Against All Odds: Students' Interest in, and Perceived Value of, Research and Nonresearch Psychology Subjects

Although research literacy is necessary for the competent delivery of psychological services, many psychology students hold negative attitudes toward research subjects. The current study explored undergraduate students’ perceptions of research subjects relative to nonresearch subjects. A sample of 249 Australian (45.4%) and Singaporean (54.6%) first-year university students (Mage = 21.27, SDage = 5.14, females = 75.9%) indicated their interest in, and perceived value of, 32 psychology subjects (based on title and a short description). They also nominated their most/least interested and valued subject and provided a free-text explanation for their selections. Participants perceived research subjects as significantly less interesting and valuable relative to nonresearch subjects (d values were indicative of a large difference for interest and a small-to-medium different for value). Cluster analysis indicated that research subjects are seen as distinct, forming their own cluster. This finding was supported by thematic analysis of participants’ open-ended responses. Students considered research subjects to be especially difficult, requiring skills they did not possess or enjoy using (e.g., mathematics), and lacking relevance to their future studies and intended careers. The findings suggest that research methods instructors should aim to emphasize the relevance of research to practice in high interest areas (e.g., psychopathology)

Critically Appraised Paper for “The effects of a home-based virtual reality rehabilitation program on balance among individuals with Parkinson’s disease”

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 12-week home-based exercise program using the Nintendo Wii system in its capacity to improve balance and balance confidence and maintain exercise compliance. Balance and balance confidence were measured with the Center of Pressure Length (COPL) and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), which were administered before the start of the intervention, 6 weeks into the intervention, and within 1 week postintervention. Although changes in balance and balance confidence scores were found to be nonsignificant, a pattern emerged in which scores for both measures rose between preand postintervention assessments, then fell to nearly baseline levels at postintervention. Changes in adherence to the intervention program over the course of 12 weeks were also found to be nonsignificant, which indicated that user interest in the program was maintained. Despite the nonsignificant changes in balance scores, the study prompts further research into the use of 2 virtual reality modalities in rehabilitation

On the consistency of scale among experiments, theory, and simulation

As a tool for addressing problems of scale, we consider an evolving approach known as the thermodynamically constrained averaging theory (TCAT), which has broad applicability to hydrology. We consider the case of modeling of two-fluid-phase flow in porous media, and we focus on issues of scale as they relate to various measures of pressure, capillary pressure, and state equations needed to produce solvable models. We apply TCAT to perform physics-based data assimilation to understand how the internal behavior influences the macroscale state of two-fluid porous medium systems. A microfluidic experimental method and a lattice Boltzmann simulation method are used to examine a key deficiency associated with standard approaches. In a hydrologic process such as evaporation, the water content will ultimately be reduced below the irreducible wetting-phase saturation determined from experiments. This is problematic since the derived closure relationships cannot predict the associated capillary pressures for these states. We demonstrate that the irreducible wetting-phase saturation is an artifact of the experimental design, caused by the fact that the boundary pressure difference does not approximate the true capillary pressure. Using averaging methods, we compute the true capillary pressure for fluid configurations at and below the irreducible wetting-phase saturation. Results of our analysis include a state function for the capillary pressure expressed as a function of fluid saturation and interfacial area

Planning a Virtual Conference: Tips from the TOPkit Team

Factors that make a virtual conference great require a dedicated team, careful planning, and a variety of technological tools. The TOPkit (Teaching Online Preparation Toolkit) Workshop team reveals the secrets of their virtual workshop planning process, including strategies and tools for virtual teamwork, project management, constructing the conference program, selecting virtual platforms and websites, and communications and promotions, laying the foundation for planning your own successful virtual event

