Taking iRAT Outside The Classroom: Using an Interactive Book to Modify Team-Based Learning in a First-Year Programming Course

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an evidence-based collaborative learning teaching strategy designed around units of instruction, known as “modules” that are taught in a three-step cycle: preparation, inclass readiness assurance test (RAT), and application-focused exercise. The in-class RAT includes two sub-tests; individual RAT (iRAT) and team RAT (tRAT). In first-year programming classes, the instructors rely on the mini-lecture to deliver advanced concepts or present a programming exercise to the students. Meanwhile, most of the class time is consumed by the iRAT, tRAT, and application-focused exercise. This paper sheds light on an attempt to modify the conventional TBL approach by taking the iRAT outside the classroom and exploit its time to extend the mini-lecture time. This modification is achieved by the aid of an interactive online book, which ensures that the students finished their reading assignments before the class. Hence, the interactive book can allow us to take the iRAT outside the classroom, which will save at least 20% of the class time. The proposed approach was implemented to a class of 165 students in Fall 2019 and 47 students in Spring 2020, and the preliminary results show that the students finish each class reading assignment with an average percentage of 87%

Simulation Pipeline of Milli-scale Magnetic Robots for Blood Clot Removal

Milliscale, magnetically-controlled robots can be used for targeted blood clot removal. This method may provide a more precise, less dangerous, and less invasive removal process than the current methods which utilize blood thinning medication and catheters. These robots have helical threads so that magnetically induced rotation will produce a propulsive force that is controlled by an external magnetic system. The speed at which the robots need to rotate in order to hover in place in human blood is called the hovering frequency, and was used as a measure of the efficiency of the robot designs. We developed a pipeline for simulated testing of the robots using Finite Element Methods and post-processing. The flow of blood around the robots when rotating at various frequencies was modeled with the Navier-Stokes equations and approximated using the penalty method. In post-processing, the simulations were evaluated by visualizing the interaction of flow lines with the design geometries, confirming that the divergence is approximately zero along the geometry's surface, and calculating the generated propulsive forces. Various physical design parameters including thread depth, air pocket size, tip shape, and pitch, were tested with this method to compare the efficiency of hovering frequencies between simulated models. Future work will involve further optimization of the robot's shapes, evaluation of the model, and automation of the simulation process.Mechanical Engineering, Department ofHonors Colleg

A Coupled Equations Model for Epitaxial Growth on Textured Surfaces

We have developed a continuum model that explains the complex surface shapes observed in epitaxial regrowth on micron scale gratings. This model describes the dependence of the surface morphology on film thickness and growth temperature in terms of a few simple atomic scale processes including adatom diffusion, step-edge attachment and detachment, and a net downhill migration of surface adatoms. The continuum model reduces to the linear part of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation with a flux dependent smoothing coefficient in the long wavelength limit.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to the Journal of Crystal Growt

Planting a Soft Skills Seed In a First-Year Introductory Programming Class Using Team-Based Learning

Today\u27s competitive global market demands that engineers possess soft skills in addition to technical skills. Currently, engineers learn leadership, teamwork, and management skills while working soft skills the hard way . In order to meet the demands of this changing world, engineering programs in different universities are challenged to come up with innovative ways to teach classes so that graduates are prepared to take on the challenges twenty-first-century engineers face. Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an advancing teaching pedagogy that shifts instruction from a traditional lecture-based teaching paradigm to a structured learning sequence. TBL has shown to be effective in student academic success and retention; however, it may also aid in the development of soft skills required for the industry. This study focuses on 165 students who were enrolled in a freshman-level programming course in the Fall 2019. The students were all asked voluntarily to fill a Soft Skills Survey in the second week of the semester that consisted of 38 questions evaluating various categories of soft skills. At the end of the semester, the same survey was given and both were used to evaluate the effectiveness of TBL on students\u27 soft skills. The conducted survey is designed to assess five overarching factors within the TBL framework: The first is how group work improves individual motivation; the second is how group work stimulates academic growth; the third is the individual student\u27s creative and critical thinking skills; the fourth is the value of group work for their overall education; the last is confidence in their own academic skills. Traditionally, the effectiveness of TBL has been assessed through grades and numeric measures of performance; however, TBL was designed to both enhance learning as well as team collaboration and critical thinking skills. These two surveys were conducted to assess the soft skills outcome gains. Preliminary results for this study showed modest gains in critical thinking and external motivation. The results show that using TBL will organically enhance the students\u27 soft skills

Critical role of actin in modulating BBB permeability

Abstract A major obstacle in the treatment of degenerative manifestations and debilitating diseases in the central nervous system (CNS) lies in the impediment of drug delivery into these tissues. The impediment is due to a membrane barrier referred to as the blood -brain barrier (BBB). It is known that the BBB is a unique membranous structure in brain capillaries that tightly segregates the brain from systemic blood circulation. It is imperative to have a thorough understanding of the molecular components and their integrated function of this barrier to develop effective therapeutics for CNS disorders and diseases. Although there are other cell and biochemical properties that underlie this barrier function, it is well established that the barrier is mainly made up of the physical elements of tight junction (TJ) complex. The major constituents of TJ, such as occludin, claudins, zonula occludens (ZOs) and junctional adhesion molecule (JAM) have been subjects of intensive studies and reviews. However, after examining currently proposed models, we have come to believe that a cytoskeletal componentactin may play a critical role in interacting TJ molecular constituents and modulating functional TJ complex. In this review, we will discuss the correlation of temporal and spatial distribution and remodeling of actin filaments with altering integrity of TJ complexes in various systems and present a hypothesis to depict its potential role in modulating BBB permeability.

