Bandpass sorting of heterogeneous cells using a single surface acoustic wave transducer pair

Separation and sorting of biological entities (viruses, bacteria, and cells) is a critical step in any microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device. Acoustofluidics platforms have demonstrated their ability to use physical characteristics of cells to perform label-free separation. Bandpass-type sorting methods of medium-sized entities from a mixture have been presented using acoustic techniques; however, they require multiple transducers, lack support for various target populations, can be sensitive to flow variations, or have not been verified for continuous flow sorting of biological cells. To our knowledge, this paper presents the first acoustic bandpass method that overcomes all these limitations and presents an inherently reconfigurable technique with a single transducer pair for stable continuous flow sorting of blood cells. The sorting method is first demonstrated for polystyrene particles of sizes 6, 10, and 14.5 μm in diameter with measured purity and efficiency coefficients above 75 ± 6% and 85 ± 9%, respectively. The sorting strategy was further validated in the separation of red blood cells from white blood cells and 1 μm polystyrene particles with 78 ± 8% efficiency and 74 ± 6% purity, respectively, at a flow rate of at least 1 μl/min, enabling to process finger prick blood samples within minutes.     

Effects of roller burnishing process parameters on surface roughness of A356/5%SIC composite using response surface methodology

In this study, a simple roller burnishing tool was made to operate burnishing processes on A356/5%SIC metal matrix composite fabricated by electromagnetic stir casting under different parameters. The effects of burnishing speed, burnishing force and number of burnishing passes on the surface roughness and tribological properties were measured. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） graphs of the machined surface with PCD （insert-10） tool and roller burnished surface with tungsten carbide （WC） roller were taken into consider- ation to observe the surface finish of metal matrix composites. The mechanical properties （tensile strength, hardness, duc- tility） of A356/5%SIC metal matrix composites were studied for both unburnished samples and burnished samples. The results revealed that the roller burnished samples of A356/ 5%SIC led to the improvement in tensile strength, hardness and ductility. In order to find out the effects of roller bur- nishing process parameters on the surface roughness of A356/ 5%SIC metal matrix composite, response surface methodol- ogy （RSM） （Box-Behnken design） was used and a prediction model was developed relevant to average surface roughness using experimental data. In the range of process parameters, the result shows that roller burnishing speed increases, and surface roughness decreases, but on the other hand roller burnishing force and number of passes increase, and surface roughness increases. Optimum values of burnishing speed （1.5 m/s）, burnishing force （50 N） and number of passes （2） during roller burnishing of A356/5%SIC metal matrix com- posite to minimize the surface roughness （predicted 1.232 μm） have been found out. There was only 5.03% error in the experimental and modeled results of surface roughness.     

Socio-emotional well-being benefits of yoga for atypically developing children

This pilot study set out to examine the impact of a regular practice of yoga within schooling curricular hours on the well-being and behaviors of atypically developing children. The design of this study was based on a qualitative hermeneutic-phenomenology approach. The intervention consisted of 5 weekly sessions of yoga of 15 minutes each and composed of breathing techniques (pranayama), postures (pranayama), and lying down relaxation exercises (yoga nidra). The research site was a special needs school in South Auckland, New Zealand in an area characterized by poor socio-economic living conditions with a composite range of different ethnic groups. The findings of this study suggest that a regular practice of yoga can have numerous benefits for children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They found yoga to be a fun-filled and engaging experience. They improved significantly in their flexibility levels and general physical health. Emotionally, the children reported that the breathing techniques allowed them to feel calmer and more relaxed. The children felt that incorporating a regular practice of yoga within formal curriculum will be another effective tool to enhancing their overall health and well-being.     

Teachers’ resilience and well-being: a role for educational psychology

The retention and resilience of teachers are subject to many influences. Children’s behaviour is often cited as a major source of stress for teachers and a challenge to their resilience. We suggest that an understanding of teachers’ attributions and efficacy beliefs may provide the foundations for work to support teachers. We outline findings from research that has examined teachers’ attributions for the causes of children’s misbehaviour, teachers’ beliefs in their efficacy as classroom managers of children’s behaviour as well as how, in principle, such beliefs may be supported and enhanced. We also relate these findings to those associated with educational and developmental outcomes for children. We conclude with some illustrative evidence of ways (involving consultation and other interventions) that applied psychologists have contributed to the professional well-being and resilience of teachers.     

Individual differences in decision-making and confidence: capturing decision tendencies in a fictitious medical test

Decision-making is a complex process that is largely studied from an experimental perspective or in specific organizational contexts. As such, no generalizable framework exists with which to study decision-making from an individual differences perspective for predictive/selection purposes. By generalising a context-specific decision model proposed by Koriat and Goldsmith (1996), the focus of this research was to therefore test a novel framework for studying individual differences in decision-making tendencies. Utilising this framework within a fictitious Medical Decision-Making Test (MDMT) yielded five novel variables that provided unique insight into individuals’ decision tendencies: Optimal, Realistic, Incompetent, Hesitant and Congruent. Metacognitive confidence and its calibration (bias and CAQ) were used as predictor variables to validate this framework. One hundred ninety-three undergraduate students completed the MDMT and three cognitive ability tests with confidence ratings, a personality questionnaire, and the Need for Closure questionnaire. All decision tendency variables demonstrated excellent internal consistency and were predicted by the metacognitive variables incrementally to the remaining variables as hypothesized. Additionally, the metacognitive indices were found to generalize across the decision-making and cognitive tests. The results imply that this novel framework and MDMT reliably capture individuals’ decision behaviour that shares a meaningful relationship with their general confidence and calibration.     

An analysis of professional practice Ed.D. dissertations in Educational Technology

The University of Florida offers an online professional practice Ed.D. focused on Educational Technology. Twenty-three students have completed professional practice dissertations and graduated since the program’s inception in 2008. The purpose of this article is to share what these dissertations have looked like and to begin a dialogue about professional practice dissertations completed in online educational technology programs. Specifically, we (1) provide an overview of different ways professional practice Ed.D. dissertations are structured, (2) share guiding principles for professional practice dissertations in our Ed.D. program, (3) analyze the ways in which these guiding principles played out in the dissertations and (4) discuss the implications of our analysis for our program and for other online professional practice programs in Educational Technology.