The effect of culture on online learning

The author is conducting survey research to identify possible effects of\ud culture on online learning success. The research will consider the cultural\ud dimension of uncertainty avoidance identified by Hofstede (2001). The research\ud participants will be students at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The survey\ud will ask learners about their perceptions of the online learning tools they had used,\ud their own impressions of their learning success as influenced by the online\ud learning tools, and information about their cultural values. This paper will outline\ud the research underpinnings, approach, and expected results

What ξ\xi? Cosmological constraints on the non-minimal coupling constant

In dynamical system describing evolution of universe with the flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker symmetry filled with barotropic dust matter and non-minimally coupled scalar field with a constant potential function an invariant manifold of the de Sitter state is used to obtain exact solutions of the reduced dynamics. Using observational data coming from distant supernovae type Ia, the Hubble function $H(z)$ measurements and information coming from the Alcock-Paczy$\'n$ski test we find cosmological constraints on the non-minimal coupling constant $\xi$ between the scalar curvature and the scalar field. For all investigated models we can exclude negative values of this parameter at the $68\%$ confidence level. We obtain constraints on the non-minimal coupling constant consistent with condition for conformal coupling of the scalar field in higher dimensional theories of gravity.Comment: (v2) 11 pages, 2 figs. published versio

Medical and Social Characteristics of Physicians Attending Postgraduate Training Courses (Social Survey)

The paper studies professional, social and psychological aspects concerned with a practical activity of physicians referred to attend postgraduate training courses at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University.Aim. To develop the recommendations on the improvement in the system of postgraduate medical education under the conditions of general reform in the health care system.The research was done by the survey method in the form of standardized (formalized) interview that was applied as the main approach to the process of collecting social and psychological information.The survey included 823 physicians referred to attend postgraduate training courses at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University. The working experience of postgraduate course attendants was the following: up to 5 years – 25.39±1.52 %, 5–10 years – 21.39±1.43 %, 11–15 years – 11.79±1.12 %, 16–20 years – 9.96±1.04 %, 21–30 years – 16.89±1.31 %, more than 30 years – 14.58±1.23 %.The majority of questioned medical workers (74.24±1.52 %) feel calm and happy at their working place. However, the received data indicates that 23.09±1.47 % of the responders feel disturbance and 1.94±0.48 % experience fear at work. The analysis of the research results allowed differentiating five sharp problems which are very topical and significant at the medical institution where the physicians have been performing their practice. They can be ranged in the following way: the job compensation (42.93±2.09 %), absence of modern medical equipment (26.65±1.87 %), organization of the working process (22.90±1.78 %), reorganization (7.69±1.13 %), extra documentation (7.33±1.10 %). The carried out survey permitted to determine the psychological atmosphere at medical institutions there the course attendants have been practicing. The conflicts are not a characteristic feature of medical institutions, since almost half of the responders indicated the absence of conflicts with higher managers (52.86±1.74 %), direct managers (43.01±1.73 %), subordinate personnel (43.38±1.73 %). This index is somewhat lower concerning the colleagues and patients. It amounts for 36.33±1.68 % and 33.17±1.64 % respectively.The physicians practicing in medicine and prevention as well as dentistry branches are most disturbed by the lack of financial sources. More than a half of responders (73.86±2.70 %) indicated it by their answers. Other responses included the absence of perspectives – 68.18±2.87 %, extreme, stressful living conditions – 25.38±2.68 %, personal present health status – 20.08±2.47 %, personal lack of confidence – 9.47±1.80 % (the number of responses was not restricted).The carried out work has showed the necessity of introducing the specialized course “State medical policy”. It should be aimed at delivering the information on the status, perspectives, reforming changes and the expected outcomes resulting from these factors in the branch of medicine. In order to decrease the negative influence of the professional burnout, it is recommended to plan the specialized training classes that are directed on the prevention of the listed above phenomena

Cosmological dynamics with non-minimally coupled scalar field and a constant potential function

Dynamical systems methods are used to investigate global behavior of the spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model in gravitational theory with a non-minimally coupled scalar field and a constant potential function. We show that the system can be reduced to an autonomous three-dimensional dynamical system and additionally is equipped with an invariant manifold corresponding to an accelerated expansion of the universe. Using this invariant manifold we find an exact solution of the reduced dynamics. We investigate all solutions for all admissible initial conditions using theory of dynamical systems to obtain a classification of all evolutional paths. The right-hand sides of the dynamical system depend crucially on the value of the non-minimal coupling constant therefore we study bifurcation values of this parameter under which the structure of the phase space changes qualitatively. We found a special bifurcation value of the non-minimal coupling constant which is distinguished by dynamics of the model and may suggest some additional symmetry in matter sector of the theory.Comment: 39 pages, 8 multiple figs; v2. 41 pages, 8 multiple figs. published versio

