“Flipping or flapping?” Investigating engineering students’ experience in flipped classrooms

Purpose This study has explored the flipped classroom model in a private university in Malaysia. It aims to present a flipped classroom intervention for engineering education innovation. Design/methodology/approach The research (1) revisited prominent educational theories for a flipping or flapping pedagogy, (2) implemented and explored the flipped classroom experiences in one engineering subject using the action inquiry method with thematic analysis and (3) reflectively evaluated both students’ and educators’ “flipping or flapping experience”. Findings The responses of the research participants are analysed and used to develop the flipping or flapping classroom principles and an ideal flipped classroom model. From passive lectures to active learning with collaborative discourse and reflective communication, flipping the classroom can offer a seamless learning experience. Research limitations/implications The flipped classroom model can provide good reference for other educational researchers who intended to conduct a flipped classroom. However, the small sample size with qualitative method and thematic analysis useds led to considerable theoretical development, but it may not achieve the validity standards to generalise the findings. Further empirical investigation with a systematic controlled group is recommended for future work across disciplines for extrapolation. Originality/value This is a genuine case study with an identified innovative teaching need to investigate how flipped classrooms can be enabled and enhanced in engineering education innovation

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Integrated automatic aircraft landing control system using nonlinear energy methods

Automatic flight control systems have been implemented in modern civil aircrafts to complement human pilots. Automation that requires minimal routine pilot interaction are not subject to fatigue and emotion. As designs of the air flight control system evolve, there is a demand for development of a robust control system to provide on-time arrivals of all flights regardless of bad weather conditions. The Nonlinear Energy Method (NEM) has been shown to be very effective and robust in controlling the longitudinal dynamics of the Research Civil Aircraft Model (RCAM). The RCAM used in this research models the behavior of a large fixed-wing twin-engine civil aircraft. In this thesis, a new automatic controller that integrates NEM controllers for both longitudinal and lateral fast dynamics of the RCAM has been designed. The lateral dynamics includes its rolling and yawing motion. The integrated NEM automatic flight controller enables stabilization of the aircraft attitudes, energy regulation and trajectory tracking. An evaluation procedure which includes a one-sided engine failure, a 90o turn, a glideslope and wind shear was performed for 10 different flight conditions. Theoretical proof and simulation results have shown that the integrated NEM controller is stable and robust. A comprehensive fault tolerant control scheme that complements this integrated NEM controller would be a practical area to explore in future works

Integrated automatic aircraft landing control system using nonlinear energy methods

Automatic flight control systems have been implemented in modern civil aircrafts to complement human pilots. Automation that requires minimal routine pilot interaction are not subject to fatigue and emotion. As designs of the air flight control system evolve, there is a demand for development of a robust control system to provide on-time arrivals of all flights regardless of bad weather conditions. The Nonlinear Energy Method (NEM) has been shown to be very effective and robust in controlling the longitudinal dynamics of the Research Civil Aircraft Model (RCAM). The RCAM used in this research models the behavior of a large fixed-wing twin-engine civil aircraft. In this thesis, a new automatic controller that integrates NEM controllers for both longitudinal and lateral fast dynamics of the RCAM has been designed. The lateral dynamics includes its rolling and yawing motion. The integrated NEM automatic flight controller enables stabilization of the aircraft attitudes, energy regulation and trajectory tracking. An evaluation procedure which includes a one-sided engine failure, a 90o turn, a glideslope and wind shear was performed for 10 different flight conditions. Theoretical proof and simulation results have shown that the integrated NEM controller is stable and robust. A comprehensive fault tolerant control scheme that complements this integrated NEM controller would be a practical area to explore in future works

Roll and yaw stabilisation using nonlinear energy method

Automatic flight control systems have become increasingly vital ever since the emergence of airplanes. Automatic systems are not subject to fatigue and emotions as compared to the human pilot. As such, the possibility of human errors in flight control is minimized. Current automatic Flight Control Systems are designed based on classical control theories using linear controllers that are complex and inefficient. Since an aircraft is naturally nonlinear in its behavior, it is intuitive to design a nonlinear controller that could cover a wide variety of possible ‘extreme’ flight conditions. A novel controller utilizing the Nonlinear Energy Method was developed by Akmeliawati for the longitudinal dynamics of an aircraft, and has been proven to provide effective control and better performance when compared to an equivalent linear controller. The novel controller was designed using the Passivity-Based Control (PBC) technique. In this paper, a similar nonlinear controller was designed to direct the roll and yaw motion, which is part of the lateral dynamics of the aircraft. Simulations show that this PBC is able to stabilize both roll and yaw motion of the aircraft

Automatic aircraft landing control using nonlinear energy method

This paper presents the integration of longitudinal and lateral dynamics controller designed using Nonlinear Energy Method (NEM) for a research civil aircraft. This controller ensures the core attitudes of the aircraft such as roll, pitch, yaw and airspeed follows their reference value determined by the given flight trajectory for a landing approach. The NEM is supplemented with a positional tracker on the outer loop to facilitate better positional tracking. The robustness and disturbance rejection of the proposed controller is tested in different flight conditions. Simulation result shows that the NEM is stable under scenarios such as a one-sided engine failure, a 90-degree turn, glideslopes and a wind shear. Positional tracking is also achieved in both normal and ‘extreme’ flight conditions

Preliminary design of sliding mode controller for angular positional tracking of an aircraft

Sliding mode controllers are known to be robust to parameter changes and capable of rejecting disturbances. Most sliding mode controllers were implemented on aircraft models that were derived based on the aircraft's body axes. The aircraft model in this paper are derived from an energy based modeling technique where the aircraft dynamics can be defined by Euler-Lagrangian equations that makes decoupling of aircraft dynamics simple and straightforward. It is possible to do so since these equations can be derived from the inertial axes of the aircraft instead of the aircraft's body axes. The nature of these equations makes it easy to implement the sliding mode controller on all the angular positions of the aircraft for the purpose of tracking a reference trajectory. Parameter changes and disturbances were also introduced as part of the evaluation procedure in few sets of simulations to prove how well these angular positions can be tracked. The controller designed to achieve angular positional tracking includes a nominal feedback controller and a sliding mode compensator. The performance of the controller presented are measured using root-mean-square error values and maximum errors for roll, pitch and yaw. Results presented shows good tracking performances throughout entire flight trajectory that includes a one-sided engine failure, a 90 degree turn and rotations in the pitch angle

Non-revenue water in Malaysia:influence of water distribution pipe types

Reducing non-revenue water (NRW) within a water distribution network may lead to significant water savings. Most existing literature tend to focus on the design and implementation aspects of NRW loss through better management of leaks, reservoir overflow, and water theft. In contrast, this paper examines the association between the various water pipe types and their respective impact on NRW loss in an emerging country. Malaysia is currently listed under emerging and developing economies category in the International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook Database (October 2020). A correlation analysis is carried out using historical data obtained from the Malaysian water authority, covering fiscal years 2013 to 2017 (inclusive of both years). Further analysis is carried out by measuring the number of cases reported for two selected states in relation to the type of pipe materials used. Results show that there is a significant correlation between mild steel and polyethylene pipes to NRW loss. This study provides a better understanding of how water pipe types affect NRW loss, which is pertinent to developing best practices in the marketplace to manage NRW loss and protect water resources