Control engineering and the professional societies

By the time control engineering emerged as a coherent body of knowledge and practice (during and just after WW2) professional engineering societies had existed for many decades. Since control engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of the profession, new sections devoted to control were quickly established within the various existing technical societies. In addition, some new bodies devoted specifically or primarily to control were established. This brief paper will present in outline the history of how control engineering as a distinct branch of engineering became represented in technical societies – or their equivalent – in the USA, UK, USSR, Germany and France

Meeting the growing demand for engineers and their educators: the potential for open and distance learning

As with all teaching, open and distance approaches are successful only if based on good pedagogical design addressing the purpose, structure and pace of the material, hence engaging students and encouraging active learning. For distance learning such pedagogical design is often expensive, and can only be justified by comparatively large student numbers. Much open and distance teaching offers meagre student support. To be successful, course developers must integrate student support into the learning materials, including such elements as a modest number of face-to-face sessions or electronic communication at a distance. This presentation discusses these issues in the context of SET distance teaching and presents examples of good practice from the UKOU, including: • an introductory course in ICT that adopts an issues-based approach, in order to de-mystify the subject and make it more attractive to students • resource-based approaches in engineering education • team projects at a distance • an emphasis on ‘active learning’ An argument is also to be made for the importance of openness if we really wish to promote engineering. In this context ‘openness’ means making programmes available to all students (even those without formal school-leaving qualifications) that will ultimately enable them to qualify as a professional engineer or an educator of engineers. The traditional approach to engineering education has been hierarchical and linear: a good school leaving certificate in mathematics / science followed by an often very theoretical university education plus an application-oriented final project. If we are serious about attracting new engineers, this will no longer do. An open and distance approach to engineering formation, based on outcomes rather than input educational levels, and with an emphasis on lifelong learning and professional development, can make a major contribution to chang

Foreword

A short personal view is given of trends in the historical, philosophical and sociological studies of science and technology over the last several decades. This is then related to some issues in the history of science and technology that emerged from two specialist conferences in the summer of 2013. An interdisciplinary stance to our subject that combines the best of the history, philosophy and sociology of both science and technology appears to be the most rewarding approac

Not just Norbert

Although Norbert Wiener is justifiably granted the epithet 'father of cybernetics', a number of other engineers from a control or telecommunications background also turned to areas that can broadly be categorised as cybernetic during and immediately after WW2. This paper gives an overview of some of these lesser-known technologist contributors to the emerging ideas of cybernetics.The paper is based on primary and secondary literature, as well as two interviews from the early 1990s. In Germany Hermann Schmidt, chair of the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure committee on control engineering (established in 1939) gave a talk on control engineering and its relationship with economics, social sciences and cultural aspects as early as October 1940. Winfried Oppelt, another member of the committee, also researched non-technological applications of control ideas in his subsequent career (economics, biology), as did Karl Küpfmüller (pharmacokinetics, models of the human nervous system). In the UK, Arnold Tustin developed a mathematical model of a human gun operator during the war, and then applied control ideas to economic systems in the late 1940s. The material presented here is not well known even within the control engineering profession, and is largely absent from histories of cybernetics – at least those in the English language

A new approach to the introductory teaching of Computing and IT at the Open University UK

[EN] The Open University of the United Kingdom is a distance-teaching university with no entrance requirements; modules are available world wide. This paper presents a novel approach to the teaching of introductory Computing and IT at the University (level 1 / first-year bachelor’s degree). The new module covers: digitization; elementary programming; fixed and mobile communication networks; webpage design; the Internet of Things; and socio-technological aspects of ICT (such as the ‘information society’, gender issues, health care, and the ‘digital divide’). The rationale and structure of the course are presented, with an outline of the content and assessment strategy. Major aims of the new module are: to improve skills development; redress the current gender imbalance in the subject area at the Open University; and improve general completion and progression rates. The module also makes widespread use of on-line activities and forums in support of learning and the development of a sense of a ‘community at a distance’.Bissell, C. (2017). A new approach to the introductory teaching of Computing and IT at the Open University UK. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 101-108. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.496810110

Bio-Energetic Value of the Flathead and Smith Valleys in Northwest Montana for Spring Waterfowl Migration

