Sample records for evaluation lab ndel

  1. Ndel1 suppresses ciliogenesis in proliferating cells by regulating the trichoplein-Aurora A pathway.

    PubMed

    Inaba, Hironori; Goto, Hidemasa; Kasahara, Kousuke; Kumamoto, Kanako; Yonemura, Shigenobu; Inoko, Akihito; Yamano, Shotaro; Wanibuchi, Hideki; He, Dongwei; Goshima, Naoki; Kiyono, Tohru; Hirotsune, Shinji; Inagaki, Masaki

    2016-02-15

    Primary cilia protrude from the surface of quiescent cells and disassemble at cell cycle reentry. We previously showed that ciliary reassembly is suppressed by trichoplein-mediated Aurora A activation pathway in growing cells. Here, we report that Ndel1, a well-known modulator of dynein activity, localizes at the subdistal appendage of the mother centriole, which nucleates a primary cilium. In the presence of serum, Ndel1 depletion reduces trichoplein at the mother centriole and induces unscheduled primary cilia formation, which is reverted by forced trichoplein expression or coknockdown of KCTD17 (an E3 ligase component protein for trichoplein). Serum starvation induced transient Ndel1 degradation, subsequent to the disappearance of trichoplein at the mother centriole. Forced expression of Ndel1 suppressed trichoplein degradation and axonemal microtubule extension during ciliogenesis, similar to trichoplein induction or KCTD17 knockdown. Most importantly, the proportion of ciliated and quiescent cells was increased in the kidney tubular epithelia of newborn Ndel1-hypomorphic mice. Thus, Ndel1 acts as a novel upstream regulator of the trichoplein-Aurora A pathway to inhibit primary cilia assembly. © 2016 Inaba et al.

  2. Stress-Induced CDK5 Activation Disrupts Axonal Transport via Lis1/Ndel1/Dynein.

    PubMed

    Klinman, Eva; Holzbaur, Erika L F

    2015-07-21

    Axonal transport is essential for neuronal function, and defects in transport are associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Aberrant cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) activity, driven by the stress-induced activator p25, also is observed in these diseases. Here we show that elevated CDK5 activity increases the frequency of nonprocessive events for a range of organelles, including lysosomes, autophagosomes, mitochondria, and signaling endosomes. Transport disruption induced by aberrant CDK5 activation depends on the Lis1/Ndel1 complex, which directly regulates dynein activity. CDK5 phosphorylation of Ndel1 favors a high affinity Lis1/Ndel/dynein complex that blocks the ATP-dependent release of dynein from microtubules, inhibiting processive motility of dynein-driven cargo. Similar transport defects observed in neurons from a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are rescued by CDK5 inhibition. Together, these studies identify CDK5 as a Lis1/Ndel1-dependent regulator of transport in stressed neurons, and suggest that dysregulated CDK5 activity contributes to the transport deficits observed during neurodegeneration. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. NDE1 and NDEL1: twin neurodevelopmental proteins with similar ‘nature’ but different ‘nurture’

    PubMed Central

    Bradshaw, Nicholas J.; Hennah, William; Soares, Dinesh C.

    2013-01-01

    Nuclear distribution element 1 (NDE1, also known as NudE) and NDE-like 1 (NDEL1, also known as Nudel) are paralogous proteins essential for mitosis and neurodevelopment that have been implicated in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. The two proteins possess high sequence similarity and have been shown to physically interact with one another. Numerous lines of experimental evidence in vivo and in cell culture have demonstrated that these proteins share common functions, although instances of differing functions between the two have recently emerged. We review the key aspects of NDE1 and NDEL1 in terms of recent advances in structure elucidation and cellular function, with an emphasis on their differing mechanisms of post-translational modification. Based on a review of the literature and bioinformatics assessment, we advance the concept that the twin proteins NDE1 and NDEL1, while sharing a similar ‘nature’ in terms of their structure and basic functions, appear to be different in their ‘nurture’, the manner in which they are regulated both in terms of expression and of post-translational modification within the cell. These differences are likely to be of significant importance in understanding the specific roles of NDE1 and NDEL1 in neurodevelopment and disease. PMID:24093049

  4. Georg Händel (1622-97): the barber-surgeon father of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).

    PubMed

    Adams, Aileen K; Hofestädt, B

    2005-08-01

    George Frideric Handel was born in Halle (Saale) in Germany. After initial musical education in Germany and Italy, he came to London as a young man and spent the rest of his life in England. Until recently, little has been written of his early life in either the English or the German literature, and it is not widely known that he was the son of Georg Händel, a barber-surgeon of repute. When his father's name is mentioned, it is usually to claim that he actively discouraged his son's musical education. Georg Händel lived in a turbulent time; he became an eminent surgeon who served as valet and barber to the Courts of Saxony and Brandenburg, as well as a distinguished citizen of Halle. In describing his surgical duties, we show how these differed from those of barbers in England and France at that time. Barbers in Germany were less controlled, freer to practise as they pleased, and Händel himself had important duties in public health and forensic medicine. George Frideric was the first son of the second marriage, born when his father was 63 years of age. We aim also to dispel the notion that Händel's influence on his son's career was as obstructive as has been claimed, but rather that he was a responsible father with his children's interests at heart. This is shown in the success achieved by all his children, most of whom followed their father into medicine, while George Frideric became the most famous of them all, being regarded by posterity as one of the greatest composers.

  5. The Mitosis and Neurodevelopment Proteins NDE1 and NDEL1 Form Dimers, Tetramers, and Polymers with a Folded Back Structure in Solution*

    PubMed Central

    Soares, Dinesh C.; Bradshaw, Nicholas J.; Zou, Juan; Kennaway, Christopher K.; Hamilton, Russell S.; Chen, Zhuo A.; Wear, Martin A.; Blackburn, Elizabeth A.; Bramham, Janice; Böttcher, Bettina; Millar, J. Kirsty; Barlow, Paul N.; Walkinshaw, Malcolm D.; Rappsilber, Juri; Porteous, David J.

    2012-01-01

    Paralogs NDE1 (nuclear distribution element 1) and NDEL1 (NDE-like 1) are essential for mitosis and neurodevelopment. Both proteins are predicted to have similar structures, based upon high sequence similarity, and they co-complex in mammalian cells. X-ray diffraction studies and homology modeling suggest that their N-terminal regions (residues 8–167) adopt continuous, extended α-helical coiled-coil structures, but no experimentally derived information on the structure of their C-terminal regions or the architecture of the full-length proteins is available. In the case of NDE1, no biophysical data exists. Here we characterize the structural architecture of both full-length proteins utilizing negative stain electron microscopy along with our established paradigm of chemical cross-linking followed by tryptic digestion, mass spectrometry, and database searching, which we enhance using isotope labeling for mixed NDE1-NDEL1. We determined that full-length NDE1 forms needle-like dimers and tetramers in solution, similar to crystal structures of NDEL1, as well as chain-like end-to-end polymers. The C-terminal domain of each protein, required for interaction with key protein partners dynein and DISC1 (disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1), includes a predicted disordered region that allows a bent back structure. This facilitates interaction of the C-terminal region with the N-terminal coiled-coil domain and is in agreement with previous results showing N- and C-terminal regions of NDEL1 and NDE1 cooperating in dynein interaction. It sheds light on recently identified mutations in the NDE1 gene that cause truncation of the encoded protein. Additionally, analysis of mixed NDE1-NDEL1 complexes demonstrates that NDE1 and NDEL1 can interact directly. PMID:22843697

  6. LIS1 controls mitosis and mitotic spindle organization via the LIS1–NDEL1–dynein complex

    PubMed Central

    Moon, Hyang Mi; Youn, Yong Ha; Pemble, Hayley; Yingling, Jessica; Wittmann, Torsten; Wynshaw-Boris, Anthony

    2014-01-01

    Heterozygous LIS1 mutations are responsible for the human neuronal migration disorder lissencephaly. Mitotic functions of LIS1 have been suggested from many organisms throughout evolution. However, the cellular functions of LIS1 at distinct intracellular compartments such as the centrosome and the cell cortex have not been well defined especially during mitotic cell division. Here, we used detailed cellular approaches and time-lapse live cell imaging of mitosis from Lis1 mutant mouse embryonic fibroblasts to reveal critical roles of LIS1 in mitotic spindle regulation. We found that LIS1 is required for the tight control of chromosome congression and segregation to dictate kinetochore–microtubule (MT) interactions and anaphase progression. In addition, LIS1 is essential for the establishment of mitotic spindle pole integrity by maintaining normal centrosome number. Moreover, LIS1 plays crucial roles in mitotic spindle orientation by increasing the density of astral MT plus-end movements toward the cell cortex, which enhances cortical targeting of LIS1–dynein complex. Overexpression of NDEL1–dynein and MT stabilization rescues spindle orientation defects in Lis1 mutants, demonstrating that mouse LIS1 acts via the LIS1–NDEL1–dynein complex to regulate astral MT plus-ends dynamics and establish proper contacts of MTs with the cell cortex to ensure precise cell division. PMID:24030547

  7. Experience in Evaluating AAL Solutions in Living Labs

    PubMed Central

    Colomer, Juan Bautista Montalvá; Salvi, Dario; Cabrera-Umpierrez, Maria Fernanda; Arredondo, Maria Teresa; Abril, Patricia; Jimenez-Mixco, Viveca; García-Betances, Rebeca; Fioravanti, Alessio; Pastorino, Matteo; Cancela, Jorge; Medrano, Alejandro

    2014-01-01

    Ambient assisted living (AAL) is a complex field, where different technologies are integrated to offer solutions for the benefit of different stakeholders. Several evaluation techniques are commonly applied that tackle specific aspects of AAL; however, holistic evaluation approaches are lacking when addressing the needs of both developers and end-users. Living labs have been often used as real-life test and experimentation environments for co-designing AAL technologies and validating them with relevant stakeholders. During the last five years, we have been evaluating AAL systems and services in the framework of various research projects. This paper presents the lessons learned in this experience and proposes a set of harmonized guidelines to conduct evaluations in living labs. PMID:24763209

  8. Evaluation of oral microbiology lab curriculum reform.

    PubMed

    Nie, Min; Gao, Zhen Y; Wu, Xin Y; Jiang, Chen X; Du, Jia H

    2015-12-07

    According to the updated concept of oral microbiology, the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, has carried out oral microbiology teaching reforms during the last 5 years. There was no lab curriculum before 2009 except for a theory course of oral microbiology. The school has implemented an innovative curriculum with oral medicine characteristics to strengthen understanding of knowledge, cultivate students' scientific interest and develop their potential, to cultivate the comprehensive ability of students. This study was designed to evaluate the oral microbiology lab curriculum by analyzing student performance and perceptions regarding the curriculum from 2009 to 2013. The lab curriculum adopted modalities for cooperative learning. Students collected dental plaque from each other and isolated the cariogenic bacteria with selective medium plates. Then they purified the enrichment culture medium and identified the cariogenic strains by Gram stain and biochemical tests. Both quantitative and qualitative data for 5 years were analysed in this study. Part One of the current study assessed student performance in the lab from 2009 to 2013. Part Two used qualitative means to assess students' perceptions by an open questionnaire. The 271 study students' grades on oral microbiology improved during the lab curriculum: "A" grades rose from 60.5 to 81.2 %, and "C" grades fell from 28.4 to 6.3 %. All students considered the lab curriculum to be interesting and helpful. Quantitative and qualitative data converge to suggest that the lab curriculum has strengthened students' grasp of important microbiology-related theory, cultivated their scientific interest, and developed their potential and comprehensive abilities. Our student performance and perception data support the continued use of the innovative teaching system. As an extension and complement of the theory course, the oral microbiology lab curriculum appears to improve the quality of oral medicine education and help to

  9. SuperLab LT: Evaluation and Uses in Teaching Experimental Psychology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ragozzine, Frank

    2002-01-01

    I describe and evaluate SuperLab LT (Chase & Abboud, 1990), a software package that enables students to replicate classic experiments in cognitive psychology. I also discuss the package with respect to its uses in teaching an undergraduate course in Experimental Psychology. Although the package has minor flaws, SuperLab LT provides numerous…

  10. Evaluation of Inter-Mountain Labs infrasound sensors : July 2007.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hart, Darren M.

    2007-10-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has tested and evaluated three Inter Mountain Labs infrasound sensors. The test results included in this report were in response to static and tonal-dynamic input signals. Most test methodologies used were based on IEEE Standards 1057 for Digitizing Waveform Recorders and 1241 for Analog to Digital Converters; others were designed by Sandia specifically for infrasound application evaluation and for supplementary criteria not addressed in the IEEE standards. The objective of this work was to evaluate the overall technical performance of the Inter Mountain Labs (IML) infrasound sensor model SS. The results of this evaluation were only comparedmore » to relevant noise models; due to a lack of manufactures documentation notes on the sensors under test prior to testing. The tests selected for this system were chosen to demonstrate different performance aspects of the components under test.« less

  11. Evaluation and recommendations for work group integration within the Materials and Processes Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farrington, Phillip A.

    1992-01-01

    The goal of this study was to evaluate and make recommendations for improving the level of integration of several work groups within the Materials and Processes Lab at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This evaluation has uncovered a variety of projects that could improve the efficiency and operation of the work groups as well as the overall integration of the system. In addition, this study provides the foundation for specification of a computer integrated manufacturing test bed environment in the Materials and Processes Lab.

  12. Evaluation of direct-to-consumer low-volume lab tests in healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Kidd, Brian A; Hoffman, Gabriel; Zimmerman, Noah; Li, Li; Morgan, Joseph W; Glowe, Patricia K; Botwin, Gregory J; Parekh, Samir; Babic, Nikolina; Doust, Matthew W; Stock, Gregory B; Schadt, Eric E; Dudley, Joel T

    2016-05-02

    Clinical laboratory tests are now being prescribed and made directly available to consumers through retail outlets in the USA. Concerns with these test have been raised regarding the uncertainty of testing methods used in these venues and a lack of open, scientific validation of the technical accuracy and clinical equivalency of results obtained through these services. We conducted a cohort study of 60 healthy adults to compare the uncertainty and accuracy in 22 common clinical lab tests between one company offering blood tests obtained from finger prick (Theranos) and 2 major clinical testing services that require standard venipuncture draws (Quest and LabCorp). Samples were collected in Phoenix, Arizona, at an ambulatory clinic and at retail outlets with point-of-care services. Theranos flagged tests outside their normal range 1.6× more often than other testing services (P < 0.0001). Of the 22 lab measurements evaluated, 15 (68%) showed significant interservice variability (P < 0.002). We found nonequivalent lipid panel test results between Theranos and other clinical services. Variability in testing services, sample collection times, and subjects markedly influenced lab results. While laboratory practice standards exist to control this variability, the disparities between testing services we observed could potentially alter clinical interpretation and health care utilization. Greater transparency and evaluation of testing technologies would increase their utility in personalized health management. This work was supported by the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, a gift from the Harris Family Charitable Foundation (to J.T. Dudley), and grants from the NIH (R01 DK098242 and U54 CA189201, to J.T. Dudley, and R01 AG046170 and U01 AI111598, to E.E. Schadt).

  13. Advanced LabVIEW Labs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, Eric D.

    1999-06-17

    In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in G a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn G . Without going into details here, G incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the perfect environment in which to teach

  14. Advanced LabVIEW Labs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, Eric D.

    1999-06-17

    In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in "G" a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn "G". Without going into details here, "G" incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the "perfect environment in which to

  15. The Floating Lab Research Project: An Approach to Evaluating Field Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brody, Michael J.

    This report explains an evaluative study of the conceptual and affective development of students associated with the Floating Lab Program, an experiential field project sponsored by the University of New Hampshire and the Maine Sea Grant Program. The field program involved an opportunity for students to have hands-on experiences aboard a 65-foot…

  16. Evaluation of direct-to-consumer low-volume lab tests in healthy adults

    PubMed Central

    Kidd, Brian A.; Hoffman, Gabriel; Zimmerman, Noah; Li, Li; Morgan, Joseph W.; Glowe, Patricia K.; Botwin, Gregory J.; Parekh, Samir; Babic, Nikolina; Doust, Matthew W.; Stock, Gregory B.; Schadt, Eric E.; Dudley, Joel T.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND. Clinical laboratory tests are now being prescribed and made directly available to consumers through retail outlets in the USA. Concerns with these test have been raised regarding the uncertainty of testing methods used in these venues and a lack of open, scientific validation of the technical accuracy and clinical equivalency of results obtained through these services. METHODS. We conducted a cohort study of 60 healthy adults to compare the uncertainty and accuracy in 22 common clinical lab tests between one company offering blood tests obtained from finger prick (Theranos) and 2 major clinical testing services that require standard venipuncture draws (Quest and LabCorp). Samples were collected in Phoenix, Arizona, at an ambulatory clinic and at retail outlets with point-of-care services. RESULTS. Theranos flagged tests outside their normal range 1.6× more often than other testing services (P < 0.0001). Of the 22 lab measurements evaluated, 15 (68%) showed significant interservice variability (P < 0.002). We found nonequivalent lipid panel test results between Theranos and other clinical services. Variability in testing services, sample collection times, and subjects markedly influenced lab results. CONCLUSION. While laboratory practice standards exist to control this variability, the disparities between testing services we observed could potentially alter clinical interpretation and health care utilization. Greater transparency and evaluation of testing technologies would increase their utility in personalized health management. FUNDING. This work was supported by the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, a gift from the Harris Family Charitable Foundation (to J.T. Dudley), and grants from the NIH (R01 DK098242 and U54 CA189201, to J.T. Dudley, and R01 AG046170 and U01 AI111598, to E.E. Schadt). PMID:27018593

  17. Reflections on Three Corporate Research Labs: Bell Labs, HP Labs, Agilent Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hollenhorst, James

    2008-03-01

    This will be a personal reflection on corporate life and physics-based research in three industrial research labs over three decades, Bell Labs during the 1980's, HP Labs during the 1990's, and Agilent Labs during the 2000's. These were times of great change in all three companies. I'll point out some of the similarities and differences in corporate cultures and how this impacted the research and development activities. Along the way I'll mention some of the great products that resulted from physics-based R&D.

  18. MatLab Script and Functional Programming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2007-01-01

    MatLab Script and Functional Programming: MatLab is one of the most widely used very high level programming languages for scientific and engineering computations. It is very user-friendly and needs practically no formal programming knowledge. Presented here are MatLab programming aspects and not just the MatLab commands for scientists and engineers who do not have formal programming training and also have no significant time to spare for learning programming to solve their real world problems. Specifically provided are programs for visualization. The MatLab seminar covers the functional and script programming aspect of MatLab language. Specific expectations are: a) Recognize MatLab commands, script and function. b) Create, and run a MatLab function. c) Read, recognize, and describe MatLab syntax. d) Recognize decisions, loops and matrix operators. e) Evaluate scope among multiple files, and multiple functions within a file. f) Declare, define and use scalar variables, vectors and matrices.

  19. CT and MRI slice separation evaluation by LabView developed software.

    PubMed

    Acri, Giuseppe; Testagrossa, Barbara; Sestito, Angela; Bonanno, Lilla; Vermiglio, Giuseppe

    2018-02-01

    The efficient use of Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment necessitates establishing adequate quality-control (QC) procedures. In particular, the accuracy of slice separation, during multislices acquisition, requires scan exploration of phantoms containing test objects. To simplify such procedures, a novel phantom and a computerised LabView-based procedure have been devised, enabling determination the midpoint of full width at half maximum (FWHM) in real time while the distance from the profile midpoint of two progressive images is evaluated and measured. The results were compared with those obtained by processing the same phantom images with commercial software. To validate the proposed methodology the Fisher test was conducted on the resulting data sets. In all cases, there was no statistically significant variation between the commercial procedure and the LabView one, which can be used on any CT and MRI diagnostic devices. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  20. Teachers' Perspectives on Online Virtual Labs vs. Hands-On Labs in High School Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bohr, Teresa M.

    This study of online science teachers' opinions addressed the use of virtual labs in online courses. A growing number of schools use virtual labs that must meet mandated laboratory standards to ensure they provide learning experiences comparable to hands-on labs, which are an integral part of science curricula. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs. The theoretical foundation was constructivism, as labs provide student-centered activities for problem solving, inquiry, and exploration of phenomena. The research questions focused on experienced teachers' perceptions of the quality of virtual vs. hands-on labs. Data were collected through survey questions derived from the lab objectives of The Next Generation Science Standards . Eighteen teachers rated the degree of importance of each objective and also rated how they felt virtual labs met these objectives; these ratings were reported using descriptive statistics. Responses to open-ended questions were few and served to illustrate the numerical results. Many teachers stated that virtual labs are valuable supplements but could not completely replace hands-on experiences. Studies on the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs are limited despite widespread use. Comprehensive studies will ensure that online students have equal access to quality labs. School districts need to define lab requirements, and colleges need to specify the lab experience they require. This study has potential to inspire positive social change by assisting science educators, including those in the local school district, in evaluating and selecting courseware designed to promote higher order thinking skills, real-world problem solving, and development of strong inquiry skills, thereby improving science instruction for all high school students.

  1. Genomics Education in Practice: Evaluation of a Mobile Lab Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Mil, Marc H. W.; Boerwinkel, Dirk Jan; Buizer-Voskamp, Jacobine E.; Speksnijder, Annelies; Waarlo, Arend Jan

    2010-01-01

    Dutch genomics research centers have developed the "DNA labs on the road" to bridge the gap between modern genomics research practice and secondary-school curriculum in the Netherlands. These mobile DNA labs offer upper-secondary students the opportunity to experience genomics research through experiments with laboratory equipment that…

  2. EarthLabs: A National Model for Earth Science Lab Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

    2008-12-01

    As a response to the need for more rigorous, inquiry-based high school Earth science courses, a coalition of scientists, educators, and five states have created EarthLabs, a set of pilot modules that can serve as a national model for lab-based science courses. The content of EarthLabs chapters focuses on Earth system science and environmental literacy and conforms to the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The effort is funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. The pilot modules present activities on Corals, Drought, Fisheries, and Hurricanes. The Fisheries and Hurricanes units were reviewed and field-tested by educators in Texas and Arizona. The feedback from this evaluation led to revisions of these units and guided development of the Corals and Drought chapters. Each module consists of activities that use online data sets, satellite imagery, web-based readings, and hands-on laboratory experiments. The project comprises two separate websites, one for the instructor and one for students. The instructor's site contains the pedagogical underpinnings for each lab including teaching materials, assessment strategies, and the alignment of activities with state and national science standards. The student site provides access to all materials that students need to complete the activities or, in the case of the hands-on labs, where they access additional information to help extend their learning. There are also formative and summative questions embedded in the student webpages to help scaffold learning through the activities.

  3. Bituminous Mixtures Lab

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-07-25

    The Bituminous Mixtures Laboratory (BML) specializes in the research of asphalt pavement mixtures. This lab supports FHWA's efforts to develop, evaluate and improve materials, mixture design technology and performance-based tests for asphalt paving m...

  4. Field Evaluation of Highly Insulating Windows in the Lab Homes: Winter Experiment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parker, Graham B.; Widder, Sarah H.; Bauman, Nathan N.

    2012-06-01

    This field evaluation of highly insulating windows was undertaken in a matched pair of 'Lab Homes' located on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) campus during the 2012 winter heating season. Improving the insulation and solar heat gain characteristics of a home's windows has the potential to significantly improve the home's building envelope and overall thermal performance by reducing heat loss (in the winter), and cooling loss and solar heat gain (in the summer) through the windows. A high quality installation and/or window retrofit will also minimize or reduce air leakage through the window cavity and thus also contribute tomore » reduced heat loss in the winter and cooling loss in the summer. These improvements all contribute to decreasing overall annual home energy use. Occupant comfort (non-quantifiable) can also be increased by minimizing or eliminating the cold 'draft' (temperature) many residents experience at or near window surfaces that are at a noticeably lower temperature than the room air temperature. Lastly, although not measured in this experiment, highly insulating windows (triple-pane in this experiment) also have the potential to significantly reduce the noise transmittance through windows compared to standard double-pane windows. The metered data taken in the Lab Homes and data analysis presented here represent 70 days of data taken during the 2012 heating season. As such, the savings from highly insulating windows in the experimental home (Lab Home B) compared to the standard double-pane clear glass windows in the baseline home (Lab Home A) are only a portion of the energy savings expected from a year-long experiment that would include a cooling season. The cooling season experiment will take place in the homes in the summer of 2012, and results of that experiment will be reported in a subsequent report available to all stakeholders.« less

  5. The Evaluation of Students' Written Reflection on the Learning of General Chemistry Lab Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Ng Sook; Li, Ho Ket; Sin, Lee Choy; Sin, Keng Pei

    2014-01-01

    Reflective writing is often used to increase understanding and analytical ability. The lack of empirical evidence on the effect of reflective writing interventions on the learning of general chemistry lab experiment supports the examination of this concept. The central goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate the students' written…

  6. An Evaluation of Two Hands-On Lab Styles for Plant Biodiversity in Undergraduate Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basey, John M.; Maines, Anastasia P.; Francis, Clinton D.; Melbourne, Brett

    2014-01-01

    We compared learning cycle and expository formats for teaching about plant biodiversity in an inquiry-oriented university biology lab class (n = 465). Both formats had preparatory lab activities, a hands-on lab, and a postlab with reflection and argumentation. Learning was assessed with a lab report, a practical quiz in lab, and a multiple-choice…

  7. Love the Lab, Hate the Lab Report?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bjorn, Genevive

    2018-01-01

    In the author's large, urban high school, enrollment in a laboratory science is mandatory. While the student participation rate for lab activities is over 98%, the turn-in rate for traditional lab reports averages just 35% to 85%. Those students who don't produce a lab report miss a critical opportunity to improve their skills in scientific…

  8. An evaluation of two hands-on lab styles for plant biodiversity in undergraduate biology.

    PubMed

    Basey, John M; Maines, Anastasia P; Francis, Clinton D; Melbourne, Brett

    2014-01-01

    We compared learning cycle and expository formats for teaching about plant biodiversity in an inquiry-oriented university biology lab class (n = 465). Both formats had preparatory lab activities, a hands-on lab, and a postlab with reflection and argumentation. Learning was assessed with a lab report, a practical quiz in lab, and a multiple-choice exam in the concurrent lecture. Attitudes toward biology and treatments were also assessed. We used linear mixed-effect models to determine impacts of lab style on lower-order cognition (LO) and higher-order cognition (HO) based on Bloom's taxonomy. Relative to the expository treatment, the learning cycle treatment had a positive effect on HO and a negative effect on LO included in lab reports; a positive effect on transfer of LO from the lab report to the quiz; negative impacts on LO quiz performance and on attitudes toward the lab; and a higher degree of perceived difficulty. The learning cycle treatment had no influence on transfer of HO from lab report to quiz or exam; quiz performance on HO questions; exam performance on LO and HO questions; and attitudes toward biology as a science. The importance of LO as a foundation for HO relative to these lab styles is addressed. © 2014 J. M. Basey et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  9. Interactive, Online, Adsorption Lab to Support Discovery of the Scientific Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carroll, K. C.; Ulery, A. L.; Chamberlin, B.; Dettmer, A.

    2014-12-01

    Science students require more than methods practice in lab activities; they must gain an understanding of the application of the scientific process through lab work. Large classes, time constraints, and funding may limit student access to science labs, denying students access to the types of experiential learning needed to motivate and develop new scientists. Interactive, discovery-based computer simulations and virtual labs provide an alternative, low-risk opportunity for learners to engage in lab processes and activities. Students can conduct experiments, collect data, draw conclusions, and even abort a session. We have developed an online virtual lab, through which students can interactively develop as scientists as they learn about scientific concepts, lab equipment, and proper lab techniques. Our first lab topic is adsorption of chemicals to soil, but the methodology is transferrable to other topics. In addition to learning the specific procedures involved in each lab, the online activities will prompt exploration and practice in key scientific and mathematical concepts, such as unit conversion, significant digits, assessing risks, evaluating bias, and assessing quantity and quality of data. These labs are not designed to replace traditional lab instruction, but to supplement instruction on challenging or particularly time-consuming concepts. To complement classroom instruction, students can engage in a lab experience outside the lab and over a shorter time period than often required with real-world adsorption studies. More importantly, students can reflect, discuss, review, and even fail at their lab experience as part of the process to see why natural processes and scientific approaches work the way they do. Our Media Productions team has completed a series of online digital labs available at virtuallabs.nmsu.edu and scienceofsoil.com, and these virtual labs are being integrated into coursework to evaluate changes in student learning.

  10. Lab-scaled model to evaluate odor and gas production from cattle confinement facilities with deep bedded packs

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A lab-scaled simulated bedded pack model was developed to study air quality and nutrient composition of deep-bedded packs found in cattle monoslope facilities. This protocol has been used to effectively evaluate many different bedding materials, environmental variables (temperature, humidity), and ...

  11. Creative Science Teaching Labs: New Dimensions in CPD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chappell, Kerry; Craft, Anna

    2009-01-01

    This paper offers analysis and evaluation of "Creative Science Teaching (CST) Labs III", a unique and immersive approach to science teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) designed and run by a London-based organisation, Performing Arts Labs (PAL), involving specialists from the arts, science and technology as integral. Articulating…

  12. Personal Adult Learning Lab (Pall). Implications for Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klippel, Judith A.; And Others

    The Personal Adult Learning Lab was establsiehd at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE) at the University of Georgia to serve self-directed adult learners and conduct research on self-directed learning. The lab allows adult learners to design, conduct, and evaluate their personal learning experiences while proceeding at their own…

  13. Side-by-Side Field Evaluation of Highly Insulating Windows in the PNNL Lab Homes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Widder, Sarah H.; Parker, Graham B.; Baechler, Michael C.

    2012-08-01

    To examine the energy, air leakage, and thermal performance of highly insulating windows, a field evaluation was undertaken in a matched pair of all-electric, factory-built “Lab Homes” located on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) campus in Richland, Washington. The “baseline” Lab Home B was retrofitted with “standard” double-pane clear aluminum-frame slider windows and patio doors, while the “experimental” Lab Home A was retrofitted with Jeld-Wen® triple-pane vinyl-frame slider windows and patio doors with a U-factor of 0.2 and solar heat gain coefficient of 0.19. To assess the window, the building shell air leakage, energy use, and interior temperatures ofmore » each home were compared during the 2012 winter heating and summer cooling seasons. The measured energy savings in Lab Home B averaged 5,821 watt-hours per day (Wh/day) during the heating season and 6,518 Wh/day during the cooling season. The overall whole-house energy savings of Lab Home B compared to Lab Home A are 11.6% ± 1.53% for the heating season and 18.4 ± 2.06% for the cooling season for identical occupancy conditions with no window coverings deployed. Extrapolating these energy savings numbers based on typical average heating degree days and cooling degree days per year yields an estimated annual energy savings of 12.2%, or 1,784 kWh/yr. The data suggest that highly insulating windows are an effective energy-saving measure that should be considered for high-performance new homes and in existing retrofits. However, the cost effectiveness of the measure, as determined by the simple payback period, suggests that highly insulating window costs continue to make windows difficult to justify on a cost basis alone. Additional reductions in costs via improvements in manufacturing and/or market penetration that continue to drive down costs will make highly insulating windows much more viable as a cost-effective energy efficiency measure. This study also illustrates that

  14. Berkeley Lab Training

    Science.gov Websites

    Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Help Berkeley Lab Training Welcome Welcome to Berkeley Lab Training! Login to access your LBNL Training Profile. This provides quick access to all of the courses you need. Look below, to learn about different types of training available at

  15. Outreach Science Education: Evidence-Based Studies in a Gene Technology Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scharfenberg, Franz-Josef; Bogner, Franz X.

