Evaluation of a Flipped Classroom in Mechanics of Materials

Recent interest towards the implementation of flipped (or inverted) classroom models parallelsthe wide availability of technology and the shift from lecture-based teaching methods towardsstudent-centered teaching methods in undergraduate engineering education. The flippedclassroom involves two components, computer-based video instruction outside of the classroomand interactive learning activities inside the classroom. The intent is to create an active andengaging classroom experience that can be tailored to meet the needs of students possessing awide range of learning styles. This can potentially reduce attrition, improve knowledge retention,and enhance skill development in engineering.The goals of this study are to compare and contrast the effectiveness of a flipped classroom and atraditional lecture-based classroom in a first course in mechanics of materials. Two 5-weeksummer session courses in mechanics of materials were used to perform the study. The firstcourse was taught in a traditional lecture-based format where, during face-to-face meetings, newconcepts were introduced during the lecture, example problems were performed by the instructorand in groups by students; outside of class students solved problems as part of homeworkassignments. The second course was taught using a flipped classroom approach where face-to-face sessions were used for active learning techniques involving group discussions, problemsolving sessions, and demonstrations. Outside of class students were required to watchscreencast tutorials on YouTube and answer concept questions as well as complete additionalhomework problems.Assessment on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom is based on performance of pre andpost quiz scores, student survey feedback, and instructor observations. Students in the flippedclassroom (test group) performed better on pre quiz scores (mean of 0.12 versus 0.03) and postquiz scores (mean of 0.58 versus 0.38) as compared to the traditional classroom (control group).Quizzes were scored 0 or 1 without partial credit, where a score of 1 indicated a correctnumerical answer and correct units. Controlling for prior academic achievement and initiallevels of content-specific achievement, a multiple linear regression analysis shows that 8% of thevariability in post quiz scores may be attributed to the instructional delivery approach. Theresults indicate that there is evidence to suggest that participation in the flipped classroom resultsin better performance than participation in the traditional lecture-based classroom

Mapbook of Syntactic Variation in American English: Survey Results, 2015–2019

This work presents the results of a series of acceptability judgment surveys conducted by the Yale Grammatical Diversity Project (YGDP) between 2015 and 2019. It contains over 200 maps of some 194 sentences, covering a wide range of syntactic constructions, including dative presentatives, personal datives, extended benefactives, the have yet to construction, the done my homework construction, wicked, hella, the so don’t I construction, the alls construction, the come with construction, fixin’ to, the needs washed construction, non-polarity anymore (aka “positive anymore”), and many others. For each sentence, we also provide some basic demographic information, such as how the sentence judgments varied by age, race, gender, education, and urban/rural classifications. We describe the goals of these surveys, as well as how they were designed, administered, processed, and mapped, along with a brief introduction to the history of the YGDP. In addition to providing a detailed look at syntactic variation in U.S. English to an extent that has previously been unavailable, we hope that this work will be useful in linguistics classrooms at all levels, and will provide the springboard for further, more detailed studies of the individual constructions, geographic regions, and linguistic and social factors connected to syntactic variation in U.S. English

Exploring Mars at the nanoscale: applications of transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography in planetary exploration

The upcoming Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission aims to deliver small quantities of Martian rocks to the Earth. Investigating these precious samples requires the development and application of techniques that can extract the greatest amount of high quality data from the minimum sample volume, thereby maximising science return from MSR. Atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are two complementary techniques that can obtain nanoscale structural, geochemical and, in the case of atom probe, isotopic information from small sample volumes. Here we describe how both techniques operate, as well as review recent developments in sample preparation protocols. We also outline how APT has been successfully applied to extraterrestrial materials in the recent past. Finally, we describe how we have studied Martian meteorites using TEM and APT in close coordination in order to characterise the products of water/rock interactions in t h e cru st of Ma r s – a k ey sc ie n ce goal of MSR. Our results provide new insights into the Martian hydrosphere and the mechanisms of anhydrous-hydrous mineral replacement. In light of the unique results provided by these tools, APT and TEM should form a crucial part at the culmination of a correlative analytical pipeline for MSR mission materials

Charge-spin correlation in van der Waals antiferromagenet NiPS3

Strong charge-spin coupling is found in a layered transition-metal trichalcogenide NiPS3, a van derWaals antiferromagnet, from our study of the electronic structure using several experimental and theoretical tools: spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, and density-functional calculations. NiPS3 displays an anomalous shift in the optical spectral weight at the magnetic ordering temperature, reflecting a strong coupling between the electronic and magnetic structures. X-ray absorption, photoemission and optical spectra support a self-doped ground state in NiPS3. Our work demonstrates that layered transition-metal trichalcogenide magnets are a useful candidate for the study of correlated-electron physics in two-dimensional magnetic material.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figur

\u3cem\u3ePseudomonas aeruginosa\u3c/em\u3e reverse diauxie is a multidimensionl, optimized, resource utilization strategy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a globally-distributed bacterium often found in medical infections. The opportunistic pathogen uses a different, carbon catabolite repression (CCR) strategy than many, model microorganisms. It does not utilize a classic diauxie phenotype, nor does it follow common systems biology assumptions including preferential consumption of glucose with an ‘overflow’ metabolism. Despite these contradictions, P. aeruginosa is competitive in many, disparate environments underscoring knowledge gaps in microbial ecology and systems biology. Physiological, omics, and in silico analyses were used to quantify the P. aeruginosa CCR strategy known as ‘reverse diauxie’. An ecological basis of reverse diauxie was identified using a genome-scale, metabolic model interrogated with in vitro omics data. Reverse diauxie preference for lower energy, nonfermentable carbon sources, such as acetate or succinate over glucose, was predicted using a multidimensional strategy which minimized resource investment into central metabolism while completely oxidizing substrates. Application of a common, in silico optimization criterion, which maximizes growth rate, did not predict the reverse diauxie phenotypes. This study quantifies P. aeruginosa metabolic strategies foundational to its wide distribution and virulence including its potentially, mutualistic interactions with microorganisms found commonly in the environment and in medical infections

Academic Needs and Family Factors in the Education of Southeast Asian American Students: Dismantling the Model Minority Myth

The model minority myth is a powerful force in schools. Many teachers believe that Asian American students do not need academic interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the student achievement of almost a million seventh-grade students from California. The research compared the performance of Southeast Asian Americans, Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese students, on reading and math on the CAT/6 standardized assessment with African American and White American students. Cambodian American and Laotian American students performed significantly lower than their White American peers and compared similarly to their African American peers. Vietnamese American students also scored lower than their White American counterparts on reading. In addition, the study examined the influence of parent education levels, free/reduced lunch status, and ethnicity on academic achievement. A huge achievement gap continues to plague many Southeast Asian American students

Spin-triplet superconductivity in repulsive Hubbard models with disconnected Fermi surfaces: a case study on triangular and honeycomb lattices

We propose that spin-fluctuation-mediated spin-triplet superconductivity may be realized in repulsive Hubbard models with disconnected Fermi surfaces. The idea is confirmed for Hubbard models on triangular (dilute band filling) and honeycomb (near half-filling) lattices using fluctuation exchange approximation, where triplet pairing order parameter with f-wave symmetry is obtained. Possible relevance to real superconductors is suggested.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, RevTeX, uses epsf.sty and multicol.st