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The development of digital technologies can alter the professional fields. In this essay we will analyse the potential and risks of ICT for Friulian engineers and architects. To do this we will use two research methods - the first research method is qualitative and consists of 15 semi-structured interviews administered to experts; the second is quantitative and consists in a survey involving 329 architects and 335 engineers, using techniques of descriptive statistics. We will firstly evaluate the impact of BIM, 3D printing and robotics on professional practices and secondly identify and study the most important factors for the use of digital technologies. Starting from the public policies that the institutions insisting on Friuli Venezia Giulia have put in place, we will assess what kind of training of professionals (in a lifelong learning perspective) can play a significant role in supporting the innovation process of architects and engineers in the Friuli area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

if the professionalization of the social professions is increasingly based on the model of professionalization engineering, what are the imaginaries underlying this movement? How can we understand that the profession of engineer, the one who, at least in the imagination, invents and designs machines with a magically predictable functioning, can be the model for designing training systems for the helping professions? This contribution proposes to explore these questions through two mythological figures often summoned when it comes to engineering and technology: Prometheus and Hephaestus. These two figures will help us to move from the model of professionalization engineering to ingenium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Only when decent people band together to act in concert to install proper societal mechanisms and to support one another will we be able to reap the fruits of the marvelous new technologies and avert technologic catastrophes and environmental disasters. Engineers, in particular, need to think carefully about how they can act jointly to help one another to practice their profession properly.” —Unger [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I identify a central problem for conceptual engineering: the problem of showing concept-users why they should recognize the authority of the concepts advocated by engineers. I argue that this authority problem cannot generally be solved by appealing to the increased precision, consistency, or other theoretical virtues of engineered concepts. Outside contexts in which we already aim to realize theoretical virtues, solving the authority problem requires engineering to take a functional turn and attend to the functions of concepts. But this then presents us with the problem of how to specify a concept's function. I argue that extant solutions to this function specification problem are unsatisfactory for engineering purposes, because the functions they identify fail to reliably bestow authority on concepts, and hence fail to solve the authority problem. What is required is an authoritative notion of conceptual function: an account of the functions of concepts which simultaneously shows why concepts fulfilling such functions should be recognized as having authority. I offer an account that meets this combination of demands by specifying the functions of concepts in terms of how they tie in with our present concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the factors that influence male and female engineers' intent to leave. An online questionnaire was completed by 183 female engineers and 229 male engineers. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to develop models of intent to leave for male and female engineers. This study contributes to current knowledge by identifying the specific influence and inclusion factors that increase intent to leave for female engineers, and how these differ from male engineers. The findings show that an increase in access to career opportunities reduces intent to leave for both male and female engineers. This is the only similarity between the two models. Expanding the inclusion measure beyond social inclusion (belonging) to also assess how well individuals are supported to be their authentic selves, identified that for female engineers only, support to bring their authentic selves to work and developing influential relationships decreases intent to leave. For male engineers, pursuing their ideas against the odds reduces intent to leave, while being on the lookout for ways to improve one's life and situation increases intent to leave. Therefore, organizations should ensure men and women have equal access to roles that help them upskill, are able to be their authentic selves, and can develop relationships with people of influence in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to identify the underlying social representations of business administration students regarding the concepts of the graduate profile, professional training, and business engineer to subsequently interpret and contrast them with the stated graduate career profile and to review the social relevance thereof. This research study has a cross-sectional design and is descriptive in nature, based on qualitative methodology using the natural semantic networks technique, and the applications were developed in group form. The results show that the concept of the graduate profile does not appear to have been considered in-depth, with participants focusing on peripheral traits and setting aside a large part of what the profile establishes regarding innovation and problem-solving skills in a citizenship education context. With regard to professional training, the concepts associated with this construct are mainly ethics, responsibility, and knowledge, with no mention of the knowledge and skills that are more apposite to the profession. Finally, and in terms of the business engineer stimulus, we note that there is a better understanding of the concept, coinciding more precisely with the business engineering profile UC Temuco wishes to achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al Malweah for Archaeological & Historical Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study expands the understanding of the role of informality in post-socialist professions by examining the use of informal practices by an under-researched professional group of engineers in Azerbaijan. We use in-depth interviews with engineers educated in Soviet and post-Soviet periods to trace changes and continuities in the use of informal practices in their education and work. The study found that although many practices inherited from the Soviet period (e.g. bribery in higher education and nepotism in employment) have undermined professional standards, others, such as reliance on interpersonal professional networks and reputations, have helped to transmit professional knowledge and preserve professional values. We argue that informality has a dual impact on the engineering profession in Azerbaijan: some informal practices undermine professionalism while others help to sustain it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the so-called "White Russian" refugees, an important yet little-studied community, and their employment in early republican Turkey. Fleeing from the Bolshevik Revolution, refugees from Russia connected the two shores of the Black Sea by offering their expertise and knowledge in a number of fields in their host country. Russian refugees served as a source of skilled labor, and they functioned as agents of Turkey's economic, industrial, and cultural transformation. Russian ballerinas took to the stage in important ceremonies while Russian chefs opened the first European-style restaurants in Turkey's new capital, Ankara. Moreover, a significant number of Russian engineers worked in some of the most important industrial enterprises and trained Turkish technicians, a much-needed workforce as the country launched an ambitious industrialization program in the interwar years. Russian