Lengthy Interruptions Research Articles

Teaching and Researching in the Context of COVID-19: An Empirical Study in Higher Education

There is increasing recognition worldwide of the importance of academic activities, specifically in situations of pandemics. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the effects of COVID-19 on lecturers/researchers and Ph.D. and master students who have faced unexpected and continuous disruption in their teaching and research activities. To fulfil the aims, the study focused on a mixed method approach quantitative study based on a questionnaire administered on social networks and open questions. The unit of analysis was lecturers/researchers and Ph.D. and master students. The results obtained show that this lengthy interruption had severe impacts on their activities, requiring new competencies and capacities to deal with changes in a short period of time, including less positive feelings affecting them and their families. The main contribution of this study lies in identifying the barriers and opportunities created by this virus in the academic world and in presenting a theoretical framework to improve the situation, given that the confinement exponentiated negative and psychological feelings in academics, although telework is seen as a positive factor with continuity in the future, as a way to foster the social, environmental sustainability of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the wellbeing of their human capital. As implications for practice, the evidence points to the need for academics to be provided with training in E-learning, about technological tools for use in distance-learning and to reconsider how they carry out their research on the ground.

Resuming a Dynamic Task Following Increasingly Long Interruptions: The Role of Working Memory and Reconstruction.

Studies examining individual differences in interruption recovery have shown that higher working memory capacity (WMC) attenuated the negative impact of interruption length on resumption, at least in static contexts. In continuously evolving (or dynamic) situations, however, working memory may not be as central to the effective resumption of a task, especially in the case of long interruptions. One of the main theories of task interruption suggests that dynamic task resumption could depend on a reconstruction of the primary task context, that is, a visual examination of the post-interruption environment. To better define the role of working memory and reconstruction processes in interruption recovery, the current study examined the association between (1) dynamic task resumption following interruptions of various lengths and (2) two cognitive abilities chosen to operationalize the processes under study, namely, WMC and visual search capacity. Participants performed a multiple object tracking task which could be uninterrupted or interrupted for 5, 15, or 30 s while the hidden stimuli continued their trajectory. They also completed tasks measuring the two cognitive abilities of interest. The results revealed that WMC contributed to post-interruption accuracy regardless of interruption duration. On the contrary, visual search capacity was related to faster resumption in the 15-s and 30-s interruption conditions only. Those results show that working memory plays a preponderant role in resumption not only in static, but also in dynamic contexts. However, our study suggests that this mechanism must share the limelight with reconstruction following lengthy interruptions in dynamic settings.

Individual and institutional influencing factors on completion rates in a medical education master's program in Germany.

Background: The increasing significance of didactic aspects in medical education has also led to the development of special postgraduate programs. Completion rates represent an important outcome criterion for these programs of study. Up to today, detailed studies on what factors influence these completion rates have been lacking.Methods: Within the framework of outcomes research, a semi-structured online survey of students was conducted in the Master of Medical Education Germany program. Of the 90 items, 21 referred to the master's thesis that is required for graduation. Results: 157 out of 246 (63.8%) of students from classes 1-10 of the program (study period 2004-2014) participated in the survey. 109 participants had submitted a master's thesis, whereas 45 participants had not completed their studies by submitting a master's thesis. Influencing factors of successful completion were, among other things, little difficulty in choosing the topic, retention of the originally chosen topic, general support by the program administration in the modules and ensuring timely feedback from the advisor, and the provision of temporal, staff and financial resources by the home faculty. The failure to turn in the project report and a lengthy interruption of master thesi's work could be identified as critical parameters.Conclusion: Taking into account these results can contribute to increasing completion rates in medical education graduate programs. Systematic outcomes research leads, moreover, to quality assurance. Such studies should be conducted in a standardized manner in the future, in order to facilitate comparisons between medical education programs.

Looting the Sahara: The material, intellectual and social implications of the destruction of cultural heritage (briefing)

This research project began in 1999 and has continued over the subsequent six years,1 although with increasingly lengthy interruptions caused by the intrusion into the Sahara-Sahel of America's ‘wa...

'Mind the Gap'

'Mind the Gap'

Spectral analysis of gapped data: Search for mode 1S1 at the South Pole

The exigencies of operating an ultralong‐period seismometer/gravimeter at the South Pole have obliged us to search for evidence for the pendulum mode of the earth's inner core as a signal with poor signal‐to‐noise ratio, recorded with lengthy interruptions in the time series. In our method for identifying a weak, almost harmonic time signal in the presence of record gaps, we assume the signal is phase coherent for the full time series across the gaps and perform Fourier analysis of the full data sequence. The signal‐to‐noise ratio is improved by 1/(M)1/2 over the case where individual gapped segments are summed, where M is the number of segments. Analysis of the recordings from the South Pole both before and after the Sumbawa earthquake shows no spectral line identifiable with the pendulum mode that is above the noise level.

Issues in the implementation of extended school year programs for handicapped students.