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays, outreach labs are important informal learning environments in science education. After summarizing research to goals outreach labs focus on, we describe our evidence-based gene technology lab as a model of a research-driven outreach program. Evaluation-based optimizations of hands-on teaching based on cognitive load theory (additional…

  16. A "Canned" Computer Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowling, John, Jr.

    1972-01-01

    Discusses the use of a set of computer programs (FORTRAN IV) in an introductory mechanics course for science majors. One laboratory activity is described for determining the coefficient of restitution of a glider on an air track. A student evaluation for the lab is included in the appendix. (Author/TS)

  17. GeoLab: A Geological Workstation for Future Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, Cynthia; Calaway, Michael; Bell, Mary Sue; Li, Zheng; Tong, Shuo; Zhong, Ye; Dahiwala, Ravi

    2014-01-01

    characterization for mission planning, operations, and sample prioritization, 3) evaluate analytical instruments and tools for providing efficient and meaningful data in advance of sample return and 4) identify science operations that leverage human presence with robotic tools. In the first year of tests (2010), GeoLab examined basic glovebox operations performed by one and two crewmembers and science operations performed by a remote science team. The 2010 tests also examined the efficacy of basic sample characterization [descriptions, microscopic imagery, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses] and feedback to the science team. In year 2 (2011), the GeoLab team tested enhanced software and interfaces for the crew and science team (including Web-based and mobile device displays) and demonstrated laboratory configurability with a new diagnostic instrument (the Multispectral Microscopic Imager from the JPL and Arizona State University). In year 3 (2012), the GeoLab team installed and tested a robotic sample manipulator and evaluated robotic-human interfaces for science operations.

  18. Innovation Incubator: Whisker Labs Technical Evaluation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sparn, Bethany F.; Frank, Stephen M.; Earle, Lieko

    The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is a program to foster and accelerate startup companies with commercial building energy-efficiency and demand management technologies. The program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Whisker Labs, an Oakland, California-based company, was one of four awardees in the first IN2 cohort and was invited to participate in the program because of its novel electrical power sensing technology for circuit breakers. The stick-on Whisker meters install directly on the front face of the circuit breakers in an electrical panel using adhesive, eliminating the need tomore » open the panel and install current transducers (CTs) on the circuit wiring.« less

  19. e-Learning - Physics Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohottala, Hashini

    2014-03-01

    The general student population enrolled in any college level class is highly diverse. An increasing number of ``nontraditional'' students return to college and most of these students follow distance learning degree programs while engaging in their other commitments, work and family. However, those students tend to avoid taking science courses with labs, mostly because of the incapability of remotely completing the lab components in such courses. In order to address this issue, we have come across a method where introductory level physics labs can be taught remotely. In this process a lab kit with the critical lab components that can be easily accessible are conveniently packed into a box and distributed among students at the beginning of the semester. Once the students are given the apparatus they perform the experiments at home and gather data All communications with reference to the lab was done through an interactive user-friendly webpage - Wikispaces (WikiS). Students who create pages on WikiS can submit their lab write-ups, embed videos of the experiments they perform, post pictures and direct questions to the lab instructor. The students who are enrolled in the same lab can interact with each other through WikiS to discuss labs and even get assistance.

  20. GeoLab's First Field Trials, 2010 Desert RATS: Evaluating Tools for Early Sample Characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, Cindy A.; Bell, M. S.; Calaway, M. J.; Graff, Trevor; Young, Kelsey

    2011-01-01

    As part of an accelerated prototyping project to support science operations tests for future exploration missions, we designed and built a geological laboratory, GeoLab, that was integrated into NASA's first generation Habitat Demonstration Unit-1/Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1-PEM). GeoLab includes a pressurized glovebox for transferring and handling samples collected on geological traverses, and a suite of instruments for collecting preliminary data to help characterize those samples. The GeoLab and the HDU1-PEM were tested for the first time as part of the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), NASA's analog field exercise for testing mission technologies. The HDU1- PEM and GeoLab participated in two weeks of joint operations in northern Arizona with two crewed rovers and the DRATS science team.

  1. Engaging teenagers in improving their health behaviours and increasing their interest in science (Evaluation of LifeLab Southampton): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Woods-Townsend, Kathryn; Bagust, Lisa; Barker, Mary; Christodoulou, Andri; Davey, Hannah; Godfrey, Keith; Grace, Marcus; Griffiths, Janice; Hanson, Mark; Inskip, Hazel

    2015-08-21

    Lifestyle and health behaviours are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is an increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time for lifestyle and health behaviours to become embedded. Improving these behaviours in adolescents is important not only for their own health but also for that of their future children. LifeLab Southampton has been developed as a purpose-built classroom and laboratory in University Hospital Southampton. Secondary school students visit LifeLab to learn how childhood, adolescent and parental nutrition influences health, understand the impact of their lifestyle on their cardiovascular and metabolic health, and to inspire them with the excitement of research and future career possibilities in science. The LifeLab visit is part of a programme of work linked to the English National Curriculum. Pilot work has indicated that attitudes towards health can be changed by such LifeLab sessions. A cluster randomised controlled trial is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the LifeLab intervention, the primary outcome being a measurement of the change in nutrition, health and lifestyle literacy from before to after the LifeLab intervention. The LifeLab intervention comprises professional development for the teachers involved; preparatory lessons for the school students, delivered in school; a hands-on practical day at LifeLab, including a 'Meet the Scientist' session; post-visit lessons delivered in school; and the opportunity to participate in the annual LifeLab Schools' Conference. This study aims to recruit approximately 2,500 secondary school students aged 13 to 14 years from 32 schools (the clusters) from Southampton and neighbouring areas. Participating schools will be randomised to control or intervention groups. The intervention will be run over two academic school years, with baseline questionnaire data collected from students at participating schools at the start of

  2. The experiment editor: supporting inquiry-based learning with virtual labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galan, D.; Heradio, R.; de la Torre, L.; Dormido, S.; Esquembre, F.

    2017-05-01

    Inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach where students are motivated to pose their own questions when facing problems or scenarios. In physics learning, students are turned into scientists who carry out experiments, collect and analyze data, formulate and evaluate hypotheses, and so on. Lab experimentation is essential for inquiry-based learning, yet there is a drawback with traditional hands-on labs in the high costs associated with equipment, space, and maintenance staff. Virtual laboratories are helpful to reduce these costs. This paper enriches the virtual lab ecosystem by providing an integrated environment to automate experimentation tasks. In particular, our environment supports: (i) scripting and running experiments on virtual labs, and (ii) collecting and analyzing data from the experiments. The current implementation of our environment supports virtual labs created with the authoring tool Easy Java/Javascript Simulations. Since there are public repositories with hundreds of freely available labs created with this tool, the potential applicability to our environment is considerable.

  3. A Comparative Study on Real Lab and Simulation Lab in Communication Engineering from Students' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balakrishnan, B.; Woods, P. C.

    2013-01-01

    Over the years, rapid development in computer technology has engendered simulation-based laboratory (lab) in addition to the traditional hands-on (physical) lab. Many higher education institutions adopt simulation lab, replacing some existing physical lab experiments. The creation of new systems for conducting engineering lab activities has raised…

  4. Kinematic Labs with Mobile Devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinser, Jason M.

    2015-07-01

    This book provides 13 labs spanning the common topics in the first semester of university-level physics. Each lab is designed to use only the student's smartphone, laptop and items easily found in big-box stores or a hobby shop. Each lab contains theory, set-up instructions and basic analysis techniques. All of these labs can be performed outside of the traditional university lab setting and initial costs averaging less than 8 per student, per lab.

  5. MethLAB

    PubMed Central

    Kilaru, Varun; Barfield, Richard T; Schroeder, James W; Smith, Alicia K

    2012-01-01

    Recent evidence suggests that DNA methylation changes may underlie numerous complex traits and diseases. The advent of commercial, array-based methods to interrogate DNA methylation has led to a profusion of epigenetic studies in the literature. Array-based methods, such as the popular Illumina GoldenGate and Infinium platforms, estimate the proportion of DNA methylated at single-base resolution for thousands of CpG sites across the genome. These arrays generate enormous amounts of data, but few software resources exist for efficient and flexible analysis of these data. We developed a software package called MethLAB (http://genetics.emory.edu/conneely/MethLAB) using R, an open source statistical language that can be edited to suit the needs of the user. MethLAB features a graphical user interface (GUI) with a menu-driven format designed to efficiently read in and manipulate array-based methylation data in a user-friendly manner. MethLAB tests for association between methylation and relevant phenotypes by fitting a separate linear model for each CpG site. These models can incorporate both continuous and categorical phenotypes and covariates, as well as fixed or random batch or chip effects. MethLAB accounts for multiple testing by controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) at a user-specified level. Standard output includes a spreadsheet-ready text file and an array of publication-quality figures. Considering the growing interest in and availability of DNA methylation data, there is a great need for user-friendly open source analytical tools. With MethLAB, we present a timely resource that will allow users with no programming experience to implement flexible and powerful analyses of DNA methylation data. PMID:22430798

  6. Orbiter multiplexer-demultiplexer (MDM)/Space Lab Bus Interface Unit (SL/BIU) serial data interface evaluation, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tobey, G. L.

    1978-01-01

    Tests were performed to evaluate the operating characteristics of the interface between the Space Lab Bus Interface Unit (SL/BIU) and the Orbiter Multiplexer-Demultiplexer (MDM) serial data input-output (SIO) module. This volume contains the test equipment preparation procedures and a detailed description of the Nova/Input Output Processor Simulator (IOPS) software used during the data transfer tests to determine word error rates (WER).

  7. Introductory labs; what they don't, should, and can teach (and why)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wieman, Carl

    2016-03-01

    Introductory physics labs are widely used and expensive. They have a wide variety of potential learning goals, but these are seldom specified and less often measured if they are achieved. We cover three different research projects on introductory labs: 1) We have done cognitive task analyses of both experimental research in physics and instructional labs. The striking differences explain much of the unhappiness expressed by students with labs: 2) We have measured the effectiveness of two introductory physics lab courses specifically intended to teach the physics content covered in standard introductory courses on mechanics and E & M. As measured by course exams, the benefit is 0 +/-2% for both. 3) We show how it is possible to use lab courses to teach students to correctly evaluate physical models with uncertain data. Such quantitative critical thinking is an important skill that is not learned in typical lab courses, but is well learned by our modified lab instruction.

  8. TangoLab-2 Card Troubleshooting

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-10-17

    iss053e105442 (Oct. 17, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei swaps out a payload card from the TangoLab-1 facility and places into the TangoLab-2 facility. TangoLab provides a standardized platform and open architecture for experimental modules called CubeLabs. CubeLab modules may be developed for use in 3-dimensional tissue and cell cultures.

  9. A comparative study on real lab and simulation lab in communication engineering from students' perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balakrishnan, B.; Woods, P. C.

    2013-05-01

    Over the years, rapid development in computer technology has engendered simulation-based laboratory (lab) in addition to the traditional hands-on (physical) lab. Many higher education institutions adopt simulation lab, replacing some existing physical lab experiments. The creation of new systems for conducting engineering lab activities has raised concerns among educators on the merits and shortcomings of both physical and simulation labs; at the same time, many arguments have been raised on the differences of both labs. Investigating the effectiveness of both labs is complicated, as there are multiple factors that should be considered. In view of this challenge, a study on students' perspectives on their experience related to key aspects on engineering laboratory exercise was conducted. In this study, the Visual Auditory Read and Kinetic model was utilised to measure the students' cognitive styles. The investigation was done through a survey among participants from Multimedia University, Malaysia. The findings revealed that there are significant differences for most of the aspects in physical and simulation labs.

  10. Living Lab as an Agile Approach in Developing User-Friendly Welfare Technology.

    PubMed

    Holappa, Niina; Sirkka, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    This paper discusses living lab as a method of developing user-friendly welfare technology, and presents a qualitative evaluation research of how living lab tested technologies impacted on the life of healthcare customers and professionals over test periods.

  11. A Constructivist Cloud Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emery, Dave

    1996-01-01

    Describes a lab involving a cloud formation activity that uses the constructivist learning model to get students more involved in creating the lab. Enables students to develop a greater understanding of the concepts involved and more interest in the lab's outcomes. (JRH)

  12. Virtual Reality Lab Assistant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saha, Hrishikesh; Palmer, Timothy A.

    1996-01-01

    Virtual Reality Lab Assistant (VRLA) demonstration model is aligned for engineering and material science experiments to be performed by undergraduate and graduate students in the course as a pre-lab simulation experience. This will help students to get a preview of how to use the lab equipment and run experiments without using the lab hardware/software equipment. The quality of the time available for laboratory experiments can be significantly improved through the use of virtual reality technology.

  13. LabSkills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Brien, Nick

    2010-01-01

    This article describes LabSkills, a revolutionary teaching tool to improve practical science in schools. LabSkills offers the chance to help improve the exposure that the average Key Stage 5 (age 16-19) student has to practical work. This is a huge area for development being highlighted by universities who are seeing a worryingly growing trend in…

  14. Using lab notebooks to examine students' engagement in modeling in an upper-division electronics lab course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanley, Jacob T.; Su, Weifeng; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2017-12-01

    We demonstrate how students' use of modeling can be examined and assessed using student notebooks collected from an upper-division electronics lab course. The use of models is a ubiquitous practice in undergraduate physics education, but the process of constructing, testing, and refining these models is much less common. We focus our attention on a lab course that has been transformed to engage students in this modeling process during lab activities. The design of the lab activities was guided by a framework that captures the different components of model-based reasoning, called the Modeling Framework for Experimental Physics. We demonstrate how this framework can be used to assess students' written work and to identify how students' model-based reasoning differed from activity to activity. Broadly speaking, we were able to identify the different steps of students' model-based reasoning and assess the completeness of their reasoning. Varying degrees of scaffolding present across the activities had an impact on how thoroughly students would engage in the full modeling process, with more scaffolded activities resulting in more thorough engagement with the process. Finally, we identified that the step in the process with which students had the most difficulty was the comparison between their interpreted data and their model prediction. Students did not use sufficiently sophisticated criteria in evaluating such comparisons, which had the effect of halting the modeling process. This may indicate that in order to engage students further in using model-based reasoning during lab activities, the instructor needs to provide further scaffolding for how students make these types of experimental comparisons. This is an important design consideration for other such courses attempting to incorporate modeling as a learning goal.

  15. Establishment of a new in vitro test method for evaluation of eye irritancy using a reconstructed human corneal epithelial model, LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL.

    PubMed

    Katoh, Masakazu; Hamajima, Fumiyasu; Ogasawara, Takahiro; Hata, Ken-ichiro

    2013-12-01

    Finding in vitro eye irritation testing alternatives to animal testing such as the Draize eye test, which uses rabbits, is essential from the standpoint of animal welfare. It has been developed a reconstructed human corneal epithelial model, the LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL, which has a representative corneal epithelium-like structure. Protocol optimization (pre-validation study) was examined in order to establish a new alternative method for eye irritancy evaluation with this model. From the results of the optimization experiments, the application periods for chemicals were set at 1min for liquid chemicals or 24h for solid chemicals, and the post-exposure incubation periods were set at 24h for liquids or zero for solids. If the viability was less than 50%, the chemical was judged to be an eye irritant. Sixty-one chemicals were applied in the optimized protocol using the LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL and these results were evaluated in correlation with in vivo results. The predictions of the optimized LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL eye irritation test methods were highly correlated with in vivo eye irritation (sensitivity 100%, specificity 80.0%, and accuracy 91.8%). These results suggest that the LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL eye irritation test could be useful as an alternative method to the Draize eye test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Sustainable dual-use labs: neurovascular interventional capabilities within the cath lab.

    PubMed

    Lang, Stacey

    2012-01-01

    The inclusion of neurovascular interventional capabilities within the cath lab setting can be key to optimal utilization of resources, increased staff efficiency, and streamlined operations. When considering an expansion, look beyond the patient population traditionally associated with cardiac cath labs and consider the integration of programs outside cardiac alone--to create a true dual-use lab space. With proper planning, quality dual purpose equipment, appropriately trained staff, capable physicians, and strong leadership, an organization willing to embrace the challenge can build a truly extraordinary service.

  17. ESIP Lab: Supporting Development of Earth Sciences Cyberinfrastructure through Innovation Commons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burgess, A. B.; Robinson, E.

    2017-12-01

    The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is an open, networked community that brings together science, data and information technology practitioners from across sectors. Participation in ESIP is beneficial because it provides an intellectual commons to expose, gather and enhance in-house capabilities in support of an organization's own mandate. Recently, ESIP has begun to explore piloting activities that have worked in the U.S. in other countries as a way to facilitate international collaboration and cross-pollination. The newly formed ESIP Lab realizes the commons concept by providing a virtual place to come up with with new solutions through facilitated ideation, take that idea to a low stakes development environment and potentially fail, but if successful, expose developing technology to domain experts through a technology evaluation process. The Lab does this by supporting and funding solution-oriented projects that have discrete development periods and associated budgets across organizations and agencies. In addition, the Lab provides access to AWS cloud computing resources, travel support, virtual and in-person collaborative platform for distributed groups and exposure to the ESIP community as an expert pool. This cycle of ideation to incubation to evaluation and ultimately adoption or infusion of Earth sciences cyberinfrastructure empowers the scientific community and has spawned a variety of developments like community-led ontology portals, ideas for W3C prov standard improvement and an evaluation framework that pushes technology forward and aides in infusion. The Lab is one of these concepts that could be implemented in other countries and the outputs of the Lab would be shared as a commons and available across traditional borders. This presentation will share the methods and the outcomes of the Lab and seed ideas for adoption internationally.

  18. Lab at Home: Hardware Kits for a Digital Design Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, J. P.; Haim, F.

    2009-01-01

    An innovative laboratory methodology for an introductory digital design course is presented. Instead of having traditional lab experiences, where students have to come to school classrooms, a "lab at home" concept is proposed. Students perform real experiments in their own homes, using hardware kits specially developed for this purpose. They…

  19. Library-Labs-for-Science Literacy Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pestel, Beverly C.; Engeldinger, Eugene A.

    1992-01-01

    Describes two library-lab exercises the authors have incorporated into their college chemistry course. The first exercise introduces students to scientific information and familiarizes them with the tools for accessing it. The second provides a framework for evaluating the reliability of that information and addresses the criteria that should be…

  20. LCOGT Imaging Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tufts, Joseph R.; Lobdill, Rich; Haldeman, Benjamin J.; Haynes, Rachel; Hawkins, Eric; Burleson, Ben; Jahng, David

    2008-07-01

    The Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) is an ambitious project to build and operate, within 5 years, a worldwide robotic network of 50 0.4, 1, and 2 m telescopes sharing identical instrumentation and optimized for precision photometry of time-varying sources. The telescopes, instrumentation, and software are all developed in house with two 2 m telescopes already installed. The LCOGT Imaging Lab is responsible for assembly and characterization of the network's cameras and instrumentation. In addition to a fully equipped CNC machine shop, two electronics labs, and a future optics lab, the Imaging Lab is designed from the ground up to be a superb environment for bare detectors, precision filters, and assembled instruments. At the heart of the lab is an ISO class 5 cleanroom with full ionization. Surrounding this, the class 7 main lab houses equipment for detector characterization including QE and CTE, and equipment for measuring transmission and reflection of optics. Although the first science cameras installed, two TEC cooled e2v 42-40 deep depletion based units and two CryoTiger cooled Fairchild Imaging CCD486-BI based units, are from outside manufacturers, their 18 position filter wheels and the remainder of the network's science cameras, controllers, and instrumentation will be built in house. Currently being designed, the first generation LCOGT cameras for the network's 1 m telescopes use existing CCD486-BI devices and an in-house controller. Additionally, the controller uses digital signal processing to optimize readout noise vs. speed, and all instrumentation uses embedded microprocessors for communication over ethernet.

  1. Inexpensive DAQ based physics labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, Benjamin; Clark, Shane

    2015-11-01

    Quality Data Acquisition (DAQ) based physics labs can be designed using microcontrollers and very low cost sensors with minimal lab equipment. A prototype device with several sensors and documentation for a number of DAQ-based labs is showcased. The device connects to a computer through Bluetooth and uses a simple interface to control the DAQ and display real time graphs, storing the data in .txt and .xls formats. A full device including a larger number of sensors combined with software interface and detailed documentation would provide a high quality physics lab education for minimal cost, for instance in high schools lacking lab equipment or students taking online classes. An entire semester’s lab course could be conducted using a single device with a manufacturing cost of under $20.

  2. Experiences with lab-centric instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Titterton, Nathaniel; Lewis, Colleen M.; Clancy, Michael J.

    2010-06-01

    Lab-centric instruction emphasizes supervised, hands-on activities by substituting lab for lecture time. It combines a multitude of pedagogical techniques into the format of an extended, structured closed lab. We discuss the range of benefits for students, including increased staff interaction, frequent and varied self-assessments, integrated collaborative activities, and a systematic sequence of activities that gradually increases in difficulty. Instructors also benefit from a deeper window into student progress and understanding. We follow with discussion of our experiences in courses at U.C. Berkeley, and using data from some of these investigate the effects of lab-centric instruction on student learning, procrastination, and course pacing. We observe that the lab-centric format helped students on exams but hurt them on extended programming assignments, counter to our hypothesis. Additionally, we see no difference in self-ratings of procrastination and limited differences in ratings of course pace. We do find evidence that the students who choose to attend lab-centric courses are different in several important ways from students who choose to attend the same course in a non-lab-centric format.

  3. Improving the Quality of Lab Reports by Using Them as Lab Instructions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haagen-Schuetzenhoefer, Claudia

    2012-10-01

    Lab exercises are quite popular in teaching science. Teachers have numerous goals in mind when teaching science laboratories. Nevertheless, empirical research draws a heterogeneous picture of the benefits of lab work. Research has shown that it does not necessarily contribute to the enhancement of practical abilities or content knowledge. Lab activities are frequently based on recipe-like, step-by-step instructions ("cookbook style"), which do not motivate students to engage cognitively. Consequently, students put the emphasis on "task completion" or "manipulating equipment."2

  4. Exploring the changing learning environment of the gross anatomy lab.

    PubMed

    Hopkins, Robin; Regehr, Glenn; Wilson, Timothy D

    2011-07-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the impact of virtual models and prosected specimens in the context of the gross anatomy lab. In 2009, student volunteers from an undergraduate anatomy class were randomly assigned to study groups in one of three learning conditions. All groups studied the muscles of mastication and completed identical learning objectives during a 45-minute lab. All groups were provided with two reference atlases. Groups were distinguished by the type of primary tools they were provided: gross prosections, three-dimensional stereoscopic computer model, or both resources. The facilitator kept observational field notes. A prepost multiple-choice knowledge test was administered to evaluate students' learning. No significant effect of the laboratory models was demonstrated between groups on the prepost assessment of knowledge. Recurring observations included students' tendency to revert to individual memorization prior to the posttest, rotation of models to match views in the provided atlas, and dissemination of groups into smaller working units. The use of virtual lab resources seemed to influence the social context and learning environment of the anatomy lab. As computer-based learning methods are implemented and studied, they must be evaluated beyond their impact on knowledge gain to consider the effect technology has on students' social development.

  5. Lab-on-a-brane: nanofibrous polymer membranes to recreate organ-capillary interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budhwani, Karim I.; Thomas, Vinoy; Sethu, Palaniappan

    2016-03-01

    Drug discovery is a complex and time consuming process involving significant basic research and preclinical evaluation prior to testing in patients. Preclinical studies rely extensively on animal models which often fail in human trials. Biomimetic microphysiological systems (MPS) using human cells can be a promising alternative to animal models; where critical interactions between different organ systems are recreated to provide physiologically relevant in vitro human models. Central here are blood-vessel networks, the interface controlling transport of cellular and biomolecular components between the circulating fluid and underlying tissue. Here we present a novel lab-on-a-brane (or lab-on-a-membrane) nanofluidics MPS that combines the elegance of lab-on-a-chip with the more realistic morphology of 3D fibrous tissue-engineering constructs. Our blood-vessel lab-on-a-brane effectively simulates in vivo vessel-tissue interface for evaluating transendothelial transport in various pharmacokinetic and nanomedicine applications. Attributes of our platform include (a) nanoporous barrier interface enabling transmembrane molecular transport, (b) transformation of substrate into nanofibrous 3D tissue matrix, (c) invertible-sandwich architecture, and (d) simple co-culture mechanism for endothelial and smooth muscle layers to accurately mimic arterial anatomy. Structural, mechanical, and transport characterization using scanning electron microscopy, stress/strain analysis, infrared spectroscopy, immunofluorescence, and FITC-Dextran hydraulic permeability confirm viability of this in vitro system. Thus, our lab-on-a-brane provides an effective and efficient, yet considerably inexpensive, physiologically relevant alternative for pharmacokinetic evaluation; possibly reducing animals used in preclinical testing, costs from false starts, and time-to-market. Furthermore, it can be configured in multiple simultaneous arrays for personalized and precision medicine applications and for

  6. Lab Report Blues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diaz, Andrew

    2004-01-01

    For middle school students, writing a formal lab report can be challenging. For middle level teachers, reading students lab reports can be overwhelming. After grading report after report with incomplete procedures, incorrect graphs, and missing conclusions, the author's frustration level was at an all-time high. Ready to try anything, he thought,…

  7. Reforming Cookbook Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peters, Erin

    2005-01-01

    Deconstructing cookbook labs to require the students to be more thoughtful could break down perceived teacher barriers to inquiry learning. Simple steps that remove or disrupt the direct transfer of step-by-step procedures in cookbook labs make students think more critically about their process. Through trials in the author's middle school…

  8. Design methodology and results evaluation of a heating functionality in modular lab-on-chip systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Streit, Petra; Nestler, Joerg; Shaporin, Alexey; Graunitz, Jenny; Otto, Thomas

    2018-06-01

    Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems offer the opportunity of fast and customized biological analyses executed at the ‘point-of-need’ without expensive lab equipment. Some biological processes need a temperature treatment. Therefore, it is important to ensure a defined and stable temperature distribution in the biosensor area. An integrated heating functionality is realized with discrete resistive heating elements including temperature measurement. The focus of this contribution is a design methodology and evaluation technique of the temperature distribution in the biosensor area with regard to the thermal-electrical behaviour of the heat sources. Furthermore, a sophisticated control of the biosensor temperature is proposed. A finite element (FE) model with one and more integrated heat sources in a polymer-based LoC system is used to investigate the impact of the number and arrangement of heating elements on the temperature distribution around the heating elements and in the biosensor area. Based on this model, various LOC systems are designed and fabricated. Electrical characterization of the heat sources and independent temperature measurements with infrared technique are performed to verify the model parameters and prove the simulation approach. The FE model and the proposed methodology is the foundation for optimization and evaluation of new designs with regard to temperature requirements of the biosensor. Furthermore, a linear dependency of the heater temperature on the electric current is demonstrated in the targeted temperature range of 20 °C to 70 °C enabling the usage of the heating functionality for biological reactions requiring a steady-state temperature up to 70 °C. The correlation between heater and biosensor area temperature is derived for a direct control through the heating current.

  9. Status of chemistry lab safety in Nepal.

    PubMed

    Kandel, Krishna Prasad; Neupane, Bhanu Bhakta; Giri, Basant

    2017-01-01

    Chemistry labs can become a dangerous environment for students as the lab exercises involve hazardous chemicals, glassware, and equipment. Approximately one hundred thousand students take chemistry laboratory classes annually in Nepal. We conducted a survey on chemical lab safety issues across Nepal. In this paper, we assess the safety policy and equipment, protocols and procedures followed, and waste disposal in chemistry teaching labs. Significant population of the respondents believed that there is no monitoring of the lab safety in their lab (p<0.001). Even though many labs do not allow food and beverages inside lab and have first aid kits, they lack some basic safety equipment. There is no institutional mechanism to dispose lab waste and chemical waste is disposed haphazardly. Majority of the respondents believed that the safety training should be a part of educational training (p = 0.001) and they would benefit from short course and/or workshop on lab safety (p<0.001).

  10. Status of chemistry lab safety in Nepal

    PubMed Central

    Kandel, Krishna Prasad; Neupane, Bhanu Bhakta

    2017-01-01

    Chemistry labs can become a dangerous environment for students as the lab exercises involve hazardous chemicals, glassware, and equipment. Approximately one hundred thousand students take chemistry laboratory classes annually in Nepal. We conducted a survey on chemical lab safety issues across Nepal. In this paper, we assess the safety policy and equipment, protocols and procedures followed, and waste disposal in chemistry teaching labs. Significant population of the respondents believed that there is no monitoring of the lab safety in their lab (p<0.001). Even though many labs do not allow food and beverages inside lab and have first aid kits, they lack some basic safety equipment. There is no institutional mechanism to dispose lab waste and chemical waste is disposed haphazardly. Majority of the respondents believed that the safety training should be a part of educational training (p = 0.001) and they would benefit from short course and/or workshop on lab safety (p<0.001). PMID:28644869

  11. SenseLab

    PubMed Central

    Crasto, Chiquito J.; Marenco, Luis N.; Liu, Nian; Morse, Thomas M.; Cheung, Kei-Hoi; Lai, Peter C.; Bahl, Gautam; Masiar, Peter; Lam, Hugo Y.K.; Lim, Ernest; Chen, Huajin; Nadkarni, Prakash; Migliore, Michele; Miller, Perry L.; Shepherd, Gordon M.

    2009-01-01

    This article presents the latest developments in neuroscience information dissemination through the SenseLab suite of databases: NeuronDB, CellPropDB, ORDB, OdorDB, OdorMapDB, ModelDB and BrainPharm. These databases include information related to: (i) neuronal membrane properties and neuronal models, and (ii) genetics, genomics, proteomics and imaging studies of the olfactory system. We describe here: the new features for each database, the evolution of SenseLab’s unifying database architecture and instances of SenseLab database interoperation with other neuroscience online resources. PMID:17510162

  12. Integrating Robotic Observatories into Astronomy Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruch, Gerald T.

    2015-01-01

    The University of St. Thomas (UST) and a consortium of five local schools is using the UST Robotic Observatory, housing a 17' telescope, to develop labs and image processing tools that allow easy integration of observational labs into existing introductory astronomy curriculum. Our lab design removes the burden of equipment ownership by sharing access to a common resource and removes the burden of data processing by automating processing tasks that are not relevant to the learning objectives.Each laboratory exercise takes place over two lab periods. During period one, students design and submit observation requests via the lab website. Between periods, the telescope automatically acquires the data and our image processing pipeline produces data ready for student analysis. During period two, the students retrieve their data from the website and perform the analysis. The first lab, 'Weighing Jupiter,' was successfully implemented at UST and several of our partner schools. We are currently developing a second lab to measure the age of and distance to a globular cluster.

  13. Teaching about Nature of Science through Short Lab Activities in Hong Kong Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lau, Kwok-chi

    2017-01-01

    The study evaluated the effectiveness of using short, school lab investigations to teach about the nature of science (NOS). A manipulated lab inquiry approach was used, which modified the investigations in ways that students were compelled to experience certain NOS aspects. An investigation about apple browning was used to teach about the…

  14. Improving the Quality of Lab Reports by Using Them as Lab Instructions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haagen-Schuetzenhoefer, Claudia

    2012-01-01

    Lab exercises are quite popular in teaching science. Teachers have numerous goals in mind when teaching science laboratories. Nevertheless, empirical research draws a heterogeneous picture of the benefits of lab work. Research has shown that it does not necessarily contribute to the enhancement of practical abilities or content knowledge. Lab…

  15. Computational Labs Using VPython Complement Conventional Labs in Online and Regular Physics Classes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bachlechner, Martina E.

