Pedagogical Gamification: Principles of Video Games that Can Enhance Teaching

Edutainment products have long tried to harness the fun quotient of games and video games for education, but the principles of gamification have only recently begun to be better understood and operationalized for business and education. The concepts that underpin successful games can be put to use in online as well as face-to-face classes, resulting in edu cational experiences that have the best of both worlds: a game-based overlay without becoming too technical. This chapter explains the con cepts involved in successful games and provides ideas for translating those principles into practice in the classroom (or online) environment

A Focus Group Study of Child Nutrition Professionals' Attitudes about Food Allergies and Current Training Practices

Citation: Lee, Y. M., Kwon, J., & Sauer, K. (2014). A focus group study of child nutrition professionals’ attitudes about food allergies and current training practices. Journal of Child Nutrition and Management, 38(1).Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore child nutrition professionals' (CNPs) attitudes about food allergies, current practices of food allergy training, and operational issues related to food allergy training in school foodservice operations. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 CNPs with managerial responsibilities from a midwestern state. Responses to guided, open-ended questions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed to identify common themes. Results: Participants felt that the prevalence and types of food allergies affecting school nutrition programs have increased in recent years. They also felt that communicating with other stakeholders and verifying physicians' recommendations regarding food allergies can be difficult. Participants agreed that training could improve food allergy knowledge and awareness of their employees and improve safety of children with food allergies. However, only a few reported providing specific food allergy training for employees. Cost, scheduling difficulties, and time constraints were identified as barriers to providing food allergy training. Participants preferred having credentialed professionals to conduct employee food allergy training. Support from school administrators and witnessing a food allergic reaction in the cafeteria would trigger a decision to initiate food allergy training. Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: Improved communication between school foodservice staff and other stakeholders is crucial to better serve students with food allergies. A well-planned, structured training program could better prepare school foodservice employees serving students with food allergies. CNPs might need continuous guidance and assistance regarding employee food allergy training. State agencies and professional organizations should work with CNPs to develop and communicate best practices for prevention and management of food allergic reactions

Toughening of a carbon-fibre composite using electrospun poly(Hydroxyether of Bisphenol A) nanofibrous membranes through inverse phase separation and inter-domain etherification

The interlaminar toughening of a carbon fibre reinforced composite by interleaving a thin layer (~20 microns) of poly(hydroxyether of bisphenol A) (phenoxy) nanofibres was explored in this work. Nanofibres, free of defect and averaging several hundred nanometres, were produced by electrospinning directly onto a pre-impregnated carbon fibre material (Toray G83C) at various concentrations between 0.5 wt % and 2 wt %. During curing at 150 °C, phenoxy diffuses through the epoxy resin to form a semi interpenetrating network with an inverse phase type of morphology where the epoxy became the co-continuous phase with a nodular morphology. This type of morphology improved the fracture toughness in mode I (opening failure) and mode II (in-plane shear failure) by up to 150% and 30%, respectively. Interlaminar shear stress test results showed that the interleaving did not negatively affect the effective in-plane strength of the composites. Furthermore, there was some evidence from DMTA and FT-IR analysis to suggest that inter-domain etherification between the residual epoxide groups with the pendant hydroxyl groups of the phenoxy occurred, also leading to an increase in glass transition temperature (~7.5 °C)

Double learning or double blinding: an investigation of vendor private information acquisition and consumer learning via online reviews

In this paper, building upon information acquisition theory and using portfolio methods and system equations, we made an empirical investigation into how online vendors and consumers are learning from each other, and how online reviews, prices, and sales interact among each other. First, this study shows that vendors acquire information from both private and public channels to learn the quality of their products to make price adjustment. Second, for the more popular products and newly released products, vendors are more motivated to acquire private information that is more precise than the average precision to adjust their price. Third, we document a full demand-mediation model between rating and price. In other words, there is no direct linkage between price and rating, and the impact of rating on price (the vendor learning) as well as the impact of price on rating (the consumer learning) are all through demand. Our results show that there is no fundamental difference between the pricing decisions with and without the consumer generated contents. The price is still driven by the supply and demand relationship and vendors only adjust their price in response to review change when those reviews impact sales. We proposed either the impact of reviews has been incorporated into sales or reviews are less truth worthy due to potential review manipulation. Given the complicate situation, we call for further study to unveil this double learning process with double blinding results

Is This Review Believable? A Study of Factors Affecting the Credibility of Online Consumer Reviews from an ELM Perspective

