653 research outputs found
Pre-print for "Change in Negative Attention Bias Mediates the Association BetweenAttention Bias Modification Training and Depression Symptom Improvement"
No full textPre-print for manuscript titled "Change in Negative Attention Bias Mediates the Association Between Attention Bias Modification Training and Depression Symptom Improvement" by Christopher G. Beevers, Kean J. Hsu, David M. Schnyer, Jasper A.J. Smits, & Jason Shumake to appear in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholog
Issues of partial credit in mathematical assessment by computer
No full textThe CALM Project for Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics has operated at Heriot‐Watt University since 1985. From the beginning CALM has featured assessment in its programs (Beevers, Cherry, Foster and McGuire, 1991), and enabled both students and teachers to view progress in formative assessment The computer can play a role in at least four types of assessment: diagnostic, self‐test, continuous and grading assessment. The TLTP project Mathwise employs the computer in three of these roles. In 1994 CALM reported on an educational experiment in which the computer was used for the first time to grade, in part, the learning of a large class of service mathematics students (Beevers, McGuire, Stirling and Wild ,1995), using the Mathwise assessment template. At that time the main issues identified were those of ‘partial credit’ and communication between the student and the computer. These educational points were addressed in the next phase of the CALM Project in which the commercial testing program Interactive PastPapers was developed. The main aim of this paper is to describe how Interactive Past Papers has been able to incorporate some approaches to partial credit which has helped to alleviate student worries on these issues. Background information on other features in Interactive Past Papers is also included to provide context for the discussion
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High-resolution (space, time) anthropogenic heat emissions: London 1970-2025
No full textThe anthropogenic heat emissions generated by human activities in London are analysed in detail for 2005–2008 and considered in context of long-term past and future trends (1970–2025). Emissions from buildings, road traffic and human metabolism are finely resolved in space (30 min) and time (200 × 200 m2). Software to compute and visualize the results is provided. The annual mean anthropogenic heat flux for Greater London is 10.9 W m−2 for 2005–2008, with the highest peaks in the central activities zone (CAZ) associated with extensive service industry activities. Towards the outskirts of the city, emissions from the domestic sector and road traffic dominate. Anthropogenic heat is mostly emitted as sensible heat, with a latent heat fraction of 7.3% and a heat-to-wastewater fraction of 12%; the implications related to the use of evaporative cooling towers are briefly addressed. Projections indicate a further increase of heat emissions within the CAZ in the next two decades related to further intensification of activities within this area
Symptom centrality and infrequency of endorsement identify adolescent depression symptoms more strongly associated with life satisfaction
No full textAlthough depression symptoms are often treated as interchangeable, some symptoms may relate to adolescent life satisfaction more strongly than others. To assess this premise, we first conducted a network analysis on the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) in a large (N = 1,059), cross-sectional sample of community adolescents (age M = 14.72 ± 1.79). The most central symptoms of adolescent depression, as indexed by strength, were self-hatred, loneliness, sadness, and worthlessness while the least frequently endorsed symptoms were self-hatred, anhedonia, feeling like a bad person, and feeling unloved. Moreover, the more central a depression symptom was in the network (i.e., higher strength), the more variance it shared with life satisfaction (r = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.76). How frequently a symptom was endorsed was negatively associated with the variance symptoms shared with life satisfaction (r = -0.48, 95% CI: -0.63, -0.21). Cross-validated, prediction focused models found central symptoms were expected to predict more out of fold variance in life satisfaction than peripheral symptoms and frequently endorsed symptoms, but not the least frequently endorsed symptoms. These findings show certain depression symptoms may be more strongly associated with life satisfaction in adolescence and these symptoms can be identified by multiple symptom-level metrics. Limitations include use of cross-sectional data and utilizing a community sample. Better understanding which symptoms of depression share more variance with important outcomes like life satisfaction could help us develop a more fine-grained understanding of adolescent depression
Some Problems of Mathematical CAL
No full textThis paper describes briefly some problems of mathematical CAL and suggests ways to combat them. Within the context of the CALM Project for Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics we highlight three main areas of difficulty—mathematical display, input and evaluation. These problems are illustrated using examples from software developed at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and at Southampton University; the examples are taken from both calculus and algebra
Traffic-related air pollution in relation to cognitive function in older adults.
