A study to explore the use of orbital remote sensing to determine native arid plant distribution

The author has identified the following significant results. It is possible to determine, from ERTS imagery, native arid plant distribution. Using techniques of multispectral masking and extensive fieldwork, three native vegetation communities were defined and mapped in the Avra Valley study area. A map was made of the Yuma area with the aid of ground truth correlations between areas of desert pavement visible on ERTS images and unique vegetation types. With the exception of the Yuma soil-vegetation correlation phenomena, only very gross differentiations of desert vegetation communities can be made from ERTS data. Vegetation communities with obvious vegetation density differences such as saguaro-paloverde, creosote bush, and riparian vegetation can be separated on the Avra Valley imagery while more similar communities such as creosote bush and saltbush could not be differentiated. It is suggested that large differences in vegetation density are needed before the signatures of two different vegetation types can be differentiated on ERTS imagery. This is due to the relatively insignificant contribution of vegetation to the total radiometric signature of a given desert scene. Where more detailed information concerning the vegetation of arid regions is required, large scale imagery is appropriate

Secondary Level Achievement Non-Intellective Factors Implicated in the Process and Product of Performance

The study was developed in the context of Personality and Social Cognitive Theory with constructs that encapsulate non-intellective processes of academic achievement. The goal was to explore the role of the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality in academic performance and to use this model as a reference point to test the incremental validity of two measures of Self-efficacy (Academic and Emotional) and an indicator of Absenteeism. Participants (N = 120) were comprised of 17-year-old male (n = 47) and female (n = 73) opportunistically sampled secondary level college students. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the relationship between the independent variables (FFM, Academic Self-efficacy, Emotional Self-efficacy, and Absenteeism) and the outcome variable, Grade Points Average (GPA). Correlation analysis found that four FFM factors and the two Self-efficacy measures were associated with GPA. In a hierarchical regression analysis, the FFM explained 22% variance on performance and the two Self-efficacy measures added 9% incremental variance followed by 3% for Absenteeism. Overall, the non-intellective constructs explain a substantial 34% variance on achievement and provide focal points for theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical evaluation. Moreover, they are suggestive of the pathways and processes that support learning, augment ability, and enhance achievement

Introducing Interprofessional Education and Care Concepts in a Geriatric Multilevel Centre: Development and Introduction of a Toolkit for Staff and Students

Background: Although interprofessional education (IPE) is not new, there has been limited research in IPE focused on the care of older adults. The objective of this study was to develop and implement an interprofessional education and care (IPE/C) toolkit, to help staff and students understand and apply the concepts of IPE/C.Methods and Findings: Focus groups identified staff and students’ understanding of IPE/C and informed development of an IPE/C toolkit comprised of IPE/C tools and resources. Five clinical teams (N = 51) attended workshops that introduced the toolkit and educated teams about IPE/C. Focus group participants had heard of but had limited exposure to IPE/C. Responses to the Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams (ATHT) questionnaire indicated a positive trend on all questions; 2 questions in subscale 1 were statistically significant (p = .01 & p = .005), indicating a positive attitude toward teams and teamwork. Several limitations were identified, including inconsistent attendance at workshops, scheduling challenges, and limited physician participation.Conclusions: This pilot project provided baseline data on staff and students’ understanding of and attitudes toward IPE/C in a multilevel geriatric centre and demonstrated that an IPE/C toolkit delivered via team workshops can enhance healthcare team attitudes. Next steps include expanding the rollout to other teams and introducing the toolkit to all staff and students

Methyl Reorientation in Methylphenanthrenes: 1. Solid-State Proton Spin-Lattice Relaxation in the 3-Methyl, 9-Methyl, and 3,9-Dimethyl Systems

We have investigated the dynamics of methyl group reorientation in solid methyl‐substituted phenanthrenes. The temperature dependence of the proton spin–lattice relaxation rates has been measured in polycrystalline 3‐methylphenanthrene (3‐MP), 9‐methylphenanthrene (9‐MP), and 3,9‐dimethylphenanthrene (3,9‐DMP) at Larmor frequencies of 8.50, 22.5, and 53.0 MHz. The data are interpreted using a Davidson–Cole spectral density which implies either that the correlation functions for intramolecular reorientation are nonexponential or that there is a distribution of exponential correlation times. Comparing the fitted parameters that characterize the relaxation data for the three molecules shows that the individual contributions to the relaxation rate from the 3‐ and 9‐methyls in 3,9‐DMP can be separated and that the parameters specifying each are similar to the equivalent group in the two single methylphenanthrenes. The 9‐methyl group is characterized by effective activation energies of 10.6±0.6 and 12.5±0.9 kJ/mol in 9‐MP and 3,9‐DMP, respectively, whereas the 3‐methyl group is characterized by effective activation energies of 5.2±0.8 and 5±1 kJ/mol in 3‐MP and 3,9‐DMP, respectively. The agreement between the fitted and calculated values of the spin–lattice interaction strength, assuming only intramethyl proton dipole–dipole interactions need be considered, is excellent. A comparison between experimentally determined correlation times and those calculated from a variety of very simple dynamical models is given, and the results suggest, as have several previous studies, that at high temperatures where tunneling plays no role, methyl reorientation is a simple, thermally activated, hopping process. We have also analyzed many published data in methyl‐substituted phenanthrenes, anthracenes, and naphthalenes (14 molecules) in the same way as we did for the phenanthrene data presented here, and a consistent picture for the dynamics of methyl reorientation emerges