    2009-03-01

    Fairmont State University has developed online physics classes for the high-school teaching certificate based on the text book Matter and Interaction by Chabay and Sherwood. This lead to using computational VPython labs also in the traditional class room setting to complement conventional labs. The computational modeling process has proven to provide an excellent basis for the subsequent conventional lab and allows for a concrete experience of the difference between behavior according to a model and realistic behavior. Observations in the regular class room setting feed back into the development of the online classes.

  16. Teaching about Theory-Laden Observation to Secondary Students through Manipulated Lab Inquiry Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lau, Kwok-chi; Chan, Shi-lun

    2013-01-01

    This study seeks to develop and evaluate a modified lab inquiry approach to teaching about nature of science (NOS) to secondary students. Different from the extended, open-ended inquiry, this approach makes use of shorter lab inquiry activities in which one or several specific NOS aspects are manipulated deliberately so that students are compelled…

  17. Spaceport Processing System Development Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dorsey, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The Spaceport Processing System Development Lab (SPSDL), developed and maintained by the Systems Hardware and Engineering Branch (NE-C4), is a development lab with its own private/restricted networks. A private/restricted network is a network with restricted or no communication with other networks. This allows users from different groups to work on their own projects in their own configured environment without interfering with others utilizing their resources in the lab. The different networks being used in the lab have no way to talk with each other due to the way they are configured, so how a user configures his software, operating system, or the equipment doesn't interfere or carry over on any of the other networks in the lab. The SPSDL is available for any project in KSC that is in need of a lab environment. My job in the SPSDL was to assist in maintaining the lab to make sure it's accessible for users. This includes, but is not limited to, making sure the computers in the lab are properly running and patched with updated hardware/software. In addition to this, I also was to assist users who had issues in utilizing the resources in the lab, which may include helping to configure a restricted network for their own environment. All of this was to ensure workers were able to use the SPSDL to work on their projects without difficulty which would in turn, benefit the work done throughout KSC. When I wasn't working in the SPSDL, I would instead help other coworkers with smaller tasks which included, but wasn't limited to, the proper disposal, moving of, or search for essential equipment. I also, during the free time I had, used NASA's resources to increase my knowledge and skills in a variety of subjects related to my major as a computer engineer, particularly in UNIX, Networking, and Embedded Systems.

  18. Looking after the Land: The Navajo Dryland Environments Laboratory Researches the Environmental Needs of the Navajo Nation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Semken, Steven C.

    1992-01-01

    Describes the formation and operations of the Navajo Dryland Environments Laboratory (NDEL). NDEL, established by the Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium of New Mexico on the campus of Navajo Community College, focuses on environmental geology, hydrology, and resource management of the Colorado Plateau drylands. (DMM)

  19. CHEMICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CHLORINATED AND OZONATED-CHLORINATED DRINKING WATER: A COLLABORATION OF THE FOUR NATIONAL LABS OF THE U. S. EPA

    EPA Science Inventory

    CHEMICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CHLORINATED AND OZONATED-CHLORINATED DRINKING WATER: A COLLABORATION OF THE FOUR NATIONAL LABS OF THE U.S. EPA
    Susan D. Richardson1, Linda K. Teuschler2, Alfred D. Thruston, Jr.,1 Thomas Speth3, Richard J. Miltner3, Glenn Rice2, Kathle...

  20. GeneLab: Open Science For Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Galazka, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    The NASA GeneLab project capitalizes on multi-omic technologies to maximize the return on spaceflight experiments. The GeneLab project houses spaceflight and spaceflight-relevant multi-omics data in a publicly accessible data commons, and collaborates with NASA-funded principal investigators to maximize the omics data from spaceflight and spaceflight-relevant experiments. I will discuss the current status of GeneLab and give specific examples of how the GeneLab data system has been used to gain insight into how biology responds to spaceflight conditions.

  1. A Museum Learning Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vandiver, Kathleen M.; Bijur, Jon Markowitz; Epstein, Ari W.; Rosenthal, Beryl; Stidsen, Don

    2008-01-01

    The "Learning Lab: The Cell" exhibit was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). Specially designed for middle and high school students, the Learning Lab provides museum visitors of all ages with fascinating insights into how our living cells work. The…

  2. Wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery and basilar apex treated by endovascular techniques: a multicentre, core lab adjudicated study evaluating safety and durability of occlusion (BRANCH).

    PubMed

    De Leacy, Reade A; Fargen, Kyle M; Mascitelli, Justin R; Fifi, Johanna; Turkheimer, Lena; Zhang, Xiangnan; Patel, Aman B; Koch, Matthew J; Pandey, Aditya S; Wilkinson, D Andrew; Griauzde, Julius; James, Robert F; Fortuny, Enzo M; Cruz, Aurora; Boulos, Alan; Nourollah-Zadeh, Emad; Paul, Alexandra; Sauvageau, Eric; Hanel, Ricardo; Aguilar-Salinas, Pedro; Novakovic, Roberta L; Welch, Babu G; Almardawi, Ranyah; Jindal, Gaurav; Shownkeen, Harish; Levy, Elad I; Siddiqui, Adnan H; Mocco, J

    2018-06-01

    BRANCH (wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery and basilar apex treated by endovascular techniques) is a multicentre, retrospective study comparing core lab evaluation of angiographic outcomes with self-reported outcomes. Consecutive patients were enrolled from 10 US centres, aged between 18 and 85 with unruptured wide-neck middle cerebral artery (MCA) or basilar apex aneurysms treated endovascularly. Patient demographics, aneurysm morphology, procedural information, mortality and morbidity data and core lab and self-reported modified Raymond Roy (RR) outcomes were obtained. 115 patients met inclusion criteria. Intervention-related mortality and significant morbidity rates were 1.7% (2/115) and 5.8% (6/103) respectively. Core lab adjudicated RR1 and 2 occlusion rates at follow-up were 30.6% and 32.4% respectively. The retreatment rate within the follow-up window was 10/115 (8.7%) and in stent stenosis at follow-up was 5/63 (7.9%). Self-reporting shows a statistically significant direction to angiographic RR one outcomes at follow-up compared with core lab evaluation, with OR 1.75 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.83). Endovascular treatment of wide-neck MCA and basilar apex aneurysms resulted in a core lab adjudicated RR1 occlusion rate of 30.6%. Self-reported results at follow-up favour better angiographic outcomes, with OR 1.75 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.83). These data demonstrate the need for novel endovascular devices specifically designed to treat complex intracranial aneurysms, as well as the importance of core lab adjudication in assessing outcomes in such a trial. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  3. Evaluation of distribution and sources of sewage molecular marker (LABs) in selected rivers and estuaries of Peninsular Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Magam, Sami M; Zakaria, Mohamad Pauzi; Halimoon, Normala; Aris, Ahmad Zaharin; Kannan, Narayanan; Masood, Najat; Mustafa, Shuhaimi; Alkhadher, Sadeq; Keshavarzifard, Mehrzad; Vaezzadeh, Vahab; Sani, Muhamad S A; Latif, Mohd Talib

    2016-03-01

    This is the first extensive report on linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) as sewage molecular markers in surface sediments collected from the Perlis, Kedah, Merbok, Prai, and Perak Rivers and Estuaries in the west of Peninsular Malaysia. Sediment samples were extracted, fractionated, and analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The concentrations of total LABs ranged from 68 to 154 (Perlis River), 103 to 314 (Kedah River), 242 to 1062 (Merbok River), 1985 to 2910 (Prai River), and 217 to 329 ng g(-1) (Perak River) dry weight (dw). The highest levels of LABs were found at PI3 (Prai Estuary) due to the rapid industrialization and population growth in this region, while the lowest concentrations of LABs were found at PS1 (upstream of Perlis River). The LABs ratio of internal to external isomers (I/E) in this study ranged from 0.56 at KH1 (upstream of Kedah River) to 1.35 at MK3 (Merbok Estuary) indicating that the rivers receive raw sewage and primary treatment effluents in the study area. In general, the results of this paper highlighted the necessity of continuation of water treatment system improvement in Malaysia.

  4. Lab-on a-Chip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    Helen Cole, the project manager for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development program, and Lisa Monaco, the project scientist for the program, insert a lab on a chip into the Caliper 42 which is specialized equipment that controls processes on commercial chips to support development of lab-on-a-chip applications. The system has special microscopes and imaging systems, so scientists can process and study different types of fluid, chemical, and medical tests conducted on chips. For example, researchers have examined fluorescent bacteria as it flows through the chips' fluid channels or microfluidic capillaries. Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, have been studying how the lab-on-a-chip technology can be used for microbial detection, water quality monitoring, and detecting biosignatures of past or present life on Mars. The Marshall Center team is also collaborating with scientists at other NASA centers and at universities to develop custom chip designs for not only space applications, but for many Earth applications, such as for detecting deadly microbes in heating and air systems. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

  5. ERLN Lab Compendium Fact Sheet

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Compendium is an online database of environmental testing laboratories nationwide. It enables labs to create profiles of their capabilities, so emergency responders can quickly identify a lab that will meet their support needs.

  6. Physics Labs with Flavor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agrest, Mikhail M.

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes my attempts to look deeper into the so-called "shoot for your grade" labs, started in the '90s, when I began applying my teaching experience in Russia to introductory physics labs at the College of Charleston and other higher education institutions in South Carolina. The term "shoot for your grade" became popular among…

  7. Making Real Virtual Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keller, Harry E.; Keller, Edward E.

    2005-01-01

    Francis Bacon began defining scientific methodology in the early 17th century, and secondary school science classes began to implement science labs in the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, leading educators were suggesting that science labs be used to develop scientific thinking habits in young students, and at the beginning of the 21st…

  8. NOT Another Lab Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ende, Fred

    2012-01-01

    Ask students to name the aspects of science class they enjoy most, and working on labs will undoubtedly be mentioned. What often won't be included, however, is writing lab reports. For many students, the process of exploration and data collection is paramount, while the explanation and analysis of findings often takes a backseat. After all, if…

  9. Are Virtual Labs as Effective as Hands-on Labs for Undergraduate Physics? A Comparative Study at Two Major Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darrah, Marjorie; Humbert, Roxann; Finstein, Jeanne; Simon, Marllin; Hopkins, John

    2014-01-01

    Most physics professors would agree that the lab experiences students have in introductory physics are central to the learning of the concepts in the course. It is also true that these physics labs require time and money for upkeep, not to mention the hours spent setting up and taking down labs. Virtual physics lab experiences can provide an…

  10. The Development of MSFC Usability Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, Yiwei; Richardson, Sally

    2010-01-01

    This conference poster reviews the development of the usability lab at Marshall Space Flight Center. The purpose of the lab was to integrate a fully functioning usability laboratory to provide a resource for future human factor assessments. and to implement preliminary usability testing on a MSFC website to validate the functionality of the lab.

  11. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Investigators Division Staff Facilities and Centers Staff Jobs Safety Personnel Resources Committees In Case of

  12. Labs That Are a Blast.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hendrix, Laura

    1996-01-01

    Presents activities that use a simple homemade apparatus called "the cannon" to demonstrate Newton's Third Law. Reviews the chemistry concepts behind the ignition of the cannon and presents the Momentum Lab and the Projectile Motion Lab. (JRH)

  13. RoboLab and virtual environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giarratano, Joseph C.

    1994-01-01

    A useful adjunct to the manned space station would be a self-contained free-flying laboratory (RoboLab). This laboratory would have a robot operated under telepresence from the space station or ground. Long duration experiments aboard RoboLab could be performed by astronauts or scientists using telepresence to operate equipment and perform experiments. Operating the lab by telepresence would eliminate the need for life support such as food, water and air. The robot would be capable of motion in three dimensions, have binocular vision TV cameras, and two arms with manipulators to simulate hands. The robot would move along a two-dimensional grid and have a rotating, telescoping periscope section for extension in the third dimension. The remote operator would wear a virtual reality type headset to allow the superposition of computer displays over the real-time video of the lab. The operators would wear exoskeleton type arms to facilitate the movement of objects and equipment operation. The combination of video displays, motion, and the exoskeleton arms would provide a high degree of telepresence, especially for novice users such as scientists doing short-term experiments. The RoboLab could be resupplied and samples removed on other space shuttle flights. A self-contained RoboLab module would be designed to fit within the cargo bay of the space shuttle. Different modules could be designed for specific applications, i.e., crystal-growing, medicine, life sciences, chemistry, etc. This paper describes a RoboLab simulation using virtual reality (VR). VR provides an ideal simulation of telepresence before the actual robot and laboratory modules are constructed. The easy simulation of different telepresence designs will produce a highly optimum design before construction rather than the more expensive and time consuming hardware changes afterwards.

  14. Virtual Labs and Virtual Worlds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boehler, Ted

    2006-12-01

    Virtual Labs and Virtual Worlds Coastline Community College has under development several virtual lab simulations and activities that range from biology, to language labs, to virtual discussion environments. Imagine a virtual world that students enter online, by logging onto their computer from home or anywhere they have web access. Upon entering this world they select a personalized identity represented by a digitized character (avatar) that can freely move about, interact with the environment, and communicate with other characters. In these virtual worlds, buildings, gathering places, conference rooms, labs, science rooms, and a variety of other “real world” elements are evident. When characters move about and encounter other people (players) they may freely communicate. They can examine things, manipulate objects, read signs, watch video clips, hear sounds, and jump to other locations. Goals of critical thinking, social interaction, peer collaboration, group support, and enhanced learning can be achieved in surprising new ways with this innovative approach to peer-to-peer communication in a virtual discussion world. In this presentation, short demos will be given of several online learning environments including a virtual biology lab, a marine science module, a Spanish lab, and a virtual discussion world. Coastline College has been a leader in the development of distance learning and media-based education for nearly 30 years and currently offers courses through PDA, Internet, DVD, CD-ROM, TV, and Videoconferencing technologies. Its distance learning program serves over 20,000 students every year. sponsor Jerry Meisner

  15. Attracting STEM talent: do STEM students prefer traditional or work/life-interaction labs?

    PubMed

    DeFraine, William C; Williams, Wendy M; Ceci, Stephen J

    2014-01-01

    The demand for employees trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to increase, yet the number of Millennial students pursuing STEM is not keeping pace. We evaluated whether this shortfall is associated with Millennials' preference for flexibility and work/life-interaction in their careers-a preference that may be inconsistent with the traditional idea of a science career endorsed by many lab directors. Two contrasting approaches to running STEM labs and training students were explored, and we created a lab recruitment video depicting each. The work-focused video emphasized the traditional notions of a science lab, characterized by long work hours and a focus on individual achievement and conducting research above all else. In contrast, the work/life-interaction-focused video emphasized a more progressive view - lack of demarcation between work and non-work lives, flexible hours, and group achievement. In Study 1, 40 professors rated the videos, and the results confirmed that the two lab types reflected meaningful real-world differences in training approaches. In Study 2, we recruited 53 current and prospective graduate students in STEM fields who displayed high math-identification and a commitment to science careers. In a between-subjects design, they watched one of the two lab-recruitment videos, and then reported their anticipated sense of belonging to and desire to participate in the lab depicted in the video. Very large effects were observed on both primary measures: Participants who watched the work/life-interaction-focused video reported a greater sense of belonging to (d = 1.49) and desire to participate in (d = 1.33) the lab, relative to participants who watched the work-focused video. These results suggest Millennials possess a strong desire for work/life-interaction, which runs counter to the traditional lab-training model endorsed by many lab directors. We discuss implications of these findings for STEM

  16. SU-E-T-157: CARMEN: A MatLab-Based Research Platform for Monte Carlo Treatment Planning (MCTP) and Customized System for Planning Evaluation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Baeza, J.A.; Ureba, A.; Jimenez-Ortega, E.

    Purpose: Although there exist several radiotherapy research platforms, such as: CERR, the most widely used and referenced; SlicerRT, which allows treatment plan comparison from various sources; and MMCTP, a full MCTP system; it is still needed a full MCTP toolset that provides users complete control of calculation grids, interpolation methods and filters in order to “fairly” compare results from different TPSs, supporting verification with experimental measurements. Methods: This work presents CARMEN, a MatLab-based platform including multicore and GPGPU accelerated functions for loading RT data; designing treatment plans; and evaluating dose matrices and experimental data.CARMEN supports anatomic and functional imaging inmore » DICOM format, as well as RTSTRUCT, RTPLAN and RTDOSE. Besides, it contains numerous tools to accomplish the MCTP process, managing egs4phant and phase space files.CARMEN planning mode assist in designing IMRT, VMAT and MERT treatments via both inverse and direct optimization. The evaluation mode contains a comprehensive toolset (e.g. 2D/3D gamma evaluation, difference matrices, profiles, DVH, etc.) to compare datasets from commercial TPS, MC simulations (i.e. 3ddose) and radiochromic film in a user-controlled manner. Results: CARMEN has been validated against commercial RTPs and well-established evaluation tools, showing coherent behavior of its multiple algorithms. Furthermore, CARMEN platform has been used to generate competitive complex treatment that has been published in comparative studies. Conclusion: A new research oriented MCTP platform with a customized validation toolset has been presented. Despite of being coded with a high-level programming language, CARMEN is agile due to the use of parallel algorithms. The wide-spread use of MatLab provides straightforward access to CARMEN’s algorithms to most researchers. Similarly, our platform can benefit from the MatLab community scientific developments as filters, registration

  17. GeneLab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berrios, Daniel C.; Thompson, Terri G.

    2015-01-01

    NASA GeneLab is expected to capture and distribute omics data and experimental and process conditions most relevant to research community in their statistical and theoretical analysis of NASAs omics data.

  18. Peer assessment of student-produced mechanics lab report videos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

    2017-12-01

    We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings to lab reports than do experts, that peers begin the semester by giving high ratings most frequently and end the semester with frequent middle ratings, and that peers go through the semester without much change in the frequency of low ratings. We then use student interviews to develop a model for student engagement with peer assessment. This model is based on two competing influences which appear to shape peer evaluation behavior: a strong disinclination to give poor ratings with a complementary preference to give high ratings when in doubt, and an attempt to develop an expertlike criticality when assessing peers' work.

  19. Awakening interest in the natural sciences - BASF's Kids' Labs.

    PubMed

    Lang, Cinthia

    2012-01-01

    At BASF's Ludwigshafen headquarters, kids and young adults in grades 1-13 can learn about chemistry in the Kids' Labs. Different programs exist for different levels of knowledge. In the two 'Hands-on Lab H(2)O & Co.' Kids' Labs, students from grades 1-6 explore the secrets of chemistry. BASF Kids' Labs have now been set up in over 30 countries. In Switzerland alone, almost 2,000 students have taken part in the 'Water Loves Chemistry' Kids' Lab since it was started in 2011. In Alsace, 600 students have participated to date. In the Teens' Lab 'Xplore Middle School', middle school students explore five different programs with the themes 'substance labyrinth', 'nutrition', 'coffee, caffeine & co.', 'cosmetics' and 'energy'. Biotechnological methods are the focus of the Teens' Lab 'Xplore Biotech' for students taking basic and advanced biology courses. In the 'Xplore High School' Teens' Lab, chemistry teachers present their own experimental lab instruction for students in basic and advanced chemistry courses. The Virtual Lab has been expanding the offerings of the BASF Kids' Labs since 2011. The online lab was developed by the company for the International Year Of Chemistry and gives kids and young adults the opportunity to do interactive experiments outside of the lab.

  20. Curricular Adaptations in Introductory Physics Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dreyfus, Benjamin W.; Ewell, Mary; Moore, Kimberly

    2017-01-01

    When curricular materials are disseminated to new sites, there can be a tension between fidelity to the original intent of the developers and adaptation to local needs. In this case study we look at a lab activity that was initially developed for an introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) course at the University of Maryland, then implemented at George Mason University with significant adaptations. The goals of the two implementations were overlapping, but also differed in ways that are reflected in the two versions of the lab. We compare student lab report data from the two sites to examine the impacts of the adaptation on how students engaged with the lab.

  1. Lab architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crease, Robert P.

    2008-04-01

    There are few more dramatic illustrations of the vicissitudes of laboratory architecturethan the contrast between Building 20 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and its replacement, the Ray and Maria Stata Center. Building 20 was built hurriedly in 1943 as temporary housing for MIT's famous Rad Lab, the site of wartime radar research, and it remained a productive laboratory space for over half a century. A decade ago it was demolished to make way for the Stata Center, an architecturally striking building designed by Frank Gehry to house MIT's computer science and artificial intelligence labs (above). But in 2004 - just two years after the Stata Center officially opened - the building was criticized for being unsuitable for research and became the subject of still ongoing lawsuits alleging design and construction failures.

  2. Generalized Nanosatellite Avionics Testbed Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frost, Chad R.; Sorgenfrei, Matthew C.; Nehrenz, Matt

    2015-01-01

    The Generalized Nanosatellite Avionics Testbed (G-NAT) lab at NASA Ames Research Center provides a flexible, easily accessible platform for developing hardware and software for advanced small spacecraft. A collaboration between the Mission Design Division and the Intelligent Systems Division, the objective of the lab is to provide testing data and general test protocols for advanced sensors, actuators, and processors for CubeSat-class spacecraft. By developing test schemes for advanced components outside of the standard mission lifecycle, the lab is able to help reduce the risk carried by advanced nanosatellite or CubeSat missions. Such missions are often allocated very little time for testing, and too often the test facilities must be custom-built for the needs of the mission at hand. The G-NAT lab helps to eliminate these problems by providing an existing suite of testbeds that combines easily accessible, commercial-offthe- shelf (COTS) processors with a collection of existing sensors and actuators.

  3. Peer Assessment of Student-Produced Mechanics Lab Report Videos

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

    2017-01-01

    We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings…

  4. Evaluation of single crystal LaB6 cathodes for use in a high frequency backward wave oscillator tube

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Swanson, L. W.; Davis, P. R.; Schwind, G. A.

    1984-01-01

    The results of thermionic emission and evaporation studies of single crystal LaB6 cathodes are given. A comparison between the (100), (210) and (310) crystal planes shows the (310) and (210) planes to possess a work function approx 0.2 eV lower than (100). This translates into a significant increase in current density, J, at a specified temperature. Comparison with a state-of-the-art impregnated dispenser cathode shows that LaB6 (310) is a superior cathode in nearly all respects except operating temperature at j 10 A/sq cm. The 1600 K thermionic and room temperature retarding potential work functions for LaB6 (310) are 2.42 and 2.50 respectively.

  5. Planning a Computer Lab: Considerations To Ensure Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    IALL Journal of Language Learning Technologies, 1994

    1994-01-01

    Presents points to consider when organizing a computer laboratory. These include the lab's overall objectives and how best to meet them; what type of students will use the lab; where the lab will be located; and what software and hardware can best meet the lab's overall objectives, population, and location requirements. Other factors include time,…

  6. TQM in a Computer Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, Dewey A.; Phillips, Julie A.

    At the Purdue University School of Technology (PST) at Columbus, Indiana, the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy was used in the computer laboratories to better meet student needs. A customer satisfaction survey was conducted to gather data on lab facilities, lab assistants, and hardware/software; other sections of the survey included…

  7. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Synthesis Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Scattering and Instrumentation Science Centers Center for Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Sciences Division About Organization Contact Research Core Programs Materials Discovery, Design and

  8. EPICS Channel Access Server for LabVIEW

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhukov, Alexander P.

    It can be challenging to interface National Instruments LabVIEW (http://www.ni.com/labview/) with EPICS (http://www.aps.anl.gov/epics/). Such interface is required when an instrument control program was developed in LabVIEW but it also has to be part of global control system. This is frequently useful in big accelerator facilities. The Channel Access Server is written in LabVIEW, so it works on any hardware/software platform where LabVIEW is available. It provides full server functionality, so any EPICS client can communicate with it.

  9. Affordable Imaging Lab for Noninvasive Analysis of Biomass and Early Vigour in Cereal Crops

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Plant phenotyping by imaging allows automated analysis of plants for various morphological and physiological traits. In this work, we developed a low-cost RGB imaging phenotyping lab (LCP lab) for low-throughput imaging and analysis using affordable imaging equipment and freely available software. LCP lab comprising RGB imaging and analysis pipeline is set up and demonstrated with early vigour analysis in wheat. Using this lab, a few hundred pots can be photographed in a day and the pots are tracked with QR codes. The software pipeline for both imaging and analysis is built from freely available software. The LCP lab was evaluated for early vigour analysis of five wheat cultivars. A high coefficient of determination (R2 0.94) was obtained between the dry weight and the projected leaf area of 20-day-old wheat plants and R2 of 0.9 for the relative growth rate between 10 and 20 days of plant growth. Detailed description for setting up such a lab is provided together with custom scripts built for imaging and analysis. The LCP lab is an affordable alternative for analysis of cereal crops when access to a high-throughput phenotyping facility is unavailable or when the experiments require growing plants in highly controlled climate chambers. The protocols described in this work are useful for building affordable imaging system for small-scale research projects and for education. PMID:29850536

  10. Teaching About Theory-Laden Observation to Secondary Students Through Manipulated Lab Inquiry Experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lau, Kwok-chi; Chan, Shi-lun

    2013-10-01

    This study seeks to develop and evaluate a modified lab inquiry approach to teaching about nature of science (NOS) to secondary students. Different from the extended, open-ended inquiry, this approach makes use of shorter lab inquiry activities in which one or several specific NOS aspects are manipulated deliberately so that students are compelled to experience and then reflect on these NOS aspects. In this study, to let students experience theory-laden observation, they were provided with different "theories" in order to bias their observations in the lab inquiry. Then, in the post-lab discussion, the teacher guided students to reflect on their own experience and explicitly taught about theory-ladenness. This study employs a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design using the historical approach as the control group. The results show that the manipulated lab inquiry approach was much more effective than the historical approach in fostering students' theory-laden views, and it was even more effective when the two approaches were combined. Besides, the study also sought to examine the practical epistemological beliefs of students concerning theory-ladenness, but limited evidence could be found.

  11. Attracting STEM Talent: Do STEM Students Prefer Traditional or Work/Life-Interaction Labs?

    PubMed Central

    DeFraine, William C.; Williams, Wendy M.; Ceci, Stephen J.

    2014-01-01

    The demand for employees trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to increase, yet the number of Millennial students pursuing STEM is not keeping pace. We evaluated whether this shortfall is associated with Millennials' preference for flexibility and work/life-interaction in their careers-a preference that may be inconsistent with the traditional idea of a science career endorsed by many lab directors. Two contrasting approaches to running STEM labs and training students were explored, and we created a lab recruitment video depicting each. The work-focused video emphasized the traditional notions of a science lab, characterized by long work hours and a focus on individual achievement and conducting research above all else. In contrast, the work/life-interaction-focused video emphasized a more progressive view – lack of demarcation between work and non-work lives, flexible hours, and group achievement. In Study 1, 40 professors rated the videos, and the results confirmed that the two lab types reflected meaningful real-world differences in training approaches. In Study 2, we recruited 53 current and prospective graduate students in STEM fields who displayed high math-identification and a commitment to science careers. In a between-subjects design, they watched one of the two lab-recruitment videos, and then reported their anticipated sense of belonging to and desire to participate in the lab depicted in the video. Very large effects were observed on both primary measures: Participants who watched the work/life-interaction-focused video reported a greater sense of belonging to (d = 1.49) and desire to participate in (d = 1.33) the lab, relative to participants who watched the work-focused video. These results suggest Millennials possess a strong desire for work/life-interaction, which runs counter to the traditional lab-training model endorsed by many lab directors. We discuss implications of these findings for

  12. Future{at}Labs.Prosperity Game{trademark}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beck, D.F.; Boyack, K.W.; Berman, M.

    Prosperity Games{trademark} are an outgrowth and adaptation of move/countermove and seminar War Games, Prosperity Games{trademark} are simulations that explore complex issues in a variety of areas including economics, politics, sociology, environment, education, and research. These issues can be examined from a variety of perspectives ranging from global, macroeconomic and geopolitical viewpoint down to the details of customer/supplier/market interactions specific industries. All Prosperity Games{trademark} are unique in that both the game format and the player contributions vary from game to game. This report documents the Future{at}Labs.Prosperity Game{trademark} conducted under the sponsorship of the Industry Advisory Boards of the national labs, themore » national labs, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and the University of California. Players were drawn from all stakeholders involved including government, industry, labs, and academia. The primary objectives of this game were to: (1) explore ways to optimize the role of the multidisciplinary labs in serving national missions and needs; (2) explore ways to increase collaboration and partnerships among government, laboratories, universities, and industry; and (3) create a network of partnership champions to promote findings and policy options. The deliberations and recommendations of these players provided valuable insights as to the views of this diverse group of decision makers concerning the future of the labs.« less

  13. Design of inquiry-oriented science labs: impacts on students' attitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baseya, J. M.; Francis, C. D.

    2011-11-01

    Background: Changes in lab style can lead to differences in learning. Two inquiry-oriented lab styles are guided inquiry (GI) and problem-based (PB). Students' attitudes towards lab are important to consider when choosing between GI and PB styles during curriculum design. Purpose: We examined the degree to which lab experiences are explained by a GI or a PB lab style vs. students' attitudes towards specific aspects of the experience, reflected by perceived excitement (exc), difficulty (dif), time efficiency (eff) and association between lab and lecture material (help). Sample: Approximately 1000 students attending first-semester, college biology lab for science majors at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, participated in the study. Design and method: In 2007, two labs were run as GI and one as PB. Formats were switched in 2008. Attitudes were assessed with a post-semester survey. Results: Only the four attitude variables (not lab style) had a strong relationship with overall lab rating which was most strongly related to exc, followed by dif and help/eff. Dif and eff had the greatest influence on attitudes for or against GI vs. PB labs, and help and exc had little influence on a GI vs. a PB lab. Also, when dif was low, students' attitudes were not significantly different between PB and GI labs, but when dif was high, students' significantly rated GI labs higher than PB labs. Conclusions: Students' attitudes towards lab are more dependent on specific aspects of the experience than on lab style. Changes in GI vs. PB lab styles primarily influence dif and eff rather than exc and help. Dif may be an important factor to consider when implementing a lab in the PB vs. the GI format. It might be good to go with a GI when dif is high and a PB when dif is low.

  14. Science Lab: A Peer Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ronca, Courtney C.

    The two goals of this program were to increase the number of classroom teachers using the lab and to increase the amount of time that the science lab was used. The solution strategy chosen was a combination of peer tutoring, orientation presentations, small group discovery experiments and activities, and individual science experiment stations. The…

  15. LANGUAGE LABS--AN UPDATED REPORT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1963

    REPORTS FROM SEVERAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON THE USE OF AND PLANNING OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES ARE PRESENTED. LABORATORIES SHOULD BE ARRANGED FOR FLEXIBLE USE. THE AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CAN USE A LAB PROFITABLY FOR 20 TO 25 MINUTES. THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES THAT ARE DESCRIBED. THE SATELLITE LAB IS DIVIDED BY A…

  16. Academic Pipeline and Futures Lab

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-02-01

    AFRL-RY-WP-TR-2015-0186 ACADEMIC PIPELINE AND FUTURES LAB Brian D. Rigling Wright State University FEBRUARY 2016...DD-MM-YY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) February 2016 Final 12 June 2009 – 30 September 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE ACADEMIC ...6 3 WSU ACADEMIC PIPELINE AND LAYERED SENSING FUTURES LAB (prepared by K

  17. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Synthesis Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Scattering and Instrumentation Science Centers Center for materials and phenomena at multiple time and length scales. Through our core programs and research centers Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials

  18. Towards a Manifesto for Living Lab Co-creation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Følstad, Asbjørn; Brandtzæg, Petter Bae; Gulliksen, Jan; Börjeson, Mikael; Näkki, Pirjo

    There is a growing interest in Living Labs for innovation and development in the field of information and communication technology. In particular there seem to be a tendency that current Living Labs aim to involve users for co-creative purposes. However, the current literature on Living Lab co-creation is severely limited. Therefore an Interact workshop is arranged as a first step towards a manifesto for Living Lab co-creation.

  19. DISC1, PDE4B, and NDE1 at the centrosome and synapse

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bradshaw, Nicholas J.; Ogawa, Fumiaki; Antolin-Fontes, Beatriz

    Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a risk factor for schizophrenia and other major mental illnesses. Its protein binding partners include the Nuclear Distribution Factor E Homologs (NDE1 and NDEL1), LIS1, and phosphodiesterases 4B and 4D (PDE4B and PDE4D). We demonstrate that NDE1, NDEL1 and LIS1, together with their binding partner dynein, associate with DISC1, PDE4B and PDE4D within the cell, and provide evidence that this complex is present at the centrosome. LIS1 and NDEL1 have been previously suggested to be synaptic, and we now demonstrate localisation of DISC1, NDE1, and PDE4B at synapses in cultured neurons. NDE1 is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependantmore » Protein Kinase A (PKA), whose activity is, in turn, regulated by the cAMP hydrolysis activity of phosphodiesterases, including PDE4. We propose that DISC1 acts as an assembly scaffold for all of these proteins and that the NDE1/NDEL1/LIS1/dynein complex is modulated by cAMP levels via PKA and PDE4.« less

  20. Undergraduate Labs for Biological Physics: Brownian Motion and Optical Trapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chu, Kelvin; Laughney, A.; Williams, J.

    2006-12-01

    We describe a set of case-study driven labs for an upper-division biological physics course. These labs are motivated by case-studies and consist of inquiry-driven investigations of Brownian motion and optical-trapping experiments. Each lab incorporates two innovative educational techniques to drive the process and application aspects of scientific learning. Case studies are used to encourage students to think independently and apply the scientific method to a novel lab situation. Student input from this case study is then used to decide how to best do the measurement, guide the project and ultimately evaluate the success of the program. Where appropriate, visualization and simulation using VPython is used. Direct visualization of Brownian motion allows students to directly calculate Avogadro's number or the Boltzmann constant. Following case-study driven discussion, students use video microscopy to measure the motion of latex spheres in different viscosity fluids arrive at a good approximation of NA or kB. Optical trapping (laser tweezer) experiments allow students to investigate the consequences of 100-pN forces on small particles. The case study consists of a discussion of the Boltzmann distribution and equipartition theorem followed by a consideration of the shape of the potential. Students can then use video capture to measure the distribution of bead positions to determine the shape and depth of the trap. This work supported by NSF DUE-0536773.

  1. Berkeley Lab 2nd Grader Outreach

    ScienceCinema

    Scoggins, Jackie; Louie, Virginia

    2017-12-11

    The Berkeley Lab IT Department sponsored a community outreach program aimed at teaching young children about computers and networks. Second graders from LeConte Elementary School joined Lab IT Staff for a day of in-depth exercises and fun.

  2. Student-Designed Experiments: A Pedagogical Design for Introductory Science Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coker, Jeffrey Scott

    2017-01-01

    Despite numerous calls for science education to be driven by authentic investigation, many laboratory experiences continue to consist of disconnected weekly units during which students carry out instructions that lead to some predetermined finding. This study developed and evaluated a pedagogical design for introductory biology labs where students…

  3. Labs: 1987.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Igelsrud, Don, Ed.

    1988-01-01

    This article presents a variety of topics discussed in this column and at a biology teachers' workshop concerning the quality and value of lab techniques used for teaching high school biology. Topics included are Drosophila salivary glands, sea urchins, innovations, dyes and networking. (CW)

  4. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    -486-6999 Urgent Radiation Protection Group Assistance Non-Life Threatening Event 24/7 Lab Phone: x7277 : 911 (no extentions required now) Non-Emergency Reporting (Fire and Police) Non-Life Threatening Event Spill Non-Life Threatening Event 24/7 Lab Phone: x6999 Cell Phone: 510-486-6999 Off Site Locations: 510

  5. Report from the banding lab

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tautin, J.

    1995-01-01

    Mr. Tautin reported on the seemingly everchanging structure of biological science units within the Interior Department. Current Congressional proposals would either change the name of the Bird Banding Lab's parent agency or make it part of the Geological Survey. The current Congress has not looked favorably on science budgets within the Interior Department, and the Banding Lab's budget is being squeezed ever tighter.

  6. Computer-based Astronomy Labs for Non-science Majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, A. B. E.; Murray, S. D.; Ward, R. A.

    1998-12-01

    We describe and demonstrate two laboratory exercises, Kepler's Third Law and Stellar Structure, which are being developed for use in an astronomy laboratory class aimed at non-science majors. The labs run with Microsoft's Excel 98 (Macintosh) or Excel 97 (Windows). They can be run in a classroom setting or in an independent learning environment. The intent of the labs is twofold; first and foremost, students learn the subject matter through a series of informational frames. Next, students enhance their understanding by applying their knowledge in lab procedures, while also gaining familiarity with the use and power of a widely-used software package and scientific tool. No mathematical knowledge beyond basic algebra is required to complete the labs or to understand the computations in the spreadsheets, although the students are exposed to the concepts of numerical integration. The labs are contained in Excel workbook files. In the files are multiple spreadsheets, which contain either a frame with information on how to run the lab, material on the subject, or one or more procedures. Excel's VBA macro language is used to automate the labs. The macros are accessed through button interfaces positioned on the spreadsheets. This is done intentionally so that students can focus on learning the subject matter and the basic spreadsheet features without having to learn advanced Excel features all at once. Students open the file and progress through the informational frames to the procedures. After each procedure, student comments and data are automatically recorded in a preformatted Lab Report spreadsheet. Once all procedures have been completed, the student is prompted for a filename in which to save their Lab Report. The lab reports can then be printed or emailed to the instructor. The files will have full worksheet and workbook protection, and will have a "redo" feature at the end of the lab for students who want to repeat a procedure.

  7. EarthLabs Modules: Engaging Students In Extended, Rigorous Investigations Of The Ocean, Climate and Weather

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manley, J.; Chegwidden, D.; Mote, A. S.; Ledley, T. S.; Lynds, S. E.; Haddad, N.; Ellins, K.

    2016-02-01

    EarthLabs, envisioned as a national model for high school Earth or Environmental Science lab courses, is adaptable for both undergraduate middle school students. The collection includes ten online modules that combine to feature a global view of our planet as a dynamic, interconnected system, by engaging learners in extended investigations. EarthLabs support state and national guidelines, including the NGSS, for science content. Four modules directly guide students to discover vital aspects of the oceans while five other modules incorporate ocean sciences in order to complete an understanding of Earth's climate system. Students gain a broad perspective on the key role oceans play in fishing industry, droughts, coral reefs, hurricanes, the carbon cycle, as well as life on land and in the seas to drive our changing climate by interacting with scientific research data, manipulating satellite imagery, numerical data, computer visualizations, experiments, and video tutorials. Students explore Earth system processes and build quantitative skills that enable them to objectively evaluate scientific findings for themselves as they move through ordered sequences that guide the learning. As a robust collection, EarthLabs modules engage students in extended, rigorous investigations allowing a deeper understanding of the ocean, climate and weather. This presentation provides an overview of the ten curriculum modules that comprise the EarthLabs collection developed by TERC and found at http://serc.carleton.edu/earthlabs/index.html. Evaluation data on the effectiveness and use in secondary education classrooms will be summarized.

  8. Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water Concentrates in the Four Lab Study

    EPA Science Inventory

    The purpose of the Four Lab study was to evaluate potential health effects from exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs). Unchlorinated water taken from a full-scale drinking water treatment plant was concentrated and chlorinated to form DBPs. Both the unchlorinated (control...

  9. RiskLab - a joint Teaching Lab on Hazard and Risk Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baruffini, Mi.; Baruffini, Mo.; Thuering, M.

    2009-04-01

    In the future natural disasters are expected to increase due to climatic changes that strongly affect environmental, social and economical systems. For this reason and because of the limited resources, governments require analytical risk analysis for a better mitigation planning. Risk analysis is a process to determine the nature and extent of risk by estimating potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that could pose a potential threat or harm to people, property, livelihoods and environment. This process has become a generally accepted approach for the assessment of cost-benefit scenarios; originating from technical risks it is being applied to natural hazards for several years now in Switzerland. Starting from these premises "Risk Lab", a joint collaboration between the Institute of Earth Sciences of the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland and the Institute for Economic Research of the University of Lugano, has been started in 2006, aiming to become a competence centre about Risk Analysis and Evaluation. The main issue studied by the lab concerns the topic "What security at what price?" and the activities follow the philosophy of the integral risk management as proposed by PLANAT, that defines the process as a cycle that contains different and interrelated phases. The final aim is to change the population and technician idea about risk from "defending against danger" to "being aware of risks" through a proper academic course specially addressed to young people. In fact the most important activity of the laboratory consists in a degree course, offered both to Engineering and Architecture students of the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland and Economy Students of the University of Lugano. The course is structured in two main parts: an introductive, theoretical part, composed by class lessons, where the main aspects of natural hazards, risk perception and evaluation and risk management are presented

  10. Solar photocatalitycal treatment of carbofuran at lab and pilot scale: effect of classical parameters, evaluation of the toxicity and analysis of organic by-products.

    PubMed

    Lopez-Alvarez, Blady; Torres-Palma, Ricardo A; Peñuela, Gustavo

    2011-07-15

    In this work the TiO(2) solar-photocatalytical degradation of the pesticide carbofuran (CBF) in water, at lab and pilot scale, was studied. At lab scale the evaluation of CBF concentration (14-282 μmol L(-1)) showed that the system followed a Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics type. TiO(2) concentration (0.05-2 g L(-1)) and initial pH (3-9) were also evaluated and optimized using the surface response methodology and the Pareto diagram. In the range of variables studied, initial pH 7.60 and 1.43 g L(-1) of TiO(2) favoured the efficiency of the process. Under optimal conditions the evolution of substrate, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon, toxicity and organics by-products were evaluated. In the pilot scale tests, using direct sunlight, 55 mg L(-1) of CBF in a commercial formulation was eliminated after 420 min; while after 900 min of treatment 80% of toxicity (1/E(50) on Vibrium Fischeri), 80% of chemical oxygen demand and 60% of dissolved organic carbon were removed. The analysis and evolution of five CBF by-products, as well the evaluation of the treatment in the presence of isopropanol or using acetonitrile as a solvent suggest that the degradation is mainly carried out by OH radical attack. Finally, a schema depicting the main degradation pathway is proposed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Race to improve student understanding of uncertainty: Using LEGO race cars in the physics lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parappilly, Maria; Hassam, Christopher; Woodman, Richard J.

    2018-01-01

    Laboratories using LEGO race cars were developed for students in an introductory physics topic with a high early drop-out rate. In a 2014 pilot study, the labs were offered to improve students' confidence with experiments and laboratory skills, especially uncertainty propagation. This intervention was extended into the intro level physics topic the next year, for comparison and evaluation. Considering the pilot study, we subsequently adapted the delivery of the LEGO labs for a large Engineering Mechanics cohort. A qualitative survey of the students was taken to gain insight into their perception of the incorporation of LEGO race cars into physics labs. For Engineering, the findings show that LEGO physics was instrumental in teaching students the measurement and uncertainty, improving their lab reporting skills, and was a key factor in reducing the early attrition rate. This paper briefly recalls the results of the pilot study, and how variations in the delivery yielded better learning outcomes. A novel method is proposed for how LEGO race cars in a physics lab can help students increase their understanding of uncertainty and motivate them towards physics practicals.

  12. Innovation - A view from the Lab

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The USDA Ag Lab in Peoria helps bridge the gap between agricultural producers and commercial manufacturers. In 2015, the Ag Lab, officially known as the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), is celebrating 75 years of research in Peoria. T...

  13. LABS Foundational Technology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Olson, Jerry

    2012-01-01

    They are the inventors of our generation dedicated to exceptional science, advancing the technologies of tomorrow. CO-LABS honors the outstanding achievements of researchers and their impact on the world.

  14. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Investigators Ager, Joel W » Alivisatos, A Paul » Altman, Ehud » Analytis, James » Anderson, Christopher  , Naomi » Gullikson, Eric M » Harris, Stephen J » Hasan, M. Zahid » Hellman, Frances » Helms, Brett A

  15. Experiential Learning of Digital Communication Using LabVIEW

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhan, Wei; Porter, Jay R.; Morgan, Joseph A.

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses the design and implementation of laboratories and course projects using LabVIEW in an instrumentation course. The pedagogical challenge is to enhance students' learning of digital communication using LabVIEW. LabVIEW was extensively used in the laboratory sessions, which better prepared students for the course projects. Two…

  16. Analysis of a Constellation Lab Cooperative Learning Activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gauthier, A. J.

    2001-12-01

    A cooperative learning activity was designed for use in the undergraduate laboratory course Introduction to Astronomical Observation. This group exercise enhances the student's learning of constellations and will hopefully increase retention of the material throughout the semester. It also serves as an "ice-breaker" during the first week of lab, promoting student involvement and vested interest in the course. To gain some insight into the student mind, a survey was conducted to evaluate the usefulness and overall opinion of this method. The students who completed the survey had previously been enrolled in a pre-requisite astronomy course that also required a constellation lab. In this previous course they "learned" the constellations from an instructor and a flashlight beam, studied them on their own, and then promptly took a quiz. Both methods are analyzed from an instructional designer's point of view and suggestions for future activities are presented. The preliminary results and accompanying activity will be discussed in poster and hand-out medium.

  17. Trait rumination and response to negative evaluative lab-induced stress: neuroendocrine, affective, and cognitive outcomes.

    PubMed

    Vrshek-Schallhorn, Suzanne; Velkoff, Elizabeth A; Zinbarg, Richard E

    2018-04-06

    Theoretical models of depression posit that, under stress, elevated trait rumination predicts more pronounced or prolonged negative affective and neuroendocrine responses, and that trait rumination hampers removing irrelevant negative information from working memory. We examined several gaps regarding these models in the context of lab-induced stress. Non-depressed undergraduates completed a rumination questionnaire and either a negative-evaluative Trier Social Stress Test (n = 55) or a non-evaluative control condition (n = 69), followed by a modified Sternberg affective working memory task assessing the extent to which irrelevant negative information can be emptied from working memory. We measured shame, negative and positive affect, and salivary cortisol four times. Multilevel growth curve models showed rumination and stress interactively predicted cortisol reactivity; however, opposite predictions, greater rumination was associated with blunted cortisol reactivity to stress. Elevated trait rumination interacted with stress to predict augmented shame reactivity. Rumination and stress did not significantly interact to predict working memory performance, but under control conditions, rumination predicted greater difficulty updating working memory. Results support a vulnerability-stress model of trait rumination with heightened shame reactivity and cortisol dysregulation rather than hyper-reactivity in non-depressed emerging adults, but we cannot provide evidence that working memory processes are critical immediately following acute stress.

  18. Practical Physics Labs: A Resource Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Peter

    This resource manual focuses on physics labs that relate to the world around us and utilize simple equipment and situations. Forty-five laboratories are included that relate to thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, dynamics, optics, wave transmission, centripetal force, and atomic physics. Each lab has three sections. The first section…

  19. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program line the railings of an observation deck overlooking the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  20. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program try out some of the machinery inside the Prototype Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  1. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Mike Lane demonstrates a 3D scanner inside the NASA Kennedy Space Center Prototype Lab for students in the My Brother’s Keeper program. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  2. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Harold (Russ) McAmis demonstrates machinery inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Prototype Lab for students in the My Brother’s Keeper program. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  3. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs talks to students in the My Brother’s Keeper program outside the Florida spaceport’s Swamp Works Lab. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  4. Baseball Physics: A New Mechanics Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagoner, Kasey; Flanagan, Daniel

    2018-05-01

    The game of baseball provides an interesting laboratory for experimenting with mechanical phenomena (there are many good examples in The Physics Teacher, available on Professor Alan Nathan's website, and discussed in Physics of Baseball & Softball). We have developed a lab, for an introductory-level physics course, that investigates many of these phenomena. The lab uses inexpensive, readily available equipment such as wooden baseball bats, baseballs, and actual Major League Baseball data. By the end of the lab, students have revisited many concepts they learned earlier in the semester and come away with an understanding of how to put seemingly disparate ideas together to analyze a fun sport.

  5. Teaching Chemistry Lab Safety through Comics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    di Raddo, Pasquale

    2006-04-01

    As a means for raising students' interest in aspects pertaining to chemistry lab safety, this article presents a novel approach to teaching this important subject. Comic book lab scenes that involve fictional characters familiar to many students are presented and discussed as to the safety concerns represented in those images. These are discussed in a safety prelab session. For the sake of comparison, students are then shown images taken from current chemistry journals of safety-conscious contemporary chemists at work in their labs. Finally the need to adhere to copyright regulations for the use of the images is discussed so as to increase students' awareness of academic honesty and copyright issues.

  6. The effectiveness of computerized drug-lab alerts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Bayoumi, Imaan; Al Balas, Mosab; Handler, Steven M; Dolovich, Lisa; Hutchison, Brian; Holbrook, Anne

    2014-06-01

    Inadequate lab monitoring of drugs is a potential cause of ADEs (adverse drug events) which is remediable. To determine the effectiveness of computerized drug-lab alerts to improve medication-related outcomes. Citations from the Computerized Clinical Decision Support System Systematic Review (CCDSSR) and MMIT (Medications Management through Health Information Technology) databases, which had searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts from 1974 to March 27, 2013. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of clinician-targeted computerized drug lab alerts conducted in any healthcare setting. Two reviewers performed full text review to determine study eligibility. A single reviewer abstracted data and evaluated validity of included studies using Cochrane handbook domains. Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria (25 single drug studies with 22,504 participants, 14 targeting anticoagulation; 11 multi-drug studies with 56,769 participants). ADEs were reported as an outcome in only four trials, all targeting anticoagulants. Computerized drug-lab alerts did not reduce ADEs (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.79-1.00, p=0.05), length of hospital stay (SMD 0.00, 95%CI -0.93 to 0.93, p=0.055, 1 study), likelihood of hypoglycemia (OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.31-5.37) or likelihood of bleeding, but were associated with increased likelihood of prescribing changes (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.21-2.47) or lab monitoring (OR 1.47, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.94) in accordance with the alert. There is no evidence that computerized drug-lab alerts are associated with important clinical benefits, but there is evidence of improvement in selected clinical surrogate outcomes (time in therapeutic range for vitamin K antagonists), and changes in process outcomes (lab monitoring and prescribing decisions). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Hydrogel Beads: The New Slime Lab?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brockway, Debra; Libera, Matthew; Welner, Heidi

    2011-01-01

    Creating slime fascinates students. Unfortunately, though intrigue is at its peak, the educational aspect of this activity is often minimal. This article describes a chemistry lab that closely relates to the slime lab and allows high school students to explore the concepts of chemical bonding, properties, and replacement reactions. It involves the…

  8. Seeing an Old Lab in a New Light: Transforming a Traditional Optics Lab into Full Guided Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maley, Tim; Stoll, Will; Demir, Kadir

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the authors' experiences transforming a "cookbook" lab into an inquiry-based investigation and the powerful effect the inquiry-oriented lab had on our students' understanding of lenses. We found the inquiry-oriented approach led to richer interactions between students as well as a deeper conceptual…

  9. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program watch as Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs demonstrates some of the hardware in the Electrostatic and Surface Physics Lab at the Florida spaceport. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  10. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program listen as Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs explains some of the hardware in the Electrostatic and Surface Physics Lab at the Florida spaceport. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  11. [Chances and Potential of a Modern Surgical Skills Lab as Substantial Practical Part of the Study of Human Medicine - "The Magdeburg Model"].

    PubMed

    Piatek, S; Altmann, S; Haß, H-J; Werwick, K; Winkler-Stuck, K; Zardo, P; von Daake, S; Baumann, B; Rahmanzadeh, A; Chiapponi, C; Reschke, K; Meyer, F

    2017-02-01

    Introduction: Surgical education of medical students within "skills labs" have not been standardised throughout Germany as yet; there is a substantial impact of available aspects such as personal and space at the various medical schools. Aim: The aim of this contribution is to illustrate the concept of a surgical skills lab in detail, including curricular teaching and integrated facultative courses at the Medical School, University of Magdeburg ("The Magdeburg Model") in the context of a new and reconstructed area for the skills lab at the Magdeburg's apprenticeship center for medical basic abilities (MAMBA). Method: We present an overview on the spectrum of curricular and facultative teaching activities within the surgical part of the skills lab. Student evaluation of this teaching concept is implemented using the programme "EvaSys" and evaluation forms adapted to the single courses. Results: By establishing MAMBA, the options for a practice-related surgical education have been substantially improved. Student evaluations of former courses presented within the skills lab and the chance of moving the skills lab into a more generous and reconstructed area led to a reorganisation of seminars and courses. New additional facultative courses held by student tutors have been introduced and have shown to be of great effect, in particular, because of their interdisciplinary character. Conclusion: Practice-related surgical education within a skills lab may have the potential to effectively prepare medical students for their professional life. In addition, it allows one to present and teach the most important basic skills in surgery, which need to be pursued by every student. An enthusiastic engagement of the Office for Student Affairs can be considered the crucial and indispensable link between clinical work and curricular as well as facultative teaching with regard to organisation and student evaluation. The practice-related teaching parts and contents at the surgical

  12. Supercharging Lessons with a Virtual Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Jefferson; Vincent, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    The authors describes their experiences incorporating the virtual lab into a simple circuit lesson during an energy unit in a sixth-grade class. The lesson included a hands-on group experiment using wire, batteries, and light bulbs to make a circuit and an online simulation, using a virtual lab. Class discussions, student inquiries, and the study…

  13. Magnetic Viscous Drag for Friction Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaffney, Chris; Catching, Adam

    2016-01-01

    The typical friction lab performed in introductory mechanics courses is usually not the favorite of either the student or the instructor. The measurements are not all that easy to make, and reproducibility is usually a troublesome issue. This paper describes the augmentation of such a friction lab with a study of the viscous drag on a magnet…

  14. Berkeley Lab Scientist Named MacArthur "Genius" Fellow for Audio

    Science.gov Websites

    Preservation Research | Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Directory Submit Web People Navigation Berkeley Lab Search Submit Web People Close About the Lab Leadership/Organization Calendar News to digitally recover a 128-year-old recording of Alexander Graham Bell's voice, enabling people to

  15. Flexible HVAC System for Lab or Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friedan, Jonathan

    2001-01-01

    Discusses an effort to design a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system flexible enough to accommodate an easy conversion of classrooms to laboratories and dry labs to wet labs. The design's energy efficiency and operations and maintenance are examined. (GR)

  16. Assessing Usage and Maximizing Finance Lab Impact: A Case Exploration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noguera, Magdy; Budden, Michael Craig; Silva, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports the results of a survey conducted to assess students' usage and perceptions of a finance lab. Finance labs differ from simple computer labs as they typically contain data boards, streaming market quotes, terminals and software that allow for real-time financial analyses. Despite the fact that such labs represent significant and…

  17. Design of Inquiry-Oriented Science Labs: Impacts on Students' Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baseya, J. M.; Francis, C. D.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Changes in lab style can lead to differences in learning. Two inquiry-oriented lab styles are guided inquiry (GI) and problem-based (PB). Students' attitudes towards lab are important to consider when choosing between GI and PB styles during curriculum design. Purpose: We examined the degree to which lab experiences are explained by a…

  18. Designing virtual science labs for the Islamic Academy of Delaware

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    AlZahrani, Nada Saeed

    Science education is a basic part of the curriculum in modern day classrooms. Instructional approaches to science education can take many forms but hands-on application of theory via science laboratory activities for the learner is common. Not all schools have the resources to provide the laboratory environment necessary for hands-on application of science theory. Some settings rely on technology to provide a virtual laboratory experience instead. The Islamic Academy of Delaware (IAD), a typical community-based organization, was formed to support and meet the essential needs of the Muslim community of Delaware. IAD provides science education as part of the overall curriculum, but cannot provide laboratory activities as part of the science program. Virtual science labs may be a successful model for students at IAD. This study was conducted to investigate the potential of implementing virtual science labs at IAD and to develop an implementation plan for integrating the virtual labs. The literature has shown us that the lab experience is a valuable part of the science curriculum (NBPTS, 2013, Wolf, 2010, National Research Council, 1997 & 2012). The National Research Council (2012) stressed the inclusion of laboratory investigations in the science curriculum. The literature also supports the use of virtual labs as an effective substitute for classroom labs (Babateen, 2011; National Science Teachers Association, 2008). Pyatt and Simms (2011) found evidence that virtual labs were as good, if not better than physical lab experiences in some respects. Although not identical in experience to a live lab, the virtual lab has been shown to provide the student with an effective laboratory experience in situations where the live lab is not possible. The results of the IAD teacher interviews indicate that the teachers are well-prepared for, and supportive of, the implementation of virtual labs to improve the science education curriculum. The investigator believes that with the

  19. Transforming the advanced lab: Part I - Learning goals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zwickl, Benjamin; Finkelstein, Noah; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2012-02-01

    Within the physics education research community relatively little attention has been given to laboratory courses, especially at the upper-division undergraduate level. As part of transforming our senior-level Optics and Modern Physics Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder we are developing learning goals, revising curricula, and creating assessments. In this paper, we report on the establishment of our learning goals and a surrounding framework that have emerged from discussions with a wide variety of faculty, from a review of the literature on labs, and from identifying the goals of existing lab courses. Our goals go beyond those of specific physics content and apparatus, allowing instructors to personalize them to their contexts. We report on four broad themes and associated learning goals: Modeling (math-physics-data connection, statistical error analysis, systematic error, modeling of engineered "black boxes"), Design (of experiments, apparatus, programs, troubleshooting), Communication, and Technical Lab Skills (computer-aided data analysis, LabVIEW, test and measurement equipment).

  20. Student Plagiarism and Faculty Responsibility in Undergraduate Engineering Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parameswaran, Ashvin; Devi, Poornima

    2006-01-01

    In undergraduate engineering labs, lab reports are routinely copied. By ignoring this form of plagiarism, teaching assistants and lab technicians neglect their role responsibility. By designing courses that facilitate it, however inadvertently, professors neglect their causal responsibility. Using the case of one university, we show via interviews…

  1. Evaluation of Cellular Shades in the PNNL Lab Homes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Petersen, Joseph M.; Sullivan, Greg; Cort, Katherine A.

    This report examines the energy performance of cellular shade window coverings in a matched pair of all-electric, factory-built “Lab Homes” located on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) campus in Richland, Washington. The 1500-square-foot homes were identical in construction and baseline performance, which allowed any difference in energy and thermal performance between the baseline home and the experimental home to be attributed to the retrofit technology installed in the experimental home. To assess the performance of high efficiency window attachments in a residential retrofit application, the building shell air leakage, energy use, and interior temperatures of each home were comparedmore » during the 2015 -2016 winter heating and summer cooling seasons. Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® Trielle™ opaque honeycomb “cellular” shades were installed over double-pane clear-glass, aluminum-frame primary windows in the experimental home and were compared to identical primary windows with no window coverings and with standard typical white vinyl horizontal blind window coverings in the baseline home.« less

  2. IBBR and Frederick National Lab Collaborate to Study Vaccine-Boosting Compounds | FNLCR Staging

    Cancer.gov

    The Frederick National Lab and the University of Maryland’s Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) will work under a formal collaboration to evaluate the effectiveness of new compounds that might be used to enhance the immune re

  3. Simulations, Games, and Virtual Labs for Science Education: a Compendium and Some Examples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Russell, R. M.

    2011-12-01

    We have assembled a list of computer-based simulations, games, and virtual labs for science education. This list, with links to the sources of these resources, is available online. The entries span a broad range of science, math, and engineering topics. They also span a range of target student ages, from elementary school to university students. We will provide a brief overview of this web site and the resources found on it. We will also briefly demonstrate some of our own educational simulations, including the "Very, Very Simple Climate Model", and report on formative evaluations of these resources. Computer-based simulations and virtual labs are valuable resources for science educators in various settings, allowing learners to experiment and explore "what if" scenarios. Educational computer games can motivate learners in both formal and informal settings, encouraging them to spend much more time exploring a topic than they might otherwise be inclined to do. Part of this presentation is effectively a "literature review" of numerous sources of simulations, games, and virtual labs. Although we have encountered several nice collections of such resources, those collections seem to be restricted in scope. They either represent materials developed by a specific group or agency (e.g. NOAA's games web site) or are restricted to a specific discipline (e.g. geology simulations and virtual labs). This presentation directs viewers to games, simulations, and virtual labs from many different sources and spanning a broad range of STEM disciplines.

  4. Creating a lab to facilitate high school student engagement in authentic paleoclimate science practices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maloney, A.; Walsh, E.

    2012-12-01

    A solid understanding of timescales is crucial for any climate change discussion. This hands-on lab was designed as part of a dual-credit climate change course in which high school students can receive college credit. Using homemade ice cores, students have the opportunity to participate in scientific practices associated with collecting, processing, and interpreting temperature and CO2 data. Exploring millennial-scale cycles in ice core data and extending the CO2 record to the present allows students to discover timescales from an investigators perspective. The Ice Core Lab has been piloted in two high school classrooms and student engagement, and epistemological and conceptual understanding was evaluated using quantitative pre and post assessment surveys. The process of creating this lab involved a partnership between an education assessment professional, high school teachers, and University of Washington professors and graduate students in Oceanography, Earth and Space Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences and the Learning Sciences as part of the NASA Global Climate Change University of Washington in the High School program. This interdisciplinary collaboration led to the inception of the lab and was necessary to ensure that the lesson plan was pedagogically appropriate and scientifically accurate. The lab fits into a unit about natural variability and is paired with additional hands-on activities created by other graduate students that explore short-timescale temperature variations, Milankovitch cycles, isotopes, and other proxies. While the Ice Core Lab is intended to follow units that review the scientific process, global energy budget, and transport, it can be modified to fit any teaching platform.

  5. Effectiveness of a Lab Manual Delivered on CD-ROM

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brickman, Peggy; Ketter, Catherine A. Teare; Pereira, Monica

    2005-01-01

    Although electronic instructional media are becoming increasingly prevalent in science classrooms, their worth remains unproven. Here, student perceptions and performance using CD-ROM delivery of lab materials are assessed. Numerous learning barriers that produced lower lab grades for students using a CD-ROM lab manual in comparison to a print…

  6. California State University, Northridge: Hybrid Lab Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    EDUCAUSE, 2014

    2014-01-01

    California State University, Northridge's Hybrid Lab course model targets high failure rate, multisection, gateway courses in which prerequisite knowledge is a key to success. The Hybrid Lab course model components incorporate interventions and practices that have proven successful at CSUN and other campuses in supporting students, particularly…

  7. The Portable Usability Testing Lab: A Flexible Research Tool.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hale, Michael E.; And Others

    A group of faculty at the University of Georgia obtained funding for a research and development facility called the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory (LPSL). One of the LPSL's primary needs was obtaining a portable usability lab for software testing, so the facility obtained the "Luggage Lab 2000." The lab is transportable to…

  8. Modifying Cookbook Labs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Robert, L.; Clough, Michael P.; Berg, Craig A.

