Struggles and Growth in Mathematics Education: Reflections by Three Generations of Mathematicians On The Creation of the Computer Game E-Brock Bugs

In the Fall of 2013 our team of three different generations of mathematicians launched the free, online E-Brock Bugs© mathematics computer game [5] which we developed from an original probabilistic board game, Brock Bugs, and its digital learning object version. We constructed E-Brock Bugs using Devlin’s [9] mathematics computer game design principles for games that prompt players’ development of mathematical thinking. As we created E-Brock Bugs we found it necessary to go through an evolving cyclic process of design, implementation, and analysis. In this paper we reflect upon the main struggles we faced in this process and the unexpected personal growth that ensued in terms of our views and beliefs as mathematics educators

E-Brock Bugs©: An Epistemic Mathematics Computer Game

Devlin in [7] argues that video games are an ideal medium for the teaching and learning of mathematics, though he points out that very few ’good’ mathematics video games exist. Building on a probabilistic board game developed in the 1980s, we created a mathematics computer game, E-Brock Bugs. The design of the game carefully follows Devlin’s principles of a good mathematics video game, including a well-developed storyline, the selection of an in-game avatar, and an environment where mathematics arises in a natural and meaningful way. As a result, we argue that E-Brock Bugs is an epistemic computer game [1]; it goes beyond teaching basic facts and skills, and may encourage the players’ development of mathematical thinking as ‘working mathematicians’

Computer programming in the professional development of future mathematics teachers

Work funded by SSHRC (#435-2017-0367) with ethics clearance (REB #17-088)

Une architecture de fusion modulaire pour l'assistance au diagnostic médical

Le système de fusion de données présenté est dédié à l'estimation de la viabilité myocardique du ventricule gauche (Left Ventricular LF). Les variables nécessaires à cette estimation sont définies par un expert médical ainsi que toutes les règles qui lient ces différentes variables. Les paramètres mesurés sont la fonction contractile, obtenue à partir d'images IRM de marquage tissulaire et le taux de métabolisme du glucose fourni par des images de scanner tomographique à émission de positron (PET). La structure de fusion, basée sur le formalisme de la théorie de l'évidence, est modulaire pour faciliter les éventuelles modifications. Les modules sont de deux types: certains transforment les variables numériques mesurées en variables logiques, les autres combinent les variables suivant des règles logiques. L'incertitude est modélisée par une distribution de masse d'évidence sur les propositions ou de plausibilité sur les hypothèses. Les résultats sont présentés sous forme de cartes polaires pour visualiser les zones de lésion potentielles

Acquisition et structuration des connaissances en corpus : éléments méthodologiques

Projet DIALOGUECe document présente une expérimentation réalisée dans le domaine de l'agriculture. Les travaux ont été menés dans le cadre du projet ILC sur l'analyse de l'information. L'objectif de cette expérimentation est de montrer comment l'exploitation de modules automatiques de traitement de la langue basés sur la terminologie peuvent être combinés avec des modules de classification pour faire émerger de corpus volumineux de textes, des classes de termes. Ces classes sont interprétables et instancient des modèles abstraits de connaissance du domaine de spécialité que nous avons retrouvés manuellement. Nous avons traité un corpus de 1386 résumés de notices bibliographiques en anglais. La chaîne linguistique opère également sur le français

Change-points in antibiotic consumption in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017

Surveillance of antibiotic consumption in the community is of utmost importance to inform and evaluate control strategies. Data on two decades of antibiotic consumption in the community were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries. This article reviews temporal trends and the presence of abrupt changes in subgroups of relevance in antimicrobial stewardship.For the period 1997-2017, data on yearly antibiotic consumption in the community, aggregated at the level of the active substance, were collected using the WHO ATC classification and expressed in DDD (ATC/DDD index 2019) per 1000 inhabitants per day. We applied a range of non-linear mixed models to assess the presence of changes in the consumption of antibacterials for systemic use (ATC group J01) and eight antibiotic subgroups.For the majority of the studied groups, a country-specific change-point model provided the best fit. Depending on the antibiotic group/subgroup and on the country, change-points were spread out between 2000 and 2013.Due to the heterogeneity in antibiotic consumption in the community across EU/EEA countries, a country-specific change-point model provided the better fit. Given the limitations of this model, our recommendation for the included countries is to carefully interpret the country-specific results presented in this article and to use the tutorial included in this series to conduct their own change-point analysis when evaluating the impact of changes in regulations, public awareness campaigns, and other national interventions to improve antibiotic consumption in the community

Characteristics of adolescent attempts to manage overweight

This study evaluates the actions taken by obese adolescents in an attempt to lose weight in relation to changes in weight. Particular emphasis is put on the context surrounding the management process. Thirty one obese adolescents aged 14-18 participated in this study. The adolescents answered a written questionnaire, took a body-size dissatisfaction test and were interviewed. Their family physicians were interviewed by telephone. Quantitative data concerned changes in weight and body-size dissatisfaction scores. Qualitative analysis included cases analyses and building up of synthesis variables. Loss of weight is linked with continuity of management attempts as well as with medical follow-up. The most frequent management attempt is diet. Self-image is correlated with weight. The exclusive emphasis put on diet is discussed in relation to the importance of more psychosocial factors such as self-image, denial and attraction to discontinuity. Some recommendations for the management of overweight adolescents are then outlined. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Energetics of Deep Alpine Valleys in Pooling and Draining Configurations

This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The Weather Research and Forecast numerical model is used to investigate the nocturnal atmospheric boundary layer in a valley that opens either on a wider valley (draining configuration) or on a narrower valley (pooling configuration). One draining case and three weak to strong pooling cases are considered. Results show that the structure of the nocturnal boundary layer is substantially different for the draining and pooling configurations. The greater the pooling, the deeper and colder is the boundary layer. Down-valley winds are weaker for pooling and draining configurations than in an equivalent valley opening directly on a plain. For the strong pooling case, an up-valley flow develops from the narrower to the wider valley during the evening transition, affecting the mass budget of the wider valley during that period. Considering the heat budget of the valley system, the contribution of the diabatic processes, when appropriately weighted, hardly varies along the valley axis. Conversely, the contribution of advection varies along the valley axis: it decreases for a pooling configuration and increases for a draining configuration. Consequently, for a pooling configuration, the heat transfer between the valley and the plain is reduced, thereby increasing the temperature difference between them. For the strong pooling case, this temperature difference can be explained by the valley-volume effect once the down-valley flow has developed. This occurs in a valley when the `extra' heat loss within the valley due to the surface sensible heat flux balances the heat input due to advection.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Identical Genotype B3 Sequences from Measles Patients in 4 Countries, 2005

Surveillance of measles virus detected an epidemiologic link between a refugee from Kenya and a Dutch tourist in New Jersey, USA. Identical genotype B3 sequences from patients with contemporaneous cases in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in November and December 2005 indicate that Kenya was likely to have been the common source of virus