The Crafter’s Ear: Evaluating an Aural Theory Simulation in Minecraft

PDF document - Student Master's Paper: The Crafter's Ear: Evaluating an Aural Theory Simulation in Minecraft, PDF document - ppt from TCC 2019: The Crafter's Ear: Evaluating an Aural Theory Simulation in Minecraft, MP4 - Video walk-through of The Crafter's Ear Simulation, MP4 - TCC 2019 Espinosa Video PresentationWhile music educators throughout history have sought to develop effective training methods for their students, little innovation has been developed beyond “drill and practice” methods for aural music theory skills. In order to “show” what the musician already aurally perceives, a virtual simulation was developed for music educators to use with their 10- to 13-year-old beginning music students. The sandbox game Minecraft was chosen as the platform due to its ability to construct “redstone-powered,” musical note blocks. “Primitives” (single or multi-part objects) were provided for pitch identification and use as a template for constructing personal, interactive aural theory aids not dependent upon formal music notation or playing/singing ability. This usability study sought to evaluate the navigation and effectiveness of virtual content design and user satisfaction of the aural music theory simulation. Three iterations were conducted with thirteen participants. in the form of a PDF were also requested. This study discusses virtual world usability methods, evaluation instruments, participant data, design implications in a 3D-Virtual World (3D-VW) environment, simulation modifications, and platform preferences. The Crafter’s Ear tells a story of successful and unsuccessful adaptations of a 3D-VW usability study. Data supports the simulation’s potential as well as need for re-evaluation of the primary platform used for development. The researcher anticipates the results of this study will support a growing need to identify and improve upon best practices for 3D-VW simulation usability studies in the future

Differing Air Traffic Controller Responses to Similar Trajectory Prediction Errors: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of Controller Behavior

A Human-In-The-Loop simulation was conducted in January of 2013 in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at NASAs Ames Research Center. The simulation airspace included two en route sectors feeding the northwest corner of Atlantas Terminal Radar Approach Control. The focus of this paper is on how uncertainties in the studys trajectory predictions impacted the controllers ability to perform their duties. Of particular interest is how the controllers interacted with the delay information displayed in the meter list and data block while managing the arrival flows. Due to wind forecasts with 20-knot over-predictions and 20-knot under-predictions, delay value computations included errors of similar magnitude, albeit in opposite directions. However, when performing their duties in the presence of these errors, did the controllers issue clearances of similar magnitude, albeit in opposite directions

On the forms of harm stemming from the instrumentalization of large-scale ecosystems

One could argue that the use, extraction, and development of natural resources for human purposes, i.e. resource exploitation, constitutes a form of instrumentalization of the ecosystems from which these resources are derived. Moreover, that such instrumentalization may be carried out in a way that has adverse social and environmental impacts. Given that a number of ecosystems are indispensable for the satisfaction of human interests and needs, their instrumentalization may nevertheless be justified. In this context, if the amount and rate of instrumentalization of ecosystems leads to their depletion, people whose well-being depends on the ecosystems’ existence may be profoundly harmed. Those instrumentalization practices and actions that lead to states of depletion are generally considered as harmful, but only to those whose interests and needs are frustrated as a result of such practices and actions. In this paper, I argue that the way in which ecosystems are instrumentalized, and not just the quantity and rate, may also cause a philosophically relevant form of harm, and not necessarily to humans: A given ecosystem may be meaningfully harmed not only when it is depleted, but also when its functioning is altered in such a way that it cannot retain core capacities it had before it was instrumentalized

Candidate Gene Identification for a Lethal Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutant in Soybean

Chlorophyll-deficient mutants have been studied persistently to understand genetic mechanisms controlling metabolic pathways. A spontaneous chlorophyll-deficient lethal mutant was observed in self-pollinated progeny of a soybean cultivar “BSR 101”. Observed segregation patterns indicated single-gene recessive inheritance for this lethal-yellow mutant. The objectives of this investigation were to develop a genetic linkage map of the region containing the lethal-yellow (YL_PR350) gene and identify putative candidate genes for this locus. The YL_PR350 gene was mapped to chromosome 15 and is flanked by BARCSOYSSR_15_1591 and BARCSOYSSR_15_1597. This region physically spans ~153 kb and there are 14 predicted genes that lie in this region. The predicted gene Glyma.15g275900 is an excellent candidate for the YL_PR350 gene as it is homologous to an Arabidopsis gene, At3g08010, which codes for a chloroplast-localized protein (ATAB2) involved in the biogenesis of Photosystem I and II. This thylakoid membrane protein is crucial for photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Future characterization of the candidate gene may enhance our knowledge about photosynthesis, a complex metabolic process critical for sustainability of plants

Two-photon fluorescence imaging with 30 fs laser system tunable around 1 micron

We developed a low-cost, low-noise, tunable, high-peak-power, ultrafast laser system based on a SESAM-modelocked, solid-state Yb tungstate laser plus spectral broadening via a microstructured fiber followed by pulse compression. The spectral selection, tuning, and pulse compression are performed with a simple prism compressor. The output pulses are tunable from 800 to 1250 nm, with the pulse duration down to 25 fs, and average output power up to 150 mW, at 80 MHz pulse repetition rate. We introduce the figure of merit (FOM) for the two-photon and multi-photon imaging (or other nonlinear processes), which is a useful guideline in discussions and for designing the lasers for an improved microscopy signal. Using a 40 MHz pulse repetition rate laser system, with twice lower FOM, we obtained high signal-to-noise ratio two-photon fluorescence images with or without averaging, of mouse intestine section and zebra fish embryo. The obtained images demonstrate that the developed system is capable of nonlinear (TPE, SHG) imaging in a multimodal operation. The system could be potentially used in a variety of other techniques including, THG, CARS and applications such as nanosurgery

