Pedagogical Innovation in New Learning Communities: An In-depth Study of Twelve Online Learning Communities

The main aim of this study is to collect evidence on the learning innovation emerging in online communities and to draw conclusions on the lessons learnt and on emerging models and features that could eventually be transferred to Education and Training systems to support Lifelong Learning, innovation and change in Europe. The results presented are based on an in-depth analysis of the pedagogical and organisational innovation emerging from twelve online communities belonging to one (or more) of the following categorisation: Organization-driven communities; Production-driven communities; Topic-driven communities; Socially driven communities.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

The geology and mineralogy of a range of kaolins from the Santa Cruz and Chubut Provinces, Patagonia (Argentina)

In the Santa Cruz and Chubut provinces, Patagonia, Argentina, kaolin deposits were formed by "in situ" alteration of volcaniclastic rocks, such as the Bajo Grande, Chon Aike or Marifil Formations, or by erosion, transportation, and deposition of residual clays in small basins. This paper describes the genesis; geology; mineralogy; major, minor, and trace element geochemistry; grain size distribution; and specific surface area of natural and washed kaolins in an attempt to understand their behavior in the ceramic process. The sedimentary clays of the Baquer? Fm Lower Member, related to the Bajo Grande basement, are kaolinitic?-smectitic, very fine?grained, and with a very high specific surface area. The clays related to the Chon Aike or Marifil Fms are kaolinitic, showing intermediate values of specific surface area and a coarser particle size distribution, associated with quite a fine?-grained texture. The Baquer? Fm Upper Member received a considerable pyroclastic supply, fostering the development of a fine?-grained clay in which kaolinite (? halloysite) with higher values of kaolinite crystal order prevailed. Primary kaolins - derived from weathering of pyroclastic sequences of Chon Aike and Marifil Fms - are coarse-?grained, composed of kaolinite+ quartz? halloysite and exhibit a very low specific surface area. Alteration of mostly crystalline pyroclastics yielded ordered kaolinite and illite (? halloysite) with a fine particle size distribution and intermediate values of specific surface area. Alteration of mainly vitreous pyroclastics produced halloysite (+kaolinite) with a fine?grained texture and moderately high values of specific surface area. A supergene origin of primary kaolins is inferred on the basis of palaeoclimatic and geochemical evidence that corroborates stable isotopic data. The mineralogy, grain size, and textural characteristics of clays are controlled by parent rock composition (primary kaolins) or by provenance and proximity to source areas (sedimentary kaolins)

Compromiso con OER en las universidades

At present, there is great interest over the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) in all of its forms: OpenCourseware repositories OCW, spare open resources, or even more recently as Massive Online Open Courses (also called MOOC). This panorama has generated considerable debate about their effectiveness in terms of learning, sustainability and especially the role that higher education institutions play in this context. We understand that students are involved on formal and informal learning activities, and require universities should have new model to recognize their skills and abilities on these scenarios. One case study is the MOOC learning framework, where universities are interested but there are nowadays some doubts and fears about the official recognition as a usual learning activity. In this article we analyse some data from the activity in an Open Course developed in the University of Granada and the implications regarding learning skills and recognition. Finally, we link this approach with the studies given in the Open Learning Framework developed within the European project OERtest, in which five higher education institutions have conducted a pilot on this issue. We can offer some conclusions regarding the feasibility of certifying and award credits to a student

A Decision Support System for the safety evaluation of urban pedestrian crossings

This paper proposes an innovative methodology, based on a Decision Support Systems, for the safety evaluation of pedestrian crossings without traffic lights in urban neighborhood areas. It provides an on-site inspection performed using ad-hoc data check lists, and it allows to assign a safety rate to the pedestrian crossing, in order to define a priority list of interventions and to suggest which features need to be improved. This new approach can be useful and easy to use for public administration managers and local governances, when they need to allocate limited financial resources to several pedestrian crossings. It has been applied to 10 pedestrian crossings on two roads in the urban area of Bologna and the resulted ranking list has been used by the Municipality of Bologna in its Urban Road Safety Plan 2016-201

Genesis of the La Espingarda kaolin deposit. Implications for epithermal deposit exploration in Patagonia

The La Espingarda kaolin deposit was formed by ?in situ? alteration of sub-alkaline rhyolites belonging to the Jurassic Marifil Formation. Three altered volcanic lithofacies were identified: a porphyric biotitic ignimbrite (RPB), a coarse lithic ignimbrite (ILG), and a fluidal intrusive rhyolite (RFI). The kaolinization covers an ellipsoidal surface area of ∼20,000 m2, with the alteration intensity decreasing downwards and disappearing at 8?12 m from the surface. In two mine sectors small stockworks of fine quartz veins appears (b3 m2). The deepest alteration is related to two fault zones where the three volcanic units are in contact. There is no lateral clay zoning at the faults. The mineralogical composition is kaolinite? halloysite ?illite quartz+feldspars +Fe-hydr(oxides). At least three kaolinite generations were identified. The first is pervasive; the second appears as a filling of vugs in the quartz veinlets that crosscut the pervasively altered rocks; and the third occurs as pure kaolin veins without quartz vein cross cuts. During the alteration processes almost total alkali cations were leached. The argillized lithofacies showed Ni enrichment and Cu, Sr, and Ba depletions. The main weathering genesis for La Espingarda is supported by the deposit morphology, its location in topographic lows, the paleoclimatic record, its simple mineralogical composition; vertical zonation, the kaolinite veins isotopes (δ18O ? 18.3; δD ? −59.0), and the trace element distribution. A steam heated water activity produced some kaolinite overprint according to one isotopic value and the S and P contents slightly higher in the kaolinized rocks. Neither Au, Ag, As, Sb, Hg, or Ba epithermal pathfinders\u27 anomalies nor drill data support the existence of any metallic mineralization at the kaolin blanket bottom. In Patagonia hydrothermal kaolinite manifestations are located around and beneath silicified, erosion-resistant hills and include some of the following minerals: dickite, alunite, pyrophyllite, or pyrite and have As, S, Ba, and Ag trace elements within the range of weak geochemical anomalie

