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Copyright of Revista Ciencias de la Salud is the property of Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Researchers and foreign language (FL) educators alike have investigated changes in learners' intercultural competence (IC) in response to pedagogical interventions aimed at preparing learners for cross-cultural encounters. Byram's (1997) multimodal IC model and Bennett's (1993) developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS) are predominant IC assessment models in the field of FL education. This paper reports empirical evidence that reveals discrepancies between these two models drawing from the findings of a larger study that employed both theoretical lenses to investigate culture learning in a computer-mediated environment. Specifically, the study investigated changes in the way 13 U.S. French language learners talked about French people and culture in online classroom discussions in response to virtual instruction about French cultural practices at two levels: (1) at the individual level--with Byram's IC model in three case studies and (2) at the group level--with Bennett's DMIS. A post hoc comparison of the findings revealed assessment discrepancies between the models--empirical evidence revealing contradictions both between and within the models. These discrepancies are reported and the merits of each model within the research design are discussed. The aim of this paper is to empower readers with an understanding of IC research instruments and assessment tools commonly used to measure IC development in FL education and to inform methodological decisions of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The regulatory environment is one of the key factors in successfully bringing an innovative medical product, like a drug-device combination product, to market. This paper offers insight into the experiences of those involved in obtaining regulatory approval of drug-device combination products in the European Union and the United States. Methods: The research consisted of two phases, qualitative data collection (through semi-structured interviews) and analysis, followed by quantitative data collection (through an online survey) and analysis. Results: A conceptual model was developed that depicted the facilitating factors for obtaining regulatory approval of a drug-device combination product, relevant to the European Union and United States systems, respectively. Conclusions: This model provides, for the first time, a comprehensive understanding of these factors, providing a foundation that could be adapted to reflect specific drug-device combination products. This research demonstrated originality of approach in interviewing thought leaders in the life sciences sector as well as conducting a survey that spans two of the largest jurisdictions for drug-device combination products in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying Andersen's health care utilization model, this paper shows the prevalence of immigrants' medical and dental tourism and associated factors. An analysis of the 2003 New Immigrant Survey data shows that about 17% of immigrants received medical care in a foreign country, whereas about one-third obtained dental care outside the United States. Latino immigrants have a higher prevalence of both types of tourism than their Asian counterparts. Race, level of education, and health insured status are commonly associated with medical and dental tourism. The findings contribute to the scarce literature on immigrants' health care utilization and medical and dental tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘wildland–urban interface’ (WUI) is a term commonly used to describe areas where wildfires and the built environment have the potential to interact resulting in loss of properties and potential loss of life. Significant residential losses associated with wildland interface fires have occurred worldwide in recent years and substantial research has been conducted on developing numerical models of ignition due to convection and ember attacks. These studies provide substantial insight into the behaviour and growth of wildland fires, which have been further utilized to build fire exposure rating of structures. The FireWise program in the United States and the FireSmart manual in Canada are two key examples of provisions developed for determining fire exposure ratings for a structure. While previous studies provide significant contribution to modelling fire propagation, a much more comprehensive model is required, which would encompass all the key variables associated with WUI fires. This paper aims at extending previously conducted efforts by developing a simulation-based model. A typical fire propagation simulation requires solving the coupled fluid-thermal differential equations which results in extreme run times making it unsuitable for general purposes, however the model in this study utilizes theory of cellular automata, which reduces the processing times substantially by simplifying the underlying equations involved. Cellular automata utilize a specific set of rules to model propagation by convection as well as ember travel. In addition, the model also considers key parameters such as humidity, nature of vegetation and topology while evaluating the propagation paths. Due to the flexible nature of the model its accuracy can be tuned to a certain extent by optimizing the propagation rules using real-event data [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Great Recession, expenditures on unemployment insurance (UI) benefits increased, and the benefits were