Mixed media modelling of technological concepts in electricity, methods for supporting learning styles

The overarching objective of this research is to recognize the learning styles of engineering and technology students and to propose pedagogical methods for the comprehension of technological concepts in electricity. The topic of electrical resistor-capacitor (RC) circuits has been chosen because it is fundamental to engineering and technology courses. There is substantial evidence to suggest that students find such a concept difficult to grasp. The focus of the research lies in explicating undergraduate students cognitive structures about RC circuits, and proposing a method related to students learning styles of how these cognitive structures may be enhanced. The main thesis argument claims that the transfer of knowledge from familiar RC circuit configurations to unfamiliar RC circuit configurations does not occur easily even if the problem-space is kept identical. The methodology used in this research is a mixed-method approach employing qualitative and quantitative data-gathering and analysis processes. This research concludes that the reasons for lack of transfer of knowledge stem from conceptual and perceptual constraints. Constraints involve: (a) which analogical models are employed in relation to the RC circuit, (b) how the circuit schematic diagram is drawn, and (c) relations between analogy, circuit schematic diagram, voltage-time graphs and verbal jargon used to describe circuit behaviour. The research presents a variety of novel, custom-designed learning aids which are employed within the research methodology to rectify the lack of transfer of knowledge for the RC circuits considered in the study. The design of these learning aids is based on the concept of embodied cognition and mainly makes use of visual and kinaesthetic means to appeal to students who may have different learning styles. The use of such learning aids is proposed as a complementary teaching strategy. The approach taken in this research and its outcomes are significant because they continue to inform the research and educational communities about how human development may be fostered through engineering and technology education (Barak and Hacker, 2011)

Spatial cognitive processes involved in electronic circuit interpretation and translation: their use as powerful pedagogical tools within an education scenario

While there is much research concerning the interpretation of diagrams such as geographical maps and networks for information systems, there is very little on the diagrams involved in electrical and electronic engineering. Such research is important not only because it supports arguments made for other types of diagrams but also because it informs on the cognitive processes going on while learning electrical and electronic engineering domains, which are generally considered difficult to teach and learn. Such insight is useful to have as a pedagogical tool for teachers. It might also benefit would be self-learners, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists in the field because it can guide self-learning practices. When cognitive practices specific to this knowledge domain are more understood, they might give rise to automated intelligent tutor systems which could be used to augment teaching and learning practices in the education of electrical and electronic engineering. This research analyses the spatial cognitive processes involved in the translation of an electronic circuit schematic diagram into an iconic representation of the same circuit. The work shows that the cognitive affordances of proximity and paths perceived from a circuit schematic diagram have great influence on the design of an iconic diagram, or assembly diagram, representing a topologically equivalent electronic circuit. Such cognitive affordances reflect and affect thought and can be used as powerful pedagogical tools within an educational scenario

Developing novel explanatory models for electronics education

This paper explores how representations of technological concepts may be designed to help students with visual learning styles achieve successful comprehension in the field of electronics. The work accepts a wide definition of what is understood by the visualisation of a model in that it can take different external forms, but also include an internal representation in a person’s mind. We are of the opinion that to acquire scientific or technological knowledge there is a requirement for abstract models to exhibit particular features that complement the nature of their fields, and that their effectiveness is dependent on the context in question. This work reports on the development of experimental materials which are novel teaching aids in the context of electronics education. It proposes design principles based on congruent, schematised, symmetrical spatial metaphors of circuits incorporating interactivity by the use of gesture, scaffolding, learning by topological, analogical and conceptual resemblances. We conclude that qualitative methods may be employed with a significant measure of success even for a field such as electronics that is often considered to be difficult due to the necessity of abstract explanations

