Blended learning activities in an e-business course

The objectives of this study were threefold: to understand students’ perceptions of activities in a blended learning environment; to determine their preferred learning activities in this context, paralleling the four stages of Kolb’s learning cycle; and to determine the effectiveness of the blended learning used, based on scores achieved in an e-business course supported by the BLearning assessment system, a custom-designed reflective assessment tool. A mixed-methods approach was used to identify the students’ preferred activities. Findings indicate that (1) blended learning can add interest and variety to improve the students’ learning experience, (2) students prefer blended learning activities that match the first three stages of Kolb’s learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, and abstract conceptualisation), and (3) data collected from the e-business course exam results show that the blended learning process was effective. In aligning teaching activities to student preferences, the notion of “teaching patterns” is introduced as the teaching perspective on these activities. Findings further indicate that blended learning activities based on the first three stages of Kolb’s learning cycle may be more suitable for students who share similar learning preferences

A systematic review of the role of school-based healthcare in adolescent sexual, reproductive, and mental health

BACKGROUND: Accessible sexual, reproductive, and mental healthcare services are crucial for adolescent health and wellbeing. It has been reported that school-based healthcare (SBHC) has the potential to improve the availability of services particularly for young people who are normally underserved. Locating health services in schools has the potential to reduce transport costs, increase accessibility and provide links between schools and communities. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken. Pubmed, Psychinfo, Psychnet, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched for English language papers published between January 1990 and March 2012RESULTS:Twenty-seven studies were found which fitted the criteria, of which, all but one were from North America. Only three measured adolescent sexual, reproductive, or mental health outcomes related to SBHC and none of the studies were randomized controlled trials. The remaining studies explored accessibility of services and clinic utilization or described pertinent contextual factors. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of high quality research which evaluates SBHC and its effects on adolescent sexual, reproductive, and mental health. However, there is evidence that SBHC is popular with young people, and provides important mental and reproductive health services. Services also appear to have cost benefits in terms of adolescent health and society as a whole by reducing health disparities and attendance at secondary care facilities. However, clearer definitions of what constitutes SBHC and more high quality research is urgently needed

Prospectus, November 7, 1979

LOCAL CLUB LOCKED IN WITH JOLIET INMATES; Week in Review: Across the globe, In the nation, Throughout the state, Etc….; ERA activists need new blood; Briefs: Youthgrants offering 100 awards, Nat\u27l Lawyer Guild holds conference, Real Estate review, PC offering film course, Faculty wives activity tonight, Blood drive nets gallons; Awareness club rallied for tax; America has not failed--debate did; Letters to the Editor: Headline found offensive, Convocations Senator has mixed emotions, Foreigners have complaint right, Apathy is universal, Lack of coverage pointed out; Audience awakens to AATW music; Pablo cruises to the sun; Classifieds; Mary Lee Sargent: promoting women\u27s course; Parkland College Men\u27s Basketball; College Day at PC Nov. 7; Cooper has high hopes; V-ball advances; Parkland to host State Volleyball Tourney; Contestants have easy week; Fast Freddy Contest Images literary magazine pages 5-8https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1979/1005/thumbnail.jp

Bayesian joint analysis of cluster weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect data

As the quality of the available galaxy cluster data improves, the models fitted to these data might be expected to become increasingly complex. Here we present the Bayesian approach to the problem of cluster data modelling: starting from simple, physically motivated parameterised functions to describe the cluster's gas density, gravitational potential and temperature, we explore the high-dimensional parameter spaces with a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo sampler, and compute the Bayesian evidence in order to make probabilistic statements about the models tested. In this way sufficiently good data will enable the models to be distinguished, enhancing our astrophysical understanding; in any case the models may be marginalised over in the correct way when estimating global, perhaps cosmological, parameters. In this work we apply this methodology to two sets of simulated interferometric Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and gravitational weak lensing data, corresponding to current and next-generation telescopes. We calculate the expected precision on the measurement of the cluster gas fraction from such experiments, and investigate the effect of the primordial CMB fluctuations on their accuracy. We find that data from instruments such as AMI, when combined with wide-field ground-based weak lensing data, should allow both cluster model selection and estimation of gas fractions to a precision of better than 30 percent for a given cluster.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRAS; accepted 14/8/03 after minor revisio

First Intrinsic Anisotropy Observations with the Cosmic Background Imager

We present the first results of observations of the intrinsic anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation with the Cosmic Background Imager from a site at 5080 m altitude in northern Chile. Our observations show a sharp decrease in C_l in the range l=400 - 1500. The broadband amplitudes we have measured are deltaT(band) = 58.7 (-6.3, +7.7) microK for l = 603 (-166, +180) and 29.7 (-4.2, +4.8) microK for l = 1190 (-224, +261), where these are half-power widths in l. Such a decrease in power at high l is one of the fundamental predictions of the standard cosmological model, and these are the first observations which cover a broad enough l range to show this decrease in a single experiment. The C_l we have measured enable us to place limits on the density parameter, Omega(tot) = 0.7 (90% confidence).Comment: 5 pages including 2 figures. Corrected an error in the comparison with Boomerang and Maxim