Young Stellar Objects in the Gould Belt

We present the full catalog of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) identified in the 18 molecular clouds surveyed by the Spitzer Space Telescope "cores to disks" (c2d) and "Gould Belt" (GB) Legacy surveys. Using standard techniques developed by the c2d project, we identify 3239 candidate YSOs in the 18 clouds, 2966 of which survive visual inspection and form our final catalog of YSOs in the Gould Belt. We compile extinction corrected SEDs for all 2966 YSOs and calculate and tabulate the infrared spectral index, bolometric luminosity, and bolometric temperature for each object. We find that 326 (11%), 210 (7%), 1248 (42%), and 1182 (40%) are classified as Class 0+I, Flat-spectrum, Class II, and Class III, respectively, and show that the Class III sample suffers from an overall contamination rate by background AGB stars between 25% and 90%. Adopting standard assumptions, we derive durations of 0.40-0.78 Myr for Class 0+I YSOs and 0.26-0.50 Myr for Flat-spectrum YSOs, where the ranges encompass uncertainties in the adopted assumptions. Including information from (sub)millimeter wavelengths, one-third of the Class 0+I sample is classified as Class 0, leading to durations of 0.13-0.26 Myr (Class 0) and 0.27-0.52 Myr (Class I). We revisit infrared color-color diagrams used in the literature to classify YSOs and propose minor revisions to classification boundaries in these diagrams. Finally, we show that the bolometric temperature is a poor discriminator between Class II and Class III YSOs.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS. 29 pages, 11 figures, 14 tables, 4 appendices. Full versions of data tables (to be published in machine-readable format by ApJS) available at the end of the latex source cod

Synthesis and Characterization of Ruthenium and Rhenium Nucleosides

We report the synthesis and characterization of new ruthenium and rhenium nucleosides [Ru(tolyl-acac)_2(IMPy)-T] (tolyl-acac = di(p-methylbenzonatemethane), IMPy = 2‘-iminomethylpyridine, T = thymidine) (5) and [Re(CO)_3(IMPy)-T]Cl (9), respectively. Structural analysis of 9 shows that the incorporation of this metal complex causes minimal perturbation to the sugar backbone and the nucleobase. Eletrochemical (5, E_(1/2) = 0.265 V vs NHE; 9, E_(1/2) = 1.67 V vs NHE), absorption (5, λ_(max) = 600, 486 nm; 9, λ_(max) = 388 nm), and emission (9, λ_(max) = 770 nm, π = 17 ns) data indicate that 5 and 9 are suitable probes for DNA-mediated ground-state electron-transfer studies. The separation and characterization of diastereoisomers of 5 and bipyridyl-based ruthenium nucleoside [Ru(bpy)_2(IMPy)-T]^(2+) (7) are reported

An algorithmic and information-theoretic approach to multimetric index construction

The use of multimetric indices (MMIs), such as the widely used index of biological integrity (IBI), to measure, track, summarize and infer the overall impact of human disturbance on biological communities has been steadily growing in recent years. Initially, MMIs were developed for aquatic communities using preselected biological metrics as indicators of system integrity. As interest in these bioassessment tools has grown, so have the types of biological systems to which they are applied. For many ecosystem types the appropriate biological metrics to use as measures of biological integrity are not known a priori. As a result, a variety of ad hoc protocols for selecting metrics empirically has developed. However, the assumptions made by proposed protocols have not be explicitly described or justified, causing many investigators to call for a clear, repeatable methodology for developing empirically derived metrics and indices that can be applied to any biological system. An issue of particular importance that has not been sufficiently addressed is the way that individual metrics combine to produce an MMI that is a sensitive composite indicator of human disturbance. In this paper, we present and demonstrate an algorithm for constructing MMIs given a set of candidate metrics and a measure of human disturbance. The algorithm uses each metric to inform a candidate MMI, and then uses information-theoretic principles to select MMIs that capture the information in the multidimensional system response from among possible MMIs. Such an approach can be used to create purely empirical (data-based) MMIs or can, optionally, be influenced by expert opinion or biological theory through the use of a weighting vector to create value-weighted MMIs. We demonstrate the algorithm with simulated data to demonstrate the predictive capacity of the final MMIs and with real data from wetlands from Acadia and Rocky Mountain National Parks. For the Acadia wetland data, the algorithm identified 4 metrics that combined to produce a −0.88 correlation with the human disturbance index. When compared to other methods, we find this algorithmic approach resulted in MMIs that were more predictive and comprise fewer metrics