No full textBACKGROUND: Few epidemiologic studies have investigated associations of air pollution with cognition in older adults, and none has specifically compared associations across particle sources. We investigated whether exposure to particulate air pollution, characterized by size and source, was associated with cognitive function and decline in cognitive function. METHODS: We included participants of the Whitehall II cohort who were residents of greater London and who attended the medical examination in study wave 2007-2009 (n = 2867). Annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM) (PM10 and PM2.5 from all sources and from traffic exhaust) were modeled at resolution of 20 × 20 m for 2003-2009. We investigated the relationship between exposure to particles and a cognitive battery composed of tests of reasoning, memory, and phonemic and semantic fluency. We also investigated exposure in relation to decline in these tests over 5 years. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 66 (standard deviation = 6) years. All particle metrics were associated with lower scores in reasoning and memory measured in the 2007-2009 wave but not with lower verbal fluency. Higher PM2.5 of 1.1 μg/m (lag 4) was associated with a 0.03 (95% confidence interval = -0.06 to 0.002) 5-year decline in standardized memory score and a 0.04 (-0.07 to -0.01) decline when restricted to participants remaining in London between study waves. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides support for an association between particulate air pollution and some measures of cognitive function, as well as decline over time in cognition; however, it does not support the hypothesis that traffic-related particles are more strongly associated with cognitive function than particles from all sources
Extending flexibility in an existing on-line assessment system
No full textThis paper seeks to extend the work of seventeen years of research and development in the field of computer aided assessment. Work began on the Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics (CALM) Project in 1985 at Heriot-Watt University (http://www.calm.hw.ac.uk/). But, more general issues of automatic assessment are now being considered in collaboration with UK Examination Boards, commercial companies (http://www.i-assess.co.uk/) and Scottish academics through the forum of the Scottish Centre for Research into On-Line Learning and Assessment (SCROLLA) (http://www.scrolla.ac.uk/). To set the debate in context some of the main results of the CALM Project will be briefly reviewed.
Two of the areas of research in SCROLLA are investigation into automatic assessment of higher order skills (Beevers et. al. 2003) and how traditional paper based questions translate into an equivalent on-line version using existing question types (Fiddes et. al. 2002). For example, the rewording of a question to allow it to be delivered in an assessment engine can mean that the student is provided with additional information that may not be available in the traditional paper based version, or the rewording may change the skills that are being tested. Some of these issues can be addressed by creating new question types to increase the flexibility given to the author in creating questions, and to increase familiarity of the students in the responses they can provide.
The assessment system CUE has been used in UK programs such as SCHOLAR (http://scholar.hw.ac.uk/), which provides a wide range of questions in a variety of subjects (Higher, Advanced Higher and A Level in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics). This provides a stable base from which CUE can expand. SCROLLA intends to provide CUE as a research and development resource for education institutions in Scotland from schools through to higher education over a range of subject areas. CUE provides an opportunity for exploring the research issues further and investigating possible solutions that more flexible question types may provide. Using examples chosen from Computer Science and Mathematics this paper will illustrate where some of the restrictions with currently available question types occur, and offer potential solutions for discussion and comment
Anwendung quantenmechanischer ab initio Rechnungen zum Studium ausgewählter Kristallstrukturprobleme