refugees not only filled the skilled-labor gap, but they also trained apprentices in their professions, transferring their knowledge to locals. In the end, the interaction between Russian refugees and their host society sheds new light into Turkish modernization, which was a multipolar process and was inspired by different models, rather than a single role model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research on practicing engineers can inform engineering education as it provides evidence for what engineering students ought to learn. Whilst there has been a growing interest and scholarship in this area, there has not been any systematic attempt to map the empirical research on practicing engineers and develop an agenda for research on engineering practice. To address this gap, we conducted a mapping review of empirical research studies of practicing engineers. We limited our search to studies published in peer-reviewed journal articles since 2000 and identified 187 papers. We used inductive content analysis to categorise the papers intofive research themes: 1) learning in the workplace, 2) competencies and attributes needed for practice, 3) activities undertaken by engineers, 4) diversity, and 5) engineers' identity. For each theme, we report common findings and gaps that can inform future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand how tertiary education institutions in South Africa have formulated a strategy for students embarking on a degree programme for the fledgling profession in the field of engineering, a field that is expanding in both scope and depth. Literature on the sociology of professsions connects qualification to a cultural mandate, industry demands, and accredited associations as the key determining factors for the legitimisation of a fledgling profession. Therefore, consideration is given to the aspect of a qualifications framework and how tertiary institutions understand these new professions and develop curricula for them, based on a constructivist approach to curriculum development and knowledge construction. To delve into this dynamic, the author focus on how tertiary institutions in South Africa concepttualise mechatronic engineering and equip students with the necessitous skills and qualifications required; ultimately ensuring that graduates are equipped with the specialised skills required to operate as a mechatronic engineer. The scholarship provides evidence that the field of mechatronics has been subjected to haphazard expansion globally and that courses for mechatronics contrast across the world. Japan incorporated mechatronic engineering into its curricula in the 1970s, compared to South Africa which began this process only 30 years ago, indicating evidence of the contrast. While the field continues to expand and scale across disciplines, it is becoming increasingly necessary for developing economies like South Africa to prioritise mechatronics processes for professionals to remain competitive within the global manufacturing indus try. Relatedly, a study on the development of mechatronic engineering courses has not been undertaken in South Africa. This predicament gives impetus to a study of this nature. Theoretically, this research contemplates how education counters to the new constructs in mechatronics. Based on 50 in-depth interviews in three provinces, it considers the nature of mechatronic engineering and its accreditation status from the Engineering Council of South Africa, focusing on how six tertiary institutions across South Africa have designed their curricula to meet the industry demand for mechatronic engineers. These locations included the Western Cape (3), Eastern Cape (1) and KwaZulu-Natal (2). Discourses among students and academics, which affect the perception of mechatronic engineers within the broader engineering fraternity, are interrogated. Based on this research, the paper illustrates that constructing a qualification for an emerging qualification is an arduous process, often founded on the perceptions of the institution, its previous knowledge and directed by industry demands. By utilising the discipline of mechatronic engineering, the paper aims to scrutinise this practice and identify progress and challenges faced by those with first-hand experience of these mechatronic courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Military Engineer / Hadmérnök is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Given their positions of public trust, regulated professions are legally required to uphold ethical standards, and ensure that professional practice protects the public. Nonetheless, there is ample evidence that professionals do not always behave ethically. One proposed solution is greater organizational surveillance; however, research from a neo-Weberian perspective encourages scepticism about such arguments. Organizations may not only fail to stop professionals from violating ethical codes, but rationalizing organizations might actively encourage such violations in the name of efficiency. This article explores the impact of organizations and rationalization on professional misconduct through a mixed-methods study of professional engineers in Ontario, Canada. Findings suggest engineers are impacted by rationalization, and that those with less decision-making authority experience pressures discouraging practice in the public interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, Davis and Zhang surveyed 71 Chinese engineers to investigate the claim that the concept of "profession" may have a far wider range than the term. They concluded that China seems to have a profession of engineering (as Davis has long defined "profession") even though the Chinese still lacked an exact translation of the English term. In part, the survey reported here simply continues the work of Davis and Zhang. It confirms their result using a much larger, better educated, demographically different pool of 229 Chinese engineers. But, in part too, it does something else. It investigates the concept professional competence—the perceived knowledge, skill, and judgment that those surveyed attribute to themselves and other engineers. The article has four parts. The first part describes the basics of the survey (who was interviewed, how, when, and so on). The second part describes some important features of the survey's questions, explaining how the questions closely track both the concept of profession and the concept of professional competence. The third part reports and interprets the results relevant to the presence or absence of the concepts of profession and professional competence. The fourth part reports the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plethora of studies have documented the changing nature of professional work and the organizations in which it takes place. Among the most documented trends are the emergence of managerial–professional hybrid workers and professional (re)stratification. Although the links between these two trends have been noted, their interconnections have not been fully explored. This article analyzes data from a mixed-methods study of professional engineers in Ontario, Canada, to explore the extent to which they experience conflicting logics, hybridity, resistance, and restratification. Findings indicate that many engineers could be classified as hybrid, as they see managerial roles as an extension of engineering. At the same time, many others see managers as oppositional to engineers, with different priorities. On the whole, there is evidence of restratification as the work experiences, professional attitudes, and responses to conflicting logics (hybridity or resistance) vary between managers and employees. This restratification has the potential to undermine professional unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Historica. Historia Contemporánea is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on whether better branding would be good for the field of “engineering technology,” specifically if it would be better to call it “applied engineering.” The stakeholders of the field were surveyed, and the majority felt that