Using Sequential Two-Part Focus Groups As A Supplemental Instrument For Student Course Evaluations

This paper describes the use of a sequential two-part focus group program designed to be a supplemental instrument for eliciting student suggestions to improve the teaching/learning process.   The sequential two-part focus group program provides students with two opportunities to provide feedback and have that feedback both noted and mirrored back to them. Many of the student comments and suggestions elicited during the focus group sessions were positive and constructive.  Moreover, use of the sequential two-part focus group program resulted in statistically significant improvement in student evaluations in all but one of the seven major sections of the Educational Testing Service’s SIR II, the primary instrument utilized to obtain the student course evaluations.  The “Overall Evaluation” of the course, wherein students are asked to, “Rate the quality of instruction in this course as it contributed to your learning,” improved most significantly.&nbsp

Vale Três Forquilhas no Sul do Brasil - evidência do soerguimento do planalto vulcânico

In Brazil drainage patterns and slopes were studied in the Valley of Três Forquilhas near Terra de Areia on the seaward edge of the volcanic plateau of northeastern Rio Grande do Sul. We studied this area to explain why the escarpment of the plateau is closest to the sea here and to establish the erosional history of this small part of the escarpment. Here two small rivers, Três Forquilhas and Maquiné, follow the Torres Syncline to the Atlantic Ocean. These rivers probably started to significantly erode the syncline and the volcanic plateau starting in the Middle to Late Miocene in response to far field Andean tectonics and epirogenic uplift across most of South America. Subsequent erosion probably occurred in pulses rather than at an uniform rate in both watersheds much as short bursts of intense heavy rainfall “pulse” local erosion of the escarpment every few years today. Study of the offshore sequence stratigraphy of the Tertiary fill of the adjacent Pelotas Basin helped us establish this local erosional history (seven unconformity bound sequences, thickness variations between these unconformities, and large scale slumping). Study of an onshore subsurface cross section also identified two paleovalleys in Mesozoic rocks beneath the present valleys of Três Forquilhas and Maquiné Rivers. There is a strong structural control on drainage at all scales. Consideration of slope process contributed significantly to our understanding of drainage evolution and the origin of the escarpment of the volcanic plateau.Os padrões de drenagem e a encosta foram estudados no vale do rio Três Forquilhas que é situado próximo da localidade de Terra de Areia, entre o mar e a borda nordeste do planalto vulcânico, no Rio Grande do Sul. Esta área foi estudada para explicar por que a escarpa do planalto vulcânico é mais próxima ao mar nesta sua por- ção nordeste e estabelecer a história erosional desta porção da escarpa. Aqui dois rios relativamente curtos, os rios Três Forquilhas e Maquiné, seguem a Sinclinal de Torres em direção ao Atlântico. Esses rios, provavelmente, iniciaram a erodir significativamente a sinclinal e a borda do planalto a partir do Mioceno Médio a Superior, em resposta à tectônica Andina de soerguimento tectônico de colisão ao longo da maior parte da América do Sul. A erosão subsequente, provavelmente, ocorreu em pulsos e não em uma fase uniforme em ambos os divisores de águas, muito como as chuvas torrenciais atualmente, que a cada dois ou três anos “impulsionaram” a erosão local da escarpa. O estudo da sequência estratigráfica no Terciário quando da sedimentação da Bacia de Pelotas adjacente à área de estudo, nos ajudou a estabelecer esta história erosiva local (sete discordâncias entre as sucessões de depósitos, variações de espessura entre estas discordâncias e a grande escala de espessuras). O estudo de uma seção transversal do continente em direção ao litoral identificou dois paleovales em rochas do Mesozoico abaixo do nível de base dos atuais rios Três Forquilhas e Maquiné. Há um controle estrutural forte da drenagem em todas as escalas. Essas considerações sobre os processos que se desenvolvem sobre a vertente contribuem, significativamente, para a compreensão sobre a evolução da drenagem e a origem da escarpa do planalto vulcânico

Acid-base changes and acetate metabolism during routine and high-efficiency hemodialysis in children

