Rapid Karst Development in an English Quartzitic Sandstone

 Na izdankih Fellskih peščenjakov v pokrajini Northumberland v Angliji, se pojavlja več kraških oblik, med njimi tudi jame. Kraške oblike so nastale v holocenu, saj je bilo območje v Devenzijski hladni dobi pokrito z ledenikom. Predvidevamo, da je nastanek teh oblik povezan z incepcijo tektonske dejavnosti in hitro arenizacijo (selektivnim preperevanjem vlažnih) kamnitih površin. V članku razpravljamo tudi o omejenosti splošno sprejetih definicij termina kras. Many karst features, including caves, have been found in the outcrop of the Fell Sandstone in Northumberland, England. These features are Holocene in age, since the area was glaciated during the Devensian cold stage. It is suggested that tectonic inception and selective arenisation of rock faces that remain damp are responsible for these karst features. The limitations of textbook definitions of the term karst are discussed

2014/15 Skills2Play/Sport programme evaluation

The Primary School Physical Literacy Framework reflects the importance of the development of children’s physical literacy; “the motivation, confidence, knowledge and understanding that provides children with the movement foundation for lifelong participation in physical activity.” It also provides clear guidance as to how schools can maximise opportunities to develop the physical literacy of their pupils. Skills2Play and Skills2PlaySport are two complementary primary school physical literacy initiatives designed to support the objectives of the new Framework. Together they comprise the Skills2Play/Sport programme. Throughout this report the term Skills2Play/Sport refers to the programme, comprising both initiatives (Skills2Play and Skills2PlaySport). The programme consists of training and a resource and equipment package, which includes activity cards for both Skills2Play (blue cards) and Skills2PlaySport (purple cards) supplied to primary school deliverers by the Youth Sport Trust. Skills2Play is targeted at Key Stage 1 (KS1) and focuses on generic skill development through a range of play activities that focus on stability, object control and locomotion. Skills2PlaySport is targeted at lower Key Stage 2 (KS2) and includes multiskill activities that build from the generic skills but also introduce the connectivity with the sports through the development of skills specific to sporting ‘themes’, namely ‘Invasion’, ‘Striking and Fielding’ and ‘Net/Wall’. Further themes are currently at varying stages of development and include ‘Aquatics’, ‘Gymnastics’, ‘Athletics’ and ‘Wheels’. ABOUT THE EVALUATION The Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research (SPEAR) was commissioned by the Youth Sport Trust to conduct an independent evaluation of the Skills2Play/Sport programme between January 2014 and July 2015. The initial stages of the evaluation focused on the pilot programme undertaken in fifty primary schools. In May 2014 SPEAR produced the Pilot Evaluation Report, which captured teachers’ experiences of the training, resources and delivery of the Skills2Play/Sport pilot programme. The programme was then rolled out to 1,000 schools nationally and the objectives of the Evaluation of the national Skills2Play/Sport programme were as follows: 1. To assess how Skills2PlaySport and Skills2Play are being delivered and sustained in primary schools to support children’s physical literacy development. 2. To investigate the impact of Skills2PlaySport on the development of lower Key Stage 2 children’s physical literacy over 12 weeks of the programme. 3. To investigate the impact of Skills2Play on the development of Key Stage 1 children’s physical literacy over 12 weeks of the programme

Breeding Season Distribution of Cerulean Warblers in Arkansas in the 1990s

The Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) has been declining in numbers in its North American nesting range, and the same is true in Arkansas. To provide specific sites that can be monitored in the future, this study describes places where the bird was documented in the state in the 1990s. The warbler was found in mature deciduous forest in both upland and bottomland situations but was most abundant in the upland Ozark forests and uncommon in other regions of the state. Most (70%) of the occupied sites were on federal and state lands. Pattern of overall distribution was essentially the same in the 1990s as it was in an earlier period through 1973. Data in one case suggest that group selection type of forest harvest may produce habitats that are beneficial to Cerulean Warblers

A generalizability study of the medical judgment vignettes interview to assess students' noncognitive attributes for medical school

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the reliability of admission interviews has been improved through the use of objective and structured approaches, there still remains the issue of identifying and measuring relevant attributes or noncognitive domains of interest. In this present study, we use generalizability theory to determine the estimated variance associated with participants, judges and stations from a semi-structured, Medical Judgment Vignettes interview used as part of an initiative to improve the reliability and content validity of the interview process used in the selection of students for medical school.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A three station, Medical Judgment Vignettes interview was conducted with 29 participants and scored independently by two judges on a well-defined 5-point rubric. Generalizability Theory provides a method for estimating the variability of a number of facets. In the present study each judge (<it>j</it>) rated each participant (<it>p</it>) on all three Medical Judgment Vignette stations (<it>s</it>). A two-facet crossed designed generalizability study was used to determine the optimal number of stations and judges to achieve a 0.80 reliability coefficient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results of the generalizability analysis showed that a three station, two judge Medical Judgment Vignettes interview results in a G coefficient of 0.70. As shown by the adjusted <it>Eρ</it>²scores, since interviewer variability is negligible, increasing the number of judges from two to three does not improve the generalizability coefficient. Increasing the number of stations, however, does have a substantial influence on the overall dependability of this measurement. In a decision study analysis, increasing the number of stations to six with a single judge at each station results in a G coefficient of 0.81.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Medical Judgment Vignettes interview provides a reliable approach to the assessment of candidates' noncognitive attributes for medical school. The high inter-rater reliability is attributed to the greater objectivity achieved through the used of the semi-structured interview format and clearly defined scoring rubric created for each of the judgment vignettes. Despite the relatively high generalizability coefficient obtained for only three stations, future research should further explore the reliability, and equally importantly, the validity of the vignettes with a large group of candidates applying for medical school.</p

