A study of learning styles of engineering students in vocational education in Hong Kong

Students have different learning preferences of receiving, processing and internalizing knowledge and skills. If the learning environment is advantageous to the learning styles of the students, there is a higher chance that the students can achieve the intended learning outcomes. Previous research on understanding the learning styles of students suggests that the use of learning style models helped teachers design effective instruction and could help students better understand their own learning preferences. Felder and Silverman (1988) proposed a learning style model, which was designed to capture the important learning style differences among engineering students. The model categorised learning preferences into four dimensions, namely, active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global (Felder and Spurlin, 2005). After identifying the learning styles of the students, corresponding teaching strategies can then be developed for more effective learning. This research was an preliminary investigation of learning styles of engineering students studying vocationally oriented higher diploma programmes in Hong Kong. Data from over 140 students in two engineering programmes was collected and analysed to identify the learning characteristics of students. It was found that the sample students were marginally reflective, predominately sensing, visual, and sequential learners. Observations from the analysed data provided valuable information for teachers to design more effective teaching strategies

Instant messaging for enquiry-based learning and peer learning communities

Instant Messaging (IM) tools such as Telegram may effectively be used to engage students in their learning. This paper explored how IM can enhance traditional teaching and learning in higher education by creating additional informal learning spaces, rather to disturb the existing classroom practices. There are three objectives that this paper was expected to achieve:- • To measure the student Response rate in using IM for the assessment of effectiveness in enquiry-based learning; • To evaluate the impact of IM on peer-to-peer participation through the analysis of dialogues among the learning communities; and • To discuss the essentials of successful application of IM in informal learning spaces. A module named Highway Engineering (CON4381) of Higher Diploma in Civil Engineering at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education was selected with a large class size of over 300 students. The results were encouraging with over 100 students participated in the learning communities and more than 200 number of questions posed and interaction counts. The activities trends and students’ feedbacks showed positive perception and acceptance of the use of Telegram for teaching and learning. A questionnaire designed by the authors was used at the end of the semester and the participants showed positive perception and acceptance of the use of Telegram for teaching and learning. It was revealed that IM tools could elicit new learning opportunities, foster enquiry-based learning, offer informal and formal learning opportunities, and support peer learning community. A valuable discussion was conducted to address challenges in adopting IM as transmission pedagogy including merging of academic and non-academic contents, perceived distractive nature and potential to trigger off-task behaviours and sometimes limited participation of all students etc. Although such challenges exist in adopting IM as pedagogy, the potential to foster an effective learning environment should not be underestimated. Together with the widespread participation of all students and enhanced willingness on public expression of silenced voices, the utilization of instant messaging was found to be reasonably valid. Furthermore, an investigation into a mobile app which supplemented Vocational Training Council\u27s Moodle learning management platform was made so as to explore further usability whenever appropriate

A numerical investigation on active engine mounting systems and its optimization

In this paper, based on the previous research experiences in the lumped parameter modeling and study of active control mounts (ACM) model, an analytical model of active ACM in powertrain is developed and implemented in MATLAB. In order to validate this newly developed model in this work, a finite element analysis (FEA) method is conducted in ANSYS and the results of FEA is compared with analytical model for validation. After the validation, the control strategy is integrated into the analytical model by using the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) method. Numerical results show a good control performance. Furthermore, this work examines the application of genetic algorithms (GA) in optimizing the weight matrices of LQR. An optimal configuration is obtained and thus this approach could help the practical design of ACM systems

Apparatus and methods for manipulation and optimization of biological systems

The invention provides systems and methods for manipulating, e.g., optimizing and controlling, biological systems, e.g., for eliciting a more desired biological response of biological sample, such as a tissue, organ, and/or a cell. In one aspect, systems and methods of the invention operate by efficiently searching through a large parametric space of stimuli and system parameters to manipulate, control, and optimize the response of biological samples sustained in the system, e.g., a bioreactor. In alternative aspects, systems include a device for sustaining cells or tissue samples, one or more actuators for stimulating the samples via biochemical, electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and/or optical stimulation, one or more sensors for measuring a biological response signal of the samples resulting from the stimulation of the sample. In one aspect, the systems and methods of the invention use at least one optimization algorithm to modify the actuator's control inputs for stimulation, responsive to the sensor's output of response signals. The compositions and methods of the invention can be used, e.g., to for systems optimization of any biological manufacturing or experimental system, e.g., bioreactors for proteins, e.g., therapeutic proteins, polypeptides or peptides for vaccines, and the like, small molecules (e.g., antibiotics), polysaccharides, lipids, and the like. Another use of the apparatus and methods includes combination drug therapy, e.g. optimal drug cocktail, directed cell proliferations and differentiations, e.g. in tissue engineering, e.g. neural progenitor cells differentiation, and discovery of key parameters in complex biological systems

Apparatus and Methods for Manipulation and Optimization of Biological Systems

The invention provides systems and methods for manipulating biological systems, for example to elicit a more desired biological response from a biological sample, such as a tissue, organ, and/or a cell. In one aspect, the invention operates by efficiently searching through a large parametric space of stimuli and system parameters to manipulate, control, and optimize the response of biological samples sustained in the system. In one aspect, the systems and methods of the invention use at least one optimization algorithm to modify the actuator's control inputs for stimulation, responsive to the sensor's output of response signals. The invention can be used, e.g., to optimize any biological system, e.g., bioreactors for proteins, and the like, small molecules, polysaccharides, lipids, and the like. Another use of the apparatus and methods includes is for the discovery of key parameters in complex biological systems

A Tale of Two Regimes: Classifying and Revisiting the Monetary Policy Regimes

The existing literature on the performance of monetary policy regimes is separate and isolated, with unidentified monetary policy framework for floating rate regime in the exchange rate regime literature and non-inflation targeting regime in the inflation targeting literature. This paper proposes a comprehensive de facto classification of monetary policy regimes based on the behavior of economic variables. The result reveals a non-negligible number of “hidden inflation targeters”, which use inflation targeting monetary policy in the absence of formally announced inflation targets. Based on the classification result, we also document monetary history and stylized facts that are highly consistent to our conventional understandings

Does Monetary Policy Matter For Trade?

There is a large literature on the effect of exchange rate arrangements on trade. The monetary policy used in the floating exchange rate regime, however, is usually ignored and unidentified in the empirical studies. This makes the effect of alternative monetary policy regimes on trade remains largely unknown. This paper sheds light on this area by examining the effect of two well-defined monetary policy regimes, namely exchange-rate targeting and inflation targeting regimes, on bilateral and multilateral trade. Our result suggests a moderate positive effect of inflation targeting policy on bilateral trades between two inflation targeting countries. This effect of inflation targeting, even much moderate than the effect of currency union and a fixed exchange rate at the bilateral level, could exist in the bilateral trades with a large number of trading partners under the same regime. This implies that inflation targeting regime may not have a lower level of multilateral trade than exchange-rate targeting regime. We further support this view with an analysis of multilateral trade

Pediatric osteomyelitis due to rare tropical multi-drug resistance (MDR) organisms: a treatment quandary

Osteomyelits due to concurrent multi-drug resistance organisms is difficult to treat for any surgeon and infectious disease physician. An eleven-year-old boy presenting with an open fracture of the left radius and ulna after a fall in a stagnant wet field. Despite prophylactic antibiotics and surgical intervention, the open wound was infected, and Chromobacterium violaceum as well as Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated. He was treated with six weeks of parenteral cefepime and amikacin and was discharged upon clinical improvement. Unfortunately, chronic osteomyelitis set in with persistent sinus drainage. He then underwent a second procedure for debridement of the wound and Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated. Parenteral antibiotic therapy was initiated progressing with a marked improvement. However, the long course of antibiotics had exhausted the patient and his family, leading to a premature interruption of the parenteral antibiotic. Despite the suboptimal antibiotic course, there were no signs of relapsed osteomyelitis during subsequent review. The timely surgical intervention with appropriate sampling for subsequent microorganism isolation guided the suitability of the treatment line