Acid-base changes and acetate metabolism during routine and high-efficiency hemodialysis in children. Changes in acid-base status and plasma acetate concentrations were studied in eight children during 11 hemodialysis sessions. During dialysis, the blood bicarbonate concentration fell (20.5 ± 0.7 to 19.6 ± 0.8 mEq/liter), the PCO2 fell (33.4 ± 0.8 to 27.5 ± 1.4 mm Hg), and the pH rose (7.42 ± 0.01 to 7.48 ± 0.02). During the hour after dialysis, the bicarbonate concentration rose to normal (23.4 ± 0.7 mEq/liter), the PCO2 rose (32.8 ± 0.8 mm Hg), and the pH remained unchanged. The half-life of plasma acetate, measured after dialysis, was 8.7 min. During five “high-efficiency” dialysis sessions (urea clearance, > 3.0 ml/min/kg), blood bicarbonate concentration fell 3.2 mEq/liter, PCO2 fell 8.7 mm Hg, and plasma acetate rose to 7.51 mmoles/liter, whereas during six “routine efficiency” dialysis sessions (urea clearance, 1.5 to 3.0 ml/min/kg), blood bicarbonate rose 1.0 mEq/liter, PCO2 fell 36 mm Hg, and plasma acetate rose to 3.52 mmoles/liter. At 1 hour after the end of dialysis, blood bicarbonate, PCO2, and plasma acetate concentrations were similar in the two groups. Clinical problems occurred more frequently in the high-efficiency group during dialysis although the difference was not significant. The data indicate that (1) dialysis with acetate buffer effectively corrects pre-dialysis metabolic acidosis, (2) although children have a high rate of acetate metabolism, during high-efficiency dialysis this rate is exceeded by the influx of acetate, and acid-base abnormalities occur. These abnormalities are transient but may cause clinical problems.Modifications acido-basiques et métabolisme de l'acétate au cours de l'hémodialyse de routine ou à efficacité élevée chez l'enfant. Les modifications de l'état acido-basique et des concentrations plasmatiques d'acétate ont été étudiées chez huit enfants au cours de 11 séances d'hémodialyse. Au cours de la dialyse les bicarbonates diminuent (20,5 ± 0,7 à 19,6 ± 0,8 mEq/ litre), la PCO2 diminue (33,4 ± 0,8 à 27,5 ± 1,4 mm Hg), et le pH augmente (7,42 ± 0,01 à 7,48 ± 0,02). Au cours de l'heure qui suit la dialyse les bicarbonates s'élèvent à une valeur normale, 23,4 ± 0,07 mEq/litre, la PCO2 s'élève à 32,8 ± 0,8 mm Hg, et le pH est inchangé. La demi vie de l'acétate plasmatique, mesurée après la dialyse, était de 8,7 min. Au cours de cinq séances de dialyse à haute efficacité (clearance de l'urée, > 3,0 ml/min/kg) les bicarbonates baissent de 3,2 mEq/litre, la PCO2 de 8,7 mm Hg, et l'acétate plasmatique s'est élevé à 7,51 mmoles/litre alors qu'au cours de six séances de dialyse d'efficacité moyenne (clearance de l'urée, 1,5 à 3,0 ml/min/kg) les bicarbonates ont augmenté de 1,0 mEq/litre, la PCO2 a diminué de 3,6 mm Hg, et l'acétate plasmatique s'est élevé à 3,52 mmoles/litre. Une heure après la fin de la dialyse les bicarbonates, la PCO2 et l'acétate plasmatique étaient semblables dans les deux groupes. Des problèmes cliniques sont survenus plus souvent au cours de la dialyse dans le groups à haute efficacité bien que la différence ne soit pas significative. Ces résultats indiquent que (1) la dialyse avec le tampon acétate corrige efficacement l'acidose métabolique pré-dialytique, (2) bien que l'enfant ait une capacité élevée de métaboliser l'acétate, cette capacité est débordée, au cours de la dialyse à haute efficacité, par l'entrée d'acétate et des anomalies acidobasiques surviennent. Ces anomalies sont transitoires et peuvent déterminer des problèmes cliniques

Cross-cultural variations in big five relationships with religiosity: a sociocultural motives perspective.

A sociocultural motives perspective (SMP) on Big Five relationships is introduced. According to the SMP, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness elicit assimilation to sociocultural norms, Openness elicits contrast from these norms, and Extraversion and Neuroticism are independent of sociocultural assimilation and contrast. Due to sociocultural assimilation, then, relationships of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness with an outcome wax (become more positive or less negative) with that outcome's increasing sociocultural normativeness. Due to sociocultural contrast, relationships of Openness with an outcome wane (become less positive or more negative) with that outcome's increasing sociocultural normativeness. We tested the SMP using religiosity as our outcome. Study 1 included 4 cross-sectional self-report data sets across 66 countries (N = 1,129,334), 50 U.S. states (N = 1,057,342), 15 German federal states (N = 20,885), and 121 British urban areas (N = 386,315). Study 2 utilized informant-report data across 37 countries (N = 544,512). Study 3 used longitudinal data across 15 German federal states (N = 14,858). Results consistently supported the SMP. Relationships of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness with religiosity were more positive in religious sociocultural contexts than in secular contexts. Relationships of Openness with religiosity were more negative in religious sociocultural contexts than in secular contexts. At a more general level, the SMP offers theory-driven explanations for cross-cultural variations in Big Five relationships with their outcomes.We thankfully acknowledge support from the German Research Foundation (DFG; GE 2515/3-1).This is the accepted manuscript. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record. The final version is available from APA at http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2014-35855-001/