No full textDie Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit drei unterschiedlichen strukturellen Fragestellungen: 1. Kernquadrupolwechselwirkungen aus Kernquadrupolresonanz-Messungen (NQR), Kernmagnetresonanz (NMR) Untersuchungen und Mößbauer-Spektroskopie haben sich zu einer wichtigen Sonde für die elektronische Struktur von Ionenkristallen und Halbleitern entwickelt. Der Tensor des elektrischen Feldgradienten am Ort eines Atomkerns kann mit ab initio Methoden sehr gut berechnet werden. Wir haben die Berechnung des elektrischen Feldgradienten (EFG) in ein neu entwickeltes ab initio Bandstrukturrechenprogramm, das eine Variante der Full-Potential-LMTO-Methode darstellt, implementiert. Die Zuverlässigkeit der Methode im Bezug auf die Berechnung des elektrischen Feldgradienten wurde an Aluminiumoxid (Korund) und unterschiedlichen Metallen, Halbleitern und anderen Oxiden getestet. Die berechneten EFG's, sowohl der Anionen als auch der Kationen, stimmen gut mit den Werten aus anderen theoretischen Rechnungen und experimentellen Bestimmungen überein. Die lokale Umgebung von zweiwertigem Europium in β-Barium-Magnesium-Aluminat BaMgAl10O17 (BAM) wurde untersucht. Ein Vergleich der Kernquadrupolkopplungskonstanten von Eu2+, die mit der neuen Methode an unterschiedlichen Positionen in BAM berechnet wurden, mit Werten die aus 151Eu Mößbauer-Spektroskopischen Messungen erhalten wurden, legen den Schluss nahe, dass Eu2+ auf drei unterschiedlichen Positionen in das Gitter eingebaut wird: die Beevers-Ross Position, die mid-oxygen Position und die anti-Beevers-Ross Position. Thermodynamisch ist die anti-Beevers-Ross Position stabiler als die beiden anderen Positionen. 2. Die vier isotypen Nitride (Ca7N4)Mx (M = Ga, In, Tl, Ag) kristallisieren mit einer Kanalstruktur vom Hollandit-Typ, wobei das Erdmetall bzw. Silber in den Kanälen lokalisiert ist. Da mit Hilfe von Einkristall-Röntgenstrukturuntersuchungen die exakten Positionen der Atome in den Kanälen nicht bestimmt werden konnten, wurden mit ab initio Bandstrukturrechnugen weitere Informationen gesammelt und ein detailiertes Fehlordnungsmodell erarbeitet. 3. Mit Hilfe von partiellen Zustandsdichten und partiellen Elektronendichten wurde die Natur der chemischen Bindung in den drei metallreichen Nitriden (Ca7N2)[Tl]2Tl, (Ca4N)[In]2 and (Ca2N)Au untersucht, deren Hauptstrukturelement M-M-ZickZack-Ketten (M = Tl, In, Au) sind. Die Auswertung der berechneten Zustandsdichten und Elektronenverteilungen ermöglichen ein Verständnis der komplexen Bindungsverhältnisse in den drei Verbindungen
Hematodinium infection seasonality in the Firth of Clyde (Scotland) nephrops norvegicus population: a re-evaluation
No full textHematodinium infections in Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus from the Clyde Sea area (CSA) population, Scotland, UK, have previously been undetected in summer. This study aimed to establish if the CSA is actually devoid of infected N. norvegicus in this season. Two PCR assays, an ELISA and 2 tests that detect only patent infection (pleopod and body colour methods) were applied in a 21 mo study. Patent infection was seasonal, appearing predominantly in spring, while subpatent infection diagnosed by ELISA and PCR was highly prevalent in all seasons. Generalised linear modelling supported this assertion, as sampling in September and February significantly increased the probability of finding infected N. norvegicus (p < 0.01); infections were predominantly subpatent and patent respectively, at these times. Therefore, Hematodinium seasonality in N. norvegicus populations is likely to have been an artefact of insensitive diagnostic tests. Light Hematodinium infections were found using PCR assays when patent infections were at their most prevalent and intense, suggesting that infection develops at different rates in different N. norvegicus individuals and that only a portion of the total number of infected N. norvegicus die within a single year. These new data were added to a long-term data series for the CSA (1990 to 2008), which showed that after an initial 5 yr epidemic period, prevalence stabilised at 20 to 25%. Comparisons with ‘susceptible-infected-recovered/removed’ (SIR) models suggest that this high prevalence is maintained through high birth rates of susceptible host N. norvegicus
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