extended. This research deals with development of a mathematical model to calculate unemployment benefits. At a conceptual level, unemployment benefits can be considered as directly proportional to salary and the employment period of the worker prior to being laid off. It is also inversely proportional to factors such as other governmental benefits received in that period of unemployment. The approach in this paper presents the need to calculate the unemployment benefits to keep up with the capricious wages and changing regulations. This analysis will include state and federal government benefits. Each state should be able to adapt the new formula, so it can assess the proper baseline for calculating the unemployment benefits needed for their specific cost of living requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the historical research on the daily lives of US teachers relies on qualitative sources such as diaries, letters, memoirs, and missionary reports. Using the US census data from 1860 to 1910, this paper attempts to go beyond sketching impressions of their daily lives, focusing instead on the living arrangements of teachers by region, gender, and race. The main result is that about 70 percent of teachers lived in a nuclear family and 15 percent of them lived with non-relatives; this is more or less true regardless of regions, genders, and races. In addition to descriptive analyses, a multinomial logit model is applied to provide a more systematic way of finding the determinants of the living arrangements and measuring the sizes of their effects. This paper demonstrates a possibility of deepening our understanding of the daily lives of teachers in the past by combining nationally representative data with topics of daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a general modeling framework adapted to the feedback control of traffic flows in Eulerian models of the National Airspace System. It is shown that the problems of scheduling and routing aircraft flows in the National Airspace System can be posed as the control of a network of queues with load-dependent service rates. Focus can then shift to developing techniques to ensure that the aircraft queues in each airspace sector, which are an indicator of the air traffic controller workloads, are kept small. This paper uses the proposed framework to develop control laws that help prepare the National Airspace System for fast recovery from a weather event, given a probabilistic forecast of capacities. In particular, the model includes the management of airport arrivals and departures subject to runway capacity constraints, which are highly sensitive to weather disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: M. King Hubbert’s 1956 prediction of a ‘peak’ in US oil production has spurred a durable and divisive debate on the exhaustion of the petroleum resource. Pitting physical against economic explanations of resource scarcity, the peak oil debate has seemingly sunk into the well-worn grooves of a long history of scarcity debates. Yet, as this paper argues, this ‘stale dichotomy’ can partly be attributed to a severance from the contexts and ideas that informed Hubbert’s mathematical calculations. Specifically, this paper examines the broader influences on the peak oil model: Hubbert’s career in the newly formed field of geophysics; his personal concern with the relationship between energy and population growth; and his ties to Technocracy, Inc., a social movement originating in the US that aimed to replace political and business control with a group of specialist engineers and technicians. The paper further emphasizes the importance of institutional and political interests to the arguments launched against Hubbert, and in motivating change in this opposition over time. Last, it makes the case that the contemporary de-contextualization of Hubbert’s model has contributed towards a narrow focus of discussions within the oil industry and in certain governments on predicting the timing of a global peak, without addressing the wider questions implied by Hubbert’s model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Land use change modeling and simulation is a popular tool in land use planning and policy formulation. However, the outputs of land use change simulation are not always accompanied with information on uncertainty. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the inherent uncertainty in sprawl simulation, which is attributable to error in the input parameters and to limitations in our understanding of land use systems. To reach this goal, the paper determines sprawl simulation accuracy and uncertainty for a small US metropolitan region as produced by the CLUE-S modeling framework. The model simulates sprawl location in the region accurately, but the certainty of sprawl location projections decreases with time. This uncertainty in the simulation suggests that modelers should report uncertainty with their output over all time horizons so that, on the one hand, land use planners and decision makers do not place too much confidence in any single sprawl simulation (which could lead to unwarranted and expensive urban growth management policies) and, on the other hand, do not place too little confidence in sprawl models (which could have severe socioeconomic and environmental consequences). Thus, reporting uncertainty with simulation output provides planners and decision makers with a platform for more informed land use policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A field measurement and computer modeling effort was made to assess the dilution field of pulped waste materials discharged into the