    2000-01-01

    Modifies an extended lab activity from a cookbook approach for determining the percent mass of water in copper sulfate pentahydrate crystals to one which incorporates students' prior knowledge, engenders active mental struggling with prior knowledge and new experiences, and encourages metacognition. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

  9. Technologies for autonomous integrated lab-on-chip systems for space missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nascetti, A.; Caputo, D.; Scipinotti, R.; de Cesare, G.

    2016-11-01

    Lab-on-chip devices are ideal candidates for use in space missions where experiment automation, system compactness, limited weight and low sample and reagent consumption are required. Currently, however, most microfluidic systems require external desktop instrumentation to operate and interrogate the chip, thus strongly limiting their use as stand-alone systems. In order to overcome the above-mentioned limitations our research group is currently working on the design and fabrication of "true" lab-on-chip systems that integrate in a single device all the analytical steps from the sample preparation to the detection without the need for bulky external components such as pumps, syringes, radiation sources or optical detection systems. Three critical points can be identified to achieve 'true' lab-on-chip devices: sample handling, analytical detection and signal transduction. For each critical point, feasible solutions are presented and evaluated. Proposed microfluidic actuation and control is based on electrowetting on dielectrics, autonomous capillary networks and active valves. Analytical detection based on highly specific chemiluminescent reactions is used to avoid external radiation sources. Finally, the integration on the same chip of thin film sensors based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon is discussed showing practical results achieved in different sensing tasks.

  10. Attenuation length measurements of a liquid scintillator with LabVIEW and reliability evaluation of the device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Long; Yu, Bo-Xiang; Ding, Ya-Yun; Zhou, Li; Wen, Liang-Jian; Xie, Yu-Guang; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Cai, Xiao; Sun, Xi-Lei; Fang, Jian; Xue, Zhen; Zhang, Ai-Wu; Lü, Qi-Wen; Sun, Li-Jun; Ge, Yong-Shuai; Liu, Ying-Biao; Niu, Shun-Li; Hu, Tao; Cao, Jun; Lü, Jun-Guang

    2013-07-01

    An attenuation length measurement device was constructed using an oscilloscope and LabVIEW for signal acquisition and processing. The performance of the device has been tested in a variety of ways. The test results show that the set-up has a good stability and high precision (sigma/mean reached 0.4 percent). Besides, the accuracy of the measurement system will decrease by about 17 percent if a filter is used. The attenuation length of a gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator (Gd-LS) was measured as 15.10±0.35 m where Gd-LS was heavily used in the Daya Bay Neutrino Experiment. In addition, one method based on the Beer-Lambert law was proposed to investigate the reliability of the measurement device, the R-square reached 0.9995. Moreover, three purification methods for Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) production were compared in the experiment.

  11. Teaching Ocean Sciences in the 21st Century Classroom: Lab to Classroom Videoconferencing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peach, C. L.; Gerwick, W.; Gerwick, L.; Senise, M.; Jones, C. S.; Malloy, K.; Jones, A.; Trentacoste, E.; Nunnery, J.; Mendibles, T.; Tayco, D.; Justice, L.; Deutscher, R.

    2010-12-01

    2009 3-day videoconferencing event, 3 graduate students and the lab PI connected to nine, 7th grade life science classes (~300 students) using SKYPE. Each of the nine videoconferences lasted for ~50 minutes and included a mini-lab tour, a short presentation on the graduate students’ field and lab-based research activities, and interspersed question and answer sessions. Teachers are currently exploring ways they can further capitalize on the connection to the research lab and are writing up a “how to” guide for SKYPE lab to classroom videoconferencing. LHS has been evaluating this videoconference project to get feedback from the participants about the collaboration, the technology, and the format in order to improve the program in the future. The collaboration has now been turned over to the graduate students and teachers with little facilitation by COSEE CA staff. COSEE CA is applying the approach to other earth and ocean science topics by offering “Virtual Lab Tours” as a broader impact option.

  12. Demonstration of Hydrostatic Paradox with Plastic Bottles and LabQuest Vernier

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kodejška, Cenek

    2018-01-01

    This work focuses on the experimental demonstration of the hydrostatic paradox using simple tools in the form of plastic bottles and plastic syringes with a thread. For the evaluation of the results obtained the data logger Lab Quest Vernier was used. The construction of the device is presented in the first part of this paper. The second part…

  13. Traditional Labs + New Questions = Improved Student Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rezba, Richard J.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

  14. A Well-Maintained Lab Is a Safer Lab. Safety Spotlight

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walls, William H.; Strimel, Greg J.

    2018-01-01

    Administration and funding can cause Engineering/Technology Education (ETE) programs to thrive or die. To administrators, the production/prototyping equipment and laboratory setting are often viewed as the features that set ETE apart from other school subjects. A lab is a unique gift as well as a responsibility. If an administrator can see that…

  15. MatLab Programming for Engineers Having No Formal Programming Knowledge

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaykhian, Linda H.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2007-01-01

    MatLab is one of the most widely used very high level programming languages for Scientific and engineering computations. It is very user-friendly and needs practically no formal programming knowledge. Presented here are MatLab programming aspects and not just the MatLab commands for scientists and engineers who do not have formal programming training and also have no significant time to spare for learning programming to solve their real world problems. Specifically provided are programs for visualization. Also, stated are the current limitations of the MatLab, which possibly can be taken care of by Mathworks Inc. in a future version to make MatLab more versatile.

  16. eComLab: remote laboratory platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pontual, Murillo; Melkonyan, Arsen; Gampe, Andreas; Huang, Grant; Akopian, David

    2011-06-01

    Hands-on experiments with electronic devices have been recognized as an important element in the field of engineering to help students get familiar with theoretical concepts and practical tasks. The continuing increase the student number, costly laboratory equipment, and laboratory maintenance slow down the physical lab efficiency. As information technology continues to evolve, the Internet has become a common media in modern education. Internetbased remote laboratory can solve a lot of restrictions, providing hands-on training as they can be flexible in time and the same equipment can be shared between different students. This article describes an on-going remote hands-on experimental radio modulation, network and mobile applications lab project "eComLab". Its main component is a remote laboratory infrastructure and server management system featuring various online media familiar with modern students, such as chat rooms and video streaming.

  17. Commerce Lab - A program of commercial flight opportunities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, J.; Atkins, H. L.; Williams, J. R.

    1985-01-01

    Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab program provides mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program, in general, and the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

  18. Exploring Virtual Reality for Classroom Use: The Virtual Reality and Education Lab at East Carolina University.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Auld, Lawrence W. S.; Pantelidis, Veronica S.

    1994-01-01

    Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

  19. Online Statistics Labs in MSW Research Methods Courses: Reducing Reluctance toward Statistics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elliott, William; Choi, Eunhee; Friedline, Terri

    2013-01-01

    This article presents results from an evaluation of an online statistics lab as part of a foundations research methods course for master's-level social work students. The article discusses factors that contribute to an environment in social work that fosters attitudes of reluctance toward learning and teaching statistics in research methods…

  20. A study on the effect of varying sequence of lab performance skills on lab performance of high school physics students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bournia-Petrou, Ethel A.

    The main goal of this investigation was to study how student rank in class, student gender and skill sequence affect high school students' performance on the lab skills involved in a laboratory-based inquiry task in physics. The focus of the investigation was the effect of skill sequence as determined by the particular task. The skills considered were: Hypothesis, Procedure, Planning, Data, Graph, Calculations and Conclusion. Three physics lab tasks based on the simple pendulum concept were administered to 282 Regents physics high school students. The reliability of the designed tasks was high. Student performance was evaluated on individual student written responses and a scoring rubric. The tasks had high discrimination power and were of moderate difficulty (65%). It was found that, student performance was weak on Conclusion (42%), Hypothesis (48%), and Procedure (51%), where the numbers in parentheses represent the mean as a percentage of the maximum possible score. Student performance was strong on Calculations (91%), Data (82%), Graph (74%) and Plan (68%). Out of all seven skills, Procedure had the strongest correlation (.73) with the overall task performance. Correlation analysis revealed some strong relationships among the seven skills which were grouped in two distinct clusters: Hypothesis, Procedure and Plan belong to one, and Data, Graph, Calculations, and Conclusion belong to the other. This distinction may indicate different mental processes at play within each skill cluster. The effect of student rank was not statistically significant according to the MANOVA results due to the large variation of rank levels among the participating schools. The effect of gender was significant on the entire test because of performance differences on Calculations and Graph, where male students performed better than female students. Skill sequence had a significant effect on the skills of Procedure, Plan, Data and Conclusion. Students are rather weak in proposing a

  1. Perspectives on Blended Learning through the On-Line Platform, LabLessons, for Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jihad, Teeba; Klementowicz, Edward; Gryczka, Patrick; Sharrock, Chappel; Maxfield, MacRae; Lee, Yongjun; Montclare, Jin Kim

    2018-01-01

    The effectiveness of blended learning was evaluated through the integration of an online chemistry platform, LabLessons. Two modules, "Formation of Hydrogen" and "Titration," were designed by college mentors alongside classroom chemistry teachers to engage and allow high school students to better comprehend these scientific…

  2. Frederick National Lab Collaboration Success Stories | FNLCR Staging

    Cancer.gov

    IBBR and Frederick National Lab Collaborate to Study Vaccine-Boosting Compounds The Frederick National Lab and the University of Maryland’s Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) will work under a formal collaboration to eval

  3. Microsoft Licenses Berkeley Lab's Home Energy Saver Code for Its Energy

    Science.gov Websites

    -based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. About one million people visit the Home Management Software | Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Directory Submit Web People Navigation Berkeley Lab Search Submit Web People Close About the Lab Leadership/Organization Calendar News

  4. Reducing unnecessary lab testing in the ICU with artificial intelligence.

    PubMed

    Cismondi, F; Celi, L A; Fialho, A S; Vieira, S M; Reti, S R; Sousa, J M C; Finkelstein, S N

    2013-05-01

    To reduce unnecessary lab testing by predicting when a proposed future lab test is likely to contribute information gain and thereby influence clinical management in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have demonstrated that frequent laboratory testing does not necessarily relate to better outcomes. Data preprocessing, feature selection, and classification were performed and an artificial intelligence tool, fuzzy modeling, was used to identify lab tests that do not contribute an information gain. There were 11 input variables in total. Ten of these were derived from bedside monitor trends heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and urine collections, as well as infusion products and transfusions. The final input variable was a previous value from one of the eight lab tests being predicted: calcium, PTT, hematocrit, fibrinogen, lactate, platelets, INR and hemoglobin. The outcome for each test was a binary framework defining whether a test result contributed information gain or not. Predictive modeling was applied to recognize unnecessary lab tests in a real world ICU database extract comprising 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Classification accuracy of necessary and unnecessary lab tests of greater than 80% was achieved for all eight lab tests. Sensitivity and specificity were satisfactory for all the outcomes. An average reduction of 50% of the lab tests was obtained. This is an improvement from previously reported similar studies with average performance 37% by [1-3]. Reducing frequent lab testing and the potential clinical and financial implications are an important issue in intensive care. In this work we present an artificial intelligence method to predict the benefit of proposed future laboratory tests. Using ICU data from 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and eleven measurements, we demonstrate high accuracy in predicting the likely information to be gained from proposed future

  5. Reducing unnecessary lab testing in the ICU with artificial intelligence

    PubMed Central

    Cismondi, F.; Celi, L.A.; Fialho, A.S.; Vieira, S.M.; Reti, S.R.; Sousa, J.M.C.; Finkelstein, S.N.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To reduce unnecessary lab testing by predicting when a proposed future lab test is likely to contribute information gain and thereby influence clinical management in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have demonstrated that frequent laboratory testing does not necessarily relate to better outcomes. Design Data preprocessing, feature selection, and classification were performed and an artificial intelligence tool, fuzzy modeling, was used to identify lab tests that do not contribute an information gain. There were 11 input variables in total. Ten of these were derived from bedside monitor trends heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and urine collections, as well as infusion products and transfusions. The final input variable was a previous value from one of the eight lab tests being predicted: calcium, PTT, hematocrit, fibrinogen, lactate, platelets, INR and hemoglobin. The outcome for each test was a binary framework defining whether a test result contributed information gain or not. Patients Predictive modeling was applied to recognize unnecessary lab tests in a real world ICU database extract comprising 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Main results Classification accuracy of necessary and unnecessary lab tests of greater than 80% was achieved for all eight lab tests. Sensitivity and specificity were satisfactory for all the outcomes. An average reduction of 50% of the lab tests was obtained. This is an improvement from previously reported similar studies with average performance 37% by [1–3]. Conclusions Reducing frequent lab testing and the potential clinical and financial implications are an important issue in intensive care. In this work we present an artificial intelligence method to predict the benefit of proposed future laboratory tests. Using ICU data from 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and eleven measurements, we demonstrate high accuracy in predicting the

  6. Latest results from FROST at Jefferson Lab

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ritchie, Barry G.

    2014-06-01

    The spectrum of broad and overlapping nucleon excitations can be greatly clarified by use of a polarized photon beam incident on a polarized target in meson photoproduction experiments. At Jefferson Lab, a program of such measurements has made use of the Jefferson Lab FROzen Spin Target (FROST). An overview of preliminary results are presented.

  7. Is LabTutor a helpful component of the blended learning approach to biosciences?

    PubMed

    Swift, Amelia; Efstathiou, Nikolaos; Lameu, Paula

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate the use of LabTutor (a physiological data capture and e-learning package) in bioscience education for student nurses. Knowledge of biosciences is important for nurses the world over, who have to monitor and assess their patient's clinical condition, and interpret that information to determine the most appropriate course of action. Nursing students have long been known to find acquiring useable bioscience knowledge challenging. Blended learning strategies are common in bioscience teaching to address the difficulties students have. Student nurses have a preference for hands-on learning, small group sessions and are helped by close juxtaposition of theory and practice. An evaluation of a new teaching method using in-classroom voluntary questionnaire. A structured survey instrument including statements and visual analogue response format and open questions was given to students who participated in Labtutor sessions. The students provided feedback in about the equipment, the learning and the session itself. First year (n = 93) and third year (n = 36) students completed the evaluation forms. The majority of students were confident about the equipment and using it to learn although a few felt anxious about computer-based learning. They all found the equipment helpful as part of their bioscience education and they all enjoyed the sessions. This equipment provides a helpful way to encourage guided independent learning through practice and discovery and because each session is case study based and the relationship of the data to the patient is made clear. Our students helped to evaluate our initial use of LabTutor and found the sessions enjoyable and helpful. LabTutor provides an effective learning tool as part of a blended learning strategy for biosciences teaching. Improving bioscience knowledge will lead to a greater understanding of pathophysiology, treatments and interventions and monitoring. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. The Mysterious Death: An HPLC Lab Experiment. An Undergraduate Forensic Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beussman, Douglas J.

    2007-01-01

    A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) laboratory experiment based on the separation of four prescription drugs (disopyramide, lidocaine, procainamide, and quinidine) is presented. The experiment is set within the forensic science context of the discovery of a patient's mysterious death where a drug overdose is suspected. Each lab group…

  9. Sodium Blood Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

    MedlinePlus

    ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Cirrhosis; [updated 2017 Jan 8; cited ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Electrolytes: Common Questions [updated 2015 Dec ...

  10. Integrating Multiple On-line Knowledge Bases for Disease-Lab Test Relation Extraction.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yaoyun; Soysal, Ergin; Moon, Sungrim; Wang, Jingqi; Tao, Cui; Xu, Hua

    2015-01-01

    A computable knowledge base containing relations between diseases and lab tests would be a great resource for many biomedical informatics applications. This paper describes our initial step towards establishing a comprehensive knowledge base of disease and lab tests relations utilizing three public on-line resources. LabTestsOnline, MedlinePlus and Wikipedia are integrated to create a freely available, computable disease-lab test knowledgebase. Disease and lab test concepts are identified using MetaMap and relations between diseases and lab tests are determined based on source-specific rules. Experimental results demonstrate a high precision for relation extraction, with Wikipedia achieving the highest precision of 87%. Combining the three sources reached a recall of 51.40%, when compared with a subset of disease-lab test relations extracted from a reference book. Moreover, we found additional disease-lab test relations from on-line resources, indicating they are complementary to existing reference books for building a comprehensive disease and lab test relation knowledge base.

  11. LIVING LAB: User-Driven Innovation for Sustainability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liedtke, Christa; Welfens, Maria Jolanta; Rohn, Holger; Nordmann, Julia

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarize and discuss the results from the LIVING LAB design study, a project within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. The aim of this project was to develop the conceptual design of the LIVING LAB Research Infrastructure that will be used to research human interaction with, and stimulate…

  12. NASA GeneLab Concept of Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, Terri; Gibbs, Kristina; Rask, Jon; Coughlan, Joseph; Smith, Jeffrey

    2014-01-01

    NASA's GeneLab aims to greatly increase the number of scientists that are using data from space biology investigations on board ISS, emphasizing a systems biology approach to the science. When completed, GeneLab will provide the integrated software and hardware infrastructure, analytical tools and reference datasets for an assortment of model organisms. GeneLab will also provide an environment for scientists to collaborate thereby increasing the possibility for data to be reused for future experimentation. To maximize the value of data from life science experiments performed in space and to make the most advantageous use of the remaining ISS research window, GeneLab will apply an open access approach to conducting spaceflight experiments by generating, and sharing the datasets derived from these biological studies in space.Onboard the ISS, a wide variety of model organisms will be studied and returned to Earth for analysis. Laboratories on the ground will analyze these samples and provide genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic data. Upon receipt, NASA will conduct data quality control tasks and format raw data returned from the omics centers into standardized, annotated information sets that can be readily searched and linked to spaceflight metadata. Once prepared, the biological datasets, as well as any analysis completed, will be made public through the GeneLab Space Bioinformatics System webb as edportal. These efforts will support a collaborative research environment for spaceflight studies that will closely resemble environments created by the Department of Energy (DOE), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and other institutions in additional areas of study, such as cancer and environmental biology. The results will allow for comparative analyses that will help scientists around the world take a major leap forward in understanding the effect of microgravity, radiation, and other aspects of the space environment on model organisms

  13. Electron Microscopy Lab

    Science.gov Websites

    Facilities Science Pillars Research Library Science Briefs Science News Science Highlights Lab Organizations Science Programs Applied Energy Programs Civilian Nuclear Energy Programs Laboratory Directed Research Science Seaborg Institute Fellows Conferences Research Opportunities Center for Integrated

  14. A randomized CIE L*a*b* evaluation of external bleaching therapy effects on fluorotic enamel stains.

    PubMed

    Knösel, Michael; Attin, Rengin; Becker, Klaus; Attin, Thomas

    2008-05-01

    To evaluate the effect of external bleaching on the color and luminosity of fluorotic stains and adjacent, normally mineralized enamel areas by means of CIE L*a*b* colorimetry. Eighteen adolescents with mild to moderate fluorotic stains were randomly assigned to either bleaching group A (n = 9) or control group B. Eligibility criteria were fluorotic stained maxillary incisors or canines and the informed consent of the participants and their guardians. Using a colorimeter, CIE L*a*b* values of maxillary incisors and canines were assessed at baseline (T1) in the center of the fluorotic stained area (F1) and at adjacent, normally mineralized enamel areas (F2). Then, external bleaching with Illumine office (30% hydrogen peroxide, Dentsply DeTrey) was performed for 60 minutes, followed by color reassessment (T2). After 14 days (T3), a 2-week home bleaching period with a daily bleaching time of 1 hour with Illumine home (15% carbamide peroxide, Dentsply DeTrey) was conducted with subsequent color determination (T4). After completion of bleaching therapy, 96.0% of all fluorotic areas (F1) and 100% of normal enamel areas (F2) showed a significant change within group A, compared to 29.4% in control group B. Comparing the collective DeltaE (L*, a*, b*) of F1 and F2, 60.0% of all areas showed significant differences after completion of bleaching therapy, compared to 88.0% initially. Of group B sites, 82.4% showed color differences in the beginning (T1) and 88.2% at the end (T4). Whereas a single 1-hour session of in-office bleaching with 30% hydrogen peroxide does not significantly affect the color and luminosity of fluorotic teeth, a 14-day period of home bleaching leads to an assimilation of the color of the fluorotic stain with the color of surrounding enamel areas due to different responses of sound and fluorotic enamel to the bleaching regime.

  15. A Case Study of a High School Fab Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lacy, Jennifer E.

    This dissertation examines making and design-based STEM education in a formal makerspace. It focuses on how the design and implementation of a Fab Lab learning environment and curriculum affect how instructors and students see themselves engaging in science, and how the Fab Lab relates to the social sorting practices that already take place at North High School. While there is research examining design-based STEM education in informal and formal learning environments, we know little about how K-12 teachers define STEM in making activities when no university or museum partnership exists. This study sought to help fill this gap in the research literature. This case study of a formal makerspace followed instructors and students in one introductory Fab Lab course for one semester. Additional observations of an introductory woodworking course helped build the case and set it into the school context, and provided supplementary material to better understand the similarities and differences between the Fab Lab course and a more traditional design-based learning course. Using evidence from observational field notes, participant interviews, course materials, and student work, I found that the North Fab Lab relies on artifacts and rhetoric symbolic of science and STEM to set itself apart from other design-based courses at North High School. Secondly, the North Fab Lab instructors and students were unable to explain how what they were doing in the Fab Lab was science, and instead relied on vague and unsupported claims related to interdisciplinary STEM practices and dated descriptions of science. Lastly, the design and implementation of the Fab Lab learning environment and curriculum and its separation from North High School's low tech, design-based courses effectively reinforced social sorting practices and cultural assumptions about student work and intelligence.

  16. An investigation of the effects of relevant samples and a comparison of verification versus discovery based lab design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rieben, James C., Jr.

    This study focuses on the effects of relevance and lab design on student learning within the chemistry laboratory environment. A general chemistry conductivity of solutions experiment and an upper level organic chemistry cellulose regeneration experiment were employed. In the conductivity experiment, the two main variables studied were the effect of relevant (or "real world") samples on student learning and a verification-based lab design versus a discovery-based lab design. With the cellulose regeneration experiment, the effect of a discovery-based lab design vs. a verification-based lab design was the sole focus. Evaluation surveys consisting of six questions were used at three different times to assess student knowledge of experimental concepts. In the general chemistry laboratory portion of this study, four experimental variants were employed to investigate the effect of relevance and lab design on student learning. These variants consisted of a traditional (or verification) lab design, a traditional lab design using "real world" samples, a new lab design employing real world samples/situations using unknown samples, and the new lab design using real world samples/situations that were known to the student. Data used in this analysis were collected during the Fall 08, Winter 09, and Fall 09 terms. For the second part of this study a cellulose regeneration experiment was employed to investigate the effects of lab design. A demonstration creating regenerated cellulose "rayon" was modified and converted to an efficient and low-waste experiment. In the first variant students tested their products and verified a list of physical properties. In the second variant, students filled in a blank physical property chart with their own experimental results for the physical properties. Results from the conductivity experiment show significant student learning of the effects of concentration on conductivity and how to use conductivity to differentiate solution types with the

  17. Jefferson Lab Virtual Tour

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2018-01-16

    Take a virtual tour of the campus of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. You can see inside our two accelerators, three experimental areas, accelerator component fabrication and testing areas, high-performance computing areas and laser labs.

  18. OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT'S FOUR LAB STUDY: TOXICOLOGICCAL AND CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF COMPLEX MIXTURES OF DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS (DBPS) AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES FOR A LARGE U. S. EPA MULTILABORATORY STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Office of Research and Development's Four Lab Study: Toxicological and Chemical Evaluation of Complex Mixtures of Disinfection By-Products (DBPs), and Quality Assurance Activities for a Large U.S. EPA Multilaboratoty Study

    Thomas J. Hughes, Project and QA Manager, Expe...

  19. The History of Science and Technology at Bell Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bishop, David

    2008-03-01

    Over the last 80 years, Bell Labs has been one of the most scientifically and technologically productive research labs in the world. Inventions such as the transistor, laser, cell phone, solar cell, negative feedback amplifier, communications satellite and many others were made there. Scientific breakthroughs such as discovery of the Big Bang, the wave nature of the electron, electron localization and the fractional quantum hall effect were also made there making Bell Labs almost unique in terms of large impacts in both science and technology. In my talk, I will discuss the history of the lab, talk about the present and give some suggestions for how I see it evolving into the future.

  20. Towards a Flexible Language Lab for Community Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conway, Diana

    1992-01-01

    Suggestions are offered for ways to modify a typical community college language laboratory to serve diverse student needs. The discussion is based on experiences of Anchorage Community College, which modeled its lab on a learning resources center rather than a traditional lab. (LB)

  1. Introducing ADS Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Accomazzi, Alberto; Henneken, E.; Grant, C. S.; Kurtz, M. J.; Di Milia, G.; Luker, J.; Thompson, D. M.; Bohlen, E.; Murray, S. S.

    2011-05-01

    ADS Labs is a platform that ADS is introducing in order to test and receive feedback from the community on new technologies and prototype services. Currently, ADS Labs features a new interface for abstract searches, faceted filtering of results, visualization of co-authorship networks, article-level recommendations, and a full-text search service. The streamlined abstract search interface provides a simple, one-box search with options for ranking results based on a paper relevancy, freshness, number of citations, and downloads. In addition, it provides advanced rankings based on collaborative filtering techniques. The faceted filtering interface allows users to narrow search results based on a particular property or set of properties ("facets"), allowing users to manage large lists and explore the relationship between them. For any set or sub-set of records, the co-authorship network can be visualized in an interactive way, offering a view of the distribution of contributors and their inter-relationships. This provides an immediate way to detect groups and collaborations involved in a particular research field. For a majority of papers in Astronomy, our new interface will provide a list of related articles of potential interest. The recommendations are based on a number of factors, including text similarity, citations, and co-readership information. The new full-text search interface allows users to find all instances of particular words or phrases in the body of the articles in our full-text archive. This includes all of the scanned literature in ADS as well as a select portion of the current astronomical literature, including ApJ, ApJS, AJ, MNRAS, PASP, A&A, and soon additional content from Springer journals. Fulltext search results include a list of the matching papers as well as a list of "snippets" of text highlighting the context in which the search terms were found. ADS Labs is available at http://adslabs.org

  2. Time Trials--An AP Physics Challenge Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, David

    2009-01-01

    I have come to the conclusion that for high school physics classroom and laboratory experiences, simpler is better! In this paper I describe a very simple and effective lab experience that my AP students have thoroughly enjoyed year after year. I call this lab exercise "Time Trials." The experiment is simple in design and it is a lot of fun for…

  3. Linear Regression between CIE-Lab Color Parameters and Organic Matter in Soils of Tea Plantations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yonggen; Zhang, Min; Fan, Dongmei; Fan, Kai; Wang, Xiaochang

    2018-02-01

    To quantify the relationship between the soil organic matter and color parameters using the CIE-Lab system, 62 soil samples (0-10 cm, Ferralic Acrisols) from tea plantations were collected from southern China. After air-drying and sieving, numerical color information and reflectance spectra of soil samples were measured under laboratory conditions using an UltraScan VIS (HunterLab) spectrophotometer equipped with CIE-Lab color models. We found that soil total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) contents were negatively correlated with the L* value (lightness) ( r = -0.84 and -0.80, respectively), a* value (correlation coefficient r = -0.51 and -0.46, respectively) and b* value ( r = -0.76 and -0.70, respectively). There were also linear regressions between TOC and TN contents with the L* value and b* value. Results showed that color parameters from a spectrophotometer equipped with CIE-Lab color models can predict TOC contents well for soils in tea plantations. The linear regression model between color values and soil organic carbon contents showed it can be used as a rapid, cost-effective method to evaluate content of soil organic matter in Chinese tea plantations.

  4. Elemental Chem Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franco Mariscal, Antonio Joaquin

    2008-01-01

    This educative material uses the symbols of 45 elements to spell the names of 32 types of laboratory equipment usually found in chemical labs. This teaching material has been divided into three puzzles according to the type of the laboratory equipment: (i) glassware as reaction vessels or containers; (ii) glassware for measuring, addition or…

  5. Lab with Dad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Havers, Brenda; Delmotte, Karen

    2012-01-01

    Family science nights are fantastic, but planning one can be overwhelming, especially when one considers the already overloaded schedule of a classroom teacher. To overcome this challenge, the authors--colleagues with a mutual love of science--developed a much simpler annual event called "Lab With Dad." The purpose was for one target age group of…

  6. My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-02

    Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program get an inside look at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building from the transfer aisle. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

  7. Constructing the Components of a Lab Report Using Peer Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, David E.; Fawkes, Kelli L.

    2010-01-01

    A protocol that emphasizes lab report writing using a piecemeal approach coupled with peer review is described. As the lab course progresses, the focus of the report writing changes sequentially through the abstract and introduction, the discussion, and the procedure. Two styles of lab programs are presented. One style rotates the students through…

  8. Can Graduate Teaching Assistants Teach Inquiry-Based Geology Labs Effectively?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryker, Katherine; McConnell, David

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the implementation of teaching strategies by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in inquiry-based introductory geology labs at a large research university. We assess the degree of inquiry present in each Physical Geology lab and compare and contrast the instructional practices of new and experienced GTAs teaching these labs. We…

  9. Open web system of Virtual labs for nuclear and applied physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saldikov, I. S.; Afanasyev, V. V.; Petrov, V. I.; Ternovykh, M. Yu

    2017-01-01

    An example of virtual lab work on unique experimental equipment is presented. The virtual lab work is software based on a model of real equipment. Virtual labs can be used for educational process in nuclear safety and analysis field. As an example it includes the virtual lab called “Experimental determination of the material parameter depending on the pitch of a uranium-water lattice”. This paper included general description of this lab. A description of a database on the support of laboratory work on unique experimental equipment which is included this work, its concept development are also presented.

  10. The value of core lab stress echocardiography interpretations: observations from the ISCHEMIA Trial.

    PubMed

    Kataoka, Akihisa; Scherrer-Crosbie, Marielle; Senior, Roxy; Gosselin, Gilbert; Phaneuf, Denis; Guzman, Gabriela; Perna, Gian; Lara, Alfonso; Kedev, Sasko; Mortara, Andrea; El-Hajjar, Mohammad; Shaw, Leslee J; Reynolds, Harmony R; Picard, Michael H

    2015-12-18

    Stress echocardiography (SE) is dependent on subjective interpretations. As a prelude to the International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) Trial, potential sites were required to submit two SE, one with moderate or severe left ventricular (LV) myocardial ischemia and one with mild ischemia. We evaluated the concordance of site and core lab interpretations. Eighty-one SE were submitted from 41 international sites. Ischemia was classified by the number of new or worsening segmental LV wall motion abnormalities (WMA): none, mild (1 or 2) or moderate or severe (3 or more) by the sites and the core lab. Core lab classified 6 SE as no ischemia, 35 mild and 40 moderate or greater. There was agreement between the site and core in 66 of 81 total cases (81%, weighted kappa coefficient [K] =0.635). Agreement was similar for SE type - 24 of 30 exercise (80%, K = 0.571) vs. 41 of 49 pharmacologic (84%, K = 0.685). The agreement between poor or fair image quality (27 of 36 cases, 75%, K = 0.492) was not as good as for the good or excellent image quality cases (39 of 45 cases, 87%, K = 0.755). Differences in concordance were noted for degree of ischemia with the majority of discordant interpretations (87%) occurring in patients with no or mild LV myocardial ischemia. While site SE interpretations are largely concordant with core lab interpretations, this appears dependent on image quality and the extent of WMA. Thus core lab interpretations remain important in clinical trials where consistency of interpretation across a range of cases is critical. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01471522.

