Design of a motivational model to enhance volunteer student group performance

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, June 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-34).Motivation is a subject of great interest to managers seeking to improve overall team performance. Furthermore, motivation has been my greatest challenge as team manager of the MIT Motorsports Formula SAE team. This group is composed of volunteer students dedicating their time for an extra-curricular activity. This thesis serves to develop a motivational model unique to MIT Motorsports with the goal of increasing overall team performance. MIT Motorsports team dynamics are described through performance observations and feedback from a survey given to team members. This analysis is combined with a discussion of traditional and contemporary theories of motivation to yield a new improved model of motivation. Conclusions of this thesis are particularly useful for future MIT Motorsports team managers. While this model is specific to MIT Motorsports, the overall approach to the universal problem can enlighten any manager seeking to receive gains from the motivation to performance relationship.by Joseph M. Audette.S.B

Une méthode pour anticiper les mises en alerte de crues sur la rivière Thoré (France)

Cet article présente les conclusions d'une recherche visant l'amélioration de l'annonce des crues, et son application à la rivière Thoré, dans le contexte du système d'alerte français. On y exploite les informations météorologiques contenues couramment dans les bulletins d'alerte aux précipitations [BAP] émis par Météo-France, dans le but d'aider les prévisionnistes du Service d'annonce de crues [SAC] à anticiper l'atteinte de la cote d'alerte sur une rivière. Le travail présenté fait partie d'une approche visant à munir les SAC d'outils prévisionnels fonctionnant en temps réel et aptes à prévenir d'une mise en alerte probable. L'approche préconisée conduit à une utilisation directe des informations contenues dans les BAP reçus des services de météorologie dans le processus de surveillance des crues. C'est au moyen de courbes d'intensité-durée-temps d'alerte [IDTA], préalablement établies pour des prévisions de pluies uniformément réparties, et de courbes d'intensité-superficie-temps d'alerte [ISTA] pour les prévisions relatives à des cellules orageuses localisées, que l'approche proposée est développée.This work was designed to contribute to the improvement of flood forecasting, in the context of the French alert system. We propose that the meteorological information contained in the French weather forecast bulletin (Bulletins d'alerte aux précipitations; BAP), produced by Météo-France (French meteorological organization), should be utilized in order to aid the forecasters of the French flood forecasting agencies (Services d'annonce de crues; SAC) to anticipate the timing of an alert associated with an increase in the water level of a river. The goal was to develop an approach to provide the SAC with a real-time operational forecasting tool in order to improve the evaluation of a probable Flood Alert decision. This approach integrates the information contained in the BAP received from Météo-France into the existing flood control process with the use of Duration-Intensity-Warning Time (durée-intensité-temps d'alerte, IDTA) curves for uniform rainfall forecasting, and Intensity-Area-Warning Time curves (intensité-superficie-temps d'alerte, ISTA) for localized storm cells.The rainfall parameters considered were the intensity (I, mm/h), the duration (D, h), and the area of the watershed affected by the rainfall (S, km2). These parameters are related by the equation V=I x D x S, where V is the volume of rain (hm3). The parameter directly related to the Flood Alert decision is the warning time (Talerte), measured in hours. It is defined as the time from the beginning of the rainfall to the time when the flow at the watershed outlet reaches the alert flow (Qalerte in m3 /s), regardless of the maximum discharge (Qmax). Although Qmax may be an important indicator of the magnitude of the upcoming event, the chief concern is the Flood Alert decision, and therefore, the time to alert parameter (Talert) is of primary importance.The proposed approach involves creating a graphical connection of a series of rainfall intensity values (I) as a function of a range of rainfall (D) duration values with time to alert (Talert) curves, which represent the I-D couples. As a result, a SAC forecast agent that receives a BAP indicating the quantitative precipitation forecast in a precise region for a defined period will be able to evaluate the time after the start of the rainfall that the alert flow (Qalert) will be reached, simply by referring to the IDTA and/or ISTA curves. If an alert is foreseen within a certain delay, the flood forecast agent can wait to receive improved forecasts before making the decision whether to start the flood alert procedures or not.The construction of the IDTA and ISTA curves requires numerous simulations in order to cover a wide variety of intensity-duration and intensity-area of rainfall couples for which the alert flow (Qalert) will be reached at the watershed outlet, and therefore the time corresponding to this discharge can be estimated. The simulations were performed through the use of a combination of a deterministic distributed parameter hydrological model and a hydraulic one-dimensional hydrograph transfer model. The neuronal models of the Generalized Regression Network (GRNN) type were also used. This allowed for the extraction of and/or interpolation between values in the database containing the parameters intensity, duration, area, and the hydrographs that resulted from the simulations done with the first two models. The interest in using the GRNN model is to cover a large range of values for all of the parameters considered, without having to simulate all cases, therefore reducing the potential computation time.We developed this forecasting approach on the basis of a specific case related to the extreme flooding that occurred in southern France on November 1999. More precisely, our case study concerns the mountainous region in the upstream area of the Thoré watershed, in the Tarn Department. The simulation scenarios were 1) uniformly distributed rainfall on a watershed of 208 km2 ; 2) storm cells of 9, 36, 64 and 144 km2 located in the watershed center; and 3) a storm cell located in various zones of the watershed.The main observation of the simulation results was that the Talert was constant for a rainfall of intensity I, as long as the duration was longer than the Talert (i.e., provided it was still raining after Qalert was attained at the outlet). On the other hand, if the rain stops before Qalert is attained, Talert is delayed. Talert increases as a function of the duration of the rainfall, for a constant I. This is true for both uniform and localized rainfall.The IDTA and ISTA curves were developed on the basis of several simplifying hypotheses and should be improved in order to increase their precision and flexibility. Therefore this approach can be amended by taking into account the following factors:- infiltration (when the laws defining it are established);- the initial conditions: since the results of the simulations for this study are valid for constant initial conditions of Qini=20 m3/s, it would be pertinent to include a correction factor to adjust the results (Talert) for the real initial conditions such as the actual Qini and the actual soil humidity;- the spatial variability of the storm cells; and- the combination of uniformly distributed rainfall and localized storm cells.Nevertheless, we evaluated the use of the forecasting approach with the IDTA and ISTA curves referring to the November 1999 events. The contribution of these curves in the Flood Alert decision process was assessed with a fictitious scenario defined by the issued BAP related to this event. Understanding the simplifying hypotheses discussed above, we conclude that the flood alert on the Thoré River watershed could have been advanced up to seven hours and thirty minutes from the actual time it was issued. In a fast or flash flood event, this range of anticipation could have a considerable impact