the field should be called applied engineering as engineering technology is confused with the term engineering technician. It was reported that most companies give the title “engineer” to four-year accredited engineering technology graduates. It was also found that most of those who were surveyed felt that the term “applied engineering” better described what these graduates did as opposed to the term “engineering technology,” which would better be used for two-year associate degree engineering technology graduates. It was recommended that the rebranding of “engineering technology” to “applied engineering” be considered as industry has rarely used the job title “engineering technologist,” and in 2020 - new Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes will exist for the emerging field of applied engineering. Associate degree graduates were found to be typically called “engineering technicians.” Most of those surveyed felt that industry/employers should be the ones to define what constitutes an engineer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering remains the least gender diverse of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Chemical engineering (ChE) and electrical engineering (EE) are exemplars of relatively high and low gender diversity, respectively. Here, we investigate departmental, institutional, and regional factors associated with gender diversity among BS graduates within the US, 2010–2016. For both fields, gender diversity was significantly higher at private institutions (p < 1x10-6) and at historically black institutions (p < 1x10-5). No significant association was observed with gender diversity among tenure-track faculty, PhD-granting status, and variations in departmental name beyond the standard “chemical engineering” or “electrical engineering”. Gender diversity among EE graduates was significantly decreased (p = 8x10-5) when a distinct degree in computer engineering was available; no such association was observed between ChE gender diversity and the presence of biology-associated degrees. States with a highly gender diverse ChE workforce had a significantly higher degree of gender diversity among BS graduates (p = 3x10-5), but a significant association was not observed for EE. State variation in funding of support services for K-12 pupils significantly impacted gender diversity of graduates in both fields (p < 1x10-3), particularly in regards to instructional staff support (p < 5x10-4). Nationwide, gender diversity could not be concluded to be either significantly increasing or significantly decreasing for either field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive measures of luminescence in a GaN/InGaN multiple quantum well system are used to examine the thermodynamics and phenomenological structure. The radiative /nonradiative transitions along with absorbed or emitted phonons that occur between the different quantum states of the electrons and holes associated with these processes make the quantum efficiency of a semiconductor nanosystem in an equilibrium state an extensive property. It has long been recognized that tuning of the indium (In) composition in InGaN interlayers gives the potential to obtain a spectrum in the near-infrared to near-ultraviolet spectral range. The thermodynamic intensive properties, including the Debye temperature, carrier temperature, and junction temperature, are the most appropriate metrics to describe the optical-related interactions inherent in a given heterostructure and so can be used as the state variables for understanding the quantum exchange behaviors. The energetic features of the quantum processes are characterized based on analysis of the intensive parameters as determined by means of electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and current-voltage measurement and then correlated with the designed InGaN/GaN microstructures. According to the McCumber-Sturge theory, the EL and PL Debye temperatures obtained experimentally signal the strength of the electron-phonon and photon-phonon interaction, respectively, while the EL and PL carrier/junction temperatures correspond to the carrier localization. Higher EL Debye temperatures and lower EL carrier/junction temperatures reflect significantly higher luminescence quantum yields, indicative of electron-phonon coupling in the transfer of thermal energy between the confined electrons and the enhancement by excited phonons of heat-assisted emissions. On the other hand, the observation of low luminescence efficiency, corresponding to the lower PL Debye temperatures and higher PL carrier/junction temperatures, is attributed to photon-phonon coupling. These findings are in good accordance to the dependence of the EL and PL quantum efficiency on the In-content of the InGaN/GaN barriers, suggesting that the characteristic Debye and carrier/junction temperatures are intensive parameters useful for assessing the optical properties of a nano-engineered semiconductor heterostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improved split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was used to study the dynamic mechanical properties and failure characteristics of surrounding rock in deep rock mass engineering that is under high stress and affected by blasting excavation and other dynamic disturbances. In a three-dimensional high static load and frequent dynamic disturbance test, the preload high axial pressure and confining pressure are used to simulate the high crustal stress of deep rock, and the effect of small disturbances on the rock is simulated by the low impact load. The results show that there are two types of dynamic stress-strain curves of deep rock: an elastic-plastic curve and plastic-elastic-plastic curve. The curves consists of five parts: the compaction stage, micro-crack steady development stage, micro-crack unstable propagation stage, fatigue damage stage, and fatigue failure stage. Reductive phenomena of constringent strain after dynamic peak stress appear because of the different degrees of rock damage. Moreover, these phenomena include two conditions, namely, whether rebound occurs or not. The impact resistance of rock is strongest when the ratio of the confining pressure to axial pressure is optimal, and the dynamic average strength of rock and accumulative impact times decrease with the increase of the preloaded axial compression and increase with the increase of the preloaded confining pressure. Both the dynamic deformation modulus and dynamic peak stress decrease with the increase of the accumulative impact time, while the maximum strain and the dynamic peak strain increase. The corresponding rebound strain as a whole first increases and then decreases with the increasing impact times. For deep rock, tensile failure and single-bevel plane shear failure are the main failure modes, and pull-compression mixed friction failure is the auxiliary failure mode. Additionally, the lumpiness of broken rock decreases with the increase of the preloaded axial compression and increases with the increase of the preloaded confining pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes represent a promising delivery tool for nucleic acid-based pharmaceuticals. They are highly suitable for transporting therapeutic miRNAs to tumor cells, due to their natural membrane components. Further, exosomes are capable of effectively protecting nucleic acids against ribonucleases and enable the delivery of their content through cell membranes. However, no suitable production host for miRNA containing exosomes of non-tumorigenic origin has yet been identified. In this study we engineered an immortalised human amniocyte cell line (CAP® cells), whose exosomes were enriched and characterised. The cell line modifications not only enabled the production of GFP-labelled but also pro-apoptotic miRNA containing exosomes without negative influence on host cell growth. Furthermore, we demonstrated that pro-apoptotic miRNA containing CAP exosomes are taken up by ovarian cancer cells. Strikingly, delivery of functional exosomal miRNA led to downregulation of several reported target genes in the treated