Data-based modeling and estimation of vehicle crash processes in frontal fixed-barrier crashes

As a complex process, vehicle crash is challenging to be described and estimated mathematically. Although different mathematical models are developed, it is still difficult to balance the complexity of models and the performance of estimation. The aim of this work is to propose a novel scheme to model and estimate the processes of vehicle-barrier frontal crashes. In this work, a piecewise model structure is predefined to represent the accelerations of vehicle in frontal crashes. Each segment in the model is corresponding to the energy absorbing component in the crashworthiness structure. With the help of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), a robust scheme is proposed for parameter identification. By adjusting the model structure and parameters according to the initial velocity, crash processes in different conditions are estimated effectively. The estimation results exhibit good agreement with finite element (FE) simulations in three different cases. It is shown that, the proposed model keeps low complexity. Furthermore, the structure information of vehicle is involved in improving the accuracy and ability of crash estimation.     

Rapid mask prototyping for microfluidics

With the rise of microfluidics for the past decade, there has come an ever more pressing need for a low-cost and rapid prototyping technology, especially for research and education purposes. In this article, we report a rapid prototyping process of chromed masks for various microfluidic applications. The process takes place out of a clean room, uses a commercially available video-projector, and can be completed in less than half an hour. We quantify the ranges of fields of view and of resolutions accessible through this video-projection system and report the fabrication of critical microfluidic components (junctions, straight channels, and curved channels). To exemplify the process, three common devices are produced using this method: a droplet generation device, a gradient generation device, and a neuro-engineering oriented device. The neuro-engineering oriented device is a compartmentalized microfluidic chip, and therefore, required the production and the precise alignment of two different masks.     

Going Places: Social and Legal Aspects of International Faculty Mobility

The first part of this article assesses the various determinants, such as academic rank, age, discipline, and sex that influence international faculty mobility. The data indicate that faculty members of higher rank and those having technical backgrounds and who are senior staff members and men travel more frequently than others do. The second part discusses the various legal obstacles to international faculty mobility. The third part presents recent social and legal developments and formulates some recommendations for the enhancement of faculty mobility.     

Place and Space in the Design of New Learning Environments

The development of online and virtual teaching and learning environments to augment formal face-to-face environments raises questions about the way the new communication and information technologies (CITs) are being incorporated into the on-campus environment. More importantly, this development challenges the meaning of the on-campus student learning experience. The new CITs require institutions, teachers and researchers to reconsider the relationship of the physical setting to the student learning experience. This paper highlights examples of recent developments of new learning environments which have been enhanced by the contribution of educational developers at several Australian universities. It also proposes a set of pedagogically informed principles to guide the development of on-campus teaching and learning environments which may feature the use of CITs.     

Examination of the Conceptual Development of Children at Six Years of Age Attending Kindergarten Une E´tude sur le De´veloppement Conceptuel des Enfants de l'Age de Six Anne´es qui Assistant au Jardin d'Enfants Un Estudio en el Desarollo Conceptual de los Niños al Grupo de Edad de Seis Años que Asisten al Jardín de Infantes

This study was made in order to determine whether concepts are related to each other in the conceptual development of 6 year olds. The sample group of the study consisted of 40 children, 24 of which were girls and 16 were boys. The conceptual development of children was evaluated using the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS). Data were collected in a period of 8 weeks at two kindergartens, one belonging to the state and the other to the private sector. The data obtained were evaluated via the test of the significance of the difference between two matching elements. Cette étude a été exécutée pour déterminer si les concepts avaient été en rapport avec l'un l'autre dans le cours du développement conceptual des enfants au groupe de l'âge de 6 années. Le groupe des sujets a contenu de 40 enfants totaux, inclure 24 filles et 16 garçons. Les développements conceptuels des enfants ont été évalués sur le Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS). Les données se sont rassemblés sur un travail qui dure pour 8 semaines dans deux jardins d'enfants institutionnels, un privé et un public. Les données rassemblés ont été évalués sur la base du test sur importance de la différence entre deux égaux. Este Estudio fue realizado para determinar si los conceptos se relacionaran a nosotros en el curso del desarollo conceptual de los niños al grupo de edad de 6 años. El grupo de ejemplos constó de de total 40 niños, incluyendo a 24 muchachas y 16 muchachos. Se evaluaron los desarollos conceptuales de los niños en el Bracken Basic Concepts Scale (BBCS). Los datos se coleccionaron en un trabajo que dure durante 8 semanas en dos jardines de infantes institucionales, uno privado y uno público. Los datos reunido se evaluaron en base a la prueba en la importancia de la diferencia entre dos partidas.     