Mixed Active-Traditional Learning versus Team-Based Learning: A Comparative Study for a Freshman Programming Course

A comparative study to show the effectiveness of Team-Based Learning (TBL) and Mixed Active-Traditional (MATL) learning for an introductory programming course at Iowa State University is discussed in this paper. The introductory programming C course was offered to 46 students using TBL and 50 students using MATL, led by two different instructors who use the same course schedule and textbook. The students on both courses received the same number of lectures/labs during the semester. To be able to assess the two methodologies, the instructors deliver the same course contents. Still, they differ with the course delivery method. MATL utilizes maximum class time for traditional lectures with class activities, and the TBL utilizes the maximum class time for interactive group activities with mini-lectures. Homework, reading assignments, and the final exam results are compared to check both teaching methods\u27 overall effectiveness. Although students were satisfied with both teaching methods, students\u27 performances were better in TBL than the MATL

Finite Coulomb Crystal Formation

Dust particles immersed within a plasma environment, such as those found in planetary rings or comets, will acquire an electric charge. If the ratio of the inter-particle potential energy to average kinetic energy is large enough the particles will form either a "liquid" structure with short-range ordering or a crystalline structure with long-range ordering. Since their discovery in laboratory environments in 1994, such crystals have been the subject of a variety of experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations. Most numerical and theoretical investigations have examined infinite systems assuming periodic boundary conditions. Since experimentally observed crystals can be comprised of a few hundred particles, this often leads to discrepancies between predicted theoretical results and experimental data. In addition, recent studies have concentrated on the importance of random charge variations between individual dust particles, but very little on the importance of size variations between the grains. Such size variations naturally lead to inter-grain charge variations which can easily become more important than those due to random charge fluctuations (which are typically less than one percent). Although such size variations can be largely eliminated experimentally by introducing mono-dispersive particles, many laboratory systems and all astrophysical environments contain significant size distributions. This study utilizes a program to find the equilibrium positions of a dusty plasma system as well as a modified Barnes-Hut code to model the dynamic behavior of such systems. It is shown that in terms of inter-particle spacing and ordering, finite systems are significantly different than infinite ones, particularly for the most-highly ordered states.Comment: 6 pages, Presented at COSPAR '0

Prototype development for real-time epilepsy seizures detector using three parameters

This paper proposes a prototype for real-time epilepsy seizures detection using skin conductance, temperature and sense movement. This proposed work is expected to help epilepsy patients to receive immediate help from the people around when seizures happen. This prototype is wearable and developed using Arduino Nano, Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensor, accelerometer, temperature sensor and pulse sensor. Epilepsy patients can wear this prototype just like a watch. The prototype is connected to the mobile application via Bluetooth and can alert the people around by buzzing alarm as well as sending text message to the doctor or family member. Details development and results are discussed in this paper

Association between socioeconomic factors, race, and use of a specialty memory clinic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The capacity of specialty memory clinics in the United States is very limited. If lower socioeconomic status or minoritized racial group is associated with reduced use of memory clinics, this could exacerbate health care disparities, especially if more effective treatments of Alzheimer disease become available. We aimed to understand how use of a memory clinic is associated with neighborhood-level measures of socioeconomic factors and the intersectionality of race. METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study using electronic health record data to compare the neighborhood advantage of patients seen at the Washington University Memory Diagnostic Center with the catchment area using a geographical information system. Furthermore, we compared the severity of dementia at the initial visit between patients who self-identified as Black or White. We used a multinomial logistic regression model to assess the Clinical Dementia Rating at the initial visit and RESULTS: A total of 4,824 patients seen at the memory clinic between 2008 and 2018 were included in this study (mean age 72.7 [SD 11.0] years, 2,712 [56%] female, 543 [11%] Black). Most of the memory clinic patients lived in more advantaged neighborhoods within the overall catchment area. The percentage of patients self-identifying as Black (11%) was lower than the average percentage of Black individuals by census tract in the catchment area (16%) ( DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that patients living in less affluent neighborhoods were less likely to be seen in one large memory clinic. Black patients were under-represented in the clinic, and Black patients had more severe dementia at their initial visit. These findings suggest that patients with a lower socioeconomic status and who identify as Black are less likely to be seen in memory clinics, which are likely to be a major point of access for any new Alzheimer disease treatments that may become available