Fostering Creativity through Design and Technology Education

The challenges faced by contemporary societies, together with the on-going change characterizing these societies, reveal the need for citizens who are able to think differently and adapt what is already known to new, unknown situations (Cropley, A., 2011).  This ensures that change is pro-actively managed.  Education plays an important role in supporting active citizenship (Apple, 2013), where a methodology that promotes creativity ensures the effectiveness of pluralism in democratic societies. Teachers, however, are faced with dilemmas, having to compromise between the requirements for creativity and the demands of education systems (Atkinson, 2000; Runco, 2014a).  Design and Technology Education has a potential role in addressing these dilemmas, due to the authenticity afforded and the potential of design practice to foster the metacognition required for creativity (Christiaans & Venselaar, 2005a).  This paper presents the research conducted to build a toolkit for secondary school Design and Technology Educators, intended to capitalize on this potential. It was developed following an exploration process aimed at identifying a pedagogy that facilitates the fostering of creative mindsets through the subject.  This process consisted of interviews with Design and Technology teachers to understand creativity in the local classroom, in addition to a literature review. The toolkit was then evaluated through interviews with other Design and Technology teachers.  The underlying philosophy of the toolkit is based on the 4P framework (Rhodes, 1961) – Person, Process, Product, and Press – to address creativity holistically, with the creative Person as its long-term goal. This is embodied through the design process at the core of the toolkit, facilitated using the spiral curriculum (Bruner, 1977) and specific design tools. The evaluation of the toolkit shows that it can support high-level thinking required for creativity, confirming the role of Design and Technology Education in preparing present and future generations for the society they design and live in

Pupils’ emotional experience in human-technology interactions

The experience of human emotion is a central topic in the research field of product design and human interactions. Emotions have the ability to affect pupils’ experience deeply since the elicitation of emotion has the ability to affect attention, behaviour and attitude towards man-made artefacts. The qualitative study presented in this paper is part of ongoing research intended to develop a framework for modelling pupils’ emotional experiences when interacting with technological artefacts. This paper underlines how the elicitation of emotion is itself a consequence of the interaction between the human individual and the technological artefact. These conceptualisations underline the necessity to study the attributes both human and technological artefacts responsible for the elicitation of emotion. The study presented in this paper focuses on the human element. The participants in this study were students undertaking an undergraduate programme in technical design and technology offered by the Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship Education at the University of Malta. The study reveals that 43% of the subjects are concerned with being provided proper guidance and mentoring particularly when interacting with technological artefacts which are novel to the pupils. In addition, the study reveals that the inherent simplicity of a technological artefact and the ability to provide an immediate visual feedback, as factors which contribute to render the interaction between pupils and technological artefacts more enjoyable. The results emerging from the empirical study are discussed in light of how pupils’ concerns and emotional experiences influence attitudes towards technological artefacts.peer-reviewe

Transcriptional signatures associated with persisting CD19 CAR-T cells in children with leukemia

In the context of relapsed and refractory childhood pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL), CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells often induce durable remissions, which requires the persistence of CAR-T cells. In this study, we systematically analyzed CD19 CAR-T cells of 10 children with R/R B-ALL enrolled in the CARPALL trial via high-throughput single-cell gene expression and T cell receptor sequencing of infusion products and serial blood and bone marrow samples up to 5 years after infusion. We show that long-lived CAR-T cells developed a CD4/CD8 double-negative phenotype with an exhausted-like memory state and distinct transcriptional signature. This persistence signature was dominant among circulating CAR-T cells in all children with a long-lived treatment response for which sequencing data were sufficient (4/4, 100%). The signature was also present across T cell subsets and clonotypes, indicating that persisting CAR-T cells converge transcriptionally. This persistence signature was also detected in two adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with decade-long remissions who received a different CD19 CAR-T cell product. Examination of single T cell transcriptomes from a wide range of healthy and diseased tissues across children and adults indicated that the persistence signature may be specific to long-lived CAR-T cells. These findings raise the possibility that a universal transcriptional signature of clinically effective, persistent CD19 CAR-T cells exists

Efficient clinical-grade γ-retroviral vector purification by high-speed centrifugation for CAR T cell manufacturing