Methyl reorientation in methylphenanthrenes. II. Solid-state proton spin-lattice relaxation in the 1-CH3, 9-CH3, and 1-CD3, 9-CH3 systems

We report proton Zeeman relaxation rates R as a function of temperature T at 8.5 and 53 MHz in polycrystalline 1,9-dimethylphenanthrene (1,9-DMP) and l-trideuteriomethyl-9-methylphenanthrene (1, 9-DMP[1-d3]). The data are interpreted using a Davidson-Cole spectral density for intramolecular reorientation and the implications of this are discussed. R vs T−1data for 1,9-DMP[1-d3] are used to determine the parameters that characterize the reorientation of the 9-methyl group. By assuming that the parameters characterizing the dynamics of the 9-methyl group are the same in 1,9-DMP and 1,9-DMP[1-d3], we subtract out the R vs T−1 contribution of the 9-methyl group in 1,9-DMP to determine the parameters that characterize the dynamics of the 1-methyl group. We find that the barrier for reorientation of the 9-methyl group is larger than the barrier for the 1-methyl group and this is discussed in terms of the various contributions to the barrier

Methyl Reorientation in Methylphenanthrenes: 1. Solid-State Proton Spin-Lattice Relaxation in the 3-Methyl, 9-Methyl, and 3,9-Dimethyl Systems

We have investigated the dynamics of methyl group reorientation in solid methyl‐substituted phenanthrenes. The temperature dependence of the proton spin–lattice relaxation rates has been measured in polycrystalline 3‐methylphenanthrene (3‐MP), 9‐methylphenanthrene (9‐MP), and 3,9‐dimethylphenanthrene (3,9‐DMP) at Larmor frequencies of 8.50, 22.5, and 53.0 MHz. The data are interpreted using a Davidson–Cole spectral density which implies either that the correlation functions for intramolecular reorientation are nonexponential or that there is a distribution of exponential correlation times. Comparing the fitted parameters that characterize the relaxation data for the three molecules shows that the individual contributions to the relaxation rate from the 3‐ and 9‐methyls in 3,9‐DMP can be separated and that the parameters specifying each are similar to the equivalent group in the two single methylphenanthrenes. The 9‐methyl group is characterized by effective activation energies of 10.6±0.6 and 12.5±0.9 kJ/mol in 9‐MP and 3,9‐DMP, respectively, whereas the 3‐methyl group is characterized by effective activation energies of 5.2±0.8 and 5±1 kJ/mol in 3‐MP and 3,9‐DMP, respectively. The agreement between the fitted and calculated values of the spin–lattice interaction strength, assuming only intramethyl proton dipole–dipole interactions need be considered, is excellent. A comparison between experimentally determined correlation times and those calculated from a variety of very simple dynamical models is given, and the results suggest, as have several previous studies, that at high temperatures where tunneling plays no role, methyl reorientation is a simple, thermally activated, hopping process. We have also analyzed many published data in methyl‐substituted phenanthrenes, anthracenes, and naphthalenes (14 molecules) in the same way as we did for the phenanthrene data presented here, and a consistent picture for the dynamics of methyl reorientation emerges

Respiratory simulator for robotic respiratory tract treatments

Robotic healthcare is a growing and multi-faceted field where robots help perform surgery, remotely provide care to patients, aid in supplying various physical therapies and further medical research. Robotic simulators of human physiology provide a powerful platform to advance the development of novel treatments, prostheses and therapies. This study focuses on the design, building, testing and characterisation of a novel simulator of the human respiratory system. The comparison between healthy subjects breathing and coughing physiological values and the values achieved utilising our novel bioinspired respiratory simulator shows that the latter is able to reproduce peak flow rates and volumes

Optimizing memory function in temporal lobe epilepsy

PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess whether engagement in a memory training programme and performing internet brain training exercises improve memory function in people with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: Seventy-seven people with TLE, complaining of memory difficulties, completed the study. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 67 years and 40 had left TLE. Participants were randomised to one of four conditions; Group 1: traditional memory training, Group 2: Lumosity, an on-line cognitive training programme, Group 3: traditional memory training and Lumosity, and Group 4: no training. Memory efficiency and mood were assessed at baseline and three months later. RESULTS: Group analyses indicated improved verbal recall after training (p<0.001) and improved subjective ratings (p<0.007). More participants reported a lessening of the memory burden (p<0.007) after training; differences were significant between Groups 1 and 3 compared to Group 4. Lumosity use was not associated with changes in the memory outcome measures but there was a relationship with depression ratings and the number of memory games played (p<0.01). Conventional memory training, IQ, and post-surgical status were associated with positive memory outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates traditional memory rehabilitation techniques can help reduce the burden of memory impairment in TLE. There was no evidence that Lumosity the on-line cognitive training programme had specific advantages. Positive change was not universal and larger studies will be required to explore factors associated with successful outcomes