CARMA Measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in RXJ1347.5-1145

We demonstrate the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect imaging capabilities of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) by presenting an SZ map of the galaxy cluster RXJ1347.5-1145. By combining data from multiple CARMA bands and configurations, we are able to capture the structure of this cluster over a wide range of angular scales, from its bulk properties to its core morphology. We find that roughly 9% of this cluster's thermal energy is associated with sub-arcminute-scale structure imparted by a merger, illustrating the value of high-resolution SZ measurements for pursuing cluster astrophysics and for understanding the scatter in SZ scaling relations. We also find that the cluster's SZ signal is lower in amplitude than suggested by a spherically-symmetric model derived from X-ray data, consistent with compression along the line of sight relative to the plane of the sky. Finally, we discuss the impact of upgrades currently in progress that will further enhance CARMA's power as an SZ imaging instrument.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

The Cosmic Background Imager

Design and performance details are given for the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI), an interferometer array that is measuring the power spectrum of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) for multipoles in the range 400 < l < 3500. The CBI is located at an altitude of 5000 m in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It is a planar synthesis array with 13 0.9-m diameter antennas on a 6-m diameter tracking platform. Each antenna has a cooled, low-noise receiver operating in the 26-36 GHz band. Signals are cross-correlated in an analog filterbank correlator with ten 1 GHz bands. This allows spectral index measurements which can be used to distinguish CMBR signals from diffuse galactic foregrounds. A 1.2 kHz 180-deg phase switching scheme is used to reject cross-talk and low-frequency pick-up in the signal processing system. The CBI has a 3-axis mount which allows the tracking platform to be rotated about the optical axis, providing improved (u,v) coverage and a powerful discriminant against false signals generated in the receiving electronics. Rotating the tracking platform also permits polarization measurements when some of the antennas are configured for the orthogonal polarization.Comment: 14 pages. Accepted for publication in PASP. See also http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~tjp/CBI

Prospectus, October 17, 1979

CANTEEN STILL IN TROUBLE; Language: Big adjustment; Across the globe; In the nation; Throughout the state; Around the town; Fire guts Athenaeum; Briefs: \u27Living Newspaper\u27 performs Oct. 23, German foods, Seniors to visit, Costumes display, Apply no more, Ciricle K events, Krannert events; Letter to editor: Ohio inmate wants pen-pal; Field trips to view artwork; French cooking offered Weds.; I.O.E. to evaluate Parkland College Oct. 30; Everyone would like a Vette; Feature: Fast Freddie wows women; Reviews: \u27Long Run\u27 ran, Science fiction and yesteryear unite in \u27time after time\u27, STYX book-album; Jumping out of a plane -- FOR FUN; Classifieds; Concerts: Frampton -- yea, Simms -- nay, Kenny Loggins storms C-U; Cross Country running well; Outlaws are a crowd pleaser; Sports: Cobras win 4 more; Superman Fast Freddy did it again? 4-9; Freddy\u27s picks; Fast Freddy Contest; Intramural Standingshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1979/1008/thumbnail.jp

Born too soon: accelerating actions for prevention and care of 15 million newborns born too soon.

Preterm birth complication is the leading cause of neonatal death resulting in over one million deaths each year of the 15 million babies born preterm. To accelerate change, we provide an overview of the comprehensive strategy required, the tools available for context-specifi c health system implementation now, and the priorities for research and innovation. There is an urgent need for action on a dual track: (1) through strategic research to advance the prevention of preterm birth and (2) improved implementation and innovation for care of the premature neonate. We highlight evidence-based interventions along the continuum of care, noting gaps in coverage, quality, equity and implications for integration and scale up. Improved metrics are critical for both burden and tracking programmatic change. Linked to the United Nation’s Every Women Every Child strategy, a target was set for 50% reduction in preterm deaths by 2025. Three analyses informed this target: historical change in high income countries, recent progress in best performing countries, and modelling of mortality reduction with high coverage of existing interventions. If universal coverage of selected interventions were to be achieved, then 84% or more than 921,000 preterm neonatal deaths could be prevented annually, with antenatal corticosteroids and Kangaroo Mother Care having the highest impact. Everyone has a role to play in reaching this target including government leaders, professionals, private sector, and of course families who are aff ected the most and whose voices have been critical for change in many of the countries with the most progress

Bayesian modelling of clusters of galaxies from multi-frequency pointed Sunyaev--Zel'dovich observations

We present a Bayesian approach to modelling galaxy clusters using multi-frequency pointed observations from telescopes that exploit the Sunyaev--Zel'dovich effect. We use the recently developed MultiNest technique (Feroz, Hobson & Bridges, 2008) to explore the high-dimensional parameter spaces and also to calculate the Bayesian evidence. This permits robust parameter estimation as well as model comparison. Tests on simulated Arcminute Microkelvin Imager observations of a cluster, in the presence of primary CMB signal, radio point sources (detected as well as an unresolved background) and receiver noise, show that our algorithm is able to analyse jointly the data from six frequency channels, sample the posterior space of the model and calculate the Bayesian evidence very efficiently on a single processor. We also illustrate the robustness of our detection process by applying it to a field with radio sources and primordial CMB but no cluster, and show that indeed no cluster is identified. The extension of our methodology to the detection and modelling of multiple clusters in multi-frequency SZ survey data will be described in a future work.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRA