An Exploration of Several Structural Measurement Techniques for Usage with Functionally Graded Materials

Titanium / titanium boride functionally graded 6 x 1 x1 beams were subjected to a four-point beam test in order to critique the value of several measurement techniques. Also, finite element analysis results were compared with experimental values and general observations about the experiment were recorded. Uniform 85% TiB /15% Ti and uniform commercially pure titanium specimens were also subjected to the same loading conditions as a control. Techniques used include digital image correlation, fiber optic strain gauging, strain gauging, and differential infrared thermography techniques. The strain data results were compared with one another and to linear finite element models. It was found that several of the techniques had distinct advantages and disadvantages for usage in a layered functionally graded system. Furthermore, the finite element showed good agreement with results when overlaid with several of the measurement techniques

Under-dominance constrains the evolution of negative autoregulation in diploids

Regulatory networks have evolved to allow gene expression to rapidly track changes in the environment as well as to buffer perturbations and maintain cellular homeostasis in the absence of change. Theoretical work and empirical investigation in Escherichia coli have shown that negative autoregulation confers both rapid response times and reduced intrinsic noise, which is reflected in the fact that almost half of Escherichia coli transcription factors are negatively autoregulated. However, negative autoregulation is exceedingly rare amongst the transcription factors of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This difference is all the more surprising because E. coli and S. cerevisiae otherwise have remarkably similar profiles of network motifs. In this study we first show that regulatory interactions amongst the transcription factors of Drosophila melanogaster and humans have a similar dearth of negative autoregulation to that seen in S. cerevisiae. We then present a model demonstrating that this fundamental difference in the noise reduction strategies used amongst species can be explained by constraints on the evolution of negative autoregulation in diploids. We show that regulatory interactions between pairs of homologous genes within the same cell can lead to under-dominance - mutations which result in stronger autoregulation, and decrease noise in homozygotes, paradoxically can cause increased noise in heterozygotes. This severely limits a diploid's ability to evolve negative autoregulation as a noise reduction mechanism. Our work offers a simple and general explanation for a previously unexplained difference between the regulatory architectures of E. coli and yeast, Drosophila and humans. It also demonstrates that the effects of diploidy in gene networks can have counter-intuitive consequences that may profoundly influence the course of evolution

Healthcare in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa: obstacles and barriers to care

Introduction: the provision of healthcare services in developing countries has received increasing attention, but inequalities persist. One nation with potential inequalities in healthcare services is Equatorial Guinea (Central-West Africa). Mitigating these inequalities is difficult, as the Equatoguinean healthcare system remains relatively understudied. Methods: in this study, we interviewed members of the healthcare community in order to: 1) learn which diseases are most common and the most common cause of death from the perspective of healthcare workers; and 2) gain an understanding of the healthcare community in Equatorial Guinea by describing how: a) healthcare workers gain their professional knowledge; b) summarizing ongoing healthcare programs aimed at the general public; c) discussing conflicts within the healthcare community and between the public and healthcare providers; d) and addressing opportunities to improve healthcare delivery. Results: we found that some causes of death, such as serious injuries, may not be currently treatable in country, potentially due to a lack of resources and trauma care facilities. In addition, training and informational programs for both healthcare workers and the general public may not be effectively transmitting information to the intended recipients. This presents hurdles to the healthcare community, both in terms of having professional competence in healthcare delivery and in having a community that is receptive to medical care. Conclusion: our data also highlight government-facility communication as an opportunity for improvement. Our research is an important first step in understanding the context of healthcare delivery in Equatorial Guinea, a country that is relatively data poor

What can schools, teachers and learners learn from implicit learning research?

Implicit learning research has shown us that we learn all the time, that we learn even when we have no intention to learn, no awareness of the fact that we are learning or no awareness of what we are learning (Reber, 1967; Cleeremans, Destrebecqz, & Boyer, 1998; Reuter, 2013). However in schools and in school-oriented formal learning settings, we are supposed to build up a different type of knowledge that we can explicitly (most often verbally) remember and apply to new situations (Bloom, 1956). This distinction between implicit and explicit knowledge may however not be so clear-cut, for theoretical, methodological and empirical reasons, and, more importantly, it may not be very useful when applying basic cognitive science to educational practices. On the contrary, we want to invite teachers (and learners) to rather think of learning as a set of complex processes, where so-called implicit and explicit learning processes, more often than not, interactively work together to construct personal knowledge in our brains. Therefore we recommend using teaching strategies that foster both types of knowledge bases, so that explicit learning can efficiently build upon the results of implicit learning processes

L'intelligence artificielle (IA) à l'école: Le rêve des élèves et le cauchemar des enseignant.e.s? Quid des parents?