tumor cells. In summary, we revealed CAP cells of non-tumorigenic origin as a novel and efficient exosome production host with the potential to produce functional miRNA-loaded exosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulsivity has been linked to academic performance in the context of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, though its influence on a wider spectrum of students remains largely unexplored, particularly in the context of STEM learning (i.e. science, technology, engineering, and math). STEM learning was hypothesized to be more challenging for impulsive students, since it requires the practice and repetition of tasks as well as concerted attention to task performance. Impulsivity was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of 2,476 students in grades 6–12. Results show impulsivity affects a larger population of students, not limited to students with learning disabilities. Impulsivity was associated with lower sources of self-efficacy for science (SSSE), interest in most STEM domains (particularly math), and self-reported STEM skills. The large negative effect size observed for impulsivity was opposed by higher mindset, which describes a student’s belief in the importance of effort when learning is difficult. Mindset had a large positive effect size associated with greater SSSE, STEM interest, and STEM skills. When modeled together, results offer that mindset interventions may benefit impulsive students who struggle with STEM. Together, these data suggest important interconnected roles for impulsivity and mindset that can influence secondary students’ STEM trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the strengthening mechanism and effect underlying the reinforcement of a fractured rock mass with grouting, compressive shear tests were conducted with an RMT-150B rock mechanics test system. Prefabricated structural surfaces were strengthened with a new inorganic dual-liquid grouting material at five water–cement ratios (0.6–1.5). The effects of these water–cement ratios of the grouting on the deformation, strength, and failure characteristics of the prefabricated structural surface were analyzed. The results show that reinforcement with grouting significantly influenced the bearing capacity of the structural surface. The shear strength of the structure was significantly improved and the deformation resistance of the structural surface was enhanced. The shear stress–displacement curves, generated in compressive shear tests of the grouting-reinforced structures, were all nonlinear. The shearing process comprised three stages: elasticity, yield, and failure. Decreasing the water–cement ratio of the grouting material weakened the plasticity of the grouted structural surface and enhanced its brittleness. The deformation type changed from plastic slip to brittle shear. The shear strength, cohesion, and angle of internal friction of the grouting-reinforced structural surface increased with decreasing water–cement ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two years, awareness about the sexual mistreatment of women has stunned the world. According to analysis by the New York Times, the defeat of Hilary Clinton and election of Donald Trump spurred a women’s movement in the US that began in November of 2016 and resulted in protests across the country, including the largest single-day protest in history on January 21, 2017. Later that year, the #MeToo movement (starting in October 2017) and subsequent #TimesUp movement (starting in January 2018) galvanized women to unite against sexual assault and sexual harassment, which has become the hallmark of the current women’s movement. But has anything changed over this time period in regard to the sexual harassment of women? Using a repeat cross-sectional survey from over 500 women collected at two points in time (September 2016 and September 2018), we found reduced levels of the most egregious forms of sexual harassment (unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion) but increased levels of gender harassment in 2018. More importantly, sexual harassment had a weaker relationship with women’s negative self-views (lower self-esteem, higher self-doubt) in 2018 compared to 2016. Qualitative interviews collected from women in the fall of 2016 and in the fall of 2018 from the same women, support the quantitative data. They suggest that the changes in sexual harassment are due to the increased scrutiny on the topic. The interviewees also emphasize that they feel better supported and empowered and are not ashamed to speak up about sexual harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a method was developed to assess the vertical response of piles considering crushing characteristics. A load transfer model of a pile is built and the relationship between the crushing characteristics and load transfer function of a pile was analyzed. Based on the analysis results, the transfer equation of load function considering the crushing characteristics was derived using the finite difference method. The ideal side resistance and the load transfer mechanism of a pile can be obtained by the transfer equation of load function. The predicted response of piles with the proposed method is in good agreement with the response observed in some pile tests reported in the literature. Further study was conducted to discuss the effect of the parameters related to the load transfer model considering crushing characteristics on the load-settlement response of a single pile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rockburst is a common dynamic disaster in deep underground engineering. To accurately predict rockburst intensity grade, this study proposes a novel rockburst prediction model based on variable weight and matter-element extension theory. In the proposed model, variable weight theory is used to optimize the weights of prediction indexes. Matter-element extension theory and grade variable method are used to calculate the grade variable interval corresponding to the classification standard of rockburst intensity grade. The rockburst intensity grade of Engineering Rock Mass is predicted by rock burst intensity level variable and the interval. Finally, the model is tested by predicting the rockburst intensity grades of worldwide several projects. The prediction results are compared with the actual rockburst intensity grades and the prediction results of other models. The results indicate that, after using variable weight theory and grade variable method, the correct rate of prediction results of matter-element extension model is improved, and the safety of the prediction results is also enhanced. This study provides a new way to predict rock burst in underground engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular computational models of decision-making make specific assumptions about learning processes that may cause them to underfit observed behaviours. Here we suggest an alternative method using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to generate a flexible family of models that have sufficient capacity to represent the complex learning and decision- making strategies used by humans. In this approach, an RNN is trained to predict the next action that a subject will take in a decision-making task and, in this way, learns to imitate the processes underlying subjects’ choices and their learning abilities. We demonstrate the benefits of this approach using a new dataset drawn from patients with either unipolar (n = 34) or bipolar (n = 33) depression and matched healthy controls (n = 34) making decisions on a two-armed bandit task. The results indicate that this new approach is better than baseline reinforcement-learning methods in terms of overall performance and its capacity to predict subjects’ choices. We show that the model can be interpreted using off-policy simulations and thereby provides a novel clustering of subjects’ learning processes—something that often eludes traditional approaches to modelling and behavioural analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning analytics and visualizations