wake of a US Navy frigate. Pulped paper and fluorescein dye were discharged from the frigate’s pulper at known rates. The subsequent particle and dye concentration field was then measured throughout the wake by a following vessel using multiple independent measures. Minimum dilution of the pulped paper reached 3.2 × 105 within 1900 m behind the frigate, or about 8 min after discharge. Independent measures typically agreed within 25% of one another and within 20% of model predictions. Minimum dilution of dye reached 2.3 × 105 at a down-wake distance of approximately 3500 m, or roughly 15 min. Comparison to model measurements were again within 20%. The field test was not only successful at characterizing wake dilution under one set of at-sea conditions, but was successful at validating the computer model used for assessing a wide range of ships and conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dyslipidemia is a common pathology throughout the industrialized world, and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are often administered to treat elevated lipid levels. Substantial concern has been raised regarding the aggressive clinical lowering of cholesterol, particularly in light of a growing body of research linking low circulating lipid levels with negative behavioral outcomes in both human samples and non-human primate models. In 2009, Goldstein and colleagues tentatively speculated that the greed, impulsiveness, and lack of foresight that lead to the worldwide economic collapse in 2007-2008 could have been caused (in part) by depressed population cholesterol levels resulting from the widespread use of statins by workers in the financial services industry. This paper reviews the literature that links low circulating lipid levels with neurobehavioral dysfunction, develops Goldstein and colleagues' initial speculation into a formal hypothesis, and proposes several specific studies that could rigorously empirically evaluate this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strict future legislation standards are forcing the car industry to employ new techniques for reducing exhaust gas emissions. Most of these techniques focus on accelerating the appearance of catalyst light-off and are thus called fast light-off techniques (FLTs). Optimized exhaust systems comprising FLTs will be able to meet the forthcoming legislatio n standards for the United States [low emissions vehicle (LEV) and ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV)] and the European Union (Stage III). The most promising active and passive FLT systems are briefly reviewed. Computer aided optimization of such systems can be realized with the help of specific computational tools, which are briefly presented in this paper, and according to a concept optimization methodology, which is also discussed. The results indicate an increased sensitivity of FLT systems' performance over the selected values of certain design and operating parameters that were featured in the examples presented. Moreover, by comparing the computational results with knowledge gained from experiments and testing, the paper indicates that, given the suitable computational tools, the optimization procedure can take place in a most cost-effective manner by substituting many experiments with computer test case runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance free operating period (MFOP) philosophy is proposed by the UKMilitary Aerospace industry, which has advantages for both the operation andmaintenance of aircraft. An MFOP is a period of time for which the aircraft will operate without failureandwithout the need for anymaintenance, however, faults and minorplanned, contractually agreed maintenance are permissible.Each MFOP isfollowed by a MaintenanceRecovery Period (MRP) during which maintenance is performed on the aircraft tocorrect any failures which have occurred, carry out servicing and prepare the aircraft forthe next period of operation. There are several advantages to operating aircraft in thismanner. The first is that it will be known, with a high degree of confidence, howmany products will be available for operational purposes at any time. This enablesaccurate, effective mission planning. However, the aircraft must be designed tooperate in this way and be able to carry faults in the MFOP withoutan unacceptable risk. This paper will model the performance of aircraft utilizing maintenance freeoperating periods and explore issues relating to the design and operation of aircraft inthis manner. An example is provided to expatiate on the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States and elsewhere, traditional sources of television programming (or "pay TV") are facing rising competition from bypass or over-the-top ("OTT") alternatives in the form of streamed or downloaded access to video content. As a result, consumers of video content now fall into three segments: "cord loyalists" that continue to use pay TV exclusively, "non-pay TV" that includes consumers who have cut the video cord, i.e., dropped pay TV entirely in favor of OTT, and "cord couplers" that use both pay TV and OTT. Household demographics, use of connected OTT-capable devices, and availability of subscription-based and free streaming video services are hypothesized to influence how consumers choose to view video content. This paper reports on an empirical study of US households to answer two questions: (1) do households transition among the three OTT segments over time? and (2) what factors determine the household's decision to stay in, or move from, an OTT segment? Using a longitudinal survey panel of 7,655 unique households observed