Dynamical complexity of the Brans-Dicke cosmology

The dynamics of the Brans-Dicke theory with a quadratic scalar field potential function and barotropic matter is investigated. The dynamical system methods are used to reveal complexity of dynamical evolution in homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models. The structure of phase space crucially depends on the parameter of the theory $\omega_{\textrm{BD}}$ as well as barotropic matter index $w_{m}$. In our analysis these parameters are treated as bifurcation parameters. We found sets of values of these parameters which lead to generic evolutional scenarios. We show that in isotropic and homogeneous models in the Brans-Dicke theory with a quadratic potential function the de Sitter state appears naturally. Stability conditions of this state are fully investigated. It is shown that these models can explain accelerated expansion of the Universe without the assumption of the substantial form of dark matter and dark energy. The Poincare construction of compactified phase space with a circle at infinity is used to show that phase space trajectories in a physical region can be equipped with a structure of a vector field on nontrivial topological closed space. For $\omega_{\textrm{BD}}<-3/2$ we show new types of early and late time evolution leading from the anti-de Sitter to the de Sitter state through an asymmetric bounce. In the theory without a ghost we find bouncing solutions and the coexistence of the bounces and the singularity. Following the Peixoto theorem some conclusions about structural stability are drawn.Comment: 34 pages, 14 figs; (v2) 36 pages, 16 figs, refs. added, JCAP (in press

Medical Psychological Moods of the Doctors Starting the Training at the Qualification Improvement Courses (Based on the Results of the Sociological Study)

The quality of medical care depends on the training of specialists, carried out, in particular, through continuous medical education.Aim. To form the recommendations for improving the postgraduate medical education system in the context of the overall reform of the health care system.Materials and methods. The survey involved 823 doctors who were starting the training at the qualification improvement courses (27.40 % – males and 70.60 % – females) aged from 24 to 50+. In order to realize the purpose of the study we used, as the main method of social psychological information collecting, the method of questioning in the form of standardized (formalized) interview.Results. Doctors of all specialties used knowledge acquired during previous courses, although with certain differences. Significant difference was found in satisfaction with the level of obtained practical skills during previous courses: 81.04±1.66 % of surgeons, therapeutic, pediatric, dental specialists were very satisfied or rather satisfied, when this indicator in case of doctors of the medico-prophylactic and pharmaceutical specialties was only 39.02±3.00 %. Regarding the level of theoretical knowledge, 85.51±1.49 % of surgeons, therapeutic, pediatric and dental specialists were very satisfied or satisfied with the theoretical part of qualification improvement courses and 57.20±3.05 % of doctors of the medico-prophylactic and pharmaceutical specialties were not satisfied or completely dissatisfied. 85.15±1.50 % of doctors of surgical, therapeutic, pediatric and dental specialties completely or partly used the ideas offered during the previous courses, when 31.82 ±2.87 % of the doctors of the medico-prophylactic and pharmaceutical specialties did not use anything in their practice. 72.42±1.56 % of doctors of all specialties consider that they have not yet reached their own career maximum. Almost half of doctors of all specialties wanted to receive more theoretical and practical knowledge during the courses, although 40.15±3.02 % of doctors of the medico-prophylactic and pharmaceutical specialties were interested in obtaining large volumes of information from their foreign counterparts, while only 4.29±0.86 % of doctors of surgical, therapeutic, pediatric and dental specialties were interested in gaining such information.Conclusion. The survey indicates the need to change and update the content of the qualification improvement courses work programs, as well as the creation of new ones, which is a prerequisite for the reorganization of the postgraduate medical education system. It is reasonable to create curricula and programs according to the specialties of doctors and basing on the previous survey results concerning queries and expectations

Paths of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker brane models

Dynamics of brane-world models of dark energy is reviewed. We demonstrate that simple dark energy brane models can be represented as 2-dimensional dynamical systems of a Newtonian type. Hence a fictitious particle moving in a potential well characterizes the model. We investigate the dynamics of the brane models using methods of dynamical systems. The simple brane-world models can be successfully unified within a single scheme -- an ensemble of brane dark energy models. We characterize generic models of this ensemble as well as exceptional ones using the notion of structural stability (instability). Then due to the Peixoto theorem we can characterize the class of generic brane models. We show that global dynamics of the generic brane models of dark energy is topologically equivalent to the concordance $\Lambda$CDM model. We also demonstrate that the bouncing models or models in which acceleration of the universe is only transient phenomenon are non-generic (or exceptional cases) in the ensemble. We argue that the adequate brane model of dark energy should be a generic case in the ensemble of FRW dynamical systems on the plane.Comment: revtex4, 14 pages, 11 figures; (v2) title changed, published versio