make it possible to examine and communicate learners’ engagement, performance, and trajectories in online courses to evaluate and optimize course design for learners. This is particularly valuable for workforce training involving employees who need to acquire new knowledge in the most effective manner. This paper introduces a set of metrics and visualizations that aim to capture key dynamical aspects of learner engagement, performance, and course trajectories. The metrics are applied to identify prototypical behavior and learning pathways through and interactions with course content, activities, and assessments. The approach is exemplified and empirically validated using more than 30 million separate logged events that capture activities of 1,608 Boeing engineers taking the MITxPro Course, “Architecture of Complex Systems,” delivered in Fall 2016. Visualization results show course structure and patterns of learner interactions with course material, activities, and assessments. Tree visualizations are used to represent course hierarchical structures and explicit sequence of content modules. Learner trajectory networks represent pathways and interactions of individual learners through course modules, revealing patterns of learner engagement, content access strategies, and performance. Results provide evidence for instructors and course designers for evaluating the usage and effectiveness of course materials and intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual design, learning sciences, and nanotechnology may be strange bedfellows; yet, as this paper highlights, peer interaction between a designer and a scientist is an effective method for helping scientists acquire visual design skills. We describe our findings from observing twelve sessions at the Design Help Desk, a tutoring center at the University of Washington. At each session, a scientist (who is expert in his own domain but a novice in design) consulted a designer (who is expert in design but a novice in science) in order to receive advice and guidance on how to improve a scientific visualization. At the Design Help Desk, this pairing consistently produced a momentary disequilibrium in the scientist’s thought process: a disequilibrium that led to agency (where the scientist gained ownership of his/her own learning) and conceptual change in the scientist’s understanding of visual design. Scientists who visited the Design Help Desk were satisfied with their experience, and their published work demonstrated an improved ability to visually communicate research findings—a skill critical to the advancement of science. To our knowledge, the Design Help Desk is a unique effort to educate scientists in visual design; we are not aware of any other design-advice/tutoring centers at public or private universities in the United States or abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender disparity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is an on-going challenge. Gender bias is one of the possible mechanisms leading to such disparities and has been extensively studied. Previous work showed that there was a gender bias in how students perceived the competence of their peers in undergraduate biology courses. We examined whether there was a similar gender bias in a mechanical engineering course. We conducted the study in two offerings of the course, which used different instructional practices. We found no gender bias in peer perceptions of competence in either of the offerings. However, we did see that the offerings’ different instructional practices affected aspects of classroom climate, including: the number of peers who were perceived to be particularly knowledgeable, the richness of the associated network of connections between students, students’ familiarity with each other, and their perceptions about the course environment. These results suggest that negative bias against female students in peer perception is not universal, either across institutions or across STEM fields, and that instructional methods may have an impact on classroom climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gendered and racial inequalities persist in even the most progressive of workplaces. There is increasing evidence to suggest that all aspects of employment, from hiring to performance evaluation to promotion, are affected by gender and cultural background. In higher education, bias in performance evaluation has been posited as one of the reasons why few women make it to the upper echelons of the academic hierarchy. With unprecedented access to institution-wide student survey data from a large public university in Australia, we investigated the role of conscious or unconscious bias in terms of gender and cultural background. We found potential bias against women and teachers with non-English speaking backgrounds. Our findings suggest that bias may decrease with better representation of minority groups in the university workforce. Our findings have implications for society beyond the academy, as over 40% of the Australian population now go to university, and graduates may carry these biases with them into the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat forming ‘ecosystem engineers’ such as kelp species create complex habitats that support biodiverse and productive communities. Studies of the resilience and stability of ecosystem engineers have typically focussed on the role of external factors such as disturbance. However, their population dynamics are also likely to be influenced by internal processes, such that the environmental modifications caused by engineer species feedback to affect their own demography (e.g. recruitment, survivorship). In numerous regions globally, kelp forests are declining and experiencing reductions in patch size and kelp density. To explore how resilience and stability of kelp habitats is influenced by this habitat degradation, we created an array of patch reefs of various sizes and supporting adult Ecklonia radiata kelp transplanted at different densities. This enabled testing of how sub-canopy abiotic conditions change with reductions in patch size and adult kelp density, and how this influenced demographic processes of microscopic and macroscopic juvenile kelp. We found that ecosystem engineering by adult E. radiata modified the environment to reduce sub-canopy water flow, sedimentation, and irradiance. However, the capacity of adult kelp canopy to engineer abiotic change was dependent on patch size, and to a lesser extent, kelp density. Reductions in patch size and kelp density also impaired the recruitment, growth and survivorship of microscopic and macroscopic juvenile E. radiata, and even after the provisioning of established juveniles, demographic processes were impaired in the absence of sufficient adult kelp. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that ecosystem engineering by adult E. radiata facilitates development of juvenile conspecifics. Habitat degradation seems to impair the ability of E. radiata to engineer abiotic change, causing breakdown of positive intraspecific feedback and collapse of demographic functions, and overall, leading to reductions in ecosystem stability and resilience well before local extirpation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisms can have large effects on the physical properties of the habitats where they live. For example, measurements in laboratory stream microcosms have shown that the presence of silk net-spinning insect larvae (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) can increase the shear force required to initiate movement of riverbed sediments. Few studies, however, have moved beyond laboratory settings to quantify the engineering impacts of aquatic insects under more complex field conditions. To bridge the gap between small-scale laboratory experiments and natural stream ecosystems, we conducted experiments in large (50 m2) outdoor river channels where net-spinning aquatic insects were manipulated in sediment patches that were 5 to 25 times larger than in previous studies. We tested whether larvae of two caddisfly species (Arctopsyche californica