over three consecutive quarters in 2011 and relative risk ratios from multinomial choice models estimated using the data, the study confirms that connected devices (both their use and their variety) and certain key demographics (age, annual household income, and race/ethnicity) influence the household choice of OTT segment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian students attending American colleges and universities report relatively low levels of physical activity participation, which may hinder their ability to realize their full human potential (i.e., cognitively, physically, socially). This paper reviewed the possible reasons underlying their generally inactive lifestyle, addressed the importance of promoting physical activity among Asian international students, and summarized key factors associated with their physical activity involvement on the basis of Welk's (1999) Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) model. Understanding the individual and contextual factors that influence the physical activity behavior of this fast growing segment of the student population within the American higher education system is an important step in order to ultimately design and implement efficacious physical activity programs for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) developed a travel time reliability model, applied it to all freeways in Florida, USA, and began reporting reliability, This paper introduces the model and development methodology. It then explores potential planning uses for system-wide reporting and project priority, a potential application throughout the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is one of US''s leading earth system modeling frameworks, which has decades of development history and was embraced by a large, active user community. In this paper, we first review the software development history of CESM and we explain the general objectives of performance analysis. Then we present an offline global community land model simulation within the CESM framework to demonstrate the procedure of runtime tracing of CESM using the Vampir toolset. Finally, we explain the benefits of runtime tracing to the general earth system modeling community. We hope those considerations can be beneficial to many other modeling research programs involving legacy high-performance computing applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Researchers have analyzed whether US welfare reform has induced interstate migration. Empirical results are inconclusive because methodologies are based on pre-reform thinking. This paper presents a post-reform migration model. We find that recipients move to avoid harsh sanction policies, seek lenient work requirements, and extend time limits. Unlike the first two behavioral responses, the latter is controversial. Critics will argue that such moves are illegal, and violators can be prosecuted because states share data. However, only active cases are being shared, meaning violators cannot be caught. Our model produces testable hypotheses which are consistent with (and reconcile) previous empirical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the impacts of climate change and impending crisis of potable water, potential sustainable sources of water are under investigations. One of such potential sources is fog water collection. In the past, collection of fog water was considered negligible and non-worthy. However, recent studies suggest that fog-water collection can be a reasonable sustainable source of water depending on favorable topographic and atmospheric conditions. This paper presents development of a mathematical model for fog-formation and eventual quantification of fog-water collection. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) equation for dew point calculation has been modified and extended to incorporate effects of different climatic parameters on fog formation. A new parameter named Fog Potential Index (FPI), which is a function of difference between dew point and air temperature for a particular location has been introduced and defined. NOAA proposed an equation to calculate dew point based on actual water vapor pressure in the air, which can be calculated from dry bulb temperature of the air and relative humidity. Following calculation of average dew point using NOAA equation between a timestep, FPI was calculated for a particular time step. FPI for each timestep was multiplied with the humidity factor, wind velocity factor and area of the fog collector to incorporate the effects of humidity ratio, wind velocity and fog collector area in the quantification of fog water. Effect of wind velocity on fog formation has been discussed. It was found that wind velocity has got two-fold impacts on the formation of fog; (i) for a lower wind velocity upto a certain threshold value, fog formation increases with velocity as old condensed moist air is continuously replaced by new moist air, and (ii) for a higher wind velocity (beyond the threshold value), fog formation decreases with velocity due to disturbance in the formation of fog. The developed model was calibrated using fog-water collection experimental data from Asir region of Saudi Arabia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article comments on a paper by P. Munguia and colleagues which presented a mathematical model of competition among four sessile species of benthic invertebrates. The simulation model presented by Munguia and colleagues is aimed at generating community patterns during succession. In this commentary, concerns over the model centers on dispersal, connectivity and distances between communities.