Rheological characterization of bituminous mastics containing waste bleaching clays

Bleaching clays are mostly used in food industries to clarify vegetal oils. After use they are generally dumped as waste (stage 1) or used in green innovative plants to feed biogas reactors (stage 2). In latter stage the initial residual oil content (ap-prox. 25% by mass) is reduced to less than 1% by the biological process. In this study the bleaching clays effects on bituminous mastics of a traditional binder course Hot Mix Asphalt have been investigated. The physical characteristics of the two bleaching clays and of a traditional limestone filler were also studied. DSR rheological tests at high and low temperatures were performed on mastics samples containing different amounts of fillers (limestone, stage 1 or stage 2). The addition of the different waste bleaching clays significantly affects the rheological behav-ior of the mastics: the filler from stage 2 increases the mastic stiffness improving the resistance to permanent deformations as shown by repeated creep tests, while the filler from stage 1 strongly interacts with the bitumen reducing the mechanical characteristics of the mastics at all temperatures

The Effect of kaolin properties on their behaviour in ceramic processing as illustrated by a range of kaolins from the Santa Cruz and Chubut Provinces, Patagonia (Argentina)

The Patagonian kaolins offer a wide set of origin of deposits, composition, mineral processing and ceramic properties, giving a rare opportunity for investigating the interdependence of mineralogy, chemical composition, particle size distribution, texture, and surface activity with their technological behaviour in sanitaryware and porcelain stoneware production. Plasticity is strictly dependent on surface activity, <2 micron fraction and expandable clay minerals; slip rheology is affected by soluble salts and expandable clay minerals, but also by high specific surface or tubular halloysite. Kaolinite/halloysite play an opposite role versus smectite/interstratified I/S in slip casting and tile pressing: the former allow faster casting rates, while the latter improve powder flowability and mechanical strength. Kaolinite and quartz are beneficial for drying behaviour while high surface activity or expandable clay minerals increase significantly drying sensitivity. Firing behaviour is mainly affected by minor components supplying "fluxing" (i.e. iron, alkali and alkaline-earth) oxides. A great deal of technological parameters seem to be reasonably predicted by the surface activity of clays and especially the Methylene Blue index, which is the most reliable, simple and economic method to predict and control the ceramic response of kaolins and ball clays

Road users’ behaviour in the "30 km/h zones". The case study of Bologna

Excessive vehicle speeds in urban areas have resulted to be a major cause of road accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, identified as "vulnerable road users" (VRU). A possible useful strategy to overcome this problem, both reducing speed and safeguarding vulnerable road users (VRU), is the introduction of "30 km/h zones". As traffic calming measures, they allow a maximum speed for drivers of 30km/h. The purpose of this study is to monitor the behaviour of drivers in the “30 km/h zones” of the centre of Bologna. With the close collaboration of Bologna Municipality, the study has provided for the monitoring of speed and type of transport in specific points within a selected circuit. Data collected showed that, although in most of the selected zones, speeds are below 30 km/h, in the areas where traffic is heavier, drivers exceed the permitted limit

A laboratory and filed evaluation of Cold Recycled Mixture for base layer entirely made with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Asphalt concrete (AC) recycling is probably the most cost-effective technique for the rehabilitation of stressed road pavements and for the construction of new ones. The increased interest in this technology comes from the need of reducing the costs connected to the production processes and to the use of virgin raw materials. In fact, the benefits connected to the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) are related to the possibility of substituting the natural aggregates and the virgin binder of an AC mixture, without negatively affecting its mechanical properties. When this process is made at ambient temperature (Cold Recycled Mixes – CRM), more advantages are brought about with, above all, the reduction in energy consumption and emissions during in plant production and laying, in addition to the actual possibility of achieving durable pavement layers. A CRM totally made of RAP is proposed in this research, the main goal of which was to evaluate the different physical and mechanical characteristics derived by the large use of recycled materials. According to the final mix-design, CRM does not show significant differences in terms of physical properties, when compared to a Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) for base layers. Moreover, even if the experimental mixture shows lower mechanical values, these are acceptable and higher than the limits imposed by the most common Italian technical specifications for Cold Mix Asphalts containing up to 30% RAP