and Ceratopsyche oslari) influenced the stability of gravel during simulated floods when alone in monoculture and together in polyculture. On average, populations of caddisflies increased the critical shear stress required to initiate sediment movement by 20% compared to treatments without caddisflies. Per capita effects of caddisflies on sediment stability were similar between previous laboratory studies and this field experiment, and Arctopsyche had a larger per capita effect than Ceratopsyche, perhaps because of its larger size and stronger silk. Contrary to prior laboratory flume results, the effects of the two species on critical shear stress when together were similar to the additive expectation of both species when alone, but effects of the two species together were higher than the additive expectation when we accounted for density. Comparisons of total population and per capita effects suggest that caddisfly density, identity, and coexisting species likely have effects on the magnitude of caddisfly impacts on critical shear stress. Our findings imply that consideration of both the abundances and traits of ecosystem engineers is needed to describe and model their effects on sediment mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Given current high market competitiveness, it is necessary to differentiate between products that perform the same function. For this objective, designer can recur to various sources of inspiration in the searching of the more attractive form during the conceptual design stage. One of these sources can be nature, which offers a large number of geometries and textures that can be used from a shape point of view to help the designer in the creative process. This work presents an agent-based approach for a design-aided tool to provide users with some ideas, beginning with simple parts/concepts, and then increasing the complexity level according to the answers offered by designer. The proposed paradigm was implemented using the JADE agent-based platform. In order to validate the platform, several product categories were offered to fifteen different users and a total of sixty design proposals were obtained with the aid of the platform. After evaluating all the proposals, twelve of the sixty designs were finally selected and modelled by a Computer-Aided Design software. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of using an agent-based approach to obtain an adaptive intelligent solution to the product conceptual design problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients often demonstrate varying clinical courses and outcomes, even within the same tumor stage. This study explores deep learning applications in medical imaging allowing for the automated quantification of radiographic characteristics and potentially improving patient stratification.Methods and Findings: We performed an integrative analysis on 7 independent datasets across 5 institutions totaling 1,194 NSCLC patients (age median = 68.3 years [range 32.5-93.3], survival median = 1.7 years [range 0.0-11.7]). Using external validation in computed tomography (CT) data, we identified prognostic signatures using a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) for patients treated with radiotherapy (n = 771, age median = 68.0 years [range 32.5-93.3], survival median = 1.3 years [range 0.0-11.7]). We then employed a transfer learning approach to achieve the same for surgery patients (n = 391, age median = 69.1 years [range 37.2-88.0], survival median = 3.1 years [range 0.0-8.8]). We found that the CNN predictions were significantly associated with 2-year overall survival from the start of respective treatment for radiotherapy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.70 [95% CI 0.63-0.78], p < 0.001) and surgery (AUC = 0.71 [95% CI 0.60-0.82], p < 0.001) patients. The CNN was also able to significantly stratify patients into low and high mortality risk groups in both the radiotherapy (p < 0.001) and surgery (p = 0.03) datasets. Additionally, the CNN was found to significantly outperform random forest models built on clinical parameters-including age, sex, and tumor node metastasis stage-as well as demonstrate high robustness against test-retest (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.91) and inter-reader (Spearman's rank-order correlation = 0.88) variations. To gain a better understanding of the characteristics captured by the CNN, we identified regions with the most contribution towards predictions and highlighted the importance of tumor-surrounding tissue in patient stratification. We also present preliminary findings on the biological basis of the captured phenotypes as being linked to cell cycle and transcriptional processes. Limitations include the retrospective nature of this study as well as the opaque black box nature of deep learning networks.Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that deep learning networks may be used for mortality risk stratification based on standard-of-care CT images from NSCLC patients. This evidence motivates future research into better deciphering the clinical and biological basis of deep learning networks as well as validation in prospective data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graduation projects play an important role in computer engineering careers in which students are expected to draw upon their knowledge and skills that were acquired since admission. To manage the activities of graduation projects, an iterative and incremental approach which aims continuous improvement is proposed as an alternative to a controversial delivery model. However, such integration brings up a set of challenges to be taken into account: e.g. multiple project deliveries, more labor-intensive effort from instructors, and ultimately continuous learning for all participants. One promising way to achieve such an integrated and continuous deployment velocity is to eliminate potential bottlenecks by giving student teams to receive early and continuous feedback. To this end, we propose a continuous feedback and delivery mechanism for managing the life-cycle of a graduation project through draft proposal, literature review, requirements gathering, design, implementation and testing which should produce intermediate outputs at predefined intervals. Most importantly, our approach makes it possible to quantify most of the activities involved in life-cycle process with various rubrics (i.e. measurement scales) that have been purposefully developed. The proposed model promotes the fact that all improvements should be monitored, evaluated and documented. The results of this study indicate that students who were managed using this approach produced better project deliverables and ultimately have delivered better and successful projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ sensors stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and STIM2, which connect ER Ca2+ depletion with extracellular Ca2+ influx, are crucial for the maintenance of Ca2+ homeostasis in mammalian cells. Despite the recent progress in unraveling the role of STIM2 in Ca2+ signaling, the mechanistic underpinnings of its activation remain underexplored. We use an engineering approach to direct ER-resident STIMs to the plasma membrane (PM) while maintaining their correct membrane topology, as well as Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensors that enabled in cellulo real-time monitoring of STIM activities. This allowed us to determine the calcium affinities of STIM1 and STIM2 both in cellulo and in situ, explaining the current discrepancies in the literature. We also identified the key structural determinants, especially the E470 residue, which define the distinct activation dynamics of STIM2. The E470G mutation could switch STIM2 from a slow and weak Orai channel activator into a fast and potent one like STIM1 and vice versa. The systemic dissection of STIM2 activation by protein engineering sets the stage for the elucidation of the regulation and function of STIM2-mediated signaling in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I examine whether inducing