Special Issue on Medical Simulation

We would like to welcome you to this Special Issue on Medical Simulation, the first of its kind not only for SIMULATION: Transactions of The Society for Modeling and Simulation International, but for any technical journal. Our respective backgrounds are an indication of the technical and clinical breadth of medical simulation, as we approach the subject as primarily medical image analysis and biomechanics experts respectively, each with a variety of clinical interests spanning virtual reality (VR)–based neuro-, orthopedic and ear-nose-and-throat surgery. Moreover, we believe that the breadth of the papers that comprise this issue reflects an even broader perspective. After all, medical simulation can be seen as encompassing mannequin-based training, as well as nonsurgical areas such as pharmacological and physiological modeling, the latter of which is increasingly multi-scale and integrative

Active Duty Training For Support of Navy\u27s Additive Manufacturing Strategy

Additive manufacturing has recently gained the attention of multiple stakeholders, including those in the advanced manufacturing industry, research and government labs, academia, and the Navy community. Various efforts within the Navy focus on studying the best way for parts to be built and repaired for marine and naval vessels. Rapid manufacturing of spare components is particularly important for sailors, especially while deployed on warships, as they often do not have timely access to spare parts from the supply chain. For that purpose, a multidisciplinary team of engineering and education faculty have developed a series of workshops to train on-duty sailors in designing, testing, reverse engineering, and printing parts needed for their daily operations. The workshop has modules focused on rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, computer aided design, material testing, product data management, and product lifecycle management. The Office of Naval Research Workforce Development program funds this program

Cortical fosGFP expression reveals broad receptive field excitatory neurons targeted by POm

Neighboring cortical excitatory neurons show considerable heterogeneity in their responses to sensory stimulation. We hypothesized that a subset of layer 2 excitatory neurons in the juvenile (P18 to 27) mouse whisker somatosensory cortex, distinguished by expression of the activity-dependent fosGFP reporter gene, would be preferentially activated by whisker stimulation. In fact, two-photon targeted, dual whole-cell recordings showed that principal whisker stimulation elicits similar amplitude synaptic responses in fosGFP-expressing and fosGFP(-) neurons. FosGFP(+) neurons instead displayed shorter latency and larger amplitude subthreshold responses to surround whisker stimulation. Using optogenetic stimulation, we determined that these neurons are targeted by axons from the posteromedial nucleus (POm), a paralemniscal thalamic nucleus associated with broad receptive fields and widespread cortical projections. We conclude that fosGFP expression discriminates between single- and multi-whisker receptive field layer 2 pyramidal neurons

Utilizing the “Plan, Do, Study, Act” Framework to Explore the Process of Curricular Assessment and Redesign in a Physical Therapy Education Program in Suriname