With the ever-increasing popularity of online consumer reviews, understanding what makes an online review believable has attracted increased attention from both academics and practitioners. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this study examines four information cues used to evaluate the credibility of online reviews: Argument quality, source credibility, review consistency, and review sidedness, under different levels of involvement and expertise. We conducted an online survey that involved users of Epinions.com, a popular online consumer review website, to test the research model empirically. Consistent with previous research, the results reveal that argument quality, a central cue, was the primary factor affecting review credibility. Participants also relied on peripheral cues such as source credibility, review consistency, and review sidedness when evaluating online consumer reviews. Review sidedness had a stronger impact on review credibility when the recipient had a low involvement level and a high expertise level. However, the other interaction effects were not significant. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results

Modelling and analysis of post-occupancy behaviour in residential buildings to inform BASIX sustainability assessments in NSW

Sustainability assessment tools aim to promote high sustainability outcomes in residential buildings, ensuring less consumption of water, energy and less emission of greenhouse gases. However, existing literature often presents variations between the estimated outcomes from the assessment tools and actual outcomes after building occupation. Research suggests that actual energy consumption could be significantly influenced by resident behaviour in addition to the dwelling conditions and the energy efficiency of appliances. This qualitative study explores the nature of resident behaviour in achieving thermal comfort and how these influence the actual energy performance of BASIX-affected dwellings in NSW. A preliminary evidence-based behaviour model is developed to support the behavioural analysis. The model positions the heating and cooling effects of the dwellings' design, the behaviour of residents in space heating and cooling, hot water consumption, etc. as well as multiple influential attributes such as resident's perceptions, preferences, attitudes and knowledge towards energy efficiency in relationship to energy efficiency outcomes. The model not only identifies the key drivers that trigger energy consumption behaviour, but also investigates the potential inter-relationships among all the key influential attributes. The findings of this research will inform the BASIX assessment tool, sustainability policy, building designs and government educational programs on sustainability

High-sensitivity in situ capture of endogenous RNA-protein interactions in fixed cells and primary tissues

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have pivotal functions in RNA metabolism, but current methods are limited in retrieving RBP-RNA interactions within endogenous biological contexts. Here, we develop INSCRIBE (IN situ Sensitive Capture of RNA-protein Interactions in Biological Environments), circumventing the challenges through in situ RNA labeling by precisely directing a purified APOBEC1-nanobody fusion to the RBP of interest. This method enables highly specific RNA-binding site identification across a diverse range of fixed biological samples such as HEK293T cells and mouse brain tissue and accurately identifies the canonical binding motifs of RBFOX2 (UGCAUG) and TDP-43 (UGUGUG) in native cellular environments. Applicable to any RBP with available primary antibodies, INSCRIBE enables sensitive capture of RBP-RNA interactions from ultra-low input equivalent to ~5 cells. The robust, versatile, and sensitive INSCRIBE workflow is particularly beneficial for precious tissues such as clinical samples, empowering the exploration of genuine RBP-RNA interactions in RNA-related disease contexts

X-ray protection, surface chemistry and rheology of ball-milled submicron Gd2O3 aqueous suspension

X-ray protective garments are typically comprised of lead-based materials, which are toxic to both people and the environment. Developing alternative lightweight radiation shielding materials is a priority for protecting people working with radiation. Gadolinium, with an electron configuration typical of radiation shielding elements, is proposed as a non-toxic replacement for lead. This study provides new insights into the potential for a gadolinium suspension for replacing lead and proposes an inexpensive and effective preparation method. Submicron gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) was generated using a cost effective ball milling method involving addition of NaCl. Then, the dispersed-flocculated behaviour of Gd2O3 aqueous slurries was studied via yield stress and zeta potential techniques to stabilise the dispersion. The relationship of the transmission-volume fraction at different kVp from an interventional radiology source was established to investigate radiation attenuation performance of the suspension. At a low volume fraction (0.082), the gadolinium slurry attenuated more than 95% of the X-ray load from a 50⬜100 kVp source. The equivalent weight-thickness at the same attenuation of 95% (5% transmission) of the Gd2O3 suspension was 1.5 g/cm2, which is comparable to that of equivalent commercial lead-based materials (\u3e1 g/cm2). This research is significant for developing a non-lead-based material, Gd2O3 suspension, which offers effective radiation attenuation with weight-thickness minimisation and safe use and disposal