665 research outputs found
Understanding How Students Use Physical Ideas in Introductory Biology Courses
The University of Maryland (UMD) Biology Education and Physics Education
Research Groups are investigating students' views on the role of physics in
introductory biology courses. This paper presents data from an introductory
course that addresses the fundamental principles of organismal biology and that
incorporates several topics directly related to physics, including
thermodynamics, diffusion, and fluid flow. We examine how the instructors use
mathematics and physics in this introductory biology course and look at two
students' responses to this use. Our preliminary observations are intended to
start a discussion about the epistemological issues resulting from the
integration of the science disciplines and to motivate the need for further
research.Comment: Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland OR, 4 page
Constructive and Unconstructive Repetitive Thought
The author reviews research showing that repetitive thought (RT) can have
constructive or unconstructive consequences. The main unconstructive
consequences of RT are (a) depression, (b) anxiety, and (c) difficulties in
physical health. The main constructive consequences of RT are (a) recovery from
upsetting and traumatic events, (b) adaptive preparation and anticipatory
planning, (c) recovery from depression, and (d) uptake of health-promoting
behaviors. Several potential principles accounting for these distinct
consequences of RT are identified within this review: (a) the valence of thought
content, (b) the intrapersonal and situational context in which RT occurs, and
(c) the level of construal (abstract vs. concrete processing) adopted during RT.
Of the existing models of RT, it is proposed that an elaborated version of the
control theory account provides the best theoretical framework to account for
its distinct consequences
Level of Construal, Mind Wandering, and Repetitive Thought: Reply to McVay and Kane (2010)
In this reply to the comment of McVay and Kane (2010)Watkins’s (2008) elaborated control theory informs their perspective on the role of executive control in mind wandering. I argue that although in a number of places the elaborated control theory is consistent with the perspective of McVay and Kane that mind wandering represents a failure of executive control, their account makes a number of claims that are not articulated in the elaborated control theory—most notably, the hypothesis that level of construal moderates entry of thoughts into awareness. Moreover, the relevant literature suggests that the relationship between level of construal and executive control may be more complex, and may be determined by multiple factors beyond those proposed in this executive-control failure account of mind wandering. Finally, the implications of this model of mind wandering for understanding repetitive thought in general are considered, and it is proposed that examining level of executive control as a further moderating variable within elaborated control theory may be of value
Faculty Lecture Recital: Creole Romantic Composers
Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Faculty Lecture Recital: Creole Romantic Composers- Year of the Atlantic World Presentation Series.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1851/thumbnail.jp
Time-Utilization of a Population of General Practitioners in a Prepaid Group Practice
A population of seven general surgeons in a prepaid group practice previously shown to have a mean operative work load of 9.2 HE per week were found to have a mean standardized seven day working week of 56.2 hours exclusive of evening activities. The surgeons also devoted a mean of 6.7 evening hours to professional activities for a total working week of 62.9 hours. Comparisons of the time utilization of this population of general surgeons with a population of previously studied community surgeons revealed that the prepaid group surgeons were able to maintain a surgical output more than double that of the community surgeons without having to devote twice as much time to professional activities. Economies in the utilization of surgical manpower in the prepaid group appear to stem from geographic and specialty restrictions on the scope of work of the surgeons, from a reduction of waiting time in the office, and from the utilization of paraprofessional personnel for operative assisting.
A Slight Excess of Large Scale Power from Moments of the Peculiar Velocity Field
The peculiar motions of galaxies can be used to infer the distribution of
matter in the Universe. It has recently been shown that measurements of the
peculiar velocity field indicates an anomalously high bulk flow of galaxies in
our local volume. In this paper we find the implications of the high bulk flow
for the power spectrum of density fluctuations. We find that analyzing only the
dipole moment of the velocity field yields an average power spectrum amplitude
which is indeed much higher than the LCDM value. However, by also including
shear and octupole moments of the velocity field, and marginalizing over
possible values for the growth rate, an average power spectrum amplitude which
is consistent with LCDM is recovered. We attempt to infer the shape of the
matter power spectrum from moments of the velocity field, and find a slight
excess of power on scales ~ h-1 Gpc.Comment: 6 pages,6 figures, updated to match accepted versio
Ruminative Self-Focus and Negative Affect: An Experience Sampling Study
The authors conducted an experience sampling study to investigate the relationship between momentary ruminative self-focus and negative affect. Ninety-three adults recorded these variables at quasi-random intervals 8 times daily for 1 week. Scores on questionnaire measures of dispositional rumination were associated with mean levels of momentary ruminative self-focus over the experience sampling week. Concurrently, momentary ruminative self-focus was positively associated with negative affect. Cross-lagged analyses revealed that whereas ruminative self-focus predicted negative affect at a subsequent occasion, negative affect also predicted ruminative self-focus at a subsequent occasion. Decomposition of the dispositional rumination measure suggested that brooding, but not reflective pondering, was associated with higher mean levels of negative affect. Though broadly consistent with Nolen-Hoeksema's (1991) response styles theory, these results suggest that a reciprocal relationship exists between ruminative self-focus and negative affect
Students' Views of Macroscopic and Microscopic Energy in Physics and Biology
Energy concepts are fundamental across the sciences, yet these concepts can
be fragmented along disciplinary boundaries, rather than integrated into a
coherent whole. To teach physics effectively to biology students, we need to
understand students' disciplinary perspectives. We present interview data from
an undergraduate student who displays multiple stances towards the concept of
energy. At times he views energy in macroscopic contexts as a separate entity
from energy in microscopic (particularly biological) contexts, while at other
times he uses macroscopic physics phenomena as productive analogies for
understanding energy in the microscopic biological context, and he reasons
about energy transformations between the microscopic and macroscopic scales.
This case study displays preliminary evidence for the context dependence of
students' ability to translate energy concepts across scientific disciplines.
This points to challenges that must be taken into account in developing
curricula for biology students that integrate physics and biology concepts.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to PERC 201
Depressive Rumination: Investigating Mechanisms to Improve Cognitive Behavioural Treatments
Rumination has been identified as a core process in the development and maintenance of depression. Treatments targeting ruminative processes may, therefore, be particularly helpful for treating chronic and recurrent depression. The development of such treatments requires translational research that marries clinical trials, process–outcome research, and basic experimental research that investigates the mechanisms underpinning pathological rumination. For example, a program of experimental research has demonstrated that there are distinct processing modes during rumination that have distinct functional effects for the consequences of rumination on a range of clinically relevant cognitive and emotional processes: an adaptive style characterized by more concrete, specific processing and a maladaptive style characterized by abstract, overgeneral processing. Based on this experimental work, two new treatments for depression have been developed and evaluated: (a) rumination-focused cognitive therapy, an individual-based face-to-face therapy, which has encouraging results in the treatment of residual depression in an extended case series and a pilot randomized controlled trial; and (b) concreteness training, a facilitated self-help intervention intended to increase specificity of processing in patients with depression, which has beneficial findings in a proof-of-principle study in a dysphoric population. These findings indicate the potential value of process–outcome research (a) explicitly targeting identified vulnerability processes and (b) developing interventions informed by research into basic mechanisms
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