A Cyber-Physical System

The team was tasked with the creation of an autonomous cyber-physical system that could be continually developed as a post-capstone class by future STEM students and as a means to teach future engineering students. The strict definition of a cyber-physical system is a computation machine that networks with an embedded computer that performs a physical function. The autonomous aspect was achieved through two sonic sensors to monitor object distances in order to avoid walls and obstacles. The integrated system was based on the Intel Edison computation module. A primary goal for future addition is automation capabilities and machine learning applications

Characterisation of porosity and sensor response times of sol-gel-derived thin films for oxygen sensor applications

The ability to determine oxygen concentration is of great importance in many industrial, environmental and medical applications. In recent years, a range of sol-gelderived optical oxygen sensors, for measuring oxygen in both gas and aqueous phase has been developed, in which the oxygen sensitive dye Ru(II)-tris(4,7 - diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline) has been entrapped. The porosity of the matrix plays a vital role in determining both the sensitivity and response time of such optical sensors. For gas sensors, the diffusion coefficient for the analyte gas through the matrix increases with film porosity. This in turn increases the sensitivity of the sensor response via the Stern-Volmer coefficient. The response and recovery times are also related to porosity via the diffusion coefficient. This project focuses on the fabrication of a wide range of sol-gel-derived thin films as well as the development of experimental systems used to calculate the porosity and response times of a wide range of sol-gel-derived thin films. A method to calculate the diffusion coefficient using response and recovery times as well as film thickness is also detailed. Measured response times were correlated with porosity, Stern-Volmer coefficients and diffusion coefficients data. The Stern-Volmer equation was also used to characterise and explain specific film behavior. A fabrication method used to control the refractive index of sol-gel thin films is also detailed and the consequence this has on the film characteristics is investigated

Implementing physics education research to inform and enhance pedagogical approaches

Since 1999 the School of Physics in the Dublin Institute of Technology has been critically analysing its pedagogical strategies, leading to a reconsideration of teaching, learning and assessment practices. In 2001, the Physics Education Research Group was established to develop, implement and evaluate pedagogical initiatives in physics education and to undertake rigorous education research studies to inform and evaluate these developments. Various innovative pedagogical approaches including problem-based learning, project-based learning, peer instruction and eLearning have been implemented. These pedagogical developments were informed by education research studies which examined student learning, lecturers’ conceptions of learning and teaching and group interactions and dynamics. Further education research studies are continually carried out to evaluate all pedagogical approaches in order to enhance and continuallyimprove the students’ learning experience. These studies, which include both qualitative and quantitative methods, are conducted primarily using phenomenography, action research or evaluative research approaches

The Use of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist for Human Services to Increase Paraeducators’ Effective Implementation of Error-Correction Procedures During Discrete Trial Training

Employees in the field of human services can influence the health and rate of progress of the clients they serve. A human service supervisor’s responsibilities include identifying why an employee may be performing poorly and provide an effective intervention to ensure improved performance. The Performance Diagnostic Checklist for Human Services (PDC-HS) has been used in treatment clinics to identify the variables that can contribute to poor employee performance, and subsequently recommend an intervention to improve performance. The special education classroom is a human service setting in which special education teachers supervise paraeducator’s skills and performance. A paraeducator’s role includes providing instruction to students. Discrete trial instruction is an effective method for students requiring specialized instruction to acquire new skills and concepts. Poor instruction can have an adverse impact on a student’s performance resulting in a slow rate of progress or regression. Special education teachers are trained in specialized instruction, behavior management and classroom organization, but are rarely prepared to supervise and train other adults. Additional challenges are time to provide professional development and training preparation, given the background and experience of paraeducators. Research has demonstrated that a systematic approach for training and performance evaluation is required in order to provide quality instruction. This research evaluated the effectiveness of the PDC-HS, as completed by classroom teachers, in a public school special education setting to improve the performance of paraeducators for discrete trial instruction. Three teachers first identified which paraeducators were not correctly implementing the steps for discrete trial instruction. They then used the PDC-HS to determine why their paraeducators were performing poorly and which interventions could improve their performance. The results indicated that a lack of training was contributing to poor performance and a Behavior Skills Training (BST) package would most likely increase their performance. The BST package began with defining the steps for discrete trial instruction, modeling the steps, practicing the steps and providing feedback on progress. Once the paraeducator was able to correctly demonstrate the steps with an adult, they were able to continue instruction with their students. The data demonstrated that their performance significantly increased after they were provided BST. The social validity results indicated that the teachers had a positive experience using the PDC-HS. All teachers reported that this was the first time they had consistently taken data on a paraeducator’s performance and were appreciative of the training and pleased with the results. The results also indicated that all were unaware of their paraeducator’s skill in discrete trial instruction and saw the value and outcomes of using data analysis for both the paraeducators and the students they were working with

Relative Select

Motivated by the problem of storing coloured de Bruijn graphs, we show how, if we can already support fast select queries on one string, then we can store a little extra information and support fairly fast select queries on a similar string