Diagnostic Medical Errors: Patient\u27s Perspectives on a Pervasive Problem

Introduction. The Institute of Medicine defines diagnostic error as the failure to establish an accurate or timely explanation for the patient\u27s health problem(s), or effectively communicate the explanation to the patient. To our knowledge, no studies exist characterizing diagnostic error from patient perspectives using this definition. Objective. We sought to characterize diagnostic errors experienced by patients and describe patient perspectives on causes, impacts, and prevention strategies. Methods. We screened 77 adult inpatients at University of Vermont Medical Center and conducted 27 structured interviews with patients who experienced diagnostic error in the past five years. We performed qualitative analysis using Grounded Theory. Results. In the past five years, 39% of interviewed patients experienced diagnostic error. The errors mapped to the following categories: accuracy (30%), communication (34%) and timeliness (36%). Poor communication (13 responses) and inadequate time with doctors (7) were the most identified causes of errors. Impacts of errors included emotional distress (17 responses), adverse health outcomes (7) and impaired activities of daily living (6). Patients suggested improved communication (11 responses), clinical management (7) and access to doctors (5) as prevention strategies. For communication, patients rated talk to your doctor highest (mean 8.4, on 1-10 Likert scale) and text message lowest (4.8). Conclusions/Recommendations. Diagnostic errors are common and have dramatic impact on patients\u27 well-being. We suggest routine surveillance to identify errors, support for patients who have experienced errors, and implementation of patient and provider checklists to enhance communication. Future studies should investigate strategies to allow care providers adequate time with patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1246/thumbnail.jp

Learning Design through the Lens of Service: A Qualitative Study

Twenty-four senior-level capstone engineering design projects were completed at a large, public, primarily undergraduate university involving 85 students (70 male and 15 female). All projects involved the design of equipment to facilitate physical activity for people with disabilities. The effects on: i) learning design, ii) attitude towards people with disabilities, iii) motivation to complete team design projects and iv) interdisciplinary collaboration were analyzed through 24 one-hour focus groups. We explored the student experience using a constructivist approach and grounded theory. Four major themes (with associated sub-themes) emerged from our data analysis: learning design (project management, iterative design process, and user-centered design), motivation to complete design (engineering, disabilities, user), perceptions of people with disabilities (previous experience, changed attitudes and beliefs), and multidisciplinary collaboration (etiquette presentation, communication between disciplines, defining roles and expectations). Students completing these projects were shown to appreciate user-centered design, exhibit greater motivation when able to meet and develop a relationship with their client in person, discuss altruistic factors regarding their capstone experience, and were able to develop strong multidisciplinary skills

Technology-Based Innovations in Child Maltreatment Prevention Programs: Examples from SafeCare®

Each year, hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S. are victims of child maltreatment. Experts recommend behavioral, skill-based parent training programs as a strategy for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. These programs can be enhanced using innovative technology strategies. This paper presents a brief history of the use of technology in SafeCare®, a home visiting program shown to prevent child neglect and physical abuse, and highlights current work that takes a technology-based hybrid approach to SafeCare delivery. With this unique approach, the provider brings a tablet computer to each session, and the parent interacts with the software to receive psychoeducation and modeling of target skills. The provider and parent then work together to practice the targeted skills until mastery is achieved. Initial findings from ongoing research of both of these strategies indicate that they show potential for improving engagement and use of positive parenting skills for parents and ease of implementation for providers. Future directions for technology enhancements in SafeCare are also presented

Quantum Delocalized Interactions

Classical mechanics obeys the intuitive logic that a physical event happens at a definite spatial point. Entanglement, however, breaks this logic by enabling interactions without a specific location. In this work we study these delocalized interactions. These are quantum interactions that create less locational information than would be possible classically, as captured by the disturbance induced on some spatial superposition state. We introduce quantum games to capture the effect and demonstrate a direct operational use for quantum concurrence in that it bounds the nonclassical performance gain. We also find a connection with quantum teleportation, and demonstrate the games using an IBM quantum processor

A low pH enzyme linked immunoassay using two monoclonal antibodies for the serological detection and monitoring of breast cancer.

A new, simple and sensitive low pH ELISA method has been developed to measure serum levels of tumour associated antigens detectable by monoclonal antibodies HMFG1 and HMFG2. We examined sera from healthy controls, patients with neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions of breast, liver and gastrointestinal tract. The majority of patients with metastatic breast cancer had elevated serum antigens (69% HMFG1, 72% HMFG2) compared to healthy controls (6.3% HMFG1, 3.0% HMFG2) or patients with benign breast disease (17% HMFG1, 4% HMFG2). There was no discrimination using these assays between patients with neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions of liver and gastrointestinal tract. This new method promises to be of value in the assessment and management of patients with breast cancer

Preliminary site report for the 2005 ICDP-USGS deep corehole in the Chesapeake Bay impact crater

First report for the ICDP-USGS 1.7-km-deep corehole drilled into the central part of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater during 2005