Cellulose Nanofibers and Other Biopolymers for Biomedical Applications. A Review

Biopolymers are materials synthesised or derived from natural sources, such as plants, animals, microorganisms or any other living organism. The use of these polymers has grown significantly in recent years as industry shifts away from unsustainable fossil fuel resources and looks towards a softer and more sustainable environmental approach. This review article covers the main classes of biopolymers: Polysaccharides, proteins, microbial-derived and lignin. In addition, an overview of the leading biomedical applications of biopolymers is also provided, which includes tissue engineering, medical implants, wound dressings, and the delivery of bioactive molecules. The future clinical applications of biopolymers are vast, due to their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity. All properties which their synthetic counterparts do not share

Improving Diabetes Management for School Health Workers using a Live, Virtual Training Course

Background: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Optimal school nurse and staff education is critical to creating a safe learning environment and influencing long term outcomes of students with type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this project was to develop a virtual continuing education diabetes management course for school health workers to improve their knowledge of diabetes management and evaluate the effectiveness of the learning platform. Methods: A total of 199 participants completed the live, virtual continuing education course. Participants completed a pre and post-test to assess improvements in the key learning objectives of the course content which included diabetes pathophysiology and delivery of appropriate diabetes care in the school setting. Results: There was an improvement in knowledge in all questions from the baseline pre-test scores to the post-test scores. 99% of participants responded that they would use what they learned from the course in their professional practice, and 97% reported that they were able to list at least one concept learned from the conference. 60% reported that the diabetes management course was exceptionally better when compared to other virtual events, and the overall rating of the course was 4.82 on a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusions: The live virtual diabetes management course for school healthcare workers was successful, with an improvement in participants’ knowledge of key diabetic management skills. The benefit of the virtual platform was the ability to expand beyond our local region to a larger audience outside of the state and could be adapted for other institutions to utilize. Appropriate and accessible training for school health workers is critical to ensuring safe practices for children with diabetes to attend and thrive at school

Critical Perspectives on Our Current Moment: An Experiment in Teaching for 2020

During the summer of 2020, the DePaul College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) offered twenty-two incoming students a special interdisciplinary online course, giving them the opportunity to learn and reflect on the crises of 2020 with faculty, staff, and one another. This article’s authors (who are the class’s faculty and students) describe the construction and execution of this course and reflect on the experience. Course topics included “the social contract; equity and justice; historical, cultural, and artistic responses to upheaval; global interconnections; and the way forward.” The course fulfilled DePaul’s mission to help students “engage questions of intellect and ethics in our contemporary world.” Students created reflective maps that connected what they were learning to their own lives and feelings, and they submitted videos explaining the project. Five appear in this article, illustrating how students learned to think differently and embark on new kinds of action

Transactivation of Sphingosine-1–Phosphate Receptors by FcɛRI Triggering Is Required for Normal Mast Cell Degranulation and Chemotaxis

Mast cells secrete various substances that initiate and perpetuate allergic responses. Cross-linking of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcɛRI) in RBL-2H3 and bone marrow–derived mast cells activates sphingosine kinase (SphK), which leads to generation and secretion of the potent sphingolipid mediator, sphingosine-1–phosphate (S1P). In turn, S1P activates its receptors S1P1 and S1P2 that are present in mast cells. Moreover, inhibition of SphK blocks FcɛRI-mediated internalization of these receptors and markedly reduces degranulation and chemotaxis. Although transactivation of S1P1 and Gi signaling are important for cytoskeletal rearrangements and migration of mast cells toward antigen, they are dispensable for FcɛRI-triggered degranulation. However, S1P2, whose expression is up-regulated by FcɛRI cross-linking, was required for degranulation and inhibited migration toward antigen. Together, our results suggest that activation of SphKs and consequently S1PRs by FcɛRI triggering plays a crucial role in mast cell functions and might be involved in the movement of mast cells to sites of inflammation

Lipoma da cavidade bucal — análise de 46 casos

Forty six cases of lipomas were presented. They represent 0,42% of the biopsies diagnosed at the Oral Pathology Department and 1 ,5% of the oral benign neoplasm registered between 1960 and 1980. They were the vestibular sulcus were more frequently involved, microscopically, the simple lipoma was seen in 56% of the cases and in 43% the fibrolipoma. In spite of the number of cases reported here, we were not able to provide further information about the pathogenesis of this lesion.O lipoma é uma neoplasia benigna de tecido adiposo, de desenvolvimento lento e assintomático. É bastante frequente onde existe tecido adiposo, mas raro na cavidade bucal (ao redor de 2% de todas as neoplasias bucais). Foi feita a análise de 46 lipomas intra bucais vistos durante um período de 20 anos, no Departamento de Patologia Oral da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade do Chile. Esta lesão afetou mais frequentemente mulheres entre a e década de vida e com localização mais frequente na mucosa jugal. Histologicamente a variante mais comum foi o fibrolipoma