Stage-dependent transient storage of phosphorus in alluvial floodplains

Models for contaminant transport in streams commonly idealize transient storage as a well-mixed but immobile system. These transient storage models capture rapid (near-stream) hyporheic storage and transport, but do not account for large-scale, stage-dependent interaction with the alluvial aquifer. The objective of this research was to document transient storage of phosphorus (P) in coarse gravel alluvium potentially influenced by large-scale, stage-dependent preferential flow pathways (PFPs). Long-term monitoring was performed at floodplain sites adjacent to the Barren Fork Creek and Honey Creek in northeastern Oklahoma. Based on results from subsurface electrical resistivity mapping which was correlated to hydraulic conductivity data, observation wells were installed both in higher hydraulic conductivity and lower hydraulic conductivity subsoils. Water levels in the wells were monitored over time, and water samples were obtained from the observation wells and the stream to document P concentrations at multiple times during high flow events. Contour plots indicating direction of flow were developed using water table elevation data. Contour plots of total P concentrations showed the alluvial aquifer acting as a transient storage zone, with P-laden stream water heterogeneously entering the aquifer during the passage of a storm pulse, and subsequently re-entering the stream during baseflow conditions. Some groundwater in the alluvial floodplains had total P concentrations that mirrored the streams’ total P concentrations. A detailed analysis of P forms indicated that particulate P (i.e. P attached to particulates greater than 0·45 μm) was a significant portion of the P transport. This research suggests the need for more controlled studies on stage-dependent transient storage in alluvial systems

Stage-dependent transient storage of phosphorus in alluvial floodplains

Models for contaminant transport in streams commonly idealize transient storage as a well-mixed but immobile system. These transient storage models capture rapid (near-stream) hyporheic storage and transport, but do not account for large-scale, stage-dependent interaction with the alluvial aquifer. The objective of this research was to document transient storage of phosphorus (P) in coarse gravel alluvium potentially influenced by large-scale, stage-dependent preferential flow pathways (PFPs). Long-term monitoring was performed at floodplain sites adjacent to the Barren Fork Creek and Honey Creek in northeastern Oklahoma. Based on results from subsurface electrical resistivity mapping which was correlated to hydraulic conductivity data, observation wells were installed both in higher hydraulic conductivity and lower hydraulic conductivity subsoils. Water levels in the wells were monitored over time, and water samples were obtained from the observation wells and the stream to document P concentrations at multiple times during high flow events. Contour plots indicating direction of flow were developed using water table elevation data. Contour plots of total P concentrations showed the alluvial aquifer acting as a transient storage zone, with P-laden stream water heterogeneously entering the aquifer during the passage of a storm pulse, and subsequently re-entering the stream during baseflow conditions. Some groundwater in the alluvial floodplains had total P concentrations that mirrored the streams’ total P concentrations. A detailed analysis of P forms indicated that particulate P (i.e. P attached to particulates greater than 0·45 μm) was a significant portion of the P transport. This research suggests the need for more controlled studies on stage-dependent transient storage in alluvial systems

Getters for improved technetium containment in cementitious waste forms.

A cementitious waste form, Cast Stone, is a possible candidate technology for the immobilization of low activity nuclear waste (LAW) at the Hanford site. This work focuses on the addition of getter materials to Cast Stone that can sequester Tc from the LAW, and in turn, lower Tc release from the Cast Stone. Two getters which produce different products upon sequestering Tc from LAW were tested: Sn(II) apatite (Sn-A) that removes Tc as a Tc(IV)-oxide and potassium metal sulfide (KMS-2) that removes Tc as a Tc(IV)-sulfide species, allowing for a comparison of stability of the form of Tc upon entering the waste form. The Cast Stone with KMS-2 getter had the best performance with addition equivalent to ∼0.08wt% of the total waste form mass. The observed diffusion (Dobs) of Tc decreased from 4.6±0.2×10-12cm2/s for Cast Stone that did not contain a getter to 5.4±0.4×10-13cm2/s for KMS-2 containing Cast Stone. It was found that Tc-sulfide species are more stable against re-oxidation within getter containing Cast Stone compared with Tc-oxide and is the origin of the decrease in Tc Dobs when using the KMS-2