Integrated Electrical and Mechanical Experience for First-year Students

Short Abstract: Engineering Technology faculty merged learning outcomes from three courses into a combined experience for first-year Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Technology students. This combined, active learning environment required the faculty to consider; assessment instruments, classroom layout, course scheduling, and team-teaching. Feedback from the first year guided changes for the second offering. Full Abstract: During the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years, Engineering Technology faculty at the Purdue Polytechnic - South Bend merged learning outcomes from 3 courses into a combined experience for first-year Electrical Engineering Technology (EET), Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) and Engineering Technology (ET) students. Creating and delivering this combined, active learning environment required the faculty to consider; learning outcomes and assessments, classroom layout, course scheduling, and teaching as part of an instructional team. Student projects created both a structure and a theme for the course. In the team-taught, combined experience some assessments were performance-based, while others were traditional quizzes, exams, or written reports. Assessments were organized into “badges” in one of three categories; 1) required for all, 2) required for MET and ET (optional for EET), and 3) required for EET (optional for MET and ET). Students earned a ‘B’ for completing all required badges, an ‘A’ for all required badges and at least one optional badge, or an ‘F’ for failing to complete all required badges. For the second year, several changes were made in response to student feedback and instructor input. This presentation highlights the advantages and potential pitfalls of establishing a multidisciplinary active learning environment

Professionalization and organizational problems of sports clubs: Is there a relationship?

Sports clubs have been reporting several organizational problems in recent decades (e.g., recruitment and retention of members and volunteers). At the same time, certain sports clubs have professionalized their strategies, structures, processes, and staff. However, previous research has not analyzed whether the professionalization of sports clubs is related to their organizational problems. Therefore, this study conducts, in the first step, a cluster analysis based on three dimensions of professionalization to identify professionalization types among sports clubs. In the second step, it examines differences in organizational problems among the identified professionalization types. The main findings are that (1) sports clubs with paid staff report fewer problems with recruiting and retaining members but more problems with finances than sports clubs that rely on voluntary work, and (2) sports clubs with increased professionalization of human resources management (HRM) and strategy have fewer problems with recruiting and retaining board members and coaches than sports clubs with low professionalization of HRM and strategy. These results show that professionalized sports clubs have different, but not necessarily fewer, organizational problems

Mass Customization Capabilities in Practice – Introducing the Mass into Customized Tech-Textiles in an SME Network

The German textile industry is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited resources and specialized skills producing customized technical textiles following an engineer-to-order approach. To expand their skills, SMEs form business networks. The development and production of customized technical textiles in networks are highly complex. The coordination requires high effort and results in inefficient and ineffective information flow, weakening the networks’ competitive advantage. Following a case study approach, we accompany an SME network over three years as they develop and implement a digital col-laboration platform. We derived a framework of micro-foundations of Mass Customization capabilities supporting high-order Mass Customization capabilities for customer integration, solution space development, and robust processes. Thus, we present results on how an SME network in the textile industry leverages Mass Customization capabilities to increase efficien-cy via a digital collaboration platform

The Neuromodulator Adenosine Regulates Oligodendrocyte Migration at Motor Exit Point Transition Zones

During development, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) migrate extensively throughout the spinal cord. However, their migration is restricted at transition zones (TZs). At these specialized locations, unique glial cells in both zebrafish and mice play a role in preventing peripheral OPC migration, but the mechanisms of this regulation are not understood. To elucidate the mechanisms that mediate OPC segregation at motor exit point (MEP) TZs, we performed an unbiased small-molecule screen. Using chemical screening and in vivo imaging, we discovered that inhibition of A2a adenosine receptors (ARs) causes ectopic OPC migration out of the spinal cord. We provide in vivo evidence that neuromodulation, partially mediated by adenosine, influences OPC migration specifically at the MEP TZ. This work opens exciting possibilities for understanding how OPCs reach their final destinations during development and identifies mechanisms that could promote their migration in disease

From Construction Workers to Architects: Developing Scientific Research Capacity in Low-Income Countries

Solving global health challenges in a sustainable manner depends on explicitly addressing scientific capacity-building needs, as well as establishing long-term, meaningful partnerships with colleagues in the developing world

The Neuromodulator Adenosine Regulates Oligodendrocyte Migration at Motor Exit Point Transition Zones

During development, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) migrate extensively throughout the spinal cord. However, their migration is restricted at transition zones (TZs). At these specialized locations, unique glial cells in both zebrafish and mice play a role in preventing peripheral OPC migration, but the mechanisms of this regulation are not understood. To elucidate the mechanisms that mediate OPC segregation at motor exit point (MEP) TZs, we performed an unbiased small-molecule screen. Using chemical screening and in vivo imaging, we discovered that inhibition of A2a adenosine receptors (ARs) causes ectopic OPC migration out of the spinal cord. We provide in vivo evidence that neuromodulation, partially mediated by adenosine, influences OPC migration specifically at the MEP TZ. This work opens exciting possibilities for understanding how OPCs reach their final destinations during development and identifies mechanisms that could promote their migration in disease

Encouraging serendipity in research: designing technologies to support connection-making

Mobile applications have the ability to present information to users that is influenced by their surroundings, activities and interests. Such applications have the potential to influence the likelihood of individuals experiencing ‘serendipity’, through a combination of information, context, insight and activity. This study reports the deployment of a system that sends push text suggestions to users throughout the day, where the content of those messages is informed by users’ experience and interests. We investigated the responses to and interactions with messages that varied in format and relevance, and which were received at different times throughout the day. Sixteen participants were asked to use a mobile diary application to record their experiences and thoughts regarding information that was received over a period of five consecutive days. Results suggest that participants’ perception of the received suggestions was influenced by the relevance of the suggestion to their interests, but that there were also positive attitudes towards seemingly irrelevant information. Qualitative data indicates that participants, if in an appropriate time and place, are willing to accept and act upon push suggestions as long as the number of suggestions that they receive is not overwhelming. This study contributes towards an understanding of how mobile users make connections with new information, furthering our understanding of how serendipitous connections and insightful thinking could be accommodated using technology

Prevalence and clinical challenges among adults with primary immunodeficiency and recombination-activating gene deficiency.

Letter to the Edito

Relevance and drivers of sustainability in the sponsorship of major sporting events

The awareness of sustainability has increased by current developments (e.g., climate change) and companies have located sustainability topics as fields of profiling (Trail & McCullough, 2020). Concurrently, sustainability considerations are becoming increasingly important for the organizers of sporting events (Moesch, Nagel & Lamprecht, 2022). Since, especially elite sport is no longer automatically associated with positive effects, both, organizers and sponsors, are required to emphasize sustainability in sponsorships (Putzing & Menn, 2014). Therefore, this study analyses the relevance of sustainability in sponsorship commitments and its drivers. In so doing, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five event organizers and five sponsors of major sporting events. The findings show that sustainability is relevant for all analyzed sponsorship engagements. While larger sponsors rather tend to introduce the sustainability issue, the initiative more likely stems from the organizers’ side for smaller sponsors. Furthermore, sustainability efforts of the organizers are strongly influenced by requirements from the public sector. The interviewed stakeholders agree that sustainability in sponsorships adds value for both sides. While the organizers profit from securing event financing and fulfilling public sector requirements, the sponsors may improve their image through social responsibility efforts. The study demonstrates major sporting events stakeholders’ drivers to implement sustainability measures, which may help to shape incentives for future sustainable sponsorship commitments