  11. Effect of Fear of Falling on Turning Performance in Parkinson's Disease in the Lab and at Home.

    PubMed

    Haertner, Linda; Elshehabi, Morad; Zaunbrecher, Laura; Pham, Minh H; Maetzler, Corina; van Uem, Janet M T; Hobert, Markus A; Hucker, Svenja; Nussbaum, Susanne; Berg, Daniela; Liepelt-Scarfone, Inga; Maetzler, Walter

    2018-01-01

    Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder associated with gait and balance problems and a substantially increased risk of falling. Falls occur often during complex movements, such as turns. Both fear of falling (FOF) and previous falls are relevant risk factors for future falls. Based on recent studies indicating that lab-based and home assessment of similar movements show different results, we hypothesized that FOF and a positive fall history would influence the quantitative turning parameters differently in the laboratory and home. Methods: Fifty-five PD patients (43 underwent a standardized lab assessment; 40 were assessed over a mean of 12 days at home with approximately 10,000 turns per participant; and 28 contributed to both assessments) were classified regarding FOF and previous falls as "vigorous" (no FOF, negative fall history), "anxious" (FOF, negative fall history), "stoic" (no FOF, positive fall history) and "aware" (FOF, positive fall history). During the assessments, each participant wore a sensor on the lower back. Results: In the lab assessment, FOF was associated with a longer turning duration and lowered maximum and middle angular velocities of turns. In the home evaluations, a lack of FOF was associated with lowered maximum and average angular velocities of turns. Positive falls history was not significantly associated with turning parameters, neither in the lab nor in the home. Conclusion: FOF but not a positive fall history influences turning metrics in PD patients in both supervised and unsupervised environments, and this association is different between lab and home assessments. Our findings underline the relevance of comprehensive assessments including home-based data collection strategies for fall risk evaluation.

  12. Use of the International Space Station as an Exercise Physiology Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ploutz-Snyder, Lori

    2013-01-01

    The International Space Station (ISS) is now in its prime utilization phase with great opportunity to use the ISS as a lab. With respect to exercise physiology there is considerable research opportunity. Crew members exercise for up to 2 hours per day using a cycle ergometer, treadmill, and advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). There are several ongoing exercise research studies by NASA, ESA and CSA. These include studies related to evaluation of new exercise prescriptions (SPRINT), evaluation of aerobic capacity (VO2max), biomechanics (Treadmill Kinematics), energy expenditure during spaceflight (Energy), evaluation of cartilage (Cartilage), and evaluation of cardiovascular health (Vascular). Examples of how ISS is used for exercise physiology research will be presented.

  13. Inside Linden Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Tom

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the author provides an overview of Second Life[trademark], or simply SL, which was developed at Linden Lab, a San Francisco-based corporation. SL is an online society within a threee-dimensional virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents, where they can explore, build, socialize and participate in their own economy.…

  14. Development of Guided Inquiry-Based Student Lab Worksheet on the Making of Pineapple Flavoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dwiyanti, G.; Suryatna, A.; Taibah, I.

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this research was to develop guided inquiry based student lab worksheet on making pineapple flavour and knowing the quality of worksheet that is being developed. Research methods that is being conducted is research and development that is limited by a preliminary studies (literature studies, field surveys, and preparation of the initial product) and development of the model (within limited testing). The results from analyze the books sources and fields survey showed that the characteristic of esterification lab worksheet that currently available still in the direct instruction form (cookbook). The optimization result of making pineapple flavour experiment that was conducted are the ethanol volume 3 mL, butyric acid volume 2 mL, sulfuric acid 5 drops, saturated NaHCO3 solution volume 9 mL, and temperature of heating was 80 °C. The characteristic of guided inquiry based student lab worksheet that was developed contained phenomenon and instructions that suitable with inquiry stages to guide the students in doing the experiment of making pineapple flavour. The evaluation of designated teachers and lecturers of the developed student worksheet were very good (96,08%). Lab-experiment feasibility achieved by using guided inquiry based student lab worksheets that is being developed based on the inquiry stages that conducted by student were found very good (97,50%) and accomplishment based on students’ answer of the tasks in the worksheet were found very good (83,84%). Students’ responses of the experiments using the developed worksheet are found very good (81,84%).

  15. Behind the Scenes at Berkeley Lab - The Mechanical Fabrication Facility

    ScienceCinema

    Wells, Russell; Chavez, Pete; Davis, Curtis; Bentley, Brian

    2018-04-16

    Part of the Behind the Scenes series at Berkeley Lab, this video highlights the lab's mechanical fabrication facility and its exceptional ability to produce unique tools essential to the lab's scientific mission. Through a combination of skilled craftsmanship and precision equipment, machinists and engineers work with scientists to create exactly what's needed - whether it's measured in microns or meters.

  16. New Features in ADS Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Accomazzi, Alberto; Kurtz, M. J.; Henneken, E. A.; Grant, C. S.; Thompson, D.; Di Milia, G.; Luker, J.; Murray, S. S.

    2013-01-01

    The NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) has been working hard on updating its services and interfaces to better support our community's research needs. ADS Labs is a new interface built on the old tried-and-true ADS Abstract Databases, so all of ADS's content is available through it. In this presentation we highlight the new features that have been developed in ADS Labs over the last year: new recommendations, metrics, a citation tool and enhanced fulltext search. ADS Labs has long been providing article-level recommendations based on keyword similarity, co-readership and co-citation analysis of its corpus. We have now introduced personal recommendations, which provide a list of articles to be considered based on a individual user's readership history. A new metrics interface provides a summary of the basic impact indicators for a list of records. These include the total and normalized number of papers, citations, reads, and downloads. Also included are some of the popular indices such as the h, g and i10 index. The citation helper tool allows one to submit a set of records and obtain a list of top 10 papers which cite and/or are cited by papers in the original list (but which are not in it). The process closely resembles the network approach of establishing "friends of friends" via an analysis of the citation network. The full-text search service now covers more than 2.5 million documents, including all the major astronomy journals, as well as physics journals published by Springer, Elsevier, the American Physical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and all of the arXiv eprints. The full-text search interface interface allows users and librarians to dig deep and find words or phrases in the body of the indexed articles. ADS Labs is available at http://adslabs.org

  17. LabVIEW Interface for PCI-SpaceWire Interface Card

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lux, James; Loya, Frank; Bachmann, Alex

    2005-01-01

    This software provides a LabView interface to the NT drivers for the PCISpaceWire card, which is a peripheral component interface (PCI) bus interface that conforms to the IEEE-1355/ SpaceWire standard. As SpaceWire grows in popularity, the ability to use SpaceWire links within LabVIEW will be important to electronic ground support equipment vendors. In addition, there is a need for a high-level LabVIEW interface to the low-level device- driver software supplied with the card. The LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) provides graphical interfaces to support all (1) SpaceWire link functions, including message handling and routing; (2) monitoring as a passive tap using specialized hardware; and (3) low-level access to satellite mission-control subsystem functions. The software is supplied in a zip file that contains LabVIEW VI files, which provide various functions of the PCI-SpaceWire card, as well as higher-link-level functions. The VIs are suitably named according to the matching function names in the driver manual. A number of test programs also are provided to exercise various functions.

  18. Practical Clinical Training in Skills Labs: Theory and Practice

    PubMed Central

    Bugaj, T. J.; Nikendei, C.

    2016-01-01

    Today, skills laboratories or “skills labs”, i.e. specific practical skill training facilities, are a firmly established part of medical education offering the possibility of training clinical procedures in a safe and fault-forging environment prior to real life application at bedside or in the operating room. Skills lab training follows a structured teaching concept, takes place under supervision and in consideration of methodological-didactic concepts, ideally creating an atmosphere that allows the repeated, anxiety- and risk-free practice of targeted skills. In this selective literature review, the first section is devoted to (I) the development and dissemination of the skills lab concept. There follows (II) an outline of the underlying idea and (III) an analysis of key efficacy factors. Thereafter, (IV) the training method’s effectiveness and transference are illuminated, before (V) the use of student tutors, in the sense of peer-assisted-learning, in skills labs is discussed separately. Finally, (VI) the efficiency of the skills lab concept is analyzed, followed by an outlook on future developments and trends in the field of skills lab training. PMID:27579363

  19. EarthLabs - Investigating Hurricanes: Earth's Meteorological Monsters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

    2007-12-01

    Earth science is one of the most important tools that the global community needs to address the pressing environmental, social, and economic issues of our time. While, at times considered a second-rate science at the high school level, it is currently undergoing a major revolution in the depth of content and pedagogical vitality. As part of this revolution, labs in Earth science courses need to shift their focus from cookbook-like activities with known outcomes to open-ended investigations that challenge students to think, explore and apply their learning. We need to establish a new model for Earth science as a rigorous lab science in policy, perception, and reality. As a concerted response to this need, five states, a coalition of scientists and educators, and an experienced curriculum team are creating a national model for a lab-based high school Earth science course named EarthLabs. This lab course will comply with the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The content will focus on Earth system science and environmental literacy. The lab experiences will feature a combination of field work, classroom experiments, and computer access to data and visualizations, and demonstrate the rigor and depth of a true lab course. The effort is being funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. One of the prototype units of the course is Investigating Hurricanes. Hurricanes are phenomena which have tremendous impact on humanity and the resources we use. They are also the result of complex interacting Earth systems, making them perfect objects for rigorous investigation of many concepts commonly covered in Earth science courses, such as meteorology, climate, and global wind circulation. Students are able to use the same data sets, analysis tools, and research techniques that scientists employ in their research, yielding truly authentic learning opportunities. This month-long integrated unit uses hurricanes as the story line by

  20. Stream piracy in the Black Hills: A geomorphology lab exercise

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zaprowski, B.J.; Evenson, E.B.; Epstein, J.B.

    2002-01-01

    The Black Hills of South Dakota exhibits many fine examples of stream piracy that are very suitable for teaching geomorphology lab exercises. This lab goes beyond standard topographic map interpretation by using geologic maps, well logs, gravel provenance and other types of data to teach students about stream piracy. Using a step-by-step method in which the lab exercises ramp up in difficulty, students hone their skills in deductive reasoning and data assimilation. The first exercises deal with the identification of stream piracy at a variety of spatial scales and the lab culminates with an exercise on landscape evolution and drainage rearrangement.

  1. Online Writing Labs as Sites for Community Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wells, Jaclyn Michelle

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation investigates the Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST), a community engagement project that partners a community adult basic literacy program with a university writing lab. The author argues that the community and university partners, the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (LARA) and the Purdue Writing Lab, offer positive…

  2. Berkeley Lab's Saul Perlmutter wins Nobel Prize in Physics | Berkeley Lab

    Science.gov Websites

    astrophysics, dark energy, physics Connect twitter instagram LinkedIn facebook youtube This form needs Berkeley Lab's Saul Perlmutter wins Nobel Prize in Physics News Release Paul Preuss 510-486-6249 * October professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, has won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics

  3. ERLN Technical Support for Labs

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Environmental Response Laboratory Network provides policies and guidance on lab and data requirements, Standardized Analytical Methods, and technical support for water and radiological sampling and analysis

  4. Virus removal retention challenge tests performed at lab scale and pilot scale during operation of membrane units.

    PubMed

    Humbert, H; Machinal, C; Labaye, Ivan; Schrotter, J C

    2011-01-01

    The determination of the virus retention capabilities of UF units during operation is essential for the operators of drinking water treatment facilities in order to guarantee an efficient and stable removal of viruses through time. In previous studies, an effective method (MS2-phage challenge tests) was developed by the Water Research Center of Veolia Environnement for the measurement of the virus retention rates (Log Removal Rate, LRV) of commercially available hollow fiber membranes at lab scale. In the present work, the protocol for monitoring membrane performance was transferred from lab scale to pilot scale. Membrane performances were evaluated during pilot trial and compared to the results obtained at lab scale with fibers taken from the pilot plant modules. PFU culture method was compared to RT-PCR method for the calculation of LRV in both cases. Preliminary tests at lab scale showed that both methods can be used interchangeably. For tests conducted on virgin membrane, a good consistency was observed between lab and pilot scale results with the two analytical methods used. This work intends to show that a reliable determination of the membranes performances based on RT-PCR analytical method can be achieved during the operation of the UF units.

  5. GeneLab: A Systems Biology Platform for Spaceflight Omics Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reinsch, Sigrid S.; Lai, San-Huei; Chen, Rick; Thompson, Terri; Berrios, Daniel; Fogle, Homer; Marcu, Oana; Timucin, Linda; Chakravarty, Kaushik; Coughlan, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    NASA's mission includes expanding our understanding of biological systems to improve life on Earth and to enable long-duration human exploration of space. Resources to support large numbers of spaceflight investigations are limited. NASA's GeneLab project is maximizing the science output from these experiments by: (1) developing a unique public bioinformatics database that includes space bioscience relevant "omics" data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and experimental metadata; (2) partnering with NASA-funded flight experiments through bio-sample sharing or sample augmentation to expedite omics data input to the GeneLab database; and (3) developing community-driven reference flight experiments. The first database, GeneLab Data System Version 1.0, went online in April 2015. V1.0 contains numerous flight datasets and has search and download capabilities. Version 2.0 will be released in 2016 and will link to analytic tools. In 2015 Genelab partnered with two Biological Research in Canisters experiments (BBRIC-19 and BRIC-20) which examine responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to spaceflight. GeneLab also partnered with Rodent Research-1 (RR1), the maiden flight to test the newly developed rodent habitat. GeneLab developed protocols for maxiumum yield of RNA, DNA and protein from precious RR-1 tissues harvested and preserved during the SpaceX-4 mission, as well as from tissues from mice that were frozen intact during spaceflight and later dissected. GeneLab is establishing partnerships with at least three planned flights for 2016. Organism-specific nationwide Science Definition Teams (SDTs) will define future GeneLab dedicated missions and ensure the broader scientific impact of the GeneLab missions. GeneLab ensures prompt release and open access to all high-throughput omics data from spaceflight and ground-based simulations of microgravity and radiation. Overall, GeneLab will facilitate the generation and query of parallel multi-omics data, and

  6. Letters Home as an Alternative to Lab Reports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane, W. Brian

    2014-01-01

    The traditional lab report is known to create several pedagogical shortcomings in the introductory physics course, particularly with regard to promoting student engagement and encouraging quality writing. This paper discusses the use of a "letter home" written to a non-physicist as an alternative to lab reports that creates a more…

  7. The national labs and their future

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Crease, R.P.

    National laboratories of the USA, born with the atomic age and raised to prominence by the need for scientific superiority during the long Cold War, are facing the most critical challenge: how best to support the nation's current need to improve its international competitiveness through superior technology The charge that the national laboratories are [open quotes]Cold War relics[close quotes] that have outlived their usefulness is based on a misunderstanding of their mission, says Robert P. Crease, historian for Brookhaven National laboratory. Three of the labs-Los Alamos, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore- are weapons laboratories and their missions must change. Oak Ridge,more » Argonne, and Brookhaven laboratories are multipurpose: basic research facilities with a continuing role in the world of science The national laboratory system traces its origins to the Manhattan Project. Over the next half-century, America's national labs grew into part of the most effective scientific establishment in the world, a much-copied model for management of large-scale scientific programs. In the early years, each lab defined a niche in the complex world of reactors, accelerators, and high-energy proton and electron physics. In the 1970s, several labs worked on basic energy sciences to help solve a national energy crisis. Today, the labs are pressured to do more applied research-research to transfer to the private sector and will have to respond by devising more effective ways of coordinating basic and applied research. But, Crease warns, [open quotes]It also will be essential that any commitment to applied research not take place at the cost of reducing the wellspring of basic research from which so much applied research flows. [open quotes]Making a solid and persuasive case for the independent value of basic research, and for their own role in that enterprise, may be the most important task facing the laboratories in their next half-century,[close quotes].« less

  8. Introduction to Computing: Lab Manual. Faculty Guide [and] Student Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frasca, Joseph W.

    This lab manual is designed to accompany a college course introducing students to computing. The exercises are designed to be completed by the average student in a supervised 2-hour block of time at a computer lab over 15 weeks. The intent of each lab session is to introduce a topic and have the student feel comfortable with the use of the machine…

  9. EarthLabs Meet Sister Corita Kent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quartini, E.; Ellins, K. K.; Cavitte, M. G.; Thirumalai, K.; Ledley, T. S.; Haddad, N.; Lynds, S. E.

    2013-12-01

    The EarthLabs project provides a framework to enhance high school students' climate literacy and awareness of climate change. The project provides climate science curriculum and teacher professional development, followed by research on students' learning as teachers implement EarthLabs climate modules in the classroom. The professional development targets high school teachers whose professional growth is structured around exposure to current climate science research, data observation collection and analysis. During summer workshops in Texas and Mississippi, teachers work through the laboratories, experiments, and hand-on activities developed for their students. In summer 2013, three graduate students from the University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics with expertise in climate science participated in two weeklong workshops. The graduate students partnered with exemplary teacher leaders to provide scientific content and lead the EarthLabs learning activities. As an experiment, we integrated a visit to the Blanton Museum and an associated activity in order to motivate participants to think creatively, as well as analytically, about science. This exercise was inspired by the work and educational philosophy of Sister Corita Kent. During the visit to the Blanton Museum, we steered participants towards specific works of art pre-selected to emphasize aspects of the climate of Texas and to draw participants' attention to ways in which artists convey different concepts. For example, artists use of color, lines, and symbols conjure emotional responses to imagery in the viewer. The second part of the exercise asked participants to choose a climate message and to convey this through a collage. We encouraged participants to combine their experience at the museum with examples of Sister Corita Kent's artwork. We gave them simple guidelines for the project based on techniques and teaching of Sister Corita Kent. Evaluation results reveal that participants enjoyed the

  10. Rust Contamination from Water Leaks in the Cosmic Dust Lab and Lunar and Meteorite Thin Sections Labs at Johnson Space Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kent, J. J.; Berger, E. L.; Fries, M. D.; Bastien, R.; McCubbin, F. M.; Pace, L.; Righter, K.; Sutter, B.; Zeigler, R. A.; Zolensky, M.

    2017-01-01

    On the early morning of September 15th, 2016, on the first floor of Building 31 at NASA-Johnson Space Center, the hose from a water chiller ruptured and began spraying water onto the floor. The water had been circulating though old metal pipes, and the leaked water contained rust-colored particulates. The water flooded much of the western wing of the building's ground floor before the leak was stopped, and it left behind a residue of rust across the floor, most notably in the Apollo and Meteorite Thin Section Labs and Sample Preparation Lab. No samples were damaged in the event, and the affected facilities are in the process of remediation. At the beginning of 2016, a separate leak occurred in the Cosmic Dust Lab, located in the same building. In that lab, a water leak occurred at the bottom of the sink used to clean the lab's tools and containers with ultra-pure water. Over years of use, the ultra-pure water eroded the metal sink piping and leaked water onto the inside of the lab's flow bench. This water also left behind a film of rusty material. The material was cleaned up and the metal piping was replaced with PVC pipe and sealed with Teflon plumber's tape. Samples of the rust detritus were collected from both incidents. These samples were imaged and analyzed to determine their chemical and mineralogical compositions. The purpose of these analyses is to document the nature of the detritus for future reference in the unlikely event that these materials occur as contaminants in the Cosmic Dust samples or Apollo or Meteorite thin sections.

  11. Macromolecules Inquiry: Transformation of a Standard Biochemistry Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Unsworth, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Identification of macromolecules in food is a standard introductory high school biology lab. The intent of this article is to describe the conversion of this standard cookbook lab into an inquiry investigation. Instead of verifying the macromolecules found in food, students use their knowledge of the macromolecules in food to determine the…

  12. Adolescent bariatric surgery program characteristics: the Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) study experience.

    PubMed

    Michalsky, Marc P; Inge, Thomas H; Teich, Steven; Eneli, Ihuoma; Miller, Rosemary; Brandt, Mary L; Helmrath, Michael; Harmon, Carroll M; Zeller, Meg H; Jenkins, Todd M; Courcoulas, Anita; Buncher, Ralph C

    2014-02-01

    The number of adolescents undergoing weight loss surgery (WLS) has increased in response to the increasing prevalence of severe childhood obesity. Adolescents undergoing WLS require unique support, which may differ from adult programs. The aim of this study was to describe institutional and programmatic characteristics of centers participating in Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS), a prospective study investigating safety and efficacy of adolescent WLS. Data were obtained from the Teen-LABS database, and site survey completed by Teen-LABS investigators. The survey queried (1) institutional characteristics, (2) multidisciplinary team composition, (3) clinical program characteristics, and (4) clinical research infrastructure. All centers had extensive multidisciplinary involvement in the assessment, pre-operative education, and post-operative management of adolescents undergoing WLS. Eligibility criteria and pre-operative clinical and diagnostic evaluations were similar between programs. All programs have well-developed clinical research infrastructure, use adolescent-specific educational resources, and maintain specialty equipment, including high weight capacity diagnostic imaging equipment. The composition of clinical team and institutional resources is consistent with current clinical practice guidelines. These characteristics, coupled with dedicated research staff, have facilitated enrollment of 242 participants into Teen-LABS. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program Characteristics: The Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) Study Experience

    PubMed Central

    Michalsky, M.P.; Inge, T.H.; Teich, S.; Eneli, I.; Miller, R.; Brandt, M.L.; Helmrath, M.; Harmon, C.M.; Zeller, M.H.; Jenkins, T.M.; Courcoulas, A.; Buncher, C.R.

    2013-01-01

    Background The number of adolescents undergoing weight loss surgery (WLS) has increased in response to the increasing prevalence of severe childhood obesity. Adolescents undergoing WLS require unique support, which may differ from adult programs. The aim of this study was to describe institutional and programmatic characteristics of centers participating in Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS), a prospective study investigating safety and efficacy of adolescent WLS. Methods Data were obtained from the Teen-LABS database and site survey completed by Teen-LABS investigators. The survey queried (1) institutional characteristics, (2) multidisciplinary team composition, (3) clinical program characteristics, and (4) clinical research infrastructure. Results All centers had extensive multidisciplinary involvement in the assessment, preoperative education and post-operative management of adolescents undergoing WLS. Eligibility criteria, pre-operative clinical and diagnostic evaluations were similar between programs. All programs have well developed clinical research infrastructure, use adolescent-specific educational resources, and maintain specialty equipment, including high weight capacity diagnostic imaging equipment. Conclusions The composition of clinical team and institutional resources are consistent with current clinical practice guidelines. These characteristics, coupled with dedicated research staff, have facilitated enrollment of 242 participants into Teen-LABS. PMID:24491361

  14. International Space Station Internal Thermal Control System Lab Module Simulator Build-Up and Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wieland, Paul; Miller, Lee; Ibarra, Tom

    2003-01-01

    As part of the Sustaining Engineering program for the International Space Station (ISS), a ground simulator of the Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) in the Lab Module was designed and built at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). To support prediction and troubleshooting, this facility is operationally and functionally similar to the flight system and flight-like components were used when available. Flight software algorithms, implemented using the LabVIEW(Registered Trademark) programming language, were used for monitoring performance and controlling operation. Validation testing of the low temperature loop was completed prior to activation of the Lab module in 2001. Assembly of the moderate temperature loop was completed in 2002 and validated in 2003. The facility has been used to address flight issues with the ITCS, successfully demonstrating the ability to add silver biocide and to adjust the pH of the coolant. Upon validation of the entire facility, it will be capable not only of checking procedures, but also of evaluating payload timelining, operational modifications, physical modifications, and other aspects affecting the thermal control system.

  15. The College of Charleston's 400-Student Observational Lab Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    True, C. M.

    2006-06-01

    For over thirty years the College of Charleston has been teaching a year-long introductory astronomy course incorporating a mandatory 3 hour lab. Despite our location in a very light polluted, coastal, high humidity, and often cloudy metropolitan area we have emphasized observational activities as much as possible. To accommodate our population of between 300-400 students per semester, we have 28 8-inch Celestron Telescopes and 25 GPS capable 8-inch Meade LX-200 telescopes. Finally, we have a 16 DFM adjacent to our rooftop observing decks. For indoor activities we have access to 42 computers running a variety of astronomy education software. Some of the computer activities are based on the Starry Night software (Backyard and Pro), the CLEA software from Gettysburg College, and Spectrum Explorer from Boston University. Additionally, we have labs involving cratering, eclipses and phases, coordinate systems with celestial globes, the inverse square law, spectroscopy and spectral classification, as well as others. In this presentation we will discuss the difficulties in managing a program of this size. We have approximately 14 lab sections a week. The lab manager's task involves coordinating 8-10 lab instructors and the same number of undergraduate teaching assistants as well as trying to maintain a coherent experience between the labs and lecture sections. Our lab manuals are produced locally with yearly updates. Samples from the manuals will be available. This program has been developed by a large number of College of Charleston astronomy faculty, including Don Drost, Bob Dukes, Chris Fragile, Tim Giblin, Jon Hakkila, Bill Kubinec, Lee Lindner, Jim Neff, Laura Penny, Al Rainis, Terry Richardson, and D. J. Williams, as well as adjunct and visiting faculty Bill Baird, Kevin Bourque, Ethan Denault, Kwayera Davis, Francie Halter, and Alan Johnson. Part of this work has been funded by NSF DUE grants to the College of Charleston.

  16. The EarthLabs Approach to Curriculum and Professional Development: Earth Science Education in the 21st Century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mote, A. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.

    2011-12-01

    Humans are modifying planet Earth at an alarming rate without fully understanding how our actions will affect the atmosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere. Recognizing the value of educating people to become citizens who can make informed decisions about Earth's resources and challenges, Texas currently offers Earth and Space Science as a rigorous high school capstone course. The new course has created a need for high quality instructional resources and professional development to equip teachers with the most up to date content knowledge, pedagogical approaches, and technological skills to be able to teach a rigorous Earth and Space Science course. As a participant in the NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to create Earth System Science and climate change resources for the EarthLabs collection. To this end, I am involved in multiple phases of the EarthLabs project, including reviewing the lab-based units during the development phase, pilot teaching the units with my students, participating in research, and ultimately delivering professional development to other teachers to turn them on to the new modules. My partnership with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my teaching practice by increasing my involvement with curriculum development and collaboration and interaction with other Earth science educators. Critically evaluating the lab modules prior to delivering the lessons to my students has prepared me to more effectively teach the EarthLabs modules in my classroom and present the material to other teachers during professional development workshops. The workshop was also strengthened by planning meetings held with EarthLabs partner teachers in which we engaged in lively discussions regarding misconceptions in Earth science, held by both students and adults, and pedagogical approaches to uncover these misconceptions

  17. The Living Labs: Innovation in Real-Life Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawk, Nathan; Bartle, Gamin; Romine, Martha

    2012-01-01

    The living lab (LL) is an open innovation ecosystem serving to provide opportunities for local stakeholders to practice research and to experiment with meaningful improvements for cities and other organizations. Living labs aim at involving the user as a cocreator. In this article the relationship between the LLs and a variety of stakeholders is…

  18. Glucose in Urine Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

    MedlinePlus

    ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Diabetes [updated 2017 Jan 15; cited ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Glucose Tests: Common Questions [updated 2017 ...

  19. Worldwide Lineages of Clinical Pneumococci in a Japanese Teaching Hospital Identified by DiversiLab System.

    PubMed

    Kashiwaya, Kiyoshi; Saga, Tomoo; Ishii, Yoshikazu; Sakata, Ryuji; Iwata, Morihiro; Yoshizawa, Sadako; Chang, Bin; Ohnishi, Makoto; Tateda, Kazuhiro

    2016-06-01

    Pneumococcal Molecular Epidemiology Network (PMEN) clones are representatives of worldwide-spreading pathogens. DiversiLab system, a repetitive PCR system, has been proposed as a less labor-and time-intensive genotyping platform alternative to conventional methods. However, the utility and analysis parameters of DiversiLab for identifying worldwide lineages was not established. To evaluate and optimize the performance of DiversiLab for identifying worldwide pneumococcal lineages, we examined 245 consecutive isolates of clinical Streptococcus pneumoniae from all age-group patients at a teaching hospital in Japan. The capsular swelling reaction of all isolates yielded 24 different serotypes. Intensive visual observation (VO) of DiversiLab band pattern difference divided all isolates into 73 clusters. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of representative 73 isolates from each VO cluster yielded 51 different STs. Among them, PMEN-related lineages accounted for 63% (46/73). Although the serotype of PMEN-related isolates was identical to that of the original PMEN clone in 70% (32/46), CC156-related PMEN lineages, namely Greece(6B)-22 and Colombia(23F)-26, harbored various capsular types discordant to the original PMEN clones. Regarding automated analysis, genotyping by extended Jaccard (XJ) with a 75% similarity index cutoff (SIC) showed the highest correlation with serotyping (adjusted Rand's coefficient, 0.528). Elevating the SIC for XJ to 85% increased the discriminatory power sufficient for distinguishing two major PMEN-related isolates of Taiwan(19F)-14 and Netherlands(3)-31. These results demonstrated a potential utility of DiversiLab for identifying worldwide lineage of pneumococcus. An optimized parameters of automated analysis should be useful especially for comparison for reference strains by "identification" function of DiversiLab. Copyright © 2016 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd

  20. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Emergency Diversity and Inclusion Committee Members Lab Contacts Resources & Operations Acknowledging ; Finance Templates Travel One-Stop Personnel Resources Committees In Case of Emergency Looking for MSD0010

  1. What Is LAB and Why Was It Renormed?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbott, Muriel

    A report on the Language Assessment Battery (LAB) explains, in question-and-answer form, the causes and results of some changes made in the test norms. The LAB is a test of communicative language competence, written in English and Spanish versions and used for student placement in the New York City Public Schools. The report describes the test…

  2. Solar University-National Lab Ultra-Effective Program | Photovoltaic

    Science.gov Websites

    Lab Ultra-Effective Program Solar University-National lab Ultra-effective Program (SUN UP) was created scientists arise out of long-standing collaborations. SUN UP was created to facilitate these interactions of a young man working in a laboratory setting with equipment. The goal of SUN UP is to increase the

  3. FOREWORD: Jefferson Lab: A Long Decade of Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montgomery, Hugh

    2011-04-01

    Jefferson Lab Jefferson Lab was created in 1984 and started operating in about 1996. 2011 is an appropriate time to try to take a look at the results that have appeared, what has been learned, and what has been exciting for our scientific community. Rather than attempt to construct a coherent view with a single author or at least a small number, we have, instead, invited small groups of people who have been intimately involved in the work itself to make contributions. These people are accelerator experts, experimentalists and theorists, staff and users. We have, in the main, sought reviews of the actual sub-fields. The primary exception is the first paper, which sets the scene as it was, in one person's view, at the beginning of Jefferson Lab. In reviewing the material as it appeared, I was impressed by the breadth of the material. Major advances are documented from form factors to structure functions, from spectroscopy to physics beyond the standard model of nuclear and particle physics. Recognition of the part played by spin, the helicities of the beams, the polarizations of the targets, and the polarizations of final state particles, is inescapable. Access to the weak interaction amplitudes through measurements of the parity violating asymmetries has led to quantification of the strange content of the nucleon and the neutron radius of lead, and to measurements of the electroweak mixing angle. Lattice QCD calculations flourished and are setting the platform for understanding of the spectroscopy of baryons and mesons. But the star of the game was the accelerator. Its performance enabled the physics and also the use of the technology to generate a powerful free electron laser. These important pieces of Jefferson Lab physics are given their place. As the third Director of Jefferson Lab, and on behalf of the other physicists and others presently associated with the lab, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude for the efforts of the directors, chief

  4. StagLab: Post-Processing and Visualisation in Geodynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crameri, Fabio

    2017-04-01

    Despite being simplifications of nature, today's Geodynamic numerical models can, often do, and sometimes have to become very complex. Additionally, a steadily-increasing amount of raw model data results from more elaborate numerical codes and the still continuously-increasing computational power available for their execution. The current need for efficient post-processing and sensible visualisation is thus apparent. StagLab (www.fabiocrameri.ch/software) provides such much-needed strongly-automated post-processing in combination with state-of-the-art visualisation. Written in MatLab, StagLab is simple, flexible, efficient and reliable. It produces figures and movies that are both fully-reproducible and publication-ready. StagLab's post-processing capabilities include numerous diagnostics for plate tectonics and mantle dynamics. Featured are accurate plate-boundary identification, slab-polarity recognition, plate-bending derivation, mantle-plume detection, and surface-topography component splitting. These and many other diagnostics are derived conveniently from only a few parameter fields thanks to powerful image processing tools and other capable algorithms. Additionally, StagLab aims to prevent scientific visualisation pitfalls that are, unfortunately, still too common in the Geodynamics community. Misinterpretation of raw data and exclusion of colourblind people introduced with the continuous use of the rainbow (a.k.a. jet) colour scheme is just one, but a dramatic example (e.g., Rogowitz and Treinish, 1998; Light and Bartlein, 2004; Borland and Ii, 2007). StagLab is currently optimised for binary StagYY output (e.g., Tackley 2008), but is adjustable for the potential use with other Geodynamic codes. Additionally, StagLab's post-processing routines are open-source. REFERENCES Borland, D., and R. M. T. Ii (2007), Rainbow color map (still) considered harmful, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 27(2), 14-17. Light, A., and P. J. Bartlein (2004), The end of

  5. Adding Automatic Evaluation to Interactive Virtual Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farias, Gonzalo; Muñoz de la Peña, David; Gómez-Estern, Fabio; De la Torre, Luis; Sánchez, Carlos; Dormido, Sebastián

    2016-01-01

    Automatic evaluation is a challenging field that has been addressed by the academic community in order to reduce the assessment workload. In this work we present a new element for the authoring tool Easy Java Simulations (EJS). This element, which is named automatic evaluation element (AEE), provides automatic evaluation to virtual and remote…

  6. Undergraduate Student Construction and Interpretation of Graphs in Physics Lab Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nixon, Ryan S.; Godfrey, T. J.; Mayhew, Nicholas T.; Wiegert, Craig C.