The Monty Hall Matrix

A general procedure for solving the ‘Monty Hall problem’ is demonstrated using probability matrices, and an n‐dimensional extension is presented.     

The influence of history of science courses on students' views of nature of science

This study (a) assessed the influence of three history of science (HOS) courses on college students' and preservice science teachers' conceptions of nature of science (NOS), (b) examined whether participants who entered the investigated courses with a conceptual framework consistent with contemporary NOS views achieved more elaborate NOS understandings, and (c) explored the aspects of the participant HOS courses that rendered them more “effective” in influencing students' views. Participants were 166 undergraduate and graduate students and 15 preservice secondary science teachers. An open‐ended questionnaire in conjunction with individual interviews, was used to assess participants' pre‐ and postinstruction NOS views. Almost all participants held inadequate views of several NOS aspects at the outset of the study. Very few and limited changes in participants' views were evident at the conclusion of the courses. Change was evident in the views of relatively more participants, especially preservice science teachers, who entered the HOS courses with frameworks that were somewhat consistent with current NOS views. Moreover, explicitly addressing certain NOS aspects rendered the HOS courses relatively more effective in enhancing participants' NOS views. The results of this study do not lend empirical support to the intuitively appealing assumption held by many science educators that coursework in HOS will necessarily enhance students' and preservice science teachers' NOS views. However, explicitly addressing specific NOS aspects might enhance the effectiveness of HOS courses in this regard. Moreover, the study suggests that exposing preservice science teachers to explicit NOS instruction in science methods courses prior to their enrollment in HOS courses might increase the likelihood that their NOS views will be changed or enriched as a result of their experiences with HOS. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 1057–1095, 2000     

探究民族精神的价值

民族精神具有工具性价值与内在性的价值,如何发挥两者的作用?从中美文化对于引起各自不同的民族精神意识的价值冲突来看,在审慎诉求历史的同时必须清楚地理解:更重要的是民族精神的主题让我们反思该如何评价未来,这正是未来的价值所在。作者主张一种全球性的价值体系,在这种价值体系中,原始的民族差别可以得到包容或通过一种核心的精神得以汇合,超越各个独立的民族而成为一种人类精神。     

Integration of Electronic Communication in Higher Education: Contributions of Faculty Computer Self-Efficacy

How confident are college faculty to integrate technology in their teaching? This study examined relationships between faculty computer self-efficacy and integration of electronic communication when teaching. Faculty at a Research I land-grant university were mailed a self-report questionnaire yielding a 59 percent response rate. Over half used electronic communication in their courses, mostly for course-related announcements and deadlines, but least for synchronous communication. Computer self-efficacy scores differed on age, gender, college, integration, and computer experience. Low integrators and female faculty reported lower confidence in using computers. As universities offer courses with significant Web-presence, faculty development efforts need to increase self-efficacy by providing hands-on experiences in technologically supported environments.     

The perceived moral qualities of web sites: implications for persuasion processes in human–computer interaction

This study extended the scope of previous findings in human–computer interaction research within the computers are social actors paradigm by showing that online users attribute perceptions of moral qualities to Websites and, further, that differential perceptions of morality affected the extent of persuasion. In an experiment (N = 138) that manipulated four morality conditions (universalist, relativist, egotistic, control) across worldview, a measured independent variable, users were asked to evaluate a Web site designed to aid them in making ethical decisions. Web sites offered four different types of ethical advice as participants contemplated cases involving ethical quandaries. Perceptions of the Web sites’ moral qualities varied depending on the type of advice given. Further, the Web sites’ perceived morality and participants’ worldview predicted credibility, persuasiveness, and attitudes toward the Web sites.