gender/professional identity compatibility prior to a self-advocacy negotiation, may enhance women’s assertiveness in a compensation negotiation and mitigate potential social backlash concerns for assertiveness. In two experimental lab studies where women negotiated with a male counterpart as sellers and job candidates, I found evidence supporting the causal link between state gender/profession identity integration and higher levels of assertiveness in women’s self-advocacy compensation negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the sense of discourse relations between segments of text is essential to truly comprehend any natural language text. Several automated approaches have been suggested, but all rely on external resources, linguistic feature engineering, and their processing pipelines are built from substantially different models. In this paper, we introduce a novel system for sense classification of shallow discourse relations (FR system) based on focused recurrent neural networks (RNNs). In contrast to existing systems, FR system consists of a single end-to-end trainable model for handling all types and senses of discourse relations, requires no feature engineering or external resources, is language-independent, and can be applied at the word and even character levels. At its core, we present our novel generalization of the focused RNNs layer, the first multi-dimensional RNN-attention mechanism for constructing text/argument embeddings. The filtering/gating RNN enables downstream RNNs to focus on different aspects of the input sequence and project it into several embedding subspaces. These argument embeddings are then used to perform sense classification. FR system has been evaluated using the official datasets and methodology of CoNLL 2016 Shared Task. It does not fall a lot behind state-of-the-art performance on English, the most researched and supported language, but it outperforms existing best systems by 2.5% overall results on the Chinese blind dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of selecting students likely to complete science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs has not changed greatly over the last few decades and still relies heavily on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in most U.S. universities. It has been long debated whether the GRE is an appropriate selection tool and whether overreliance on GRE scores may compromise admission of students historically underrepresented in STEM. Despite many concerns about the test, there are few studies examining the efficacy of the GRE in predicting PhD completion and even fewer examining this question in STEM fields. For the present study, we took advantage of a long-lived collaboration among institutions in the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) to gather comparable data on GRE scores and PhD completion for 1805 U.S./Permanent Resident STEM doctoral students in four state flagship institutions. We found that GRE Verbal (GRE V) and GRE Quantitative (GRE Q) scores were similar for women who completed STEM PhD degrees and those who left programs. Remarkably, GRE scores were significantly higher for men who left than counterparts who completed STEM PhD degrees. In fact, men in the lower quartiles of GRE V or Q scores finished degrees more often than those in the highest quartile. This pattern held for each of the four institutions in the study and for the cohort of male engineering students across institutions. GRE scores also failed to predict time to degree or to identify students who would leave during the first year of their programs. Our results suggests that GRE scores are not an effective tool for identifying students who will be successful in completing STEM doctoral programs. Considering the high cost of attrition from PhD programs and its impact on future leadership for the U.S. STEM workforce, we suggest that it is time to develop more effective and inclusive admissions strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children suffering from microtia have few options for auricular reconstruction. Tissue engineering approaches attempt to replicate the complex anatomy and structure of the ear with autologous cartilage but have been limited by access to clinically accessible cell sources. Here we present a full-scale, patient-based human ear generated by implantation of human auricular chondrocytes and human mesenchymal stem cells in a 1:1 ratio. Additional disc construct surrogates were generated with 1:0, 1:1, and 0:1 combinations of auricular chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. After 3 months in vivo, monocellular auricular chondrocyte discs and 1:1 disc and ear constructs displayed bundled collagen fibers in a perichondrial layer, rich proteoglycan deposition, and elastin fiber network formation similar to native human auricular cartilage, with the protein composition and mechanical stiffness of native tissue. Full ear constructs with a 1:1 cell combination maintained gross ear structure and developed a cartilaginous appearance following implantation. These studies demonstrate the successful engineering of a patient-specific human auricle using exclusively human cell sources without extensive in vitro tissue culture prior to implantation, a critical step towards the clinical application of tissue engineering for auricular reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and hypotheses: This study is the first to offer an in-depth comparison of elimination testing with the scoring rule of Arnold & Arnold (hereafter referred to as elimination testing with adapted scoring) and negative marking. As such, this study is motivated by the search for an alternative for negative marking that still discourages guessing, but is less disadvantageous for non-relevant student characteristics such a risk-aversion and does not result in grade inflation. The comparison is structured around seven hypotheses: in comparison with negative marking, elimination testing with adapted scoring leads to (1) a similar average score (no grade inflation); (2) students expressing their partial knowledge; (3) a decrease in the number of blank answers; (4) no gender bias in the number of blank answers; (5) a reduction in guessing; (6) a decrease in self-reported test anxiety; and finally (7) students preferring elimination testing with adapted scoring over negative marking. Methodology: To investigate the above hypotheses, this study implemented elimination testing with adapted scoring and negative marking in real exam settings in two courses in a Faculty of Medicine at a large university. Due to changes in the master of medicine the same two courses were taught to both students of the 1st and 2nd master in the same semester. Given that both student groups could take the same exam with different test instructions and scoring methods, a unique opportunity occurred in which elimination testing with adapted scoring and negative marking could be compared in a high-stakes testing situation. After receiving the grades on the exams, students received a questionnaire to assess their experiences. Findings: The statistical analysis taking into account student ability and gender showed that elimination testing with adapted scoring is a valuable alternative for negative marking when looking for a scoring method that discourages guessing. In contrast to traditional scoring of elimination testing, elimination testing with adapted scoring does not result in grade inflation in comparison with negative marking. This study showed that elimination testing with adapted scoring reduces blank answers and finds strong indications for the reduction of guessing in comparison with negative marking. Finally, students preferred elimination testing with adapted scoring over negative marking and reported lower stress levels in elimination testing with adapted scoring in comparison with negative marking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally believed that stress wave superposition does occur and plays an important role in cutting blasting with a single free surface, in which explosive columns of