    2016-01-01

    Lab activities are an important element of an undergraduate physics course. In these lab activities, students construct and interpret graphs in order to connect the procedures of the lab with an understanding of the related physics concepts. This study investigated undergraduate students' construction and interpretation of graphs with best-fit…

  7. A Further Characterization of Empirical Research Related to Learning Outcome Achievement in Remote and Virtual Science Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brinson, James R.

    2017-10-01

    This paper further characterizes recently reviewed literature related to student learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) science labs, as well as factors to consider when evaluating the state and progress of research in this field as a whole. Current research is characterized according to (1) participant nationality and culture, (2) participant education level, (3) participant demography, (4) scientific discipline, and (5) research methodology, which could provide avenues for further research and useful dialog regarding the measurement and interpretation of data related to student learning outcome achievement in, and thus the efficacy of, non-traditional versus traditional science labs. Current research is also characterized by (6) research publication media and (7) availability of non-traditional labs used, which demonstrate some of the obstacles to progress and consensus in this research field.

  8. Virtual Labs in proteomics: new E-learning tools.

    PubMed

    Ray, Sandipan; Koshy, Nicole Rachel; Reddy, Panga Jaipal; Srivastava, Sanjeeva

    2012-05-17

    Web-based educational resources have gained enormous popularity recently and are increasingly becoming a part of modern educational systems. Virtual Labs are E-learning platforms where learners can gain the experience of practical experimentation without any direct physical involvement on real bench work. They use computerized simulations, models, videos, animations and other instructional technologies to create interactive content. Proteomics being one of the most rapidly growing fields of the biological sciences is now an important part of college and university curriculums. Consequently, many E-learning programs have started incorporating the theoretical and practical aspects of different proteomic techniques as an element of their course work in the form of Video Lectures and Virtual Labs. To this end, recently we have developed a Virtual Proteomics Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, which demonstrates different proteomics techniques, including basic and advanced gel and MS-based protein separation and identification techniques, bioinformatics tools and molecular docking methods, and their applications in different biological samples. This Tutorial will discuss the prominent Virtual Labs featuring proteomics content, including the Virtual Proteomics Lab of IIT-Bombay, and E-resources available for proteomics study that are striving to make proteomic techniques and concepts available and accessible to the student and research community. This Tutorial is part of the International Proteomics Tutorial Programme (IPTP 14). Details can be found at: http://www.proteomicstutorials.org/. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Serial Dilution Simulation Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keler, Cynthia; Balutis, Tabitha; Bergen, Kim; Laudenslager, Bryanna; Rubino, Deanna

    2010-01-01

    Serial dilution is often a difficult concept for students to understand. In this short dry lab exercise, students perform serial dilutions using seed beads. This exercise helps students gain skill at performing dilutions without using reagents, bacterial cultures, or viral cultures, while being able to visualize the process.

  10. Problem Solvers: MathLab's Design Brings Professional Learning into the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morales, Sara; Sainz, Terri

    2017-01-01

    Imagine teachers, administrators, and university mathematicians and staff learning together in a lab setting where students are excited about attending a week-long summer math event because they are at the forefront of the experience. Piloted in three New Mexico classrooms during summer 2014, MathLab expanded into 17 lab settings over six…

  11. LabLessons: Effects of Electronic Prelabs on Student Engagement and Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gryczka, Patrick; Klementowicz, Edward; Sharrock, Chappel; Maxfield, MacRae; Montclare, Jin Kim

    2016-01-01

    Lab instructors, for both high school and undergraduate college level courses, face issues of constricted time within the lab period and limited student engagement with prelab materials. To address these issues, an online prelab delivery system named LabLessons is developed and tested out in a high school chemistry classroom. The system…

  12. Qualification Lab Testing on M1 Abrams Engine Oil Filters

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-11-01

    UNCLASSIFIED QUALIFICATION LAB TESTING ON M1 ABRAMS ENGINE OIL FILTERS FINAL REPORT TFLRF No. 483 by Kristi K. Rutta U.S...the originator. UNCLASSIFIED QUALIFICATION LAB TESTING ON M1 ABRAMS ENGINE OIL FILTERS FINAL REPORT TFLRF No. 483 by Kristi K...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Qualification Lab Testing on M1 Abrams Engine Oil Filter 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W56HZV-15-C-0030 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

  13. Video streaming technologies using ActiveX and LabVIEW

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panoiu, M.; Rat, C. L.; Panoiu, C.

    2015-06-01

    The goal of this paper is to present the possibilities of remote image processing through data exchange between two programming technologies: LabVIEW and ActiveX. ActiveX refers to the process of controlling one program from another via ActiveX component; where one program acts as the client and the other as the server. LabVIEW can be either client or server. Both programs (client and server) exist independent of each other but are able to share information. The client communicates with the ActiveX objects that the server opens to allow the sharing of information [7]. In the case of video streaming [1] [2], most ActiveX controls can only display the data, being incapable of transforming it into a data type that LabVIEW can process. This becomes problematic when the system is used for remote image processing. The LabVIEW environment itself provides little if any possibilities for video streaming, and the methods it does offer are usually not high performance, but it possesses high performance toolkits and modules specialized in image processing, making it ideal for processing the captured data. Therefore, we chose to use existing software, specialized in video streaming along with LabVIEW and to capture the data provided by them, for further use, within LabVIEW. The software we studied (the ActiveX controls of a series of media players that utilize streaming technology) provide high quality data and a very small transmission delay, ensuring the reliability of the results of the image processing.

  14. Validity of Selected Lab and Field Tests of Physical Working Capacity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Edmund J.

    The validity of selected lab and field tests of physical working capacity was investigated. Forty-four male college students were administered a series of lab and field tests of physical working capacity. Lab tests include a test of maximum oxygen uptake, the PWC 170 test, the Harvard Step Test, the Progressive Pulse Ratio Test, Margaria Test of…

  15. Electronics lab instructors' approaches to troubleshooting instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2017-06-01

    In this exploratory qualitative study, we describe instructors' self-reported practices for teaching and assessing students' ability to troubleshoot in electronics lab courses. We collected audio data from interviews with 20 electronics instructors from 18 institutions that varied by size, selectivity, and other factors. In addition to describing participants' instructional practices, we characterize their perceptions about the role of troubleshooting in electronics, the importance of the ability to troubleshoot more generally, and what it means for students to be competent troubleshooters. One major finding of this work is that, while almost all instructors in our study said that troubleshooting is an important learning outcome for students in electronics lab courses, only half of instructors said they directly assessed students' ability to troubleshoot. Based on our findings, we argue that there is a need for research-based instructional materials that attend to both cognitive and noncognitive aspects of troubleshooting proficiency. We also identify several areas for future investigation related to troubleshooting instruction in electronics lab courses.

  16. Networking Labs in the Online Environment: Indicators for Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lahoud, Hilmi A.; Krichen, Jack P.

    2010-01-01

    Several techniques have been used to provide hands-on educational experiences to online learners, including remote labs, simulation software, and virtual labs, which offer a more structured environment, including simulations and scheduled asynchronous access to physical resources. This exploratory study investigated how these methods can be used…

  17. Vista and Pemex in LAB deal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Morris, G.D.L.

    1993-01-20

    Vista Chemical (Houston) and Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex; Mexico City) have firmed up their long-negotiated plans for Pemex to supply feedstock for a linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant that Vista will build in Mexico (CW, Sept. 16, 1992 p. 8). Specifically, the two companies have signed an agreement of understanding to pursue negotiations and finalize agreements. The plant would cost $250 million, produce 260 million-330 million lbs/year of LAB, and create about 200 permanent jobs. Final agreements, including a site selection, are expected to be completed by midyear. Vista expects startup in 1996, and is considering forming aj oint venture with amore » Mexican partner.« less

  18. The Influence of Tablet PCs on Students' Use of Multiple Representations in Lab Reports

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guelman, Clarisa Bercovich; De Leone, Charles; Price, Edward

    2009-11-01

    This study examined how different tools influenced students' use of representations in the Physics laboratory. In one section of a lab course, every student had a Tablet PC that served as a digital-ink based lab notebook. Students could seamlessly create hand-drawn graphics and equations, and write lab reports on the same computer used for data acquisition, simulation, and analysis. In another lab section, students used traditional printed lab guides, kept paper notebooks, and then wrote lab reports on regular laptops. Analysis of the lab reports showed differences between the sections' use of multiple representations, including an increased use of diagrams and equations by the Tablet users.

  19. Interfacing LabVIEW With Instrumentation for Electronic Failure Analysis and Beyond

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buchanan, Randy K.; Bryan, Coleman; Ludwig, Larry

    1996-01-01

    The Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workstation (LabVIEW) software is designed such that equipment and processes related to control systems can be operationally lined and controlled by the use of a computer. Various processes within the failure analysis laboratories of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) demonstrate the need for modernization and, in some cases, automation, using LabVIEW. An examination of procedures and practices with the Failure Analaysis Laboratory resulted in the conclusion that some device was necessary to elevate the potential users of LabVIEW to an operational level in minimum time. This paper outlines the process involved in creating a tutorial application to enable personnel to apply LabVIEW to their specific projects. Suggestions for furthering the extent to which LabVIEW is used are provided in the areas of data acquisition and process control.

  20. State of the Lab 2012

    ScienceCinema

    King, Alex

    2018-05-07

    Ames Laboratory Director Alex King delivers the annual State of the Lab address on Thursday, May 17, 2012, the 65th Anniversary of the founding of The Ames Laboratory. This video contains highlights from the address.

  1. State of the Lab 2012

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    King, Alex

    2012-01-01

    Ames Laboratory Director Alex King delivers the annual State of the Lab address on Thursday, May 17, 2012, the 65th Anniversary of the founding of The Ames Laboratory. This video contains highlights from the address.

  2. Quality control, analysis and secure sharing of Luminex® immunoassay data using the open source LabKey Server platform

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Immunoassays that employ multiplexed bead arrays produce high information content per sample. Such assays are now frequently used to evaluate humoral responses in clinical trials. Integrated software is needed for the analysis, quality control, and secure sharing of the high volume of data produced by such multiplexed assays. Software that facilitates data exchange and provides flexibility to perform customized analyses (including multiple curve fits and visualizations of assay performance over time) could increase scientists’ capacity to use these immunoassays to evaluate human clinical trials. Results The HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention collaborated with LabKey Software to enhance the open source LabKey Server platform to facilitate workflows for multiplexed bead assays. This system now supports the management, analysis, quality control, and secure sharing of data from multiplexed immunoassays that leverage Luminex xMAP® technology. These assays may be custom or kit-based. Newly added features enable labs to: (i) import run data from spreadsheets output by Bio-Plex Manager™ software; (ii) customize data processing, curve fits, and algorithms through scripts written in common languages, such as R; (iii) select script-defined calculation options through a graphical user interface; (iv) collect custom metadata for each titration, analyte, run and batch of runs; (v) calculate dose–response curves for titrations; (vi) interpolate unknown concentrations from curves for titrated standards; (vii) flag run data for exclusion from analysis; (viii) track quality control metrics across runs using Levey-Jennings plots; and (ix) automatically flag outliers based on expected values. Existing system features allow researchers to analyze, integrate, visualize, export and securely share their data, as well as to construct custom user interfaces and workflows. Conclusions Unlike other tools tailored for

  3. Quality control, analysis and secure sharing of Luminex® immunoassay data using the open source LabKey Server platform.

    PubMed

    Eckels, Josh; Nathe, Cory; Nelson, Elizabeth K; Shoemaker, Sara G; Nostrand, Elizabeth Van; Yates, Nicole L; Ashley, Vicki C; Harris, Linda J; Bollenbeck, Mark; Fong, Youyi; Tomaras, Georgia D; Piehler, Britt

    2013-04-30

    Immunoassays that employ multiplexed bead arrays produce high information content per sample. Such assays are now frequently used to evaluate humoral responses in clinical trials. Integrated software is needed for the analysis, quality control, and secure sharing of the high volume of data produced by such multiplexed assays. Software that facilitates data exchange and provides flexibility to perform customized analyses (including multiple curve fits and visualizations of assay performance over time) could increase scientists' capacity to use these immunoassays to evaluate human clinical trials. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention collaborated with LabKey Software to enhance the open source LabKey Server platform to facilitate workflows for multiplexed bead assays. This system now supports the management, analysis, quality control, and secure sharing of data from multiplexed immunoassays that leverage Luminex xMAP® technology. These assays may be custom or kit-based. Newly added features enable labs to: (i) import run data from spreadsheets output by Bio-Plex Manager™ software; (ii) customize data processing, curve fits, and algorithms through scripts written in common languages, such as R; (iii) select script-defined calculation options through a graphical user interface; (iv) collect custom metadata for each titration, analyte, run and batch of runs; (v) calculate dose-response curves for titrations; (vi) interpolate unknown concentrations from curves for titrated standards; (vii) flag run data for exclusion from analysis; (viii) track quality control metrics across runs using Levey-Jennings plots; and (ix) automatically flag outliers based on expected values. Existing system features allow researchers to analyze, integrate, visualize, export and securely share their data, as well as to construct custom user interfaces and workflows. Unlike other tools tailored for Luminex immunoassays, LabKey Server

  4. Writing Better Lab Reports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Porter, Rhiannon; Guarienti, Kristy; Brydon, Barbara; Robb, Jeanine; Royston, Ann; Painter, Heidi; Sutherland, Alex; Passmore, Cynthia; Smith, Martin H.

    2010-01-01

    As science teachers at a suburban California high school, the authors were concerned about the lab report conclusions written by their upper-level chemistry, biology, and ecology students--which were consistently of poor quality. Their work lacked inferences derived from data and support for their concluding statements. Working as part of a…

  5. Science Labs: Beyond Isolationism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cavanagh, Sean

    2007-01-01

    A national study released in 2005 concluded that most high school students are not exposed to high quality science labs because of these reasons: (a) poor school facilities and organizations; (b) weak teacher preparation; (c) poor design; (d) cluttered state standards; (e) little representation on state tests; and (f) scarce evidence of what…

  6. WetLab-2: Wet Lab RNA SmartCycler Providing PCR Capability on ISS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parra, Macarena; Schonfeld, Julie

    2015-01-01

    The WetLab-2 system will provide sample preparation and qRT-PCR analysis on-board the ISS, a capability to enable using the ISS as a real laboratory. The system will be validated on SpX-7, and is planned for its first PI use on SpX-9.

  7. Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) isolated from Indonesian shrimp paste (terasi)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amalia, U.; Sumardianto; Agustini, T. W.

    2018-02-01

    Shrimp paste was one of fermented products, popular as a taste enhancer in many dishes. The processing of shrimp paste was natural fermentation, depends on shrimp it self and the presence of salt. The salt inhibits the growth of undesirable microorganism and allows the salt-tolerant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to ferment the protein source to lactic acids. The objectives of this study were to characterize LAB isolated from Indonesian shrimp paste or "Terasi" with different times of fermentation (30, 60 and 90 days). Vitech analysis showed that there were four strains of the microorganism referred to as lactic acid bacteria (named: LABS1, LABS2, LABS3 and LABS4) with 95% sequence similarity. On the basis of biochemical, four isolates represented Lactobacillus, which the name Lactobacillus plantarum is proposed. L.plantarum was play role in resulting secondary metabolites, which gave umami flavor in shrimp paste.

  8. An Integrated Lab-on-Chip for Rapid Identification and Simultaneous Differentiation of Tropical Pathogens

    PubMed Central

    Sato, Mitsuharu; Watthanaworawit, Wanitda; Ling, Clare L.; Mauduit, Marjorie; Malleret, Benoît; Grüner, Anne-Charlotte; Tan, Rosemary; Nosten, François H.; Snounou, Georges; Rénia, Laurent; Ng, Lisa F. P.

    2014-01-01

    Tropical pathogens often cause febrile illnesses in humans and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. The similarities in clinical symptoms provoked by these pathogens make diagnosis difficult. Thus, early, rapid and accurate diagnosis will be crucial in patient management and in the control of these diseases. In this study, a microfluidic lab-on-chip integrating multiplex molecular amplification and DNA microarray hybridization was developed for simultaneous detection and species differentiation of 26 globally important tropical pathogens. The analytical performance of the lab-on-chip for each pathogen ranged from 102 to 103 DNA or RNA copies. Assay performance was further verified with human whole blood spiked with Plasmodium falciparum and Chikungunya virus that yielded a range of detection from 200 to 4×105 parasites, and from 250 to 4×107 PFU respectively. This lab-on-chip was subsequently assessed and evaluated using 170 retrospective patient specimens in Singapore and Thailand. The lab-on-chip had a detection sensitivity of 83.1% and a specificity of 100% for P. falciparum; a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 99.3% for P. vivax; a positive 90.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Chikungunya virus; and a positive 85.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Dengue virus serotype 3 with reference methods conducted on the samples. Results suggested the practicality of an amplification microarray-based approach in a field setting for high-throughput detection and identification of tropical pathogens. PMID:25078474

  9. Strategic Design of an Interactive Video Learning Lab (IVL).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Switzer, Ralph V., Jr.; Switzer, Jamie S.

    1993-01-01

    Describes a study that researched elements necessary for the design of an interactive video learning (IVL) lab for business courses. Highlights include a review of pertinent literature; guidelines for the use of an IVL lab; IVL systems integration; system specifications; hardware costs; and system software. (five references) (LRW)

  10. Innovative Use of a Classroom Response System During Physics Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walgren, Jay

    2011-01-01

    More and more physics instructors are making use of personal/classroom response systems or "clickers." The use of clickers to engage students with multiple-choice questions during lecture and available instructor resources for clickers have been well documented in this journal.1-4 Newer-generation clickers, which I refer to as classroom response systems (CRS), have evolved to accept numeric answers (such as 9.81) instead of just single "multiple-choice" entries (Fig. 1). This advancement is available from most major clicker companies and allows for a greater variety of engaging questions during lecture. In addition, these new "numeric ready" clickers are marketed to be used for student assessments. During a test or quiz, students' answers are entered into their clicker instead of on paper or Scantron® and immediately absorbed by wireless connection into a computer for grading and analysis. I recognize the usefulness and benefit these new-generation CRSs provide for many instructors. However, I do not use my CRS in either of the aforementioned activities. Instead, I use it in an unconventional way. I use the CRS to electronically capture students' lab data as they are performing a physics lab (Fig. 2). I set up the clickers as if I were going to use them for a test, but instead of entering answers to a test, my students enter lab data as they collect it. In this paper I discuss my use of a classroom response system during physics laboratory and three benefits that result: 1) Students are encouraged to "take ownership of" and "have integrity with" their physics lab data. 2) Students' measuring and unit conversion deficiencies are identified immediately during the lab. 3) The process of grading students' labs is simplified because the results of each student's lab calculations can be pre-calculated for the instructor using a spreadsheet. My use of clickers during lab can be implemented with most clicker systems available to instructors today. The CRS I use is the e

  11. First results on GlioLab/GlioSat Precursors Missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cappelletti, Chantal; Notarangelo, Angelo; Demoss, Darrin; Carella, Massimo

    2012-07-01

    Since 2009 GAUSS group is involved in a joint collaboration with Morehead State University (MSU) Space Science Center and IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (CSS) research labs with the aim to design a biomedical project in order to investigate if the combined effects of microgravity conditions and ionizing radiation increase or decrease the survival rate of cancer cells. The biological sample consists of Glioblastoma cancer cell line ANGM-CSS. Glioblastoma is a kind of cancer that can be treated after surgery only by radiotherapy using ionizing radiation. This treatment, anyway, results in a very low survival rate. This project uses different university space platforms: a CubeLab, named GlioLab, on board the International Space Station and the university microsatellite UniSat-5 designed by GAUSS. In addition a GlioLab/GlioSat precursor experiment has already flown two times with the Space Shuttle during the missions STS-134 and STS-135. The phase 0 or the precursor of GlioLab uses a COTS system, named Liquid Mixing Apparatus (LMA), to board the biological samples inside the Space Shuttle for thirty day . The LMA allows to board liquids inside a vial but is not equipped with environment control system. After landing the samples were investigated by researchers at CSS in Italy and at MSU in Kentucky. This paper deals with the experimental set up and the results obtained during the STS-134 and STS-135 missions and with the new evidences on the behavior of this kind of cancer. In particular the results obtained on the DNA analysis give a confirmation of the original idea of GLioLab/Gliosat project justifying the development of the two systems.

  12. Online Physics Lab Exercises--A Binational Study on the Transfer of Teaching Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Theyßen, Heike; Struzyna, Sarah; Mylott, Elliot; Widenhorn, Ralf

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we present the design and the results of a comparative study that evaluated the success of a transfer of an online-teaching resource between two universities, one in Germany and one in the USA. The teaching resource is an online physics lab that has been used in the physics education of medical students in Germany since 2003. The…

  13. Medical student responses to clinical procedure teaching in the anatomy lab.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Donald R; Nava, Pedro B

    2010-03-01

    the teaching of gross anatomy to first-year medical students has progressed from a 'stand-alone' discipline to one with much clinical emphasis. The curriculum at Loma Linda University School of Medicine has had increasing clinical correlates in recent years. We decided to supplement this with procedure demonstrations early in the course, and measure the student response. clinical procedures were performed on cadavers in the anatomy lab. For example, pleural and pericardial effusions were simulated by placing bags of intravenous fluid in the pleural and pericardial cavities; pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax were simulated using an inflatable rubber bladder. Videos were made and then presented in sequence with gross anatomy lectures. The student response was evaluated with a survey sheet. the Student response was overwhelmingly positive, with all students stating that the presentations made anatomy more relevant, and most indicating that anatomy also became easier to learn. Feedback confirmed that first-year medical students have a strong clinical orientation, which can facilitate both the teaching and learning of gross anatomy. advantages of having clinicians present simulated procedures in the anatomy lab include: heightened student interest; mentoring and modelling for students; introduction to clinical concepts now encountered in basic science examinations; supplementation of the thinning ranks of qualified gross anatomy teachers. The use of intravenous fluid bags and distensible bladders to simulate abnormal collections of fluid and air in body cavities is simple, inexpensive, and can be replicated in any anatomy lab. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

  14. EUSO@TurLab: An experimental replica of ISS orbits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bertaina, M.; Bowaire, A.; Cambursano, S.; Caruso, R.; Contino, G.; Cotto, G.; Crivello, F.; Forza, R.; Guardone, N.; Manfrin, M.; Mignone, M.; Mulas, R.; Suino, G.; Tibaldi, P. S.

    2015-03-01

    The EUSO@TurLab project is an on-going activity aimed to reproduce atmospheric and luminous conditions that JEM-EUSO will encounter on its orbits around the Earth. The use of the TurLab facility, part of the Department of Physics of the University of Torino, allows the simulation of different surface conditions in a very dark and rotating environment in order to test the response of JEM-EUSO's sensors and sensitivity. The experimental setup currently in operation has been used to check the potential of the TurLab facility for the above purposes, and the acquired data will be used to test the concept of JEM-EUSO's trigger system.

  15. An update on Lab Rover: A hospital material transporter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mattaboni, Paul

    1994-01-01

    The development of a hospital material transporter, 'Lab Rover', is described. Conventional material transport now utilizes people power, push carts, pneumatic tubes and tracked vehicles. Hospitals are faced with enormous pressure to reduce operating costs. Cyberotics, Inc. developed an Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle (AIV). This battery operated service robot was designed specifically for health care institutions. Applications for the AIV include distribution of clinical lab samples, pharmacy drugs, administrative records, x-ray distribution, meal tray delivery, and certain emergency room applications. The first AIV was installed at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. Lab Rover was beta tested for one year and has been 'on line' for an additional 2 years.

  16. Hooked on Inquiry: History Labs in the Methods Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, Linda Sargent

    2012-01-01

    Methods courses provide a rich opportunity to unpack what it means to "learn history by doing history." To help explain what "doing history" means, the author has created history labs to walk teacher candidates through the historical process. Each lab poses a historical problem, requires analysis of primary and secondary…

  17. LabPatch, an acquisition and analysis program for patch-clamp electrophysiology.

    PubMed

    Robinson, T; Thomsen, L; Huizinga, J D

    2000-05-01

    An acquisition and analysis program, "LabPatch," has been developed for use in patch-clamp research. LabPatch controls any patch-clamp amplifier, acquires and records data, runs voltage protocols, plots and analyzes data, and connects to spreadsheet and database programs. Controls within LabPatch are grouped by function on one screen, much like an oscilloscope front panel. The software is mouse driven, so that the user need only point and click. Finally, the ability to copy data to other programs running in Windows 95/98, and the ability to keep track of experiments using a database, make LabPatch extremely versatile. The system requirements include Windows 95/98, at least a 100-MHz processor and 16 MB RAM, a data acquisition card, digital-to-analog converter, and a patch-clamp amplifier. LabPatch is available free of charge at http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/huizinga/.

  18. Conducting On-orbit Gene Expression Analysis on ISS: WetLab-2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parra, Macarena; Almeida, Eduardo; Boone, Travis; Jung, Jimmy; Lera, Matthew P.; Ricco, Antonio; Souza, Kenneth; Wu, Diana; Richey, C. Scott

    2013-01-01

    WetLab-2 will enable expanded genomic research on orbit by developing tools that support in situ sample collection, processing, and analysis on ISS. This capability will reduce the time-to-results for investigators and define new pathways for discovery on the ISS National Lab. The primary objective is to develop a research platform on ISS that will facilitate real-time quantitative gene expression analysis of biological samples collected on orbit. WetLab-2 will be capable of processing multiple sample types ranging from microbial cultures to animal tissues dissected on orbit. WetLab-2 will significantly expand the analytical capabilities onboard ISS and enhance science return from ISS.

  19. A review of digital microfluidics as portable platforms for lab-on a-chip applications.

    PubMed

    Samiei, Ehsan; Tabrizian, Maryam; Hoorfar, Mina

    2016-07-07

    Following the development of microfluidic systems, there has been a high tendency towards developing lab-on-a-chip devices for biochemical applications. A great deal of effort has been devoted to improve and advance these devices with the goal of performing complete sets of biochemical assays on the device and possibly developing portable platforms for point of care applications. Among the different microfluidic systems used for such a purpose, digital microfluidics (DMF) shows high flexibility and capability of performing multiplex and parallel biochemical operations, and hence, has been considered as a suitable candidate for lab-on-a-chip applications. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances in the DMF platforms, and evaluate the feasibility of developing multifunctional packages for performing complete sets of processes of biochemical assays, particularly for point-of-care applications. The progress in the development of DMF systems is reviewed from eight different aspects, including device fabrication, basic fluidic operations, automation, manipulation of biological samples, advanced operations, detection, biological applications, and finally, packaging and portability of the DMF devices. Success in developing the lab-on-a-chip DMF devices will be concluded based on the advances achieved in each of these aspects.

  20. Examining and contrasting the cognitive activities engaged in undergraduate research experiences and lab courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holmes, N. G.; Wieman, Carl E.

    2016-12-01

    While the positive outcomes of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been extensively categorized, the mechanisms for those outcomes are less understood. Through lightly structured focus group interviews, we have extracted the cognitive tasks that students identify as engaging in during their UREs. We also use their many comparative statements about their coursework, especially lab courses, to evaluate their experimental physics-related cognitive tasks in those environments. We find there are a number of cognitive tasks consistently encountered in physics UREs that are present in most experimental research. These are seldom encountered in lab or lecture courses, with some notable exceptions. Having time to reflect and fix or revise, and having a sense of autonomy, were both repeatedly cited as key enablers of the benefits of UREs. We also identify tasks encountered in actual experimental research that are not encountered in UREs. We use these findings to identify opportunities for better integration of the cognitive tasks in UREs and lab courses, as well as discussing the barriers that exist. This work responds to extensive calls for science education to better develop students' scientific skills and practices, as well as calls to expose more students to scientific research.

  1. Characteristic of phenolic compound and antioxidant activity of fermented broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp.) beverage by lactic acid bacteria (LAB)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maryati, Yati; Susilowati, Agustine; Melanie, Hakiki; Lotulung, Puspa D.

    2017-01-01

    Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp.) has a relatively high nutrient content, especially as a source of vitamins, minerals and fiber and contain bioactive compounds that act as antioxidants. In order to increase the nutritional value and innovate new products, fermentation process involving rich-antioxidants lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was done. The aim of this study is to determine the content of bioactive components, such as total polyphenols, total acid and antioxidant activity of the mixed culture of LAB (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophulus, L. acidophilus, Bd. bifidum)-fermented broccoli extracts. Ratio of fermented broccoli extract and concentration of starter cultureLAB was varied in the range of 5, 10, 15 and 20% (v/v), and the alterations of characteristics of the fermented broccoli extract, before and after fermentation (0 and 24 hours), were evaluated. The results showed that fermentation functional beverage broccoli with different concentrations of LAB cultures affect the antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, total acid and total cell of LAB generated. The optimum conditions obtained for the highest antioxidant activity of 6.74%, at aculture concentration of 20% during fermentation time of 24 h with a pH value of 4.29, total sugar of 10.89%, total acids of 0.97%, total polyphenols of 0.076%, and total LAB of 13.02 + 0.05 log cfu /ml.

  2. A Computer Lab that Students Use but Never See

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Jeffrey R.

