Beliefs and Attitudes that Influence Learning : A Mind, Brain, and Education Literature Review

Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) is a transdisciplinary area that joins neuroscience, psychology, and education to inform teaching practices and educational policy with research that can be translated into applicable and reflective tenets and principles of how students learn more effectively. It is well established in the MBE literature that what leads students to success are not only cognitive abilities but also beliefs and attitudes towards learning, which forms a complex and multifaceted universe with different levels of influence. This study has conducted a literature review on the contributions of MBE concerning these beliefs and attitudes and attempted to summarise them into a useful guide that might help students reflect on their academic achievement throughout life. Four essential elements were analysed and discussed, namely: growth mindset, metacognition, self-efficacy, and neuroplasticity. It is argued that these concepts are of paramount importance to anyone who wishes to accomplish both academic and career goals and they are aligned with the notion of lifelong learning

External validation of a model to predict the survival of patients presenting with a spinal epidural metastasis

The surgical treatment of spinal metastases is evolving. The major problem is the selection of patients who may benefit from surgical treatment. One of the criteria is an expected survival of at least 3 months. A prediction model has been previously developed. The present study has been performed in order to validate externally the model and to demonstrate that this model can be generalized to other institutions and other countries than the Netherlands. Data of 356 patients from five centers in Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands who were treated for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression were collected. Hazard ratios in the test population corresponded with those of the developmental population. However, the observed and the expected survival were different. Analysis revealed that the baseline hazard function was significantly different. This tempted us to combine the data and develop a new prediction model. Estimating iteratively, a baseline hazard was composed. An adapted prediction model is presented. External validation of a prediction model revealed a difference in expected survival, although the relative contribution of the specific hazard ratios was the same as in the developmental population. This study emphasized the need to check the baseline hazard function in external validation. A new model has been developed using an estimated baseline hazar

The Rotterdam Study: 2010 objectives and design update

The Rotterdam Study is a prospective cohort study ongoing since 1990 in the city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The study targets cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, neurological, ophthalmic, psychiatric and respiratory diseases. As of 2008, 14,926 subjects aged 45 years or over comprise the Rotterdam Study cohort. The findings of the Rotterdam Study have been presented in close to a 1,000 research articles and reports (see www.epib.nl/rotterdamstudy). This article gives the rationale of the study and its design. It also presents a summary of the major findings and an update of the objectives and methods

Evaluation of RANS turbulence models for the simulation of channel flow

The objective of this report is to investigate how RANS models perform on fully developed channel flow, for Re = 13 350, and the simulations are made with the open source software OpenFOAM. The velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles are compared with previously published DNS results. A short introduction to turbulence modelling is presented with focus on channel flow and the boundary layer. In total eleven models are evaluated, and the results are of varying quality. A convergence study is presented for two models,  and reveals that the expected second order convergence is fulfilled for one of them, whereas the study for the other model is more ambiguous without a clear conclusion. The OpenFOAM case setups for each model and the results gathered from the simulations are publicly available

Effective Finite Element Analysis Workflow for Structural Mechanics

The Finite Element Method (FEM) is a technique for finding the approximate solution of differential equations. It is commonly used in structural analysis to evaluate the deformation and internal stresses of a structure that is subject to outer loads. This thesis investigates the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) workflow that is used at Andritz Hydro AB, with the objective to find solutions that make the workflow more time effective. The current workflow utilises Siemens NX and Salomé for pre- and post-processing, and Code Aster as the FEM solver. Two different approaches that improve the workflow are presented. The first suggest that the entire FEA workflow is migrated to NX using the built-in FEM package of NX called Advanced Simulation. The second approach utilises the Salomé API (Application Programming Interface) to create a customised toolbox (a script containing several functions) that automate several repetitive and cumbersome steps of the workflow, therefore effectively reducing the time that is required by the analyst to perform FEA. Due to the positive results and ease-of-use, the Salomé toolbox is preferred over the license cost and steep learning curve that is related to NX and Advanced Simulation

Effective Finite Element Analysis Workflow for Structural Mechanics

The Finite Element Method (FEM) is a technique for finding the approximate solution of differential equations. It is commonly used in structural analysis to evaluate the deformation and internal stresses of a structure that is subject to outer loads. This thesis investigates the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) workflow that is used at Andritz Hydro AB, with the objective to find solutions that make the workflow more time effective. The current workflow utilises Siemens NX and Salomé for pre- and post-processing, and Code Aster as the FEM solver. Two different approaches that improve the workflow are presented. The first suggest that the entire FEA workflow is migrated to NX using the built-in FEM package of NX called Advanced Simulation. The second approach utilises the Salomé API (Application Programming Interface) to create a customised toolbox (a script containing several functions) that automate several repetitive and cumbersome steps of the workflow, therefore effectively reducing the time that is required by the analyst to perform FEA. Due to the positive results and ease-of-use, the Salomé toolbox is preferred over the license cost and steep learning curve that is related to NX and Advanced Simulation

Evaluation of RANS turbulence models for the simulation of channel flow

The objective of this report is to investigate how RANS models perform on fully developed channel flow, for Re = 13 350, and the simulations are made with the open source software OpenFOAM. The velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles are compared with previously published DNS results. A short introduction to turbulence modelling is presented with focus on channel flow and the boundary layer. In total eleven models are evaluated, and the results are of varying quality. A convergence study is presented for two models,  and reveals that the expected second order convergence is fulfilled for one of them, whereas the study for the other model is more ambiguous without a clear conclusion. The OpenFOAM case setups for each model and the results gathered from the simulations are publicly available

Technology implementation and the role of organizational culture

Today’s society is evolving at a rapid pace and is placing increasingly higher demands on companies’ ability to adapt, especially to the ever-changing technological landscape. Ultimately, organizations need to successfully implement digital solutions in order to survive. Many projects still fail, and especially projects of technological nature. Meanwhile, culture is undeniably important in explaining behavior, and still, the role of culture is left in mystery in change management practices. In this paper, we survey and interview consultants of a management consulting firm. The method and analysis are through a lens of Schein’s view on organizational culture and The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Verifying that organizational culture has a significant relationship with technology acceptance and propose an extended model of UTAUT. We discuss the key determinants to technological implementation success and in combination with key insights of change management develop a new Technology Implementation Model (TIM).Dagens samhälle utvecklas snabbt och ställer högre krav på företagens förmåga att anpassa sig, särskilt till det föränderliga tekniska landskapet. För att överleva behöver organisationer framgångsrikt kunna implementera nya teknologiska lösningar. Många projekt misslyckas, särskilt projekt av teknisk natur. Samtidigt är kultur onekligen viktigt för att förklara beteende, men kulturens roll i förändringsprojekt är fortfarande något av ett mysterium. I denna studie undersöks sambandet mellan organisationskulturens roll i teknologiska implementationer, och hur konsulter kan arbeta med dessa. Detta undersöks genom en fallstudie av ett managementkonsultföretag med hjälp av enkät och intervjuer. Detta analyseras genom Scheins syn på organisationskultur och The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Vi fastslår att organisationskultur har en betydande relation med teknologisk acceptans och föreslår en utökad modell av UTAUT. De viktigaste faktorerna för framgång i teknisk implementering diskuteras och i kombination med nyckelinsikter i change management utvecklas en ny teknologisk implementeringsmodell (TIM)