Notes on freshwater Entomostraca from South Australia

The Entomostraca here described were collected by Professor Ralph Tate, of the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and by Mr. T. Steel. Prof. Tate's specimens were sent by him to Prof. T. Rupert Jones, P.R.S., to whose kindness I am indebted for the opportunity of describing them. ..

A demonstration of the utility of fractional experimental design for finding optimal genetic algorithm parameter settings

This paper demonstrates that the use of sparse experimental design in the development of the structure for genetic algorithms, and hence other computer programs, is a particularly effective and efficient strategy. Despite widespread knowledge of the existence of these systematic experimental plans, they have seen limited application in the investigation of advanced computer programs. This paper attempts to address this missed opportunity and encourage others to take advantage of the power of these plans. Using data generated from a full factorial experimental design, involving 27 experimental runs that was used to assess the optimum operating settings of the parameters of a special genetic algorithm (GA), we show that similar results could have been obtained using as few as nine runs. The GA was used to find minimum cost schedules for a complex component assembly operation with many sub-processes

Deaf and Disability: Is It Just A Label?

When a baby is born and fails the hearing test, that baby is labeled deaf. With that often comes feelings of sadness, fear, and disappointment. Dreams are dashed and questions are replaced. But this is just one possible scenario. This study will look at what constitutes the label disability in relation to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Disabled people are seen as lesser, not successful, and often treated as second class citizens. Services may be withheld because of the thought that “disabled” people cannot do what other are expected to do. With a strong culture, language, and history, the Deaf community often rejects that label and the connotations that come along with it. Here we look into a people and a label given to them. Through interviews with Deaf individuals we look at how the label of “disability” has affected their lives. What kind of challenges has the label of “disabled” caused them? Are the people of this community truly disabled, or has a label disabled them instead

Applying thematic synthesis to interpretation and commentary in epidemiological studies: identifying what contributes to successful interventions to promote hand hygiene in patient care

Objectives: Hand hygiene is considered the most important preventive measure for healthcare associated infections, but adherence is suboptimal. We previously undertook a Cochrane Review which demonstrated that interventions to improve adherence are moderately effective. Impact varied between organisations and sites with the same intervention and implementation approaches. This study seeks to explore these differences. Methods: A thematic synthesis was applied to the original authors’ interpretation and commentary that offered explanations of how hand hygiene interventions exerted their effects and suggested reasons why success varied. The synthesis used a published Cochrane Review followed by three-stage synthesis. Results: Twenty-one papers were reviewed: eleven randomised, one non-randomised and nine interrupted time series studies. Thirteen descriptive themes were identified. They reflected a range of factors perceived to influence effectiveness. Descriptive themes were synthesised into three analytical themes: Methodological Explanations for failure or success (e.g. Hawthorne Effect); and two related themes that address issues with implementing hand hygiene interventions: Successful implementation needs leadership and cooperation throughout the organisation (e.g. visible managerial support); and Understanding the context and aligning the intervention with it drives implementation (e.g. embedding the intervention into wider patient safety initiatives). Conclusions: The analytical themes help to explain the original authors’ perceptions of the degree to which interventions were effective and suggested new directions for research: exploring ways to avoid the Hawthorne effect; exploring the impact of components of multimodal interventions; the use of theoretical frameworks for behaviour change; potential to embed interventions into wider patient safety initiatives; adaptations to demonstrate sustainability; and the development of systematic approaches to implementation. Our findings corroborate studies exploring the success or failure of other clinical interventions: context and leadership are important

Sparse experimental design : an effective an efficient way discovering better genetic algorithm structures

The focus of this paper is the demonstration that sparse experimental design is a useful strategy for developing Genetic Algorithms. It is increasingly apparent from a number of reports and papers within a variety of different problem domains that the 'best' structure for a GA may be dependent upon the application. The GA structure is defined as both the types of operators and the parameters settings used during operation. The differences observed may be linked to the nature of the problem, the type of fitness function, or the depth or breadth of the problem under investigation. This paper demonstrates that advanced experimental design may be adopted to increase the understanding of the relationships between the GA structure and the problem domain, facilitating the selection of improved structures with a minimum of effort

National Intercollegiate Flying Association ROAVcopter Demonstration Event

ROAVcopters is focused on leveraging emerging quadcopter technology to teach crucial 21st century skills while providing students with a fun and exciting way to experience quadcopters though after school competitions at the elementary, middle, high school, and college level

Providing STEM Experiences, Through Robotic Competitions, for Students and Teachers Grades Six Through Twelve

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is a current emphasis in education. Machi (2009) points out that in order for the United States to be globally competitive, innovative, and prepared for new economic and security challenges, the U.S. must have a competitive and innovative educational environment that encourages entrepreneurship and excellence in STEM subjects (p. 1). The U.S. government depends on science, technology, engineering, and math to maintain its position as the world superpower (Machi, 2009, p. 2) and spends about $700 million a year on elementary and secondary education in the STEM fields through agencies such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Education Department (Nick, 2010, p. 1). Every day, a new technology is brought to market by the STEM workforce, enabling people around the world to live longer, better lives (Machi, 2009, p. 2). From the digital cable box used to watch TV shows to the micro-processor in your car that performs self diagnostics and e-mails the results, technology is used in almost every part of our daily lives

Engineering Design Activity: Understanding How Different Design Activities Influence Students\u27 Motivation in Grades 9-12

The objective of this study was to evaluate grade 9-12 students’ motivation while engaged in two different engineering design projects: marble-sorter and bridge designs. The motivation components measured in this study were focused on students’ intrinsic (IGO) and extrinsic (EGO) goal orientations, task value (TV), self-efficacy for learning and performance (SELP), and control belief (CB). After finishing each project, students were asked to complete an Engineering Design Questionnaire (EDQ) survey instrument. The instrument consisted of 26 items modified from motivational scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).Besides the motivational scales, five demographic and two open-ended questions exploring students’ most and least motivating aspects about their designs were added to the instrument. From the statistical tests, the results showed a significant difference on students’ IGO during marble-sorter and bridge design activities. Students’ intrinsic goal orientation was significantly higher on bridge design than marble-sorter design. Students who planned to major in engineering or technology education were more significantly motivated working on the two design activities than those who whose majors were in other areas. Students’ EGO did not appear to be correlated to their IGO, TV, SELP, and CB. Common themes associated with student motivation in the activities are presented in this report

The Growth of VEX Robotics Competitions in Utah and the Rocky Mountain Region

During the 2008-2009 school year, the Utah State University (USU) VEX Robotics team competed for the first time in the VEX Robotics World Championship. VEX annually hosts this championship to identify and award the best middle school, high school, and college robotics teams. A major goal of the USU VEX Robotics Team, through a partnership with the Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium (RMNSPC) is to promote middle and high school students in Utah and the Rocky Mountain Region to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through encouraging and assisting students and schools through competitive robotics. This paper discusses the goals and results of the efforts of the USU VEX Robotics Team over the past four years