Search

Current cyberinfrastructure is changing the way scientists and engineers interact and work using digital technologies. In particular, online experimentation systems are revolutionizing how scientists and engineers collect data, simulate physical behaviors, and perform experiments. This study explores the role of virtual, local and remote laboratories in supporting students' abilities to conduct experiments with dynamic systems and observe their frequency response. We compare three different technologies that afford students access to conduct experiments and perform computer simulations through local and remote laboratories. Our sample consisted of 57 students from three groups of the same course, offered in subsequent semesters. The results suggest that students increased their understanding of frequency response of dynamic systems with each of the learning tools. Similarly, students reported positive perceptions about the use of these tools, but they identified computer simulations as being easier to use. Although students' perceptions of the acquisition of conceptual knowledge through the different experiences varied significantly acrossexperiments, results are inconclusive as to what specific toolor sequence of tools they favored.

© 2017 The Author(s) Provision of a molecularly confirmed diagnosis in a timely manner for children and adults with rare genetic diseases shortens their “diagnostic odyssey,” improves disease management, and fosters genetic counseling with respect to recurrence risks while assuring reproductive choices. In a general clinical genetics setting, the current diagnostic rate is approximately 50%, but for those who do not receive a molecular diagnosis after the initial genetics evaluation, that rate is much lower. Diagnostic success for these more challenging affected individuals depends to a large extent on progress in the discovery of genes associated with, and mechanisms underlying, rare diseases. Thus, continued research is required for moving toward a more complete catalog of disease-related genes and variants. The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) was established in 2011 to bring together researchers and organizations invested in rare disease research to develop a means of achieving molecular diagnosis for all rare diseases. Here, we review the current and future bottlenecks to gene discovery and suggest strategies for enabling progress in this regard. Each successful discovery will define potential diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic opportunities for the corresponding rare disease, enabling precision medicine for this patient population.

Recent advances in sequencing technology allow data on the human genome to be generated more quickly and in greater detail than ever before. Such detail includes findings that may be of significance to the health of the research participant involved. Although research studies generally do not feed back information on clinically significant findings (CSFs) to participants, this stance is increasingly being questioned. There may be difficulties and risks in feeding clinically significant information back to research participants, however, the UK10K consortium sought to address these by creating a detailed management pathway. This was not intended to create any obligation upon the researchers to feed back any CSFs they discovered. Instead, it provides a mechanism to ensure that any such findings can be passed on to the participant where appropriate. This paper describes this mechanism and the specific criteria, which must be fulfilled in order for a finding and participant to qualify for feedback. This mechanism could be used by future research consortia, and may also assist in the development of sound principles for dealing with CSFs.

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) is an international initiative launched in 2008 to coordinate large-scale cancer genome studies from 50 different cancer types and subtypes of global clinical and societal importance. As of May 2014, 74 project teams in 17 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America are analyzing more than 25,000 tumor genomes (http://www.icgc.org/). In addition to its goal of generating comprehensive catalogs of genomic abnormalities to facilitate better understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer, ICGC is committed to making the data it generates available to the international research community as rapidly as possible, with minimal restrictions on appropriate data use. Here, we describe the experience of ICGC in addressing privacy and confidentiality issues raised by recent articles that expose re-identification threats for research participants.

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) was launched to coordinate large-scale cancer genome studies in tumours from 50 different cancer types and/or subtypes that are of clinical and societal importance across the globe. Systematic studies of more than 25,000 cancer genomes at the genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic levels will reveal the repertoire of oncogenic mutations, uncover traces of the mutagenic influences, define clinically relevant subtypes for prognosis and therapeutic management, and enable the development of new cancer therapies. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Problem: In-hospital cardiac arrest often represents failure of optimal clinical care. The use of medical emergency teams to prevent such events is controversial. In-hospital cardiac arrests have been reduced in several single centre historical control studies, but the only randomised prospective study showed no such benefit. In our hospital an important problem was failure to call the medical emergency team or cardiac arrest team when, before in-hospital cardiac arrest, patients had fulfilled the criteria for calling the team. Design(s): Single centre, prospective audit of cardiac arrests and data on use ofthe medical emergency team during 2000 to 2005. Setting(s): 400 bed general outer suburban metropolitan teaching hospital. Strategies for change: Three initiatives in the hospital to improve use of the medical emergency team: orientation programme for first year doctors, professional development course for medical registrars, and the evolving role of liaison intensive care unit nurses. Key measures for improvement: Incidence of cardiac arrests. Effects of the change: Incidence of cardiac arrests reduced 24% per year, from 2.4/1000 admissions in 2000 to 0.66/1000 admissions in 2005. Lessons learnt: Medical emergency teams can be efficacious when supported with a multidisciplinary, multifaceted education system for clinical staff.

Problem: In-hospital cardiac arrest often represents failure of optimal clinical care. The use of medical emergency teams to prevent such events is controversial. In-hospital cardiac arrests have been reduced in several single centre historical control studies, but the only randomised prospective study showed no such benefit. In our hospital an important problem was failure to call the medical emergency team or cardiac arrest team when, before in-hospital cardiac arrest, patients had fulfilled the criteria for calling the team. Design(s): Single centre, prospective audit of cardiac arrests and data on use ofthe medical emergency team during 2000 to 2005. Setting(s): 400 bed general outer suburban metropolitan teaching hospital. Strategies for change: Three initiatives in the hospital to improve use of the medical emergency team: orientation programme for first year doctors, professional development course for medical registrars, and the evolving role of liaison intensive care unit nurses. Key measures for improvement: Incidence of cardiac arrests. Effects of the change: Incidence of cardiac arrests reduced 24% per year, from 2.4/1000 admissions in 2000 to 0.66/1000 admissions in 2005. Lessons learnt: Medical emergency teams can be efficacious when supported with a multidisciplinary, multifaceted education system for clinical staff.

The task group on structural health monitoring of the Dynamic Committee of ASCE was formed in 1999 at the 12 th Engineering Mechanics Conference. The task group has designed a number of analytical studies on a benchmark structure and there are plans to follow these with an experimental program. The first phase of the analytical studies was completed in 2001. The second phase, initiated in the summer of 2001, was formulated in the light of the experience gained on phase I and focuses on increasing realism in the simulation of the discrepancies between the actual structure and the mathematical model used in the analysis. This paper describes the rational that lead the SHM task group to the definition of phase II and presents the details of the cases that are being considered.

This paper focuses on the goals of the second phase of the activities of the IASC-ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Task Group, involving the application of structural health monitoring techniques to data obtained from a four story steel frame structure tested July 19–21, 2000 at the University of British Columbia. Damage was simulated by removing bracing within the structure. An electromagnetic shaker and mass on the top floor of the structure were used to excite the structure. Accelerometers were placed throughout the structure to provide measurements of the structural responses. Three excitation cases were considered, including one ambient vibration level in which the shaker was turned off.