several blast holes with short spacing are simultaneously initiated. However, considering the large scatter of pyrotechnic delay detonators that are used in most underground metal mines in China, the existence of stress wave superposition and the influence of this effect on rock fragmentation are questionable. In the present study, the stress wave interaction in short-delay blasting with a single free surface was studied through the use of the LS-DYNA code. Stress waves induced by two blast holes blasting with different delays were compared with the single blast hole case, and the effects of delay time, detonating location and spacing on stress wave superposition were investigated. The numerical results showed that for blast holes with a 1 m spacing, stress wave interaction only occurs when the delay time is 0 ms and does not occur for blasting with delays of more than 1 ms. An increase in the duration of a stress wave via optimizing the detonation location does not improve the stress wave interaction. For a 1 ms delay, stress wave superposition only occurs when the spacing is more than 4 m, which is a rare case in practice. The results indicated that the occurrence of stress wave superposition for blasting with a single free surface is strictly limited to conditions that would be difficult to achieve under the existing delay accuracy of detonators. Therefore, it is unrealistic to improve fragmentation via the stress wave interaction in field blasting. Furthermore, the numerical results of the stress wave interaction also show that there would be a great potential to reduce the hazardous vibrations induced by short-delay blasting by using electronic detonators with better control of delays in an order of several milliseconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell sheet engineering has recently emerged as a promising strategy for scaffold-free tissue engineering. However, the primary method of harvesting cell sheets using temperature-responsive dishes has potential limitations. Here we report a novel cell sheet technology based on a coculture system in which SMCs are cocultured with EPCs on common polystyrene dishes. We found that an intact and highly viable cell sheet could be harvested using mechanical methods when SMCs and EPCs were cocultured on common polystyrene dishes at a ratio of 6:1 for 5 to 6 days; the method is simple, cost-effective and highly repeatable. Moreover, the cocultured cell sheet contained capillary-like networks and could secrete a variety of angiogenic factors. Finally, in vivo studies proved that the cocultured cell sheets were more favorable for the fabrication of vascularized smooth muscle tissues compared to single SMC sheets. This study provides a promising avenue for smooth muscle tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biomarkers are a key component of precision medicine. However, full clinical integration of biomarkers has been met with challenges, partly attributed to analytical difficulties. It has been shown that biomarker reproducibility is susceptible to data preprocessing approaches. Here, we systematically evaluated machine-learning ensembles of preprocessing methods as a general strategy to improve biomarker performance for prediction of survival from early breast cancer. Results: We risk stratified breast cancer patients into either low-risk or high-risk groups based on four published hypoxia signatures (Buffa, Winter, Hu, and Sorensen), using 24 different preprocessing approaches for microarray normalization. The 24 binary risk profiles determined for each hypoxia signature were combined using a random forest to evaluate the efficacy of a preprocessing ensemble classifier. We demonstrate that the best way of merging preprocessing methods varies from signature to signature, and that there is likely no ‘best’ preprocessing pipeline that is universal across datasets, highlighting the need to evaluate ensembles of preprocessing algorithms. Further, we developed novel signatures for each preprocessing method and the risk classifications from each were incorporated in a meta-random forest model. Interestingly, the classification of these biomarkers and its ensemble show striking consistency, demonstrating that similar intrinsic biological information are being faithfully represented. As such, these classification patterns further confirm that there is a subset of patients whose prognosis is consistently challenging to predict. Conclusions: Performance of different prognostic signatures varies with pre-processing method. A simple classifier by unanimous voting of classifications is a reliable way of improving on single preprocessing methods. Future signatures will likely require integration of intrinsic and extrinsic clinico-pathological variables to better predict disease-related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of deep learning techniques has been transformative as they have allowed complex mappings to be trained between control inputs and outputs without the need for feature engineering. In this work, a myoelectric control system based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) is proposed as a possible alternative to traditional approaches that rely on specifically designed features. This CNN-based system is validated using a real-time Fitts’ law style target acquisition test requiring single and combined wrist motions. The performance of the proposed system is then compared to that of a standard support vector machine (SVM) based myoelectric system using a set of time-domain features. Despite the prevalence and demonstrated performance of these well-known features, no significant difference (p>0.05) was found between the two methods for any of the computed control metrics. This demonstrates the potential for automated learning approaches to extract complex and rich information from stochastic biological signals. This first evaluation of the usability of a CNN in a real-time myoelectric control environment provides a basis for further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically studies the effect of Open Access on journal CiteScores. We have found that the general effect is positive but not uniform across different types of journals. In particular, we investigate two types of heterogeneous treatment effect: (1) the differential treatment effect among journals grouped by academic field, publisher, and tier; and (2) differential treatment effects of Open Access as a function of propensity to be treated. The results are robust to a number of sensitivity checks and falsification tests. Our findings shed new light on Open Access effect on journals and can help stakeholders of journals in the decision of adopting the Open Access policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart and sustainable buildings save energy and material resources and provide a comfortable environment that enhances their occupants’ well-being and productivity. It is therefore crucial to understand how building professionals, including designers, engineers, and contractors, view smart and sustainable buildings and what drives them towards smart and sustainable building technologies. This study identifies salient smart and sustainable building features from building professionals’ perspective and explores what determines building professionals’ intention to use such building technologies. Responses from 543 Hong Kong’s building professionals identify that intelligent security, intelligent and responsive fresh air supply, and intelligent and responsive thermal control are among the most important features of smart and sustainable buildings. Results of structural equation modeling grounded on an extended technology acceptance model indicate that facilitating condition and job relevance are related to perceived ease of use while subjective norm pertaining to image and perceived ease of use are predictors of perceived usefulness. Facilitating condition, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness jointly influence building professionals’ intention to use smart and sustainable building technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]