E-Portfolios, Course Design, and Student Learning: A Case Study of a Faculty Learning Community

The purpose of this case study was to investigate faculty perceptions of participating in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) and how the FLC contributed toward their pedagogical use of e-portfolios. The researchers were also interested in faculty perceptions of the potential impact of e-portfolios on student learning. An online survey and focus group were used to collect data for this study. Results suggest that the FLC, as a professional development experience, enabled faculty at different levels of e-portfolio adoption, to learn from their peers, become more confident instructors, reflect on course design, and plan for changes in the instructional use of e-portfolios. Faculty reported that changes in instructional design through the intentional inclusion of e-portfolios can have a positive impact on student learning. Implications for practice are discussed

History-deterministic Vector Addition Systems

We consider history-determinism, a restricted form of non-determinism, for Vector Addition Systems with States (VASS) when used as acceptors to recognise languages of finite words. History-determinism requires that the non-deterministic choices can be resolved on-the-fly; based on the past and without jeopardising acceptance of any possible continuation of the input word. Our results show that the history-deterministic (HD) VASS sit strictly between deterministic and non-deterministic VASS regardless of the number of counters. We compare the relative expressiveness of HD systems, and closure-properties of the induced language classes, with coverability and reachability semantics, and with and without $\varepsilon$-labelled transitions. Whereas in dimension 1, inclusion and regularity remain decidable, from dimension two onwards, HD-VASS with suitable resolver strategies, are essentially able to simulate 2-counter Minsky machines, leading to several undecidability results: It is undecidable whether a VASS is history-deterministic, or if a language equivalent history-deterministic VASS exists. Checking language inclusion between history-deterministic 2-VASS is also undecidable.Comment: This is the full version of a paper published in CONCUR 202

Analytical and data strategy for continuous downstream manufacturing

As advances emerge in developing continuous biomanufacturing processes, there is an increased need to deploy PAT tools to characterize, monitor, and control key quality attributes and a criticality to have a data infrastructure to support the immense amount of information being generated. While the desire for these tools exists in traditional batch processing, in a continuous operation, these become a requirement to ensure consistent product quality and enable proactive approaches in maintaining performance. The ultimate goal is to deploy PAT tools to reliably provide real-time information on product and process impurities throughout the entire operation. However, in its current state, there is a reliance on a mixture of inline, at-line, and offline technologies. By identifying the time criticality of CQAs, efforts can be focused on where to prioritize real-time measurements or instead, quicker or more automated testing for a subset of analytics. This work describes the application of this approach in the development of small-scale, compact in-line UV instruments to measure real-time protein concentration and in the integration of an automated sampling system with at-line and offline instrumentation for in-process impurity characterization. Introduction of these PAT tools add to the complexity of the data infrastructure as it introduces requirements for platforms capable of supporting spectral data, chemometric model deployment, spectral instrument management, and time-alignment of discrete data. With the vast amount of information produced in a continuous environment, interface and analysis tools need to be developed so that any end-user can digest data into a format that easily allows them to gain insight into an ongoing batch. This work will highlight the data architecture of the continuous platform, with a focus on software tools selected for aggregation and real-time data visualization. The capabilities of these software packages were demonstrated through a proof-of-concept study using single-pass tangential flow filtration (SPTFF) as a model unit operation, which allowed integration of continuous, spectral, and discrete data. These tools allowed scientists to go from viewing real-time data across multiple, equipment-specific software to one consolidated interface, which in turn reduced time spent in compiling data for analysis and reporting. In addition, advanced capabilities of deploying model predictive control in SPTFF were demonstrated to show the application of a closed loop process control in continuous manufacturing

Application of unmanned aerial vehicles for the organization of wireless 5G networks in the system of a smart city

This article illustrates ways to solve problems in the field of urban management with using modern 5G wireless networks. We have provided an overview of UAV-aided wireless communications, highlighting the key design considerations as well as the new opportunities to be exploited. Object of analysis is the communication process of a large number of distributed users. Subject of analysis is data transmission capacity, sufficient for stable communication of users and most services, taking into account the mobility of a huge number of users. We have gave examples on UAV-aided wireless communications with the help of three use cases: UAV-aided ubiquitous coverage, UAV-aided relaying, and UAV-aided information dissemination. Furthermore, the key design considerations for UAV communications, energy consumption by the UAVs have also been discussed. Lastly, we have highlighted two key performance enhancing techniques by utilizing UAV controlled mobility

Parity Games on Temporal Graphs

AbstractTemporal graphs are a popular modelling mechanism for dynamic complex systems that extend ordinary graphs with discrete time. Simply put, time progresses one unit per step and the availability of edges can change with time.We consider the complexity of solving $$\omega$$ ω -regular games played on temporal graphs where the edge availability is ultimately periodic and fixed a priori.We show that solving parity games on temporal graphs is decidable in $$\textsf{PSPACE}$$ PSPACE , only assuming the edge predicate itself is in $$\textsf{PSPACE}$$ PSPACE . A matching lower bound already holds for what we call punctual reachability games on static graphs, where one player wants to reach the target at a given, binary encoded, point in time. We further study syntactic restrictions that imply more efficient procedures. In particular, if the edge predicate is in and is monotonically increasing for one player and decreasing for the other, then the complexity of solving games is only polynomially increased compared to static graphs.</jats:p

History-deterministic Vector Addition Systems

We consider history-determinism, a restricted form of non-determinism, for Vector Addition Systems with States (VASS) when used as acceptors to recognise languages of finite words. History-determinism requires that the non-deterministic choices can be resolved on-the-fly; based on the past and without jeopardising acceptance of any possible continuation of the input word. Our results show that the history-deterministic (HD) VASS sit strictly between deterministic and non-deterministic VASS regardless of the number of counters. We compare the relative expressiveness of HD systems, and closure-properties of the induced language classes, with coverability and reachability semantics, and with and without ?-labelled transitions. Whereas in dimension 1, inclusion and regularity remain decidable, from dimension two onwards, HD-VASS with suitable resolver strategies, are essentially able to simulate 2-counter Minsky machines, leading to several undecidability results: It is undecidable whether a VASS is history-deterministic, or if a language equivalent history-deterministic VASS exists. Checking language inclusion between history-deterministic 2-VASS is also undecidable

Homogeneous percolation versus arrested phase separation in attractively-driven nanoemulsion colloidal gels

We elucidate mechanisms for colloidal gelation of attractive nanoemulsions depending on the volume fraction (ϕ) of the colloid. Combining detailed neutron scattering, cryo-transmission electron microscopy and rheological measurements, we demonstrate that gelation proceeds by either of two distinct pathways. For ϕ sufficiently lower than 0.23, gels exhibit homogeneous fractal microstructure, with a broad gel transition resulting from the formation and subsequent percolation of droplet–droplet clusters. In these cases, the gel point measured by rheology corresponds precisely to arrest of the fractal microstructure, and the nonlinear rheology of the gel is characterized by a single yielding process. By contrast, gelation for ϕ sufficiently higher than 0.23 is characterized by an abrupt transition from dispersed droplets to dense clusters with significant long-range correlations well-described by a model for phase separation. The latter phenomenon manifests itself as micron-scale “pores” within the droplet network, and the nonlinear rheology is characterized by a broad yielding transition. Our studies reinforce the similarity of nanoemulsions to solid particulates, and identify important qualitative differences between the microstructure and viscoelastic properties of colloidal gels formed by homogeneous percolation and those formed by phase separation.United States. Army Research Office (Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies. Grant W911NF- 09-0001)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grants CMMI-1120724 and DMR-1006147