γ-Retroviral vectors (γ-RV) are powerful tools for gene therapy applications. Current clinical vectors are produced from stable producer cell lines which require minimal further downstream processing, while purification schemes for γ-RV produced by transient transfection have not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to develop a method to purify transiently produced γ-RV for early clinical studies. Here, we report a simple one-step purification method by high-speed centrifugation for γ-RV produced by transient transfection for clinical application. High-speed centrifugation enabled the concentration of viral titers in the range of 107-108 TU/mL with >80% overall recovery. Analysis of research-grade concentrated vector revealed sufficient reduction in product- and process-related impurities. Furthermore, product characterization of clinical-grade γ-RV by BioReliance demonstrated two-logs lower impurities per transducing unit compared with regulatory authority-approved stable producer cell line vector for clinical application. In terms of CAR T cell manufacturing, clinical-grade γ-RV produced by transient transfection and purified by high-speed centrifugation was similar to γ-RV produced from a clinical-grade stable producer cell line. This method will be of value for studies using γ-RV to bridge vector supply between early- and late-stage clinical trials

Functional antibody and T-cell immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including by variants of concern, in patients with cancer: the CAPTURE study

Patients with cancer have higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Here we present the prospective CAPTURE study (NCT03226886) integrating longitudinal immune profiling with clinical annotation. Of 357 patients with cancer, 118 were SARS-CoV-2-positive, 94 were symptomatic and 2 patients died of COVID-19. In this cohort, 83% patients had S1-reactive antibodies, 82% had neutralizing antibodies against WT, whereas neutralizing antibody titers (NAbT) against the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants were substantially reduced. Whereas S1-reactive antibody levels decreased in 13% of patients, NAbT remained stable up to 329 days. Patients also had detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and CD4+ responses correlating with S1-reactive antibody levels, although patients with hematological malignancies had impaired immune responses that were disease and treatment-specific, but presented compensatory cellular responses, further supported by clinical. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the nature and duration of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer

Fc-Optimized Anti-CD25 Depletes Tumor-Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells and Synergizes with PD-1 Blockade to Eradicate Established Tumors

CD25 is expressed at high levels on regulatory T (Treg) cells and was initially proposed as a target for cancer immunotherapy. However, anti-CD25 antibodies have displayed limited activity against established tumors. We demonstrated that CD25 expression is largely restricted to tumor-infiltrating Treg cells in mice and humans. While existing anti-CD25 antibodies were observed to deplete Treg cells in the periphery, upregulation of the inhibitory Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) IIb at the tumor site prevented intra-tumoral Treg cell depletion, which may underlie the lack of anti-tumor activity previously observed in pre-clinical models. Use of an anti-CD25 antibody with enhanced binding to activating FcγRs led to effective depletion of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells, increased effector to Treg cell ratios, and improved control of established tumors. Combination with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 antibodies promoted complete tumor rejection, demonstrating the relevance of CD25 as a therapeutic target and promising substrate for future combination approaches in immune-oncology

Fc Effector Function Contributes to the Activity of Human Anti-CTLA-4 Antibodies.

With the use of a mouse model expressing human Fc-gamma receptors (FcγRs), we demonstrated that antibodies with isotypes equivalent to ipilimumab and tremelimumab mediate intra-tumoral regulatory T (Treg) cell depletion in vivo, increasing the CD8+ to Treg cell ratio and promoting tumor rejection. Antibodies with improved FcγR binding profiles drove superior anti-tumor responses and survival. In patients with advanced melanoma, response to ipilimumab was associated with the CD16a-V158F high affinity polymorphism. Such activity only appeared relevant in the context of inflamed tumors, explaining the modest response rates observed in the clinical setting. Our data suggest that the activity of anti-CTLA-4 in inflamed tumors may be improved through enhancement of FcγR binding, whereas poorly infiltrated tumors will likely require combination approaches