A development of the describing functions for two nonlinearities separated by a linear function Final report, 1 Sep. 1965 - 1 Feb. 1966

Describing functions to analyze feedback control systems containing nonlinearities of dead zone and backlas

Gametogenesis and Spawning of Solenastrea bournoni and Stephanocoenia intersepta in Southeast Florida, USA

This study constitutes the first report of the gametogenic cycle of the scleractinian corals Solenastrea bournoni and Stephanocoenia intersepta. Tissue samples were collected near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA between July 2008 and November 2009 and processed for histological examination in an effort to determine reproductive mode and potential spawning times. Both S. bournoni and S. intersepta are gonochoric, broadcast spawning species. Gametogenesis of S. bournoni began in April or May while S. intersepta had a much longer oogenic cycle that began in December with spermatogenesis beginning in July. Though spawning was not observed in situ, spawning was inferred from the decrease of late stage gametes in histological samples. In addition, histological observations of oocyte resorption and released spermatozoa were used to corroborate spawning times. Data indicate that S. bournoni spawns in September while S. intersepta spawns after the full moon in late August or early Septemb

Gametogenesis and Spawning of Solenastrea bournoni and Stephanocoenia intersepta in Southeast Florida, USA

This study constitutes the first report of the gametogenic cycle of the scleractinian corals Solenastrea bournoni and Stephanocoenia intersepta. Tissue samples were collected near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA between July 2008 and November 2009 and processed for histological examination in an effort to determine reproductive mode and potential spawning times. Both S. bournoni and S. intersepta are gonochoric, broadcast spawning species. Gametogenesis of S. bournoni began in April or May while S. intersepta had a much longer oogenic cycle that began in December with spermatogenesis beginning in July. Though spawning was not observed in situ, spawning was inferred from the decrease of late stage gametes in histological samples. In addition, histological observations of oocyte resorption and released spermatozoa were used to corroborate spawning times. Data indicate that S. bournoni spawns in September while S. intersepta spawns after the full moon in late August or early Septemb

Ernährungskommunikation in Schwangerschaft und früher Kindheit: Erkenntnisse aus zwei Literaturreviews

Hintergrund: In der Schwangerschaft sowie im Säuglings- und Kleinkindalter werden entscheidende Weichen für die spätere Gesundheit gestellt. Das trifft in besonderem Maße auf die Ernährung zu. Unbestritten ist, dass Kommunikation eine wesentliche Rolle dabei spielt, ob ernährungsbezogene Präventionsprogramme erfolgreich sind bzw. sein können. Ziel der Arbeit: Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den internationalen Forschungsstand zu kommunikationsbasierten ernährungsbezogenen Interventionen bei Schwangeren, jungen Familien und Kindern im Alter bis 36 Monate aus einem kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Blickwinkel zu analysieren. Erhoben wurde, welche Kommunikationsstrategien im Kontext der Ernährungskommunikation erfolgreich waren und welche nicht. Material und Methoden: Zwei Reviews des internationalen Forschungsstands zu kommunikativen Interventionen im Kontext der Ernährung in Schwangerschaft und früher Kindheit wurden durchgeführt: Ein Scoping Review von 187 Übersichtsarbeiten sowie ein systematisches Review von 65 Einzelstudien mit einem mittleren oder hohen Evidenzgrad. Ergebnisse: Obwohl sich keine Übersichtsarbeit fand, in der verschiedene kommunikative Zugänge im Detail diskutiert wurden, ergab das Scoping Review viele Hinweise auf Erfolgsfaktoren und Barrieren ernährungsbezogener Interventionen. Das systematische Review der Einzelstudien illustrierte u. a. die wichtige Rolle interpersoneller Ansprachen (z. B. durch Kinder- und Jugendärztinnen und -ärzte, Frauenärztinnen und -ärzte, Hebammen), sowohl einzeln als auch ergänzend zu massenmedialen, digitalen (z. B. Apps) oder Social-Media-Interventionszugängen. Schlussfolgerung: Verschiedene kommunikative Zugänge der Ernährungskommunikation werden bislang unzureichend in der nötigen Differenziertheit diskutiert und sind überwiegend schlecht in der Literatur dokumentiert. Ein gesicherteres und umfangreicheres Wissen über evidenzbasierte Kommunikationsstrategien im Kontext von Schwangerschaft und früher Kindheit ist nötig, wenn ernährungsbezogene Präventionsprogramme erfolgreich sein sollen.Background: A healthy diet during pregnancy and early childhood is crucial for a family’s long-term health and well-being. It is undisputed that communication plays an essential role in whether nutrition-related prevention programs are successful or not. These interventions are also rarely based on communication science or theoretically grounded in evidence-based communication theories. Objectives: The aim of this project was to examine the international state of research regarding communication-based nutrition-related interventions for expectant and young families from a communication science perspective. The aim was to determine which communication strategies were successful in the context of strategic nutrition communication for promoting a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy and early childhood, and which were not. Materials and methods: Two reviews of the international state of research on communicative interventions in the context of nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood were conducted: First, a scoping review of 187 existing reviews and meta-analyses, and second a systematic review of 65 intervention studies with a high or at least medium level of evidence (i.e., randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, cross-sectional studies). Results: No single review or meta-analysis was found in which several communicative approaches (e.g., framing techniques, narrative approaches, social or moral appeals, types of presented evidence) were discussed in detail. Nonetheless, the scoping review revealed many indicators for success factors and barriers of nutrition-related communicative interventions. The systematic review of original studies illustrated, among others, the important role of interpersonal communication channels (e.g., doctors, nurses, midwives), either individually or in addition to mass media and social media approaches or digital interventions (e.g., smartphone apps). Conclusions: So far, the many existing communicative approaches towards nutrition communication have been largely neglected in the literature and have not been discussed in sufficient detail. Moreover, communicative approaches used for nutrition-related interventions during pregnancy and early childhood are poorly documented in published studies. More comprehensive knowledge of evidence-based communication strategies is deemed necessary from both a practical and scientific point of view in order to better motivate pregnant women and young families to rethink and adjust their nutrition habits

INTCare: a knowledge discovery based intelligent decision support system for intensive care medicine

This paper introduces the INTCare system, an intelligent information system based on a completely automated Knowledge Discovery process and on the Agents paradigm. The system was designed to work in Hospital Intensive Care Units, supporting the physicians’ decisions by means of prognostic Data Mining models. In particular, these techniques were used to predict organ failure and mortality assessment. The main intention is to change the current reactive behaviour to a pro-active one, enhancing the quality of service. Current applications and experimentations, the functional and structural aspects, and technological options are presented

Economics education and value change: The role of program-normative homogeneity and peer influence

In the light of corporate scandals and the recent financial crisis, there has been an increased interest in the impact of business education on the value orientations of graduates. Yet our understanding of how students' values change during their time at business school is limited. In this study,weinvestigate the effects of variations in the normative orientations of economics programs. We argue that interaction among economics students constitutes a key mechanism of value socialization, the effects of which are likely to vary across more-or-less normatively homogeneous economics programs. In normatively homogeneous programs, students are particularly likely to adopt economics values as a result of peer interaction. We specifically explore changes in power, hedonism, and self-direction values in a 2-year longitudinal study of economics students (N 5 197) in a normatively homogeneous and two normatively heterogeneous economics programs. As expected, for students in a normatively homogeneous economics program, interaction with peers was linked with an increase in power and hedonism values, and a decrease in self-direction values. Our findings highlight the interplay between program normative homogeneity and peer interaction as an important factor in value socialization during economics education and have important practical implications for business school leaders