For some severely and profoundly handicapped children who have a regression-recoupment disability, the lengthy interruption in school programing during the summer months poses serious obstacles to learning. As a result of court decisions in Armstrong v. Kline and Battle v. Commonwealth, the public schools now have an obligation to identify these children and to provide programs suited to their needs. School personnel are urged to take the initiative in developing quality extended school year programs that accommodate the need for clear eligibility criteria based on valid and reliable student performance data, reducing the number of students in need through effective instruction and parent/home involvement; exploring the use of alternative service models; identifying funding mechanisms for extended year programs; and operating programs cost effectively.

Tardive dyskinesia--reversible and persistent.

Twenty-one hospitalized patients over 50 years of age who had tardive dyskinesia were studied for 13 months. After withdrawal of neuroleptics and antidepressants for three months, dyskinetic symptoms abated in 12 patients and persisted in nine. Discriminant function analysis showed that the persistent and reversible dyskinesia groups could be clearly separated and that the best discriminator was the number of drug-free intervals. The persistent dyskinesia group had had significantly longer neuroleptic treatment (mean, 10.8 yr) and a greater number (mean, 5.6) of drug interruptions of at least two months' duration each than did the reversible dyskinesia group. Our finding, as well as the literature reviewed, does not support the commonly held notion that frequent lengthy interruptions of long-term drug treatment reduce the incidence of persistent dyskinesia, at least in patients who are otherwise predisposed to the development of tardive dyskinesia.

Repair and Connection of Offshore Pipelines In Water Depths to 3,000 Feet

Pipeline laid in waters beyond the practical working depth of divers Pipeline laid in waters beyond the practical working depth of divers is no longer unheard of. A concept for the in-situ connection or repair of pipelines in depths to at least 3400 ft is described. The design objectives include the elimination of the need for divers, an insensitivity to depth and surface conditions, and the use of existing and proven components. Introduction In the near future, submarine pipelines laid in water beyond the practical working depth of divers will become a reality. The offshore oil industry is in a period of accelerating growth. A large percentage of the remaining undiscovered petroleum reserves is believed to be beneath the waters of the continental shelves and slopes. Offshore expansion is expected to continue into those ever-deeper waters. Exploratory drilling has already moved into water thousands of feet deep. Several major programs have been announced for development of production equipment for the fields that are to be production equipment for the fields that are to be produced in these water depths. With production produced in these water depths. With production will come the need for flowlines, transfer lines, and trunklines to shallow-water facilities or to shore. Much of the technology required to design and construct deep-water pipelines has already been developed. Many of the concepts have been verified in actual construction operations in present water depths. The nonroutine operations, such as sea-floor connections, general maintenance, or pipeline-damage repair, have not received the same attention. The forces of nature and the activities of man may expose any underwater structure to the risk of damage. In the case of the submarine pipeline, this damage might be expected to take one of the following forms:minor deformation of pipe cross-section,leak or failure caused by pipe defects,leak caused by corrosion,buckle or collapse of pipe, andbreak or separation of pipe. pipe. The risk of damage to the pipe during construction can be greatly reduced by improved design and construction methods now available. Pipe defects may be avoided or detected before installation by careful specification of pipe, backed by a program of supplemental nondestructive pipe, backed by a program of supplemental nondestructive testing. Corrosion leaks can be virtually eliminated (as evidenced by experience with existing major offshore pipelines) by applying coatings, using sacrificial anodes, pipelines) by applying coatings, using sacrificial anodes, and applying impressed-current cathodic protection. However, it can be assumed that any pipeline installed in an area of difficult sea-floor conditions, heavy-gear trawling, or marine construction will be exposed to the risk of damage. If it is also assumed that any lengthy interruption of service on a trunkline will result in shut-in production or interruption in supply to customers, the need for a method to minimize the down-time during repairs is obvious. A very limited number of repair methods are available for use in relatively shallow water but, in most instances, these rely on a combination of extensive use of divers and a heavy lift capability at the surface. No method of repair has been demonstrated for use in depths beyond the reach of divers, and only a very few have been proposed. Several years ago, in anticipation of the need for large-diameter pipelines in very deep water or in areas in which environmental conditions limit the effectiveness of existing procedures, an investigation of deepwater pipeline repairs was undertaken. pipeline repairs was undertaken. JPT P. 415

Stability of Response Rates Maintained by Positive Reinforcement

Key-pecking rates before and after a 1.5-yr. interruption were compared in 4 pigeons while they performed on a variable interval schedule of food reinforcement. Analyses showed large differences in rates among animals but no systematic change in the individual rates across the lengthy interruption. The stability of the individual rates were thought to reflect the retention of superstitious response chains maintained by the stimuli associated with the schedule of positive reinforcement.

Prof. Pierre Weiss

ALTHOUGH Prof. P. Weiss died so long ago as November 1940, there has been a lengthy interruption of the flow of scientific news from France. Tribute to the great teacher and experimenter, whose influence dominated Continental magnetism for forty years, must of necessity be a little tardy.