Device enables calibration of microphones at high sound pressure levels

Coupling device accurately calibrates microphones at high sound pressure intensities. The system which uses a liquid as the coupling medium can operate in an automatic mode by using a standard microphone as a control sensor. Feedback from the standard microphone controls the calibration signal level

Louis Pasteur Signature Saying: Science Brings Men Closer to God Bicentenary Year: 200 years after his birth

This year (2022) marks the bicentenary birth (December 27, 1822) of Louis Pasteur. He has a global reputation. His contributions can be seen in our homes, in the pasteurized products derived from one of his discoveries and in disease prevention. It was in his discovery of gently heating beverages and food for what we today call pasteurization that he first said: “Man\u27s first look at the universe discovers only variety, diversity, multiplicity of phenomena. Let this gaze be enlightened by science — by science which brings man closer to God — and simplicity and unity shine everywhere.” Louis Pasteur (Vallery-Radot, Life of Pasteur, 1902, English translation, p. 194, Monday, Nov. 11, 1867; 730 pm Orleans France

Partnering with industry: Practical considerations from two programmes (practice paper)

Reflecting on both research and anecdotal evidence from two different engineering education programmes, we have developed practical implications for engaging with industry to support learning. While through our collective experience we have determined many positive reasons to consider partnering with industry, we also present areas of caution to consider when engaging with external partners for a learning experience. The two initiatives discussed in this paper are a school outreach programme that partners a university, industry, and school systems in the United States (Programme A) and a capstone integrated civil engineering design project that partners a university and nearby engineering firms in the United Kingdom. Despite the disparate nature of these programmes, we found points of comparison in consideration of the industry partnership aspect that they share

Towards Identifying Core Computational Literacy Concepts for Inclusion in a First-year General Engineering Course

In this paper, we describe an exploratory study to support efforts in revising first-year courses required for engineering students. It is common to include some form of introductory programming or spreadsheet computation topics in first-year courses. The inclusions of these topics is ostensibly to provide foundational computational skills needed in later courses. However, there are many challenges associated with teaching and learning these skills, the least of which is selecting which skills to include in the finite time allotted for a first-year introductory course that may also be tasked with teaching foundational problem solving and professional skills. This study is the first stage towards identifying a core set of skills for inclusion that would be relevant for most first-year students

A Scoping Review of Self-Awareness Instruments for Acquired Brain Injury

Background: Self-awareness and insight are critical functions required to maintain safe and optimal participation in all daily life activities in a variety of environmental contexts. In the past two decades, occupational therapists have developed several psychometrically sound assessments designed to identify self-awareness and insight deficits in patients with neurological disorders. This scoping review identifies and evaluates key properties of such assessments to inform clinical practice. Method: Multiple electronic databases were searched using the key search terms of “self-awareness” and “self-awareness assessment,” and “insight” and “insight assessment.” Included studies were original primary sources from the peer-reviewed journals. Results: Nine assessments met the inclusion criteria: Assessment of Awareness of Disability, Awareness Interview, Awareness Questionnaire, Insight Interview, Patient Competency Rating Scale, Patient Competency Rating Scale for Neuro-Rehabilitation, Patient Distress Scale, Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview, and Self-Regulation Skills Interview. Each assessment is reviewed in detail regarding its purpose, administration time, format, type of awareness assessed, psychometric properties, and advantages and disadvantages. Conclusions: Although all nine assessments are psychometrically sound, some may hold more usefulness for occupational therapists depending on a variety of factors, including patient cognitive level and activity tolerance and clinical setting and time constraints

Work in Progress: Transformational Change in a Masters-level Integrated Capstone Design Course that Partners Industry and Academia

Integrated capstone design courses in civil engineering pose a major challenge for educators because of the breadth of topics covered. Partnering with industry has historically provided a way to alleviate some of these challenges and provide a more authentic design experience. While external partnership in capstone design courses can provide added authenticity as well as fringe benefits such as networking opportunities, there are risks associated with an industry-driven approach. We also argue there is a need to shift from an emphasis on product to pedagogy in capstone design and that authenticity from industry is not an end in itself. In this work-in-progress paper, we present our project to reimagine the integrated capstone design course at a large, public research university in the United Kingdom. This project has three major goals: (1) Develop an understanding of how to balance industry involvement; (2) Generate mechanisms for sustainable adoption of changes; and (3) Evaluate short- and long-term student outcomes for the course. We will present an overview of our intended curricular changes as well as research and evaluation plans to date. This project fits uniquely in the current literature on engineering design education in that it centers around a masters-level course and challenges the notion of what constitutes healthy industry partnership. As a starting point, our first research question considers how the current capstone design course came to be a primarily outsourced effort and what factors impacted this organizational shift to lower academic ownership from within the department

