Prototyping learning and congruence in new realities

The educational system in the industrialized 20th Century, a monolithic delivery model, prepared students for a hierarchical livelihood in either blue collar or white collar worlds. Today, a different landscape is predicted for the workforce. And it is rapidly changing and advancing. Will Richardson points out that by 2020 more than half the US workforce will be “freelancers, consultants and independent workers” (Richardson, 2012). While forecasts and predictions vary, continuing studies support this workforce evolution. The continued revolution in digital technology is pervasive today with mobile devices and the Internet providing an abundance of information, knowledge and opportunity with the potential for a student customized learning experience. Anticipating this shift, Richardson recognizes the need for students to master learning instead of content as is assessed currently. This situates well with John Seely Brown describing “agency” as active participation, creating and building as a principal attribute of a student in this new educational model while inscribing “empathy” as a second requisite quality (Brown, 2013). A new strategy for learning, understanding and doing is required that encourages agency with individuals actively experiencing new technologies and realities for creating and communicating that support deeper experiences and shift perspectives in ways not possible before. This is required to imbue discovery, creativity and new craft toward the most appropriately designed solutions in a highly technological and evermore complex world. Universal Constructs, with new tools for seeing and making, become the framework to weave design thinking, STEM and 21st Century Skills together holistically to better define the potentials for learning, understanding and doing. A pilot program called the Forward Learning Experience (FLEx) was launched in 2014 with the intention to introduce the framework above to students today. As of July 2017, the FLEx has reached almost 45,000 constituents of Iowa, primarily K-12 students, and has undergone initial reviews with positive results showing its potential capacities toward a new educational and learning model. Leading students with forward looking experiences, strategies and frameworks through the FLEx or similar opportunities to augment core skills through emergent technologies for seeing and making through robust multi-mode neuro-phenomenological means will enable a new calculus for deeper learning, understanding and impactful doing with extended imagination, empathy and ethics

Campus & alumni news

Boston University Medicine was published by the Boston University Medical Campus, and presented stories on events and topics of interest to members of the BU Medical Campus community. It followed the discontinued publication Centerscope as Boston University Medicine from 1991-2005, then continued as Campus and Alumni News from 2006-2013 before returning to the title Boston University Medicine from 2014-present

Oxygen variability in the near-surface waters of the northern North Atlantic: Observations and a model

As part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment a major study was undertaken to determine the absolute circulation of the Subpolar North Atlantic using a large number of acoustically tracked isopycnal floats deployed on the 27.5 σ surface. Fifty floats were equipped with sensors to study dissolved oxygen from a Lagrangian perspective. In this paper we comment on very large variations in oxygen along trajectories of fluid parcels that outcrop in winter and resubduct the following spring. We employ a one-dimensional model to interpret these in terms of biophysical processes at and near the surface. In an attempt to understand the observed variability, we find that a modified form of the Price-Weller-Pinkel mixed layer model using NCEP-derived surface forcing accurately reproduces both the float-observed temperature and the meteorological-based sea-surface temperatures to within 1°C for an entire year, including the timing of the ventilation and restratification observed by the float. The model also employs satellite-derived observations to represent three processes of oxygen exchange: an air-sea gas flux dependent upon wind-driven turbulence, oxygen production in the mixed layer as a result from primary productivity, and oxygen consumption at depth as a result of net community respiration. The model accurately reproduces the observed ~3% supersaturation in the wintertime mixed layer, a level which is supported by the air-sea gas flux. We also find that later in the year, during springtime restratification, the model reproduces the observed decline from 105% to 92% oxygen saturation. The good agreement between observation and model depends upon a one-dimensional balance in the vertical, i.e.the absence of horizontal advective effects. For floats outcropping in an area of horizontal thermal contrast, conspicuous errors in the predicted vertical structure arise, most likely due to horizontal advection or displacement of the float by surface winds, effects which cannot be assessed without additional information. This limitation notwithstanding, the agreement between model and observation indicates the power of Lagrangian techniques for understanding how the properties of surface waters are set and later modified as they subduct into the interior of the ocean

Systematic review of trends in emergency department attendances : an Australian perspective

Emergency departments (EDs) in many developed countries are experiencing increasing pressure due to rising numbers of patient presentations and emergency admissions. Reported increases range up to 7% annually. Together with limited inpatient bed capacity, this contributes to prolonged lengths of stay in the ED; disrupting timely access to urgent care, posing a threat to patient safety. The aim of this review is to summarise the findings of studies that have investigated the extent of and the reasons for increasing emergency presentations. To do this, a systematic review and synthesis of published and unpublished reports describing trends and underlying drivers associated with the increase in ED presentations in developed countries was conducted. Most published studies provided evidence of increasing ED attendances within developed countries. A series of inter-related factors have been proposed to explain the increase in emergency demand. These include changes in demography and in the organisation and delivery of healthcare services, as well as improved health awareness and community expectations arising from health promotion campaigns. The factors associated with increasing ED presentations are complex and inter-related and include rising community expectations regarding access to emergency care in acute hospitals. A systematic investigation of the demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors highlighted by this review is recommended. This would facilitate untangling the dynamics of the increase in emergency demand

