Enhancement of student learning in the lecture theatre by means of a radio frequency feedback system

The principal formal teaching mechanism of universities is the lecture - a cost efficient format where hundreds of students may be taught by a single lecturer. Lectures' learning outcome is less certain; the lecturer has little ability to appraise the nature of the audience's understanding. The introduction of an electronic communication path from students to the lecturer mitigates this disjuncture. This communication path has been introduced and was found to be extensively used during a series of lectures, with each student provided with a handset that is reliable, inexpensive and portable. Upon these handsets are buttons; the data is transmitted at radio frequencies to the lecturer, aggregated and displayed graphically for quick assimilation. It has been recognised that this communication path permits the direct measurement of student's educational behaviour without disturbing the lecture itself. Preliminary results indicating the value of this research methodology have been obtained. A significant correlation was identified between the percentage of questions during the lecture students answered correctly and their previous year's overall academic mark. A correlation was identified between the number of times students initiate communication with the lecturer and the number of questions during the lecture they answered correctly. Mixed evidence was found regarding a possible correlation between the evidence of satisfaction with their learning students provided using the system and the number of questions during the lecture they answered correctly. The introduction of an electronic communication path into lectures has proved to be an innovation deserving of further research and wider introduction into teaching practice

Adaptive torque-feedback based engine control

The aim of this study was to develop a self-tuning or adaptive SI engine controller using torque feedback as the main control variable, based on direct/indirect measurement and estimation techniques. The indirect methods include in-cylinder pressure measurement, ion current measurement, and crankshaft rotational frequency variation. It is proposed that torque feedback would not only allow the operating set-points to be monitored and achieved under wider conditions (including the extremes of humidity and throttle transients), but to actively select and optimise the set-points on the basis of both performance and fuel economy. A further application could allow the use of multiple fuel types and/or combustion enhancing methods to best effect. An existing experimental facility which comprised a Jaguar AJ-V8 SI engine coupled to a Heenan-Froude Dynamatic GVAL (Mk 1) dynamometer was adopted for this work, in order to provide a flexible distributed engine test system comprising a combined user interface and cylinder pressure monitoring system, a functional dynamometer controller, and a modular engine controller which is close coupled to an embedded PC has been created. The considerable challenges involved in creating this system have meant that the core research objectives of this project have not been met. Nevertheless, an open-architecture software and hardware engine controller and independent throttle controller have been developed, to the point of testing. For the purposes of optimum ignition timing validation and combustion knock detection, an optical cylinder pressure measurement system with crank angle synchronous sampling has been developed. The departure from the project’s initial aims have also highlighted several important aspects of eddy-current dynamometer control, whose closed-loop behaviour was modelled in Simulink to study its control and dynamic response. The design of the dynamometer real-time controller was successfully implemented and evaluated in a more contemporary context using an embedded digital controller.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceSchool of Mechanical & Systems EngineeringNewcastle UniversityGBUnited Kingdo

Transporation Energy

This Transportation Energy Project is comprised of four unique tasks which work within the railroad industry to provide solutions in various areas of energy conservation. These tasks addressed: energy reducing yard related decision issues; alternate fuels; energy education, and energy storage for railroad applications. The NIU Engineering and Technology research team examined these areas and provided current solutions which can be used to both provide important reduction in energy usage and system efficiency in the given industry. This project also sought a mode in which rural and long-distance education could be provided. The information developed in each of the project tasks can be applied to all of the rail companies to assist in developing efficiencies

Caught in the middle – language use and translation : a festschrift for Erich Steiner on the occasion of his 60th birthday

This book celebrates Erich Steiner’s scholarly work. In 25 contributions, colleagues and friends take up issues closely related to his research interests in linguistics and translation studies. The result is a colourful kaleidoscope reflecting the many strands of research questions that Erich Steiner helped advance in the past decades and the cheerful, inspiring atmosphere he continues to create

UAVs for the Environmental Sciences

This book gives an overview of the usage of UAVs in environmental sciences covering technical basics, data acquisition with different sensors, data processing schemes and illustrating various examples of application

Six Decades of Flight Research: An Annotated Bibliography of Technical Publications of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1946-2006

Titles, authors, report numbers, and abstracts are given for nearly 2900 unclassified and unrestricted technical reports and papers published from September 1946 to December 2006 by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and its predecessor organizations. These technical reports and papers describe and give the results of 60 years of flight research performed by the NACA and NASA, from the X-1 and other early X-airplanes, to the X-15, Space Shuttle, X-29 Forward Swept Wing, X-31, and X-43 aircraft. Some of the other research airplanes tested were the D-558, phase 1 and 2; M-2, HL-10 and X-24 lifting bodies; Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing F-8; XB-70; YF-12; AFTI F-111 TACT and MAW; F-15 HiDEC; F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, F-18 Systems Research Aircraft and the NASA Landing Systems Research aircraft. The citations of reports and papers are listed in chronological order, with author and aircraft indices. In addition, in the appendices, citations of 270 contractor reports, more than 200 UCLA Flight System Research Center reports, nearly 200 Tech Briefs, 30 Dryden Historical Publications, and over 30 videotapes are included