Quality Improvement in Higher Education Through Normalization of Student Feedback Data Using Evolutionary Algorithm

Student Feedback is a vital information that helps not only to evaluate the existing academic practices but also to rectify the discrepancies if any, enabling continuous quality improvement. Often the educational institutions make decisions on the teaching and delivery strategies and requirements of the students based on the students’ Feedback. Due to various factors like the composition of the class in terms of student background, personal relationship with the teacher and other factors, the Feedback generally remains so scattered that at times it may not be possible to arrive at a conclusion based on the feedback. Any decision, based on this already obscure feedback, can only be flawed. This underscores the necessity of normalizing the Feedback data so that one can elicit a clear numerical value for each item in questionnaire rather than quantifying the same in terms of number of responses ‘for’ and ‘against’ the item. Employing an artificial intelligence method, this paper aims at developing an efficient scheme for the analysis of students’ Feedback taking into account the above mentioned factors. Because of its ease of use, the proposed feedback evaluation mechanism can be used on monthly basis in a given academic year, thus achieving continuous improvement of quality. It is hoped that this can serve as an effective tool in improving the learning and teaching methods, standards of education and ultimately the quality of higher education

Active fixturing: literature review and future research directions

Fixtures are used to fixate, position and support workpieces and represent a crucial tool in manufacturing. Their performance determines the result of the whole manufacturing process of a product. There is a vast amount of research done on automatic fixture layout synthesis and optimisation and fixture design verification. Most of this work considers fixture mechanics to be static and the fixture elements to be passive. However, a new generation of fixtures has emerged that has actuated fixture elements for active control of the part–fixture system during manufacturing operations to increase the end product quality. This paper analyses the latest studies in the field of active fixture design and its relationship with flexible and reconfigurable fixturing systems. First, a brief introduction is given on the importance of research of fixturing systems. Secondly, the basics of workholding and fixture design are visited, after which the state-of-the-art in active fixturing and related concepts is presented. Fourthly, part–fixture dynamics and design strategies which take these into account are discussed. Fifthly, the control strategies used in active fixturing systems are examined. Finally, some final conclusions and prospective future research directions are presented

Relative quantification of BCL2 mRNA for diagnostic usage needs stable uncontrolled genes as reference.

Dysregulation of BCL2 is a pathophysiology observed in haematological malignancies. For implementation of available treatment-options it is preferred to know the relative quantification of BCL2 mRNA with appropriate reference genes. For the choice of reference genes-(i) Reference Genes were selected by assessing variation of >60,000 genes from 4 RNA-seq datasets of haematological malignancies followed by filtering based on their GO biological process annotations and proximity of their chromosomal locations to known disease translocations. Selected genes were experimentally validated across various haematological malignancy samples followed by stability comparison using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and RefFinder. (ii) 43 commonly used Reference Genes were obtained from literature through extensive systematic review. Levels of BCL2 mRNA was assessed by qPCR normalized either by novel reference genes from this study or GAPDH, the most cited reference gene in literature and compared. The analysis showed PTCD2, PPP1R3B and FBXW9 to be the most unregulated genes across lymph-nodes, bone marrow and PBMC samples unlike the Reference Genes used in literature. BCL2 mRNA level shows a consistent higher expression in haematological malignancy patients when normalized by these novel Reference Genes as opposed to GAPDH, the most cited Reference Gene. These reference genes should also be applicable in qPCR platforms using Taqman probes and other model systems including cell lines and rodent models. Absence of sample from healthy-normal individual in diagnostic cases call for careful selection of Reference Genes for relative quantification of a biomarker by qPCR.BCL2 can be used as molecular diagnostics only if normalized with a set of reference genes with stable yet low levels of expression across different types of haematological malignancies