Purpose: To describe how a multinational team worked together to transition a physical therapy (PT) educational program in Paramaribo, Suriname, from a Bachelor level to a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MSPT) level. The team was made up of PT faculty from Anton De Kom Universiteit van Suriname (AdeKUS), the Flemish Interuniversity Council University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS) leadership, and Health Volunteers Overseas volunteers. In this case study, the process for curricular assessment, redesign, and upgrade is described retrospectively using a Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) framework. Method: PT educational programs in developing countries are eager for upgrade to meet international expectations and to better meet community health-care needs. An ongoing process which included baseline assessment of all aspects of the existing bachelor's program in PT, development of a plan for a MSPT, implementation of the master's program, and evaluation following implementation is described. Conclusion: Curricular assessment and upgrade in resource limited countries requires the implementation of process-oriented methods. The PDSA process is a useful tool to explore curricular development. The international collaboration described in this paper provides an example of the diligence, consistency, and dedication required to see a project through and achieve success while providing adequate support to the host site. This project might provide valuable insights for those involved in curricular redesign in similar settings

Genomic Organization, Splice Variants and Expression of CGMl, a CD66-related Member of the Carcinoembryonic Antigen Gene Family

The tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) belongs to a family of proteins which are composed of one immunogiobulin variable domain and a varying number of immunoglobulin constant-like domains. Most of the membrane-bound members, which are anchored either by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol moiety or a transmembrane domain, have been shown to convey cell adhesion in vitro. Here we describe two splice variants of CGMI. a transmembrane member of the CEA family without immunoglobulin constant.like domains. CGM1a and CGM1c contain cytopiasmic domains of 71 and 31 amino acids, respectively, The cytoplasmic region of CGM1a is encoded by four exons (Cyt1-Cyt4). Differential splicing of the Cyt1 exon (53 bp)..

Application of biostimulant products and biological control agents in sustainable viticulture: A review

Current and continuing climate change in the Anthropocene epoch requires sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, due to changing consumer preferences, organic approaches to cultivation are gaining popularity. The global market for organic grapes, grape products, and wine is growing. Biostimulant and biocontrol products are often applied in organic vineyards and can reduce the synthetic fertilizer, pesticide, and fungicide requirements of a vineyard. Plant growth promotion following application is also observed under a variety of challenging conditions associated with global warming. This paper reviews different groups of biostimulants and their effects on viticulture, including microorganisms, protein hydrolysates, humic acids, pyrogenic materials, and seaweed extracts. Of special interest are biostimulants with utility in protecting plants against the effects of climate change, including drought and heat stress. While many beneficial effects have been reported following the application of these materials, most studies lack a mechanistic explanation, and important parameters are often undefined (e.g., soil characteristics and nutrient availability). We recommend an increased study of the underlying mechanisms of these products to enable the selection of proper biostimulants, application methods, and dosage in viticulture. A detailed understanding of processes dictating beneficial effects in vineyards following application may allow for biostimulants with increased efficacy, uptake, and sustainability.KJ wishes to acknowledge financial support (3710473400); MS-M thanks to RTI2018-099417-B-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities cofunded with EU FEDER funds); JB wish to acknowledge the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/Brasil (CNPQ process number 309477/2021-2); RO-H is supported by the Ramón y Cajal program from the MICINN (RYC-2017 22032), PAIDI 2020 (Ref. 20_00323), AEI GGOO 2020 (GOPC-CA-20-0001), “José Castillejo” program from the “Ministerio de Universidades” (CAS21/00125) and PID2019-106004RA-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. SM and GT thanks to Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (grant PID2020-114330GB-100). PAIDI2020 from Junta de Andalucía, grant P18-RT-1401 to SM, MD, and GT is also acknowledged. GT acknowledge the support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

Genes responsive to rapamycin and serum deprivation are clustered on chromosomes and undergo re-organization within local chromatin environments.

Supplementary materials are available at University of Toronto: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/9982

Exposure to the taste of alcohol elicits activation of the mesocorticolimbic neurocircuitry

A growing number of imaging studies suggest that alcohol cues, mainly visual, elicit activation in mesocorticolimbic structures. Such findings are consistent with the growing recognition that these structures play an important role in the attribution of incentive salience and the pathophysiology of addiction. The present study investigated whether the presentation of alcohol taste cues can activate brain regions putatively involved in the acquisition and expression of incentive salience. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded BOLD activity while delivering alcoholic tastes to 37 heavy drinking but otherwise healthy volunteers. The results yielded a pattern of BOLD activity in mesocorticolimbic structures (ie prefrontal cortex, striatum, ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra) relative to an appetitive control. Further analyses suggested strong connectivity between these structures during cue-elicited urge and demonstrated significant positive correlations with a measure of alcohol use problems (ie the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). Thus, repeated exposure to the taste alcohol in the scanner elicits activation in mesocorticolimbic structures, and this activation is related to measures of urge and severity of alcohol problems