Abstract: Responding to extant power imbalances in the typical redevelopment process, grounded theory is introduced to aid in recalibrating development suitability models to serve the interests of underrepresented communities resisting development. Using a community-based research model, this paper reports on testing the potential of grounded theory in a low-income, primarily Latino neighborhood of Chelsea, Massachusetts (USA). After 13 iterations and a ground-truthing exercise, the research resulted in a development suitability model that offers a useful heuristic for community leaders to view development likelihood – an innovation over the conventional development suitability model by directly incorporating community issues in the model calibration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper under scrutiny demonstrates numerical simulation results of thermal modes of the nanosatellite developed at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". It is designed to conduct scientific and applied research into the Earth remote sensing in the low Earth orbit with a solar pointing. In addition, we compare the obtained results with numerical simulation results of the "FalconSat-2" small satellite developed by the United States Air Force Academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Distance Education is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: There has been growing concern about the recent emergence of the critical challenges of energy availability and the impacts of climate change. Both are inextricably linked and dealing with them is fundamental to the progress of America and humanity. There are, however, a number of different views expressed, reflecting different assumptions, special interests, and partisan objectives. Decision-makers and the public need easy-to-use and transparent tools to better visualize, analyze, and understand the broader and longer-term implications of the varying underlying assumptions, policies, and strategies, including both their positive and negative impacts — both direct and indirect — and how to manage them. Threshold 21 (T21) the simulation model presented in this paper aims to become such a tool. The Millennium Institute has developed it over the last 24years. The T21-USA model results indicate that a continuation of current policies and trends will lead the US to become increasingly dependent on foreign energy resources and more vulnerable to price fluctuations. Furthermore, alternative scenarios simulating improved CAFE and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) show that major reductions in the US'' resource consumption and pollution generation could be possible while stimulating the economy over the medium and longer term. Nevertheless, the model shows that unintended consequences, such as the Jevons Paradox, have to be taken into consideration when defining national energy policies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The availability of realistic benchmark configurations is essential to enable the validation of current Computational Aeroacoustic (CAA) methodologies and to further the development of new ideas and concepts that will foster the technologies of the next generation of CAA tools. The selection of a real-world configuration, the subsequent design and fabrication of an appropriate model for testing, and the acquisition of the necessarily comprehensive aeroacoustic data base are critical steps that demand great care and attention. In this paper, a brief account of the nose landing-gear configuration, being proposed jointly by NASA and the Gulfstream Aerospace Company as an airframe noise benchmark, is provided. The underlying thought processes and the resulting building block steps that were taken during the development of this benchmark case are given. Resolution of critical, yet conflicting issues is discussed – the desire to maintain geometric fidelity versus model modifications required to accommodate instrumentation; balancing model scale size versus Reynolds number effects; and time, cost, and facility availability versus important parameters like surface finish and installation effects. The decisions taken during the experimental phase of a study can significantly affect the ability of a CAA calculation to reproduce the prevalent flow conditions and associated measurements. For the nose landing gear, the most critical of such issues are highlighted and the compromises made to resolve them are discussed. The results of these compromises will be summarized by examining the positive attributes and shortcomings of this particular benchmark case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is considerable research interest on the meaning and measurement of resilience from a variety of research perspectives including those from the hazards/disasters and global change communities. The identification of standards and metrics for measuring disaster resilience is one of the challenges faced by local, state, and federal agencies, especially in the United States. This paper provides a new framework, the disaster resilience of place (DROP) model, designed to improve comparative assessments of disaster resilience at the local or community level. A candidate set of variables for implementing the model are also presented as a first step towards its implementation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

USGS Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs) are a form of inexpensive, high spatial resolution (1 m ground resolution) imagery available for most regions of the United States. Typically, DOQs have been used in the construction of "basemaps" or as training datasets. In this paper we present a technical approach that uses DOQs as the primary data source to map regional forest canopy cover. This approach, a form of advanced exploratory data analysis (AEDA), can separate areas of crown, shadow, and non-crown vegetation using a single value threshold and a "value range" threshold obtained by analyzing the statistical plots built on a multifractal model. By applying AEDA, we can distinguish the crown, crown boundary zone, shadow areas, and non-crown areas within a DOQ mosaic by their distinctive multifractal properties. Over a period of two years, we mapped canopy cover of 20,000 km² of ponderosa pine-dominated forest across northern Arizona using this technique. We used two hundred ground plot measurements from an independent source to assess the accuracy of the canopy cover map across an 8,000 km² region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical simulation models have been used to study transport of insoluble and nonreactive gases for more than twenty years. However, gas and vapor transport and uptake still are not well understood, anda mathematical model for slightly soluble and nonreactive gas transport and uptake still has not been developed. This paper describes thedevelopment of a mathematical model of diffusion, convection, lateral transport into the airway wall, and alveolar absorption for inhaledradioactive gases in human conductive and respiratory airways. The model is based on a single-path trumpet-bell model. Sensitivity studies were conducted to ascertain the influence on the final model of thefunctional residual capacity, the tidal volume and diffusivity and solubility. Results obtained with this model are presented for HT gas exposure and are compared with other findings. In general, the results obtained in this research are in good agreement with other mean experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]