Predicting teachers’ use of digital learning materials: combining self-determination theory and the integrative model of behaviour prediction

In this article, we report on a study that investigated the motivational (e.g., intrinsic motivation) and dispositional variables (e.g., attitudes) that determine teachers’ intention to use or not to use Digital Learning Materials (DLMs). To understand the direct and indirect relationships between these variables we replicated a study of Hagger et al. (2006) in which Self- Determination Theory (SDT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TBP)/Integrated Model of Behavior Prediction (IMBP) are combined according Vallerand’s (1997) proposal to distinguish between global level psychological needs, contextual-level and situational-level motivational constructs. Using a sample of 1273 teachers, our preliminary findings supported the findings of Hagger et al. (ibid). The combined model of Hagger et al. (ibid) potentially provides us with a more comprehensive explanation of teachers’ volitional behavior regarding their use of DLMs in their pedagogical practices than would be possible on the bases of SDT or IMBP alone

The role of transformative leadership, ICT-infrastructure and learning climate in teachers’ use of digital learning materials during their classes

This study investigated whether the school organizational variables transformative leadership (TL), ICT-infrastructure (technical and social), and organizational learning climate were related to teachers’ dispositional variables attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavior control (PBC). The direct and indirect influences of these variables on teachers’ intention and use of modern technology such as digital learning materials (DLMs) were also investigated. A longitudinal design was used with three measurements spread out over three years, with 544 randomly selected teachers from the Dutch primary, secondary and vocational education. Model fit was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). All dispositional variables predicted the use of DLMs, mediated by teachers’ intention. TL had direct and indirect relationships via ICT-infrastructure and learning climate with attitude, perceived norm, and PBC. The longitudinal design proved the chronological effect of TL on learning climate and the dispositional variables. However, not all TL dimensions had relationships with ICT-infrastructure (only TL-vision and TL-intellectual stimulation) and with learning climate (only TL-intellectual stimulation). For educational practice, the results indicated that leadership can promote teachers’ use of DLMs directly and by supporting a school wide learning climate under the condition that an ICT-infrastructure exists

Validation of a wide plate finite element model using digital image correlation

To investigate the influence of global plastic deformations on girth weld defect tolerance in pipelines, a parametric finite element model has been developed. This paper provides an experimental validation of the model. It describes the test setup and instrumentation used for the evaluation of plastic strain fields around a notch in a tension loaded non-welded X65 mini wide plate. LVDT measurements and digital image correlation (DIC) results are compared to each other and to the results of finite element simulations. Whereas some deviation is observed owing to unavoidable experimental uncertainties and limitations of finite element modelling, the overall correspondence is more than satisfying

Evaluating carbon balance of wood cascading – the need for accounting storage period and rate of carbon uptake

The renewed interest in wood has driven growth in its demand. Although a renewable resource, wood supply is limited by the forest growth rate and sustainable forest management practices. Using waste wood (sawmill residues and post-consumer waste) in cascading is essential to meet this growing demand without exerting additional pressure on the forests. Cascading is the sequential use of resources as long, as many times and as efficiently as possible for material applications and recover energy from them when no material use is feasible. Several studies have evaluated the environmental impact of cascading systems using LCA. However, these studies mainly focused on the cascade (benefit of using waste instead of fresh wood for producing a product) and substitution effect (substituting wood for fossil- or mineral-based materials). Wood cascading contributes also by storing the carbon in harvest wood products (HWP) for longer and gives the forests that were cleared for wood harvesting sufficient time to regrow and sequester the equivalent amount of carbon initially harvested from the forests. Long-life cascades have a comparatively lower global warming potential (GWP) because the embedded carbon emitted at the end of the storage period spends less time in the atmosphere (within the considered time horizon). While the GWP of short life cascades could be positive and the biomass may need to be stored in the HWP for a certain duration for the system to be carbon-neutral. The longer the storage period, the higher is the climate benefit. Plus, biomass from a fast-growing forest leads to a lower GWP because the carbon is sequestered more rapidly. These temporal aspects (time of carbon storage in a cascade and the rate of carbon uptake) affect the GWP of cascading systems - an aspect currently overlooked in LCA studies. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Environmental and economic analysis to evaluate the valorization process of metallurgical waste and by‐products

Energy and resource efficiency are today key elements for the European industry. More specifically, the metallurgical industry is energy and resource-intensive, mostly located in big centralized plants, and it is today responsable for a large number of carbon emissions. While a big plant allows for stability in productivity, it also makes the process less adaptable towards innovative units/systems developed for more efficient use of energy and resources. Therefore, the future decarbonization targets might not be met without the development of new flexible and innovative technologies and strategies. In this context, the goal of the H2020 project CIRMET (innovative and efficient solution, based on modular, versatile, and smart process units for energy and resource flexibility in highly energy-intensive processes) is to develop and validate an innovative and flexible circular solution for energy and resource efficiency in a metallurgical plant, that can also be replicable to other sectors of the process industry. The proposed circular model, represented in Figure 1, is composed of three units: (1) a metallurgical furnace for the recovery of valuable metals from industrial metallurgical residues and by-products, (2) a unit for heat recovery from the furnace’s exhaust gases, and (3) a digital platform for the optimization of the whole process. The substitution of metallurgical coke (based on fossil carbon) with biobased material (Biochar) is also investigated, aiming at future carbon neutral emissions for energy intensive industries. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the presentation

Marine biogenics in sea spray aerosols interact with the mTOR signaling pathway

Sea spray aerosols (SSAs) have profound effects on our climate and ecosystems. They also contain microbiota and biogenic molecules which could affect human health. Yet the exposure and effects of SSAs on human health remain poorly studied. Here, we exposed human lung cancer cells to extracts of a natural sea spray aerosol collected at the seashore in Belgium, a laboratory-generated SSA, the marine algal toxin homoyessotoxin and a chemical inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. We observed significant increased expression of genes related to the mTOR pathway and Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) after exposure to homoyessotoxin and the laboratory-generated SSA. In contrast, we observed a significant decrease in gene expression in the mTOR pathway and of PCSK9 after exposure to the natural SSA and the mTOR inhibitor, suggesting induction of apoptosis. Our results indicate that marine biogenics in SSAs interact with PCSK9 and the mTOR pathway and can be used in new potential pharmaceutical applications. Overall, our results provide a substantial molecular evidence base for potential beneficial health effects at environmentally relevant concentrations of natural SSAs