U.S. Tax Law as an Expert System

Tax law is a particular application well-suited for an expert system because of the large among of knowledge and the many variables involved. The following presents the results of implementing a small portion of tax code, with a brief look at whether or not it can be fully recreated in an accurate system with an acceptable response time. The actual prototype implementation has been done using the expert shell NEXPERT, making use of the IF/THEN rule construct which seems to fall naturally from the tax code

Flipping Argument

This project utilizes the concept of “flipping the classroom” pioneered by the Kahn Academy to help students understand Aristotelian elements of argument (ethos, pathos, and logos). The four lesson plans require students to preview existing internet resources depicting practical applications of rhetorical concepts, and then invites them to utilize these concepts in the classroom. Students learn to recognize logical fallacies and types of argumentative appeals as they are used (and misused) in popular culture and in literature. The project as a whole has the additional benefit of encouraging students to identify and critically evaluate explicit and implicit arguments in a range of media, from blogs, to YouTube videos, to television drama, to advertising. Students will gain a sense of what makes an effective argument, and how argument is deployed in daily life, popular culture and literature

Censorship and Fahrenheit 451

The goal of this project was to apply the censorship found in Fahrenheit 451 to other situations present in different areas of “the real world”. The students, after doing so, would then create a video of images and their voice, discussing themes of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451and how it’s used in other areas outside of the book. The purpose is to have students use analysis in literature and applying it in different areas as well as to do so in a different way other than through writing. By using the video software, they are changing the way that traditional classroom settings are used

Social work research with industry: a systematic literature review of engagement and impact

Current research agendas in developed countries focus on academics engaging collaboratively with communities and industry partners to achieve research outcomes that demonstrate reach and significance. Social work academics are in a prime position to undertake collaborative research that has specific project benefits and wider social impacts. This article reports on a systematic literature review of articles in social work journals that reported on academic industry partnerships. The review aimed to analyse publications documenting the engagement of social work academic researchers with industry partners, to examine the nature of the research undertaken through this engagement and to ascertain the reported impact. Findings highlight that collaborative research processes could be described in greater detail, further explicit detail on collaboration and impact is needed, and while project level impacts are described in reviewed publications, most are not presenting broader societal impacts

In the Flow: A Mixed-Methods Phenomenological Study of Optimal Experience in Adolescent Literacy

This study is concerned with the flow experience of students while involved in independent reading. Based on Csikszentmihalyi\u27s theory of flow, this experience is one of total engagement to the point of immersion involving deep concentration; enjoyment; and a loss of a sense of time, place, and self. This is a quan\u3eQual study, which began with a quantitative measurement to determine a criterion sampling, followed by the primary research method, a transcendental phenomenology of flow during voluntary, independent reading. This primary research method was used due to the lack of research available on flow in the field of literacy for purposes of expansion on flow theory in this domain and a better understanding of the antecedents, indicators, and consequences of flow in reading. Quantitative methodology was utilized to obtain the criterion sampling through the Flow State Scale (FSS). This quantitative score was qualitized (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998, p. 126), which is to transform quantitative data into qualitative, in order to compare the results of the FSS with the qualitative results (meaning units) to provide complementarity, development, and trustworthiness. Twenty-three high school freshmen students participated in this integrated mixed methods study. One adult likewise participated by taking the online FSS to illuminate some of the freshmen participants\u27 answers. The study found three themes as antecedents of flow (interest, isolation, and social literacy contracts); one main theme indicating flow (telepresence) with four subdimensions (vision, empathy, transformation of time, and concentration); and three themes (reading comprehension, enjoyment, and creativity) related to consequences. Detail

Clinical consequences of asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening: A review

Asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening (DPT), or extensive fibrosis of the visceral pleura secondary to asbestos exposure, is increasingly common due to the large number of workers previously exposed to asbestos. It may coexist with asbestos related pleural plaques but has a distinctly different pathology. The pathogenesis of this condition as distinct from pleural plaques is gradually becoming understood. Generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, profibrotic cytokines and growth factors in response to asbestos is likely to play a role in the formation of a fibrinous intrapleural matrix. Benign asbestos related pleural effusions commonly antedate the development of diffuse pleural thickening. Environmental as well as occupational exposure to asbestos may also result in pleural fibrosis, particularly in geographic areas with naturally occurring asbestiform soil minerals. Pleural disorders may also occur after household exposure. High resolution computed tomography (CT) is more sensitive and specific than chest radiography for the diagnosis of diffuse pleural thickening, and several classification systems for asbestos-related disorders have been devised. Magnetic resonance imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be useful in distinguishing between DPT and malignant mesothelioma. DPT may be associated with symptoms such as dyspnoea and chest pain. It causes a restrictive defect on lung function and may rarely result in respiratory failure and death. Treatment is primarily supportive

Category B Plastic Pane Testing for JSC 66320 Rev A Requirements Verifiable Through Acceptance Testing

JSC 66320, Revision A, Optical Property Requirements for Glasses, Ceramics, and Plastics in Spacecraft Window Systems, lists several quantitative requirements that spacecraft windowpanes must meet. Recently, we were asked to establish a capability at the Kennedy Space Center to perform these measurements on category B plastic panes, i.e., plastic panes that could be used on a spacecraft for long-focal-length photography and piloting. Two of the criteria, normal wavefront and 30-degree wavefront attributes, can be measured with existing equipment and processes (see NASA TM NESC-RP-14-00951, April 2016) and are not discussed in this document. However, the other six criteria-haze, wedge angle, birefringence, reflectance, transmittance, and color balance-required substantial development and are the subject of this document. In this document, we do not discuss the rationale behind the requirements, but we did engage in discussions with the authors of JSC 66320 in order to better understand the requirements and the verifications being imposed on windows and their testing. Accordingly, this document presents our best understanding of the requested requirements and verifications. We also present our methodology for performing each of the six measurements, along with applicable mathematics and a description, with photos, of the hardware used. In addition, we supply the results of a test on a low-quality in-house plastic window as an example of the system operation. Only requirements that can be met by acceptance test and analysis, as opposed to optical inspection, are considered in this document

Placement overlap with other students: Effects on medical student learning experience

Phenomenon: In the United Kingdom (UK) the government has increased the number of places at university to study medicine in England to meet workforce demands. In parallel, there have been growing student numbers in other healthcare professions and new professions whose roles overlap with doctors, such as advanced nurse practitioners and physician associates, have been introduced. These increasing numbers of medical students and other healthcare professions training in the same clinical setting have led to questions about the effect on the student experience. We aimed to investigate the impact of student-student encounters on the learning experience during clinical placements before student numbers increase further. Approach: In this investigation medical student perceptions were collected retrospectively at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia in the UK, during the 2018/19 academic year following two clinical placements in secondary care settings. Through mandatory online course evaluations, all medical students were asked if their learning had been positively or negatively affected by other students, and how frequently they had certain student-student experiences. Findings: Responses from 786 (of 844) medical students (93% response rate) demonstrated that most students felt their learning had been affected in some way by the presence of others while on their secondary care placements. Students experienced both positive and negative impacts of encounters with other students. Final year students tended to report more negative experiences, with first year students reporting more positive. while some students had experienced competition for learning opportunities and lower quality interactions with patients and doctors due to “overcrowding,” more students reported benefits from learning from and with other students. However, it also was found that any negative encounters with other students, even if accompanied by positive experiences, detrimentally affected student satisfaction with the placement. Insights: This investigation indicates that student-student interactions influence the clinical learning experience of medical students both positively and negatively. Given the overriding influence of negative encounters, the findings suggest a need to maximize the beneficial effects of encountering other students on clinical placements; while protecting against missed or poor-quality learning opportunities due to competition between students, particularly for more senior students. Medical educators need to consider where their clinical attachments are at risk from multiple students being present at the same time and work to alleviate the negative impacts of such student-student encounters, while actively encouraging peer learning experiences between the medical students and collaborative activities between students of different healthcare professions. This is likely to become increasingly important as student numbers in medicine and other healthcare professions continue to grow