The abundance of lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and agricultural lands of the Flathead and Smith Valleys in northwest Montana attracts a significant number of migratory waterfowl moving from wintering grounds to breeding habitats each spring. These diverse habitats provide food and resting areas for thousands of waterfowl and other waterbirds each year. These valleys are also undergoing rapid habitat transformation due to growth in human population with concomitant conversions from rural agricultural and riparian habitats to more residential and commercial development. To quantify the current extent, distribution, importance, and species that use this area as a spring stopover, we initiated a randomly stratified, weekly, simultaneous waterfowl survey of selected areas from early March through April. We began in spring 2010 and will continue through spring 2012. The data will be extrapolated to the entire study area and for the 2-month period to develop an estimate of total annual waterfowl feeding days by species. Habitat data are also being incorporated. Preliminary results from first 2 years of data indicate that the 4 most common migrant waterfowl species, in order of total numbers counted, are Mallard, Northern Pintail, Canada Goose, and American Wigeon. Preliminary extrapolations of waterfowl survey data in terms of bioenergetics will be summarized

Exploring the Impact of Patient and Public Involvement in a Cancer Research Setting

An enduring theme in the literature exploring patient and public involvement (PPI) in research has been the focus on evaluating impact, defined usually in terms of participants’ practical contribution to enhancing research processes. By contrast, there has been less emphasis on the perspectives and experiences of those involved in PPI. Drawing on qualitative data with people involved in the National Cancer Research Network in the United Kingdom, we report on what motivated participants to get involved and their experiences of involvement in this setting. We highlight how those involved in PPI often espoused the notion of the “good citizen,” with PPI in research being a natural extension of their wider civic interests. However, our findings also highlight how PPI was an important resource, utilized by participants to make sense of living with chronic illness. We suggest that PPI in research also offers spaces for the reconfiguration of self and identity

Behavioural and psychological characteristics in Pitt-Hopkins syndrome:a comparison with Angelman and Cornelia de Lange syndromes

Background: Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder associated with intellectual disability. Although the genetic mechanisms underlying the disorder have been identified, description of its behavioural phenotype is in its infancy. In this study, reported behavioural and psychological characteristics of individuals with PTHS were investigated in comparison with the reported behaviour of age-matched individuals with Angelman syndrome (AS) and Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). Methods: Questionnaire data were collected from parents/caregivers of individuals with PTHS (n = 24), assessing behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sociability, mood, repetitive behaviour, sensory processing, challenging behaviours and overactivity and impulsivity. For most measures, data were compared to data for people with AS (n = 24) and CdLS (n = 24) individually matched by adaptive ability, age and sex. Results: Individuals with PTHS evidenced significantly higher levels of difficulties with social communication and reciprocal social interaction than individuals with AS, with 21 of 22 participants with PTHS meeting criteria indicative of ASD on a screening instrument. Individuals with PTHS were reported to be less sociable with familiar and unfamiliar people than individuals with AS, but more sociable with unfamiliar people than individuals with CdLS. Data also suggested areas of atypicality in sensory experiences. Challenging behaviours were reported frequently in PTHS, with self-injury (70.8%) occurring at significantly higher rates than in AS (41.7%) and aggression (54.2%) occurring at significantly higher rates than in CdLS (25%). Individuals with PTHS also evidenced lower reported mood than individuals with AS. Conclusions: Behaviours which may be characteristic of PTHS include those associated with ASD, including deficits in social communication and reciprocal social interaction. High rates of aggression and self-injurious behaviour compared to other genetic syndrome groups are of potential clinical significance and warrant further investigation. An atypical sensory profile may also be evident in PTHS. The specific aetiology of and relationships between different behavioural and psychological atypicalities in PTHS, and effective clinical management of these, present potential topics for future research

Pharmacotherapy in Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Risk of Secondary Infections: A Single-Center Case Series and Narrative Review

OBJECTIVES: Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, immune modulators have been considered front-line candidates for the management of patients presenting with clinical symptoms secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Although heavy emphasis has been placed on early clinical efficacy, we sought to evaluate the impact of pharmacologic approach to coronavirus disease 2019 within the ICU on secondary infections and clinical outcomes. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (inception to March 2021) database search and manual selection of bibliographies from selected articles. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Articles relevant to coronavirus disease 2019, management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-associated respiratory failure, and prevalence of secondary infections with pharmacotherapies were selected. The MeSH terms COVID-19, secondary infection, SARS-CoV-2, tocilizumab, and corticosteroids were used for article identification. Articles were narratively synthesized for this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Current data surrounding the use of tocilizumab and/or corticosteroids for coronavirus disease 2019 management are limited given the short follow-up period and conflicting results between studies. Further complicating the understanding of immune modulator role is the lack of definitive understanding of clinical impact of the immune response in coronavirus disease 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current available literature, we suggest prolonged trials and follow-up intervals for those patients managed with immune modulating agents for the management of coronavirus disease 2019