In a time when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prevalent, our schools will potentially undergo a profound transformation. In this presentation, we will explore the impact the development of AI systems might have on learning and education. We will ask ourselves whether this is truly the dream of every student, or the nightmare of every teacher and parent. We will examine the new possibilities and challenges that arise from the existence and further development of AI systems for education. We will also shed light on the potential these systems have to revolutionize learning, especially what we may need to learn differently and what may become less important to know in the future.Dans un temps où l'intelligence artificielle (IA) devient de plus en plus prédominante, nos écoles pourraient connaître une transformation profonde. Dans cette présentation, nous explorerons l'impact que le développement de systèmes d'IA pourrait avoir sur l'apprentissage et l'éducation. Nous nous demanderons si c'est vraiment le rêve de chaque élève, ou le cauchemar de chaque enseignant et parent. Nous examinerons les nouvelles possibilités et défis qui découlent de l'existence et du développement continu des systèmes d'IA pour l'éducation. Nous mettrons également en lumière le potentiel de ces systèmes pour révolutionner l'apprentissage, notamment ce que nous pourrions devoir apprendre différemment et ce qui pourrait devenir moins important à connaître à l'avenir.4. Quality educatio

Towards a strategic integration of digital technologies into classrooms

Many people think that we need simply need to provide schools with more digital technologies in order to enhance learning outcomes. However, access to the tools is not enough, teachers need to know how to use these tools in effective ways. I will propose a number of theoretical and practical concepts useful for a strategic integration of digital technologies into teaching. The objective of my presentation will be double in the sense that I want to provide teachers with the conceptual tools to (1) better understand the use of digital media and technologies for learning & teaching purposes in educational settings and (2) better plan and design ICT-enriched learning & teaching activities, grounded in learning sciences and connected to specific local contexts. I will present some examples of pedagogical practices that used such a strategic integration of ICT approach in Luxembourg

Mobile, Playful and Collaborative Learning with TellYourTown: Empirical Results from Field Studies in Trier and Esch

In the context of the transnational development and research project "Language Learning - Promoting Integration", a mobile app (TellYourTown) was developed together with school classes of the Kurfürst-Balduin-Realschule (Trier, Germany) and the Brill Schule (Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg), which tells fictional stories at real locations in Trier and Esch. The stories were developed during the 2016/2017 school year in collaboration with the students and their teachers. These stories were then used as a basis for the development of the routes. The Esch route focuses on the history of Luxembourg's mining industry and its miners. The route Trier is about a race between Karl-Marx and Nero through Trier. In this game, the player is accompanied by Karl-Marx and thus gets to know well-known places from Trier. The users should discover the city "per pedes" and at the same time learn a lot about the history of the city, which is conveyed to them by the fictional travel guide in the interactive dialogues. The geolocation function of the smartphone is used to guide the users to places of interest, where interactive mini-games or dialogues with the fictional travel guide take place. To thoroughly test the app in practice, two field trials were organised, one in Trier and one in Esch. These field trials were documented by researchers from the University of Luxembourg and were scientifically analysed with regard to the social interactions and learning processes that took place. Based on this analysis, suggestions for improvement were made to the developers and possible scenarios for a meaningful use of the app in pedagogical contexts were developed. During the first field trial certain technical issues were identified. Observational data showed that the app has great potential to initiate a relatively autonomous exploration of both cities and also allowed the local students to perceive their city more consciously with new eyes. But there were also certain limitations as to the learning, social and motivational effects that the use of the app had. We will try to address these in future iterations of the app

The 2019-20 Survey of Applied Legal Education

This report presents the results of the 2019-20 Center for the Study of Applied Legal Education (CSALE) Survey of Applied Legal Education. The survey was composed of two parts – a Master Survey directed to ABA accredited U.S. law schools and a Sub-Survey distributed to each person teaching in a law clinic or field placement course. Ninety-five percent of law schools and over 1,300 clinical teachers participated in the survey. The results provide valuable insight into clinical programs and law clinic and field placement courses in areas such as design, capacity, administration, funding, and pedagogy, and into the role and status of clinical educators in the legal academy. This is CSALE\u27s fifth triennial survey, following up on surveys in 2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14, and 2016-17

The 2016-17 Survey of Applied Legal Education

This report summarizes the results of the Center for the Study of Applied Legal Education’s (CSALE) 2016-17 Survey of Applied Legal Education. The 2016-17 Survey was CSALE’s fourth triennial survey of law clinic and field placement (i.e., externship) courses and educators. The results provide insight into the state of applied legal education in areas like program design, capacity, administration, funding, and pedagogy, and the role of applied legal education and educators in the legal academy. Law schools, legal educators, scholars, and oversight agencies rely on CSALE’s data. They do so with the summary results provided here, the earlier Reports on CSALE’s 2007-08, 2010-11 and 2013-14 Surveys, and through hundreds of customized reports cross-tabulating various aspects of the data that CSALE has provided to schools, scholars, and legal educators.