Game situation information in video-based perceptual decision making : the influence of criticality of decisions

This study examined the effects of game situation information, manipulated in terms of time and score, on decisions made in a video-based perceptual test in basketball. The participants were undergraduate university students (n=159) who viewed 21 offensive basketball plays, under two test conditions (low decision criticality; high decision criticality). To manipulate the conditions, prior to each clip, theparticipants were presented with a description of the remaining time and score differential. High decision criticality situations were characterised by a remaining time of 60 seconds or less and score differentials of 2 points or less. Low decision criticality situations were characterised by remaining time of 5 minutes or more and score differentials of 5 points or more. The participants indicated their decision (pass, shoot, dribble) after the visual display had been occluded for each clip. The results indicated that decision profiles differed under the low and high decision criticality conditions. More pass decisions were made under high decision criticality situations and more shoot decisions under low decision criticality situations. These variations differed according to the type of main sport played but not for the basketball competition level. It was concluded that game situation information does influence decision making and should be considered in video-based testing and training.<br /

Designing women : gender, modernism and interior decoration in Sydney, c1920-1940

The thesis examines aspects of interior decoration in Sydney c1920-1940 with particular reference to gender and modernism. The role Australian women played in producing and promoting modem art and design in this period has received considerable attention, but there has been no study of their interest in interior design. The thesis does not aim to provide a comprehensive history of interior decoration per se, but examines the interaction between socially-constructed definitions of femininity, modernity and decorative art and design

User's Manual for the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA)

This user's manual provides detailed instructions for the installation and the application of version 4.1 of the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA). Also provides simulation of flow field in thermochemical nonequilibrium around vehicles traveling at hypersonic velocities through the atmosphere. Earlier versions of LAURA were predominantly research codes, and they had minimal (or no) documentation. This manual describes UNIX-based utilities for customizing the code for special applications that also minimize system resource requirements. The algorithm is reviewed, and the various program options are related to specific equations and variables in the theoretical development

Morphological, anatomical, and physiological changes of orchardgrass leaves grown under fluctuating light regimes

The physiological and anatomical adaptability of pastures growing under trees in silvopastoral systems can alter the efficiency of conversion of energy to dry matter (DM). This study was conducted to determine the effects of different fluctuating light regimes (from 24 to 100% transmissivity) on leaf physiology, morphology, anatomy, and structure of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) in a silvopastoral experiment (New Zealand). Slatted shade structures created a bimodal light regime that represented an existing silvopastoral system. Morphologically, as transmissivity decreased the length of the youngest fully expanded leaf and pseudo-stem height increased by up to 33% and the leaf width declined up to 22%. Physiologically, leaf adaptation to different light regimes was characterized by: (i) the light-saturated rate of net photosynthesis (Pmax) and to less extent the photosynthetic efficiency (α) in sun conditions was double; (ii) in sunny conditions plants grown under shade were photosynthetically less efficient than plants grown in full sunlight with lower Pmax and α values; (iii) when plants were exposed to severe shade, leaves adapted to severe shade condition had the highest Pmax, α, and θ, and saturated at the minimum photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) value. These changes in leaf photosynthesis characteristics under different light regimes were attributed to anatomical changes that caused reductions in stomatal conductance (gs), the mesophyll surface area/leaf surface area ratio (Ames/A) and maintenance respiration for shade adapted plants. These photosynthetic responses and leaf adaptations to fluctuating light regimes can be included into a canopy photosynthesis model to improve the accuracy of DM predictions in silvopastoral systems

Atom Interferometric Imaging of Differential Potentials Using an Atom Laser

Interferometry is a prime technique for modern precision measurements. Atoms, unlike light, have significant interactions with electric, magnetic, and gravitational fields, making their use in interferometric applications particularly versatile. Here, we demonstrate atom interferometry to image optical and magnetic potential landscapes over an area exceeding $240 \mu m \times 600 \mu m$. The differential potentials employed in our experiments generate phase imprints in an atom laser that are made visible through a Ramsey pulse sequence. We further demonstrate how advanced pulse sequences can enhance desired imaging features, e.g. to image steep potential gradients. A theoretical discussion is presented that provides a semiclassical analysis and matching numerics.Comment: Updated to match published version. 13 pages, 9 figure