surface

Biogenic isoprene emissions, dry deposition velocity, and surface ozone concentration during summer droughts, heatwaves, and normal conditions in southwestern Europe

At high concentrations, tropospheric ozone (O3) deteriorates air quality, inducing adverse effects on human and ecosystem health. Meteorological conditions are key to understanding the variability in O3 concentration, especially during extreme weather events. In addition to modifying photochemistry and atmospheric transport, droughts and heatwaves affect the state of vegetation and thus the biosphere–troposphere interactions that control atmospheric chemistry, namely biogenic emissions of precursors and gas dry deposition. A major source of uncertainty and inaccuracy in the simulation of surface O3 during droughts and heatwaves is the poor representation of such interactions. This publication aims at quantifying the isolated and combined impacts of both extremes on biogenic isoprene (C5H8) emissions, O3 dry deposition, and surface O3 in southwestern Europe. First, the sensitivity of biogenic C5H8 emissions, O3 dry deposition, and surface O3 to two specific effects of droughts, the decrease in soil moisture and in biomass, is analysed for the extremely dry summer 2012 using the biogenic emission model MEGANv2.1 and the chemistry transport model CHIMEREv2020r1. Despite a significant decrease in biogenic C5H8 emissions and O3 dry deposition velocity, characterized by a large spatial variability, the combined effect on surface O3 concentration remains limited (between +0.5 % and +3 % over the continent). The variations in simulated biogenic C5H8 emissions, O3 dry deposition, and surface O3 during the heatwaves and agricultural droughts are then analysed for summer 2012 (warm and dry), 2013 (warm), and 2014 (relatively wet and cool). We compare the results with large observational data sets, namely O3 concentrations from Air Quality (AQ) e-Reporting (2000–2016) and total columns of formaldehyde (HCHO, which is used as a proxy for biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) of the Aura satellite (2005–2016). Based on a cluster approach using the percentile limit anomalies indicator, we find that C5H8 emissions increase by +33 % during heatwaves compared to normal conditions, do not vary significantly during all droughts (either accompanied or not by a heatwave), and decrease by −16 % during isolated droughts. OMI data confirm an average increase in HCHO during heatwaves (between +15 % and +31 % depending on the product used) and decrease in HCHO (between −2 % and −6 %) during isolated droughts over the 2005–2016 summers. Simulated O3 dry deposition velocity decreases by −25 % during heatwaves and −35 % during all droughts. Simulated O3 concentrations increase by +7 % during heatwaves and by +3 % during all droughts. Compared to observations, CHIMERE tends to underestimate the daily maximum O3. However, similar sensitivity to droughts and heatwaves are obtained. The analysis of the AQ e-Reporting data set shows an average increase of +14 % during heatwaves and +7 % during all droughts over the 2000–2016 summers (for an average daily concentration value of 69 µg m−3 under normal conditions). This suggests that identifying the presence of combined heatwaves is fundamental to the study of droughts on surface–atmosphere interactions and O3 concentration.</p

Mechanical properties of MWPECVD diamond coatings on Si substrate via nanoindentation

The mechanical properties of polycrystalline diamond coatings with thickness varying from 0.92 to 44.65 μm have been analysed. The tested samples have been grown on silicon substrates via microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition from highly diluted gas mixtures CH4–H2 (1% CH4 in H2). Reliable hardness and elastic modulus values have been assessed on lightly polished surface of polycrystalline diamond films. The effect of the coating thickness on mechanical, morphological and chemical-structural properties is presented and discussed. In particular, the hardness increases from a value of about 52 to 95 GPa and the elastic modulus from 438 to 768 GPa by varying the coating thickness from 0.92 to 4.85 μm, while the values closer to those of natural diamond (H=103 GPa and E=1200 GPa) are reached for thicker films (N5 μm). Additionally, the different thickness of the diamond coatings permits to select the significance of results and to highlight when the soft silicon substrate may affect the measured mechanical data. Thus, the nanoindentation experiments were made within the range from 0.65% to 10% of the film thickness by varying the maximum load from 3 to 80 mN. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserve

A Public-Domain Personality Item Bank For Use With The Raymark, Schmit, and Guion (1997) PPRF

Presented is the development of a repository of work-related personality items that may be used to assess job-related traits identified by the Personality-Related Position Requirements Form (PPRF: Raymark, Schmit, & Guion, 1997). Analyses of the item pool administered to a sample (n = 412) of trade apprentices showed evidence to support the12 work-related Big 5 sub-dimensions identified by the PPRF. A smaller validity study (n = 47) suggested that personality dimensions identified as job-related by the PPRF were related to important job-related outcomes

The Genetics Journey: A Case Report of a Genetic Diagnosis Made 30 Years Later

Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM) is a rare autosomal dominant condition that was first described in 2006. The causative gene, EFTUD2, identified in 2012. We report on a family that initially presented to a pediatric genetics clinic in the 1980s for evaluation of multiple congenital anomalies. Re‐evaluation of one member thirty years later resulted in a phenotypic and molecularly confirmed diagnosis of MFDM. This family’s clinical histories and the novel EFTUD2 variant identified, c.1297_1298delAT (p.Met433Valfs*17), add to the literature about MFDM. This case presented several genetic counseling challenges and highlights that “the patient” can be multiple family members. We discuss testing considerations for an unknown disorder complicated by the time constraint of the patient’s daughter’s pregnancy and how the diagnosis changed previously provided recurrence risks. Of note, 1) the 1980s clinic visit letters provided critical information about affected family members and 2) the patient’s husband’s internet search of his wife’s clinical features also yielded the MFDM diagnosis, illustrating the power of the internet in the hands of patients. Ultimately, this case emphasizes the importance of re‐evaluation given advances in genetics and the value of a genetic diagnosis for both patient care and risk determination for family members.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147210/1/jgc40894.pd

Validating Expert Systems: A Demonstration Using Personal Choice Expert, a Flexible Employee Benefit System

A method for validating expert systems, based on validation approaches from psychology and Turing\u27s “imitation game,” is demonstrated using a flexible employee benefits expert system. Psychometric validation has three aspects: the extent to which the system and expert decisions agree (criterionrelated validity), the inputs and processes used by experts compared to the system (content validity), and differences between expert and novice decisions (construct validity). If these criteria are satisfied, then the system is indistinguishable from experts for its domain and satisfies the Turing Test. Personal Choice Expert (PCE) was designed to help employees of a Fortune 500 firm choose benefits in their flexible benefits system. Its recommendations do not significantly differ from those given by independent experts. Hence, if the system-independent expert agreement (criterion-related validity) were the only standard, PCE could be considered valid. However, construct analysis suggests that re-engineering may be required. High intra-expert agreement exists only for some benefit recommendations (e.g., dental care and long-term disability) and not for others (e.g., short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance). Insights offered by these methods are illustrated and examined