Autonomous Light Management in Flexible Photoelectrochromic Films Integrating High Performance Silicon Solar Microcells

Commercial smart window technologies for dynamic light and heat management in building and automotive environments traditionally rely on electrochromic (EC) materials powered by an external source. This design complicates building-scale installation requirements and substantially increases costs for applications in retrofit construction. Self-powered photoelectrochromic (PEC) windows are an intuitive alternative wherein a photovoltaic (PV) material is used to power the electrochromic device, which modulates the transmission of the incident solar flux. The PV component in this application must be sufficiently transparent and produce enough power to efficiently modulate the EC device transmission. Here, we propose Si solar microcells (μ-cells) that are i) small enough to be visually transparent to the eye, and ii) thin enough to enable flexible PEC devices. Visual transparency is achieved when Si μ-cells are arranged in high pitch (i.e. low-integration density) form factors while maintaining the advantages of a single-crystalline PV material (i.e., long lifetime and high performance). Additionally, the thin dimensions of these Si μ-cells enable fabrication on flexible substrates to realize these flexible PEC devices. The current work demonstrates this concept using WO₃ as the EC material and V₂O₅ as the ion storage layer, where each component is fabricated via sol-gel methods that afford improved prospects for scalability and tunability in comparison to thermal evaporation methods. The EC devices display fast switching times, as low as 8 seconds, with a modulation in transmission as high as 33%. Integration with two Si μ-cells in series (affording a 1.12 V output) demonstrates an integrated PEC module design with switching times of less than 3 minutes, and a modulation in transmission of 32% with an unprecedented EC:PV areal ratio

A discursive psychology analysis of emotional support for men with colorectal cancer

Recent research into both masculinity and health, and the provision of social support for people with cancer has focussed upon the variations that may underlie broad assumptions about masculine health behaviour. The research reported here pursues this interest in variation by addressing the discursive properties of talk about emotional support, by men with colorectal cancer - an understudied group in the social support and cancer literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight men with colorectal cancer, and the transcripts analysed using an intensive discursive psychology approach. From this analysis two contrasting approaches to this group of men’s framing of emotional support in the context of cancer are described. First, talk about cancer was positioned as incompatible with preferred masculine identities. Second, social contact that affirms personal relationships was given value, subject to constraints arising from discourses concerning appropriate emotional expression. These results are discussed with reference to both the extant research literature on masculinity and health, and their clinical implications, particularly the advice on social support given to older male cancer patients, their families and friends

Thermodynamics of statistically interacting quantum gas in D dimensions

We present the exact thermodynamics (isochores, isotherms, isobars, response functions) of a statistically interacting quantum gas in D dimensions. The results in D=1 are those of the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz for the nonlinear Schroedinger model, a gas with repulsive two-body contact potential. In all dimensions the ideal boson and fermion gases are recovered in the weak-coupling and strong-coupling limits, respectively. For all nonzero couplings ideal fermion gas behavior emerges for D>>1 and, in the limit D->infinity, a phase transition occurs at T>0. Significant deviations from ideal quantum gas behavior are found for intermediate coupling and finite D.Comment: 12 pages and 19 figure

Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Observations of T Dwarfs: Brown Dwarf Multiplicity and New Probes of the L/T Transition

We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS imaging survey of 22 T-type field brown dwarfs. Five are resolved as binary systems with angular separations of 0"05-0"35, and companionship is established on the basis of component F110W-F170M colors (indicative of CH4 absorption) and low probabilities of background contamination. Prior ground-based observations show 2MASS 1553+1532AB to be a common proper motion binary. The properties of these systems - low multiplicity fraction (11[+7][-3]% resolved, as corrected for sample selection baises), close projected separations (a = 1.8-5.0 AU) and near-unity mass ratios - are consistent with previous results for field brown dwarf binaries. Three of the binaries have components that span the poorly-understood transition between L dwarfs and T dwarfs. Spectral decomposition analysis of one of these, SDSS 1021-0304AB, reveals a peculiar flux reversal between its components, as its T5 secondary is ~30% brighter at 1.05 and 1.27 micron than its T1 primary. This system, 2MASS 0518-2828AB and SDSS 1534+1615AB all demonstrate that the J-band brightening observed between late-type L to mid-type T dwarfs is an intrinsic feature of this spectral transition, albeit less pronounced than previously surmised. We also find that the resolved binary fraction of L7 to T3.5 dwarfs is twice that of other L and T dwarfs, an anomaly that can be explained by a relatively rapid evolution of brown dwarfs through the L/T transition, perhaps driven by dynamic (nonequilibrium) depletion of photospheric condensates.Comment: ~40 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication to ApJ. Note that emulateapj style file cuts off part of Table