Predation by Pellet-Reared Tiger Muskellunge on Minnows and Bluegills in Experimental Systems

Studies in Wisconsin lakes have shown that stocked tiger muskellunge( F1 hybrids of female muskellunge, Esox masquinongy * male northern pike, E.lucius) reared on live food survive better than those reared entirely on dry pellet food. We evaluated the ability of pellet-reared hybrids to convert to a minnow(Notropis spp. and Pimephales promelas) or bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) diet in laboratory aquaria and hatchery ponds. In aquaria, 86-310-mm (total length) tiger muskellunge selected cyprinids that were about 40% of their own length and bluegills that were about 30% of their length, sizes closely predicted by an optimal foraging construct (time from prey capture to complete prey ingestion / prey dry weight). Using these prey sizes, we tested hybrids (130, 150, and 170mm long) in conversion experiments in aquaria and ponds. During experiments, prey were maintained at a constant density and predators were sampled periodically to determine the proportion eating fish. Tiger muskellunge converted more slowly to bluegills than to minnows in both aquaria and ponds. In aquaria, 85% of the hybrids converted from pellets to minnows by day 3, whereas only 68% converted to bluegills. By day 5, conversions to minnows and bluegills were 95% and 82%, respectively. In ponds, 73% of the hybrids converted to minnows by day 5 and 89% by day 14. No hybrids had eaten bluegills by day 3 and only 53% converted by day 14. The apparently limited ability of pellet-reared tiger muskellunge to switch to a bluegill diet may influence survival and growth of these predators in reservoirs dominated by a centrachid forage base.This research was supported in part by funds from the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act under Dingell-Johnson Project F-57-R

Economics of Tourism and Transport: An Introduction

No abstrac

Towards Identifying Core Computational Literacy Concepts for Inclusion in a First-year General Engineering Course

In this paper, we describe an exploratory study to support efforts in revising first-year courses required for engineering students. It is common to include some form of introductory programming or spreadsheet computation topics in first-year courses. The inclusions of these topics is ostensibly to provide foundational computational skills needed in later courses. However, there are many challenges associated with teaching and learning these skills, the least of which is selecting which skills to include in the finite time allotted for a first-year introductory course that may also be tasked with teaching foundational problem solving and professional skills. This study is the first stage towards identifying a core set of skills for inclusion that would be relevant for most first-year students

Guillain-Barré Syndrome-related campylobacter jejuni in Bangladesh: ganglioside mimicry and cross-reactive antibodies

BACKGROUND: <br/> Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant antecedent infection in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Molecular mimicry and cross-reactive immune responses to C. jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides (LOS) precipitate the development of GBS, although this mechanism has not been established in patients from developing countries. We determined the carbohydrate mimicry between C. jejuni LOS and gangliosides, and the cross-reactive antibody response in patients with GBS in Bangladesh.<br/> METHODOLOGY:<br/> Sera from 97 GBS patients, and 120 neurological and family controls were tested for antibody reactivity against LOS from C. jejuni isolates from GBS patients in Bangladesh (BD-07, BD-39, BD-10, BD-67 and BD-94) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cross-reactivity to LOS was determined by ELISA. The LOS outer core structures of C. jejuni strains associated with GBS/MFS were determined by mass spectrometry.<br/> PRINCIPLE FINDINGS:<br/> IgG antibodies to LOS from C. jejuni BD-07, BD-39, BD-10, and BD-67 IgG antibodies were found in serum from 56%, 58%, 14% and 15% of GBS patients respectively, as compared to very low frequency (<3%) in controls (p<0.001). Monoclonal antibodies specific for GM1 and GD1a reacted strongly with LOS from the C. jejuni strains (BD-07 and BD-39). Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of GM1 and GD1a carbohydrate mimics in the LOS from C. jejuni BD-07 and BD-39. Both BD-10 and BD-67 express the same LOS outer core, which appears to be a novel structure displaying GA2 and GD3 mimicry. Up to 90-100% of serum reactivity to gangliosides in two patients (DK-07 and DK-39) was inhibited by 50 µg/ml of LOS from the autologous C. jejuni isolates. However, patient DK-07 developed an anti-GD1a immune response while patient DK-39 developed an anti-GM1 immune response.<br/> CONCLUSION:<br/> Carbohydrate mimicry between C. jejuni LOS and gangliosides, and cross-reactive serum antibody precipitate the majority of GBS cases in Bangladesh