Studying the Effectiveness of Peer Instruction in Statics

This paper describes the peer instruction approach that was used in teaching Statics. The subject of Statics lays the foundation for subsequent courses, namely Dynamics and Mechanics of materials. Hence it becomes critical for any engineering student to understand and grasp the concepts of Statics course as it gives the students an ability to master follow-up material in upper level engineering courses. Therefore, improving learning in the subject of Engineering Statics deserves significant attention. Research shows that students who are actively engaged in learning, learn more. It was also proved that tradionally taught courses do little to improve student’s understanding of the key concepts and motivate only a few students in class. It is believed that peer instruction is an effective way to motivate students by making them teach their fellow students. This approach not only helps students learn core concepts and present it in technical language but also build their confidence. Results of this study indicated that post quiz scores improved for 71% of the students and 15% of students’ scores were 100 in both pre and post quizzes. The overall pass rate was 79% on quizzes and 79% on the final exam.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Evolution and development of Brain Networks: From Caenorhabditis elegans to Homo sapiens

Neural networks show a progressive increase in complexity during the time course of evolution. From diffuse nerve nets in Cnidaria to modular, hierarchical systems in macaque and humans, there is a gradual shift from simple processes involving a limited amount of tasks and modalities to complex functional and behavioral processing integrating different kinds of information from highly specialized tissue. However, studies in a range of species suggest that fundamental similarities, in spatial and topological features as well as in developmental mechanisms for network formation, are retained across evolution. 'Small-world' topology and highly connected regions (hubs) are prevalent across the evolutionary scale, ensuring efficient processing and resilience to internal (e.g. lesions) and external (e.g. environment) changes. Furthermore, in most species, even the establishment of hubs, long-range connections linking distant components, and a modular organization, relies on similar mechanisms. In conclusion, evolutionary divergence leads to greater complexity while following essential developmental constraints

The Challenges Faced and Strategies Used by University Administrators Before and During COVID-19

This study undertook a systematic literature review corresponding to challenges faced and strategies used by university administrators in Ontario (Canada) and internationally before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. As leaders who act as the interface between academic institutions and faculty, staff, and students, the study sought to identify university deans’ and department chairs’ specific roles and responsibilities in response to such adversity. The study adopted Bronfenbrenner’s (1999) bioecological model of development and Mukaram et al.’s (2021) adaptive leadership framework to understand the complex demands placed upon and the responses of university administrators navigating the pandemic. Findings reveal that during emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, university administrators act as change agents who redefine their complex roles through a holistic leadership framework that fosters flexibility, empathy, resilience, and adaptability in their practice while developing sustainable, inclusive, and interconnected learning communities

Combined Influence of Thermal Radiation and Radiation Absorption on MHD Mixed Convective Heat and Mass Transfer Flow in Circular Annulus

The aim of the problem is to analyze theoretically the combined effects of thermal radiation and radiation absorption on hydromagnetic Brinkman-Forchhimer mixed convection flow of optically dense fluid flow under the influence of magnetic field and chemical reaction on through a vertical circular annulus filled with a saturated porous medium. The outer cylinder is maintained at constant heat flux while the inner cylinder is at a constant temperature. Based on the assumptions, the nonlinear model equations of momentum, energy and species concentration balance are obtained and tacked numerically using an efficient implicit Galerkin finite element method with quadratic polynomial approximation technique. The behavior of velocity, temperature and concentration is analyzed for different parametric values at different axial positions numerically. The local skin friction, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number are illustrated to show interesting features of the solution. Keywords: Heat & Mass Transfer; Thermal Radiation; Radiation absorption; Soret and Dufour effects; Concentric Annulus; Chemical reaction

Effects of radiation and chemical reaction on convective nanofluid flow through a non-linear permeable stretching sheet with partial slip

The steady, convective two-dimensional nanofluid flow has been investigated under the influence of radiation absorption and chemical reaction through a porous medium. The flow has been caused by a non-linear stretching sheet with the slip effects of the velocity, the temperature and the nanoparticle concentration. The fluid is electrically conducted in the presence of an applied magnetic field. Appropriate transformations reduce the non-linear partial differential system to an ordinary differential system. The convergent solutions of the governing non-linear problems have been computed using fifth-order-Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg integration scheme. The results of the velocity, the temperature, and the concentration fields have been calculated in series forms. The effects of the different parameters on the velocity, the temperature, and the concentration profiles are shown and analyzed. The skin friction coefficient, the Nusselt and the Sherwood numbers have also been computed and investigated for different embedded parameters in the problem statement

Quality in Journalism: Perceptions and Practice in an Indian context

This thesis explores the concept of quality in journalism from an Indian perspective with the aim of identifying its elements and the factors influencing it. It is framed in a mixed methods paradigm and uses ‘surface structures’ and ‘story boxes’ as tools to study the perceptions and practice of quality in Indian journalism. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 22 Indian newspaper journalists and quantitative content analysis of 108 newspaper pages and 569 news items are used to identify an ideal-practice gap between journalists' perceptions of quality and the evidence of it in news content. The research methods are informed by normative assumptions of quality and based on journalism's democratic role and functions. Findings are derived using the principles of applied thematic analysis to identify core themes and sub-themes in qualitative data and from descriptive statistical analysis of quantitative data. This thesis identifies the core elements of quality, which are closely linked to and influenced by the shared professional values of Indian journalists, such as autonomy, objectivity and public service. The content analysis shows little evidence of idealistic perceptions of quality, with notions of quality at the journalists' level converging with content only in four minor aspects and differing in the six critical aspects of accuracy, balance, context, good writing and the informative and investigative roles of journalism

"This is not 13th Grade": Making the Transition to College through Coding

The Summer Coding Academy 2017 at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) was designed for the first-year freshman and transfer students with a declared Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major. The camp participants were from diverse STEM fields that included engineering, biochemistry, nuclear medicine science, biology, computer information systems, meteorology, and 3-D animation & game design. The objectives of the camp were (1) to improve the student’s preparation for a rigorous STEM degree, (2) to increase their skills in communication and data analytics through coding and robotics. This paper describes the teaching materials that we utilized, the results of students evaluations, lessons learned and the future work.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Shakespeare Haunts: A Study of Pulijanmam as a Modern Rendering of Hamlet

The spirit of Shakespeare continues to haunt contemporary playwrights and film- makers even 400 years after the death of the great bard. When adapted to the big screen by creative writers, Shakespearean tragedies continue to enthrall movie audience even today, transcending time and space. Human experience and predicament has not undergone much change, despite the revolutionary changes brought to the modern world by science and technology. Shakespearean thoughts hold good to anyone who is willing to pause, reflect and introspect. The paradigms that create Shakespearean tragic hero, particularly the mindset of Hamlet, can be discerned in any modern mind. The predicament of the idealistic hero though not universal is mirrored in many a modern mind. Perhaps that is why tragic heroes of Shakespeare appear and re-appear on screen in modern adaptations of Shakespearean plays. Shakespearean tragedies are woven essentially around conflict. The external conflict at the onset of the play is soon internalized with the male protagonist becoming the source as well as the target of the conflict. The moral predicament conceived in the hero‟s mind slowly spreads to the outside world and affects everybody directly and indirectly connected to him. There is purgation and elevation, but they cannot avert the imminent destruction. The plight of the hero arouses pity and fear, yet the moral dilemma remains unresolved. These characteristics of the Shakespearean tragedy are found in the Malayalam movie Pulijanmam. The story of Prakashan is interwoven with that of the folk-hero Kari who sacrifices himself for the sake of the well being of his people