    2008-01-01

    North Carolina State University may never build another computer lab. Instead the university has installed racks of equipment in windowless rooms where students and professors never go. This article describes a project called the Virtual Computing Lab. Users enter it remotely from their own computers in dormitory rooms or libraries. They get all…

  3. The community FabLab platform: applications and implications in biomedical engineering.

    PubMed

    Stephenson, Makeda K; Dow, Douglas E

    2014-01-01

    Skill development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education present one of the most formidable challenges of modern society. The Community FabLab platform presents a viable solution. Each FabLab contains a suite of modern computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, electronics and computing hardware and design, programming, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided machining (CAM) software. FabLabs are community and educational resources and open to the public. Development of STEM based workforce skills such as digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing can be enhanced using this platform. Particularly notable is the potential of the FabLab platform in STEM education. The active learning environment engages and supports a diversity of learners, while the iterative learning that is supported by the FabLab rapid prototyping platform facilitates depth of understanding, creativity, innovation and mastery. The product and project based learning that occurs in FabLabs develops in the student a personal sense of accomplishment, self-awareness, command of the material and technology. This helps build the interest and confidence necessary to excel in STEM and throughout life. Finally the introduction and use of relevant technologies at every stage of the education process ensures technical familiarity and a broad knowledge base needed for work in STEM based fields. Biomedical engineering education strives to cultivate broad technical adeptness, creativity, interdisciplinary thought, and an ability to form deep conceptual understanding of complex systems. The FabLab platform is well designed to enhance biomedical engineering education.

  4. A Simple, Successful Capacitor Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ennis, William

    2011-01-01

    Capacitors are a fundamental component of modern electronics. They appear in myriad devices and in an enormous range of sizes. Although our students are taught the function and analysis of capacitors, few have the opportunity to use them in our labs.

  5. Swanson in the US Lab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-04-18

    ISS039-E-013158 (18 April 2014) --- In the U.S. lab Destiny on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA works on WRS condensate pumping, using the high flow water transfer pump.

  6. Near Space Lab-Rat Experimentation using Stratospheric Balloon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buduru, Suneel Kumar; Reddy Vizapur, Anmi; Rao Tanneeru, Venkateswara; Trivedi, Dharmesh; Devarajan, Anand; Pandit Manikrao Kulkarni, MR..; Ojha, Devendra; Korra, Sakram; Neerudu, Nagendra; Seng, Lim; Godi, Stalin Peter

    2016-07-01

    First ever balloon borne lab-rat experiment up to near space stratospheric altitude levels carried out at TIFR Balloon Facility, Hydeabad using zero pressure balloons for the purpose of validating the life support system. A series of two balloon experiments conducted under joint collaboration with IN.Genius, Singapore in the year 2015. In these experiments, three lab-rats sent to stratosphere in a pressurized capsule designed to reach an altitude of 30 km by keeping constant pressure, temperature and maintained at a precise rate of oxygen supply inside the capsule. The first experiment conducted on 1 ^{st} February, 2015 with a total suspended weight of 225 kg. During the balloon ascent stage at 18 km altitude, sensors inside the capsule reported drastic drop in internal pressure while oxygen and temperatures maintained at correct levels resulted in premature fligt termination at 20.1 km. All the three lab-rats recovered without life due to the collapse of their lungs caused by the depressurization inside the capsule. The second experiment conducted on 14th March, 2015 using a newly developed capsule with rectification of depressurization fault by using improved sealing gaskets and hermitically sealed connectors for sending lab-rats again to stratosphere comprising a total suspended load of 122.3 kg. The balloon flight was terminated after reaching 29.5 km in 110 minutes and succesfully recovered all the three lab-rats alive. This paper focuses on lessons learnt of the development of the life support system as an integral pressurized vessel, flight control instrumentation, flight simulation tests using thermo-vaccum chamber with pre-flight operations.

  7. Integration of MSFC Usability Lab with Usability Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, Yiwei; Richardson, Sally

    2010-01-01

    As part of the Stage Analysis Branch, human factors engineering plays an important role in relating humans to the systems of hardware and structure designs of the new launch vehicle. While many branches are involved in the technical aspects of creating a launch vehicle, human factors connects humans to the scientific systems with the goal of improving operational performance and safety while reducing operational error and damage to the hardware. Human factors engineers use physical and computerized models to visualize possible areas for improvements to ensure human accessibility to components requiring maintenance and that the necessary maintenance activities can be accomplished with minimal risks to human and hardware. Many methods of testing are used to fulfill this goal, such as physical mockups, computerized visualization, and usability testing. In this analysis, a usability test is conducted to test how usable a website is to users who are and are not familiar with it. The testing is performed using participants and Morae software to record and analyze the results. This analysis will be a preliminary test of the usability lab in preparation for use in new spacecraft programs, NASA Enterprise, or other NASA websites. The usability lab project is divided into two parts: integration of the usability lab and a preliminary test of the usability lab.

  8. Developing Guided Inquiry-Based Student Lab Worksheet for Laboratory Knowledge Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahmi, Y. L.; Novriyanti, E.; Ardi, A.; Rifandi, R.

    2018-04-01

    The course of laboratory knowledge is an introductory course for biology students to follow various lectures practicing in the biology laboratory. Learning activities of laboratory knowledge course at this time in the Biology Department, Universitas Negeri Padang has not been completed by supporting learning media such as student lab worksheet. Guided inquiry learning model is one of the learning models that can be integrated into laboratory activity. The study aimed to produce student lab worksheet based on guided inquiry for laboratory knowledge course and to determine the validity of lab worksheet. The research was conducted using research and developmet (R&D) model. The instruments used in data collection in this research were questionnaire for student needed analysis and questionnaire to measure the student lab worksheet validity. The data obtained was quantitative from several validators. The validators consist of three lecturers. The percentage of a student lab worksheet validity was 94.18 which can be categorized was very good.

  9. Attack of the Killer Fungus: A Hypothesis-Driven Lab Module †

    PubMed Central

    Sato, Brian K.

    2013-01-01

    Discovery-driven experiments in undergraduate laboratory courses have been shown to increase student learning and critical thinking abilities. To this end, a lab module involving worm capture by a nematophagous fungus was developed. The goals of this module are to enhance scientific understanding of the regulation of worm capture by soil-dwelling fungi and for students to attain a set of established learning goals, including the ability to develop a testable hypothesis and search for primary literature for data analysis, among others. Students in a ten-week majors lab course completed the lab module and generated novel data as well as data that agrees with the published literature. In addition, learning gains were achieved as seen through a pre-module and post-module test, student self-assessment, class exam, and lab report. Overall, this lab module enables students to become active participants in the scientific method while contributing to the understanding of an ecologically relevant model organism. PMID:24358387

  10. Valx: A system for extracting and structuring numeric lab test comparison statements from text

    PubMed Central

    Hao, Tianyong; Liu, Hongfang; Weng, Chunhua

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To develop an automated method for extracting and structuring numeric lab test comparison statements from text and evaluate the method using clinical trial eligibility criteria text. Methods Leveraging semantic knowledge from the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) and domain knowledge acquired from the Internet, Valx takes 7 steps to extract and normalize numeric lab test expressions: 1) text preprocessing, 2) numeric, unit, and comparison operator extraction, 3) variable identification using hybrid knowledge, 4) variable - numeric association, 5) context-based association filtering, 6) measurement unit normalization, and 7) heuristic rule-based comparison statements verification. Our reference standard was the consensus-based annotation among three raters for all comparison statements for two variables, i.e., HbA1c and glucose, identified from all of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes trials in ClinicalTrials.gov. Results The precision, recall, and F-measure for structuring HbA1c comparison statements were 99.6%, 98.1%, 98.8% for Type 1 diabetes trials, and 98.8%, 96.9%, 97.8% for Type 2 Diabetes trials, respectively. The precision, recall, and F-measure for structuring glucose comparison statements were 97.3%, 94.8%, 96.1% for Type 1 diabetes trials, and 92.3%, 92.3%, 92.3% for Type 2 diabetes trials, respectively. Conclusions Valx is effective at extracting and structuring free-text lab test comparison statements in clinical trial summaries. Future studies are warranted to test its generalizability beyond eligibility criteria text. The open-source Valx enables its further evaluation and continued improvement among the collaborative scientific community. PMID:26940748

  11. Valx: A System for Extracting and Structuring Numeric Lab Test Comparison Statements from Text.

    PubMed

    Hao, Tianyong; Liu, Hongfang; Weng, Chunhua

    2016-05-17

    To develop an automated method for extracting and structuring numeric lab test comparison statements from text and evaluate the method using clinical trial eligibility criteria text. Leveraging semantic knowledge from the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) and domain knowledge acquired from the Internet, Valx takes seven steps to extract and normalize numeric lab test expressions: 1) text preprocessing, 2) numeric, unit, and comparison operator extraction, 3) variable identification using hybrid knowledge, 4) variable - numeric association, 5) context-based association filtering, 6) measurement unit normalization, and 7) heuristic rule-based comparison statements verification. Our reference standard was the consensus-based annotation among three raters for all comparison statements for two variables, i.e., HbA1c and glucose, identified from all of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes trials in ClinicalTrials.gov. The precision, recall, and F-measure for structuring HbA1c comparison statements were 99.6%, 98.1%, 98.8% for Type 1 diabetes trials, and 98.8%, 96.9%, 97.8% for Type 2 diabetes trials, respectively. The precision, recall, and F-measure for structuring glucose comparison statements were 97.3%, 94.8%, 96.1% for Type 1 diabetes trials, and 92.3%, 92.3%, 92.3% for Type 2 diabetes trials, respectively. Valx is effective at extracting and structuring free-text lab test comparison statements in clinical trial summaries. Future studies are warranted to test its generalizability beyond eligibility criteria text. The open-source Valx enables its further evaluation and continued improvement among the collaborative scientific community.

  12. Analysis of JKT01 Neutron Flux Detector Measurements In RSG-GAS Reactor Using LabVIEW

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rokhmadi; Nur Rachman, Agus; Sujarwono; Taryo, Taswanda; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

    2018-02-01

    The RSG-GAS Reactor, one of the Indonesia research reactors and located in Serpong, is owned by the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN). The RSG-GAS reactor has operated since 1987 and some instrumentation and control systems are considered to be degraded and ageing. It is therefore, necessary to evaluate the safety of all instrumentation and controls and one of the component systems to be evaluated is the performance of JKT01 neutron flux detector. Neutron Flux Detector JKT01 basically detects neutron fluxes in the reactor core and converts it into electrical signals. The electrical signal is then forwarded to the amplifier (Amplifier) to become the input of the reactor protection system. One output of it is transferred to the Main Control Room (RKU) showing on the analog meter as an indicator used by the reactor operator. To simulate all of this matter, a program to simulate the output of the JKT01 Neutron Flux Detector using LabVIEW was developed. The simulated data is estimated using a lot of equations also formulated in LabVIEW. The calculation results are also displayed on the interface using LabVIEW available in the PC. By using this simulation program, it is successful to perform anomaly detection experiments on the JKT01 detector of RSG-GAS Reactor. The simulation results showed that the anomaly JKT01 neutron flux using electrical-current-base are respectively, 1.5×,1.7× and 2.0×.

  13. Advanced teaching labs in physics - celebrating progress; challenges ahead

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, Richard

    A few examples of optical physics experiments may help us first reflect on significant progress on how advanced lab initiatives may now be more effectively developed, discussed, and disseminated - as opposed to only 10 or 15 years back. Many cooperative developments of the last decade are having profound impacts on advanced lab workers and students. Central to these changes are the programs of the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) (Immersions, BFY conferences), AAPT (advlab-l server, ComPADRE, apparatus competitions, summer workshops/sessions), APS (Reichert Award, FEd activities and sessions), and the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation (ALPhA support and institution matched equipment grants for Immersion participants). Broad NSF support has helped undergird several of these initiatives. Two of the most significant challenges before this new advanced lab community are (a) to somehow enhance funding opportunities for teaching equipment and apparatus in an era of minimal NSF equipment support, and (b) to help develop a more complementary relationship between research-based advanced lab pedagogies and the development of fresh physics experiments that help enable the mentoring and experimental challenge of our students.

  14. Implementation of Siemens USS protocol into LabVIEW.

    PubMed

    Hosek, P; Diblik, M

    2011-10-01

    This article gives basic overview of the USS protocol as a communication interface to drive Siemens frequency inverters. It presents our implementation of this protocol into LabVIEW, as there was permanent demand from the community of the users to have native LabVIEW implementation of the USS protocol. It also states encountered problems and their solutions. Copyright © 2011 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Commerce Lab: Mission analysis and payload integration study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    The needs of an aggressive commercial microgravity program are identified, space missions are defined, and infrastructural issues are identified and analyzed. A commercial laboratory, commerce lab, is conceived to be one or more an array of carriers which would fly aboard the space shuttle and accommodate microgravity science experiment payloads. Commerce lab is seen as a logical transition between currently planned space shuttle missions and future microgravity missions centered around the space station.

  16. Study on property and stability mechanism of LAB-AEO-4 system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Kaifei; Ge, Jijiang; Wang, Yang; Zhang, Guicai; Jiang, Ping

    2017-04-01

    The behaviors of binary blending systems of fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-4) blended with the laurel amide betaine (LAB) was investigated at 80°C,the results indicated that the optimal ratio of the mixed system of LAB-AEO-4 was 5:2. The stability mechanism of LAB-AEO-4 system was analyzed from three aspects of dynamic surface tension,gas permeation rate and surface rheology.The results showed that the tension of mixed system was easier to achieve balance,the constant of gas permeation rate of the mixed system decreased by about 7% and the elastic modulus and dilational modulus increased by about 2 times compared with the single LAB system.

  17. The NASA Langley Isolator Dynamics Research Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Middleton, Troy F.; Balla, Robert J.; Baurle, Robert A.; Humphreys, William M.; Wilson, Lloyd G.

    2010-01-01

    The Isolator Dynamics Research Lab (IDRL) is under construction at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. A unique test apparatus is being fabricated to support both wall and in-stream measurements for investigating the internal flow of a dual-mode scramjet isolator model. The test section is 24 inches long with a 1-inch by 2-inch cross sectional area and is supplied with unheated, dry air through a Mach 2.5 converging-diverging nozzle. The test section is being fabricated with two sets (glass and metallic) of interchangeable sidewalls to support flow visualization and laser-based measurement techniques as well as static pressure, wall temperature, and high frequency pressure measurements. During 2010, a CFD code validation experiment will be conducted in the lab in support of NASA s Fundamental Aerodynamics Program. This paper describes the mechanical design of the Isolator Dynamics Research Lab test apparatus and presents a summary of the measurement techniques planned for investigating the internal flow field of a scramjet isolator model.

  18. Low Budget Biology 3: A Collection of Low Cost Labs and Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wartski, Bert; Wartski, Lynn Marie

    This document contains biology labs, demonstrations, and activities that use low budget materials. The goal is to get students involved in the learning process by experiencing biology. Each lab has a teacher preparation section which outlines the purpose of the lab, some basic information, a list of materials , and how to prepare the different…

  19. Learning Experience on Transformer Using HOT Lab for Pre-service Physics Teacher’s

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malik, A.; Setiawan, A.; Suhandi, A.; Permanasari, A.

    2017-09-01

    This study aimed at investigating pre-service teacher’s critical thinking skills improvement through Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Lab on transformer learning. This research used mix method with the embedded experimental model. Research subjects are 60 students of Physics Education in UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The results showed that based on the results of the analysis of practical reports and observation sheet shows students in the experimental group was better in carrying out the practicum and can solve the real problem while the control group was going on the opposite. The critical thinking skills of students applying the HOT Lab were higher than the verification lab. Critical thinking skills could increase due to HOT Lab based problems solving that can develop higher order thinking skills through laboratory activities. Therefore, it was concluded that the application of HOT Lab was more effective than verification lab on improving students’ thinking skills on transformer topic learning. Finally, HOT Lab can be implemented in other subject learning and could be used to improve another higher order thinking skills.

  20. Lab-on-a-Chip Pathogen Sensors for Food Safety

    PubMed Central

    Yoon, Jeong-Yeol; Kim, Bumsang

    2012-01-01

    There have been a number of cases of foodborne illness among humans that are caused by pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, etc. The current practices to detect such pathogenic agents are cell culturing, immunoassays, or polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). These methods are essentially laboratory-based methods that are not at all real-time and thus unavailable for early-monitoring of such pathogens. They are also very difficult to implement in the field. Lab-on-a-chip biosensors, however, have a strong potential to be used in the field since they can be miniaturized and automated; they are also potentially fast and very sensitive. These lab-on-a-chip biosensors can detect pathogens in farms, packaging/processing facilities, delivery/distribution systems, and at the consumer level. There are still several issues to be resolved before applying these lab-on-a-chip sensors to field applications, including the pre-treatment of a sample, proper storage of reagents, full integration into a battery-powered system, and demonstration of very high sensitivity, which are addressed in this review article. Several different types of lab-on-a-chip biosensors, including immunoassay- and PCR-based, have been developed and tested for detecting foodborne pathogens. Their assay performance, including detection limit and assay time, are also summarized. Finally, the use of optical fibers or optical waveguide is discussed as a means to improve the portability and sensitivity of lab-on-a-chip pathogen sensors. PMID:23112625

  1. National Labs Host Classroom Ready Energy Educational Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howell, C. D.

    2009-12-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has a clear goal of joining all climate and energy agencies in the task of taking climate and energy research and development to communities across the nation and throughout the world. Only as information on climate and energy education is shared with the nation and world do research labs begin to understand the massive outreach work yet to be accomplished. The work at hand is to encourage and ensure the climate and energy literacy of our society. The national labs have defined the K-20 population as a major outreach focus, with the intent of helping them see their future through the global energy usage crisis and ensure them that they have choices and a chance to redirect their future. Students embrace climate and energy knowledge and do see an opportunity to change our energy future in a positive way. Students are so engaged that energy clubs are springing up in highschools across the nation. Because of such global clubs university campuses are being connected throughout the world (Energy Crossroads www.energycrossroads.org) etc. There is a need and an interest, but what do teachers need in order to faciliate this learning? It is simple, they need financial support for classroom resources; standards based classroom ready lessons and materials; and, training. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a Department of Energy Lab, provides standards based education materials to schools across the nation. With a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency education, NREL helps educators to prompt students to analyze and then question their energy choices and evaluate their carbon footprint. Classrooms can then discover the effects of those choices on greenhouse gas emmissions and climate change. The DOE Office of Science has found a way to contribute to teachers professional development through the Department of Energy Academics Creating Teacher Scientists (DOE ACTS) Program. This program affords teachers an opportunity to

  2. Animal ethics and welfare education in wet-lab training can foster residents’ ethical values toward life

    PubMed Central

    Iki, Yuko; Ito, Takuya; Kudo, Katsuyoshi; Noda, Masafumi; Kanehira, Masahiko; Sueta, Teruko; Miyoshi, Ichiro; Kagaya, Yutaka; Okada, Yoshinori; Unno, Michiaki

    2017-01-01

    Live animals are used in surgical skills training in wet lab, which has undeniable effectiveness for the development of future surgeons. However, where such training is provided, animal welfare is a major consideration. Increasingly, institutions that offer wet-lab training are incorporating animal ethics and welfare-related content into their training courses, but the effectiveness of such animal ethics education has yet to be evaluated quantitatively. We investigated whether the animal ethics content of a training course affected trainees by measuring increase in ethical awareness using visual analog scale questionnaires before and after training. Our results demonstrated a significant and positive increase in awareness of animal ethics (significance level of 5%; 0.0380≤P≤0.0016). PMID:28592716

  3. Animal ethics and welfare education in wet-lab training can foster residents' ethical values toward life.

    PubMed

    Iki, Yuko; Ito, Takuya; Kudo, Katsuyoshi; Noda, Masafumi; Kanehira, Masahiko; Sueta, Teruko; Miyoshi, Ichiro; Kagaya, Yutaka; Okada, Yoshinori; Unno, Michiaki

    2017-10-30

    Live animals are used in surgical skills training in wet lab, which has undeniable effectiveness for the development of future surgeons. However, where such training is provided, animal welfare is a major consideration. Increasingly, institutions that offer wet-lab training are incorporating animal ethics and welfare-related content into their training courses, but the effectiveness of such animal ethics education has yet to be evaluated quantitatively. We investigated whether the animal ethics content of a training course affected trainees by measuring increase in ethical awareness using visual analog scale questionnaires before and after training. Our results demonstrated a significant and positive increase in awareness of animal ethics (significance level of 5%; 0.0380≤P≤0.0016).

  4. Allergen screening bioassays: recent developments in lab-on-a-chip and lab-on-a-disc systems.

    PubMed

    Ho, Ho-pui; Lau, Pui-man; Kwok, Ho-chin; Wu, Shu-yuen; Gao, Minghui; Cheung, Anthony Ka-lun; Chen, Qiulan; Wang, Guanghui; Kwan, Yiu-wa; Wong, Chun-kwok; Kong, Siu-kai

    2014-01-01

    Allergies occur when a person's immune system mounts an abnormal response with or without IgE to a normally harmless substance called an allergen. The standard skin-prick test introduces suspected allergens into the skin with lancets in order to trigger allergic reactions. This test is annoying and sometimes life threatening. New tools such as lab-on-a-chip and lab-on-a-disc, which rely on microfabrication, are designed for allergy testing. These systems provide benefits such as short analysis times, enhanced sensitivity, simplified procedures, minimal consumption of sample and reagents and low cost. This article gives a summary of these systems. In particular, a cell-based assay detecting both the IgE- and non-IgE-type triggers through the study of degranulation in a centrifugal microfluidic system is highlighted.

  5. A Big Bang Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheider, Walter

    2005-01-01

    The February 2005 issue of The Science Teacher (TST) reminded everyone that by learning how scientists study stars, students gain an understanding of how science measures things that can not be set up in lab, either because they are too big, too far away, or happened in a very distant past. The authors of "How Far are the Stars?" show how the…

  6. Research and Teaching. Effects of a Research-Based Ecology Lab Course: A Study of Nonvolunteer Achievement, Self-Confidence, and Perception of Lab Course Purpose

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kloser, Matthew J.; Brownell, Sara E.; Shavelson, Richard J.; Fukami, Tadashi

    2013-01-01

    Undergraduate biology lab courses have long been criticized for engaging students in "cookbook" experiences in which students follow a given protocol to collect data that help answer a predetermined question. Recent reform documents in biology education have suggested that students should engage in lab courses that provide more authentic…

  7. Logistics in the Computer Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowles, Jim

    1989-01-01

    Discusses ways to provide good computer laboratory facilities for elementary and secondary schools. Topics discussed include establishing the computer lab and selecting hardware; types of software; physical layout of the room; printers; networking possibilities; considerations relating to the physical environment; and scheduling methods. (LRW)

  8. State of the Lab Address

    ScienceCinema

    King, Alex

    2018-05-07

    In his third-annual State of the Lab address, Ames Laboratory Director Alex King called the past year one of "quiet but strong progress" and called for Ames Laboratory to continue to build on its strengths while responding to changing expectations for energy research.

  9. State of the Lab Address

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    King, Alex

    2010-01-01

    In his third-annual State of the Lab address, Ames Laboratory Director Alex King called the past year one of "quiet but strong progress" and called for Ames Laboratory to continue to build on its strengths while responding to changing expectations for energy research.

  10. A Lab for All Reasons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cronin-Jones, Linda L.

    1990-01-01

    Described is a demonstration science laboratory at the University of Florida. Discussed is laboratory design, including instructional space, lab stations, sink areas, safety areas, and a storage and distribution area. The impact of this type of design is cited. Diagrams and photographs are included. (CW)

  11. Human Engineering Modeling and Performance Lab Study Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oliva-Buisson, Yvette J.

    2014-01-01

    The HEMAP (Human Engineering Modeling and Performance) Lab is a joint effort between the Industrial and Human Engineering group and the KAVE (Kennedy Advanced Visualiations Environment) group. The lab consists of sixteen camera system that is used to capture human motions and operational tasks, through te use of a Velcro suit equipped with sensors, and then simulate these tasks in an ergonomic software package know as Jac, The Jack software is able to identify the potential risk hazards.

  12. Promoting Metacognition in Introductory Calculus-based Physics Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grennell, Drew; Boudreaux, Andrew

    2010-10-01

    In the Western Washington University physics department, a project is underway to develop research-based laboratory curriculum for the introductory calculus-based course. Instructional goals not only include supporting students' conceptual understanding and reasoning ability, but also providing students with opportunities to engage in metacognition. For the latter, our approach has been to scaffold reflective thinking with guided questions. Specific instructional strategies include analysis of alternate reasoning presented in fictitious dialogues and comparison of students' initial ideas with their lab group's final, consensus understanding. Assessment of student metacognition includes pre- and post- course data from selected questions on the CLASS survey, analysis of written lab worksheets, and student opinion surveys. CLASS results are similar to a traditional physics course and analysis of lab sheets show that students struggle to engage in a metacognitive process. Future directions include video studies, as well as use of additional written assessments adapted from educational psychology.

  13. Comparison between simulations and lab results on the ASSIST test-bench

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Louarn, Miska; Madec, Pierre-Yves; Kolb, Johann; Paufique, Jerome; Oberti, Sylvain; La Penna, Paolo; Arsenault, Robin

    2016-07-01

    We present the latest comparison results between laboratory tests carried out on the ASSIST test bench and Octopus end-to end simulations. We simulated, as closely to the lab conditions as possible, the different AOF modes (Maintenance and commissioning mode (SCAO), GRAAL (GLAO in the near IR), Galacsi Wide Field mode (GLAO in the visible) and Galacsi narrow field mode (LTAO in the visible)). We then compared the simulation results to the ones obtained on the lab bench. Several aspects were investigated, like number of corrected modes, turbulence wind speeds, LGS photon flux etc. The agreement between simulations and lab is remarkably good for all investigated parameters, giving great confidence in both simulation tool and performance of the AO system in the lab.

  14. Generator Inspection Report: Bio - Lab, Inc.

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Contains report from Georgia Department of Natural Resources of July 21, 1999 inspection of the Bio - Lab Incorporated Plant 4 in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, reporting that no violations were observed.

  15. The Design of NetSecLab: A Small Competition-Based Network Security Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, C. P.; Uluagac, A. S.; Fairbanks, K. D.; Copeland, J. A.

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes a competition-style of exercise to teach system and network security and to reinforce themes taught in class. The exercise, called NetSecLab, is conducted on a closed network with student-formed teams, each with their own Linux system to defend and from which to launch attacks. Students are expected to learn how to: 1) install…

  16. Virtual lab demonstrations improve students' mastery of basic biology laboratory techniques.

    PubMed

    Maldarelli, Grace A; Hartmann, Erica M; Cummings, Patrick J; Horner, Robert D; Obom, Kristina M; Shingles, Richard; Pearlman, Rebecca S

    2009-01-01

    Biology laboratory classes are designed to teach concepts and techniques through experiential learning. Students who have never performed a technique must be guided through the process, which is often difficult to standardize across multiple lab sections. Visual demonstration of laboratory procedures is a key element in teaching pedagogy. The main goals of the study were to create videos explaining and demonstrating a variety of lab techniques that would serve as teaching tools for undergraduate and graduate lab courses and to assess the impact of these videos on student learning. Demonstrations of individual laboratory procedures were videotaped and then edited with iMovie. Narration for the videos was edited with Audacity. Undergraduate students were surveyed anonymously prior to and following screening to assess the impact of the videos on student lab performance by completion of two Participant Perception Indicator surveys. A total of 203 and 171 students completed the pre- and posttesting surveys, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed to compare student perceptions of knowledge of, confidence in, and experience with the lab techniques before and after viewing the videos. Eleven demonstrations were recorded. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant increase in the number of students reporting increased knowledge of, confidence in, and experience with the lab techniques after viewing the videos. Incorporation of instructional videos as prelaboratory exercises has the potential to standardize techniques and to promote successful experimental outcomes.

  17. A Series of Computational Neuroscience Labs Increases Comfort with MATLAB.

    PubMed

    Nichols, David F

    2015-01-01

    Computational simulations allow for a low-cost, reliable means to demonstrate complex and often times inaccessible concepts to undergraduates. However, students without prior computer programming training may find working with code-based simulations to be intimidating and distracting. A series of computational neuroscience labs involving the Hodgkin-Huxley equations, an Integrate-and-Fire model, and a Hopfield Memory network were used in an undergraduate neuroscience laboratory component of an introductory level course. Using short focused surveys before and after each lab, student comfort levels were shown to increase drastically from a majority of students being uncomfortable or with neutral feelings about working in the MATLAB environment to a vast majority of students being comfortable working in the environment. Though change was reported within each lab, a series of labs was necessary in order to establish a lasting high level of comfort. Comfort working with code is important as a first step in acquiring computational skills that are required to address many questions within neuroscience.

  18. A Series of Computational Neuroscience Labs Increases Comfort with MATLAB

    PubMed Central

    Nichols, David F.

    2015-01-01

    Computational simulations allow for a low-cost, reliable means to demonstrate complex and often times inaccessible concepts to undergraduates. However, students without prior computer programming training may find working with code-based simulations to be intimidating and distracting. A series of computational neuroscience labs involving the Hodgkin-Huxley equations, an Integrate-and-Fire model, and a Hopfield Memory network were used in an undergraduate neuroscience laboratory component of an introductory level course. Using short focused surveys before and after each lab, student comfort levels were shown to increase drastically from a majority of students being uncomfortable or with neutral feelings about working in the MATLAB environment to a vast majority of students being comfortable working in the environment. Though change was reported within each lab, a series of labs was necessary in order to establish a lasting high level of comfort. Comfort working with code is important as a first step in acquiring computational skills that are required to address many questions within neuroscience. PMID:26557798

  19. Lab notebooks as scientific communication: Investigating development from undergraduate courses to graduate research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2016-12-01

    In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered "best practice" for scientific documentation and how researchers come to learn these practices in experimental physics. Using interviews with practicing researchers, namely, physics graduate students, we explore the different experiences researchers had in learning how to effectively use a notebook for scientific documentation. We find that very few of those interviewed thought that their undergraduate lab classes successfully taught them the benefit of maintaining a lab notebook. Most described training in lab notebook use as either ineffective or outright missing from their undergraduate lab course experience. Furthermore, a large majority of those interviewed explained that they did not receive any formal training in maintaining a lab notebook during their graduate school experience and received little to no feedback from their advisors on these records. Many of the interviewees describe learning the purpose of, and how to maintain, these kinds of lab records only after having a period of trial and error, having already started doing research in their graduate program. Despite the central role of scientific documentation in the research enterprise, these physics graduate students did not gain skills in documentation through formal instruction, but rather through informal hands-on practice.

  20. Fully On-line Introductory Physics with a Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schatz, Michael

    We describe the development and implementation of a college-level introductory physics (mechanics) course and laboratory that is suited for both on-campus and on-line environments. The course emphasizes a ``Your World is Your Lab'' approach whereby students first examine and capture on video (using cellphones) motion in their immediate surroundings, and then use free, open-source software both to extract data from the video and to apply physics principles to build models that describe, predict, and visualize the observations. Each student reports findings by creating a video lab report and posting it online; these video lab reports are then distributed to the rest of the class for peer review. In this talk, we will discuss the student and instructor experiences in courses offered to three distinct audiences in different venues: (1) a Massively Open On-line Course (MOOC) for off-campus participants, (2) a flipped/blended course for on-campus students, and, most recently, (3) a fully-online course for off-campus students.

  1. Commerce Lab - An enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, Jack; Atkins, Harry L.; Williams, John R.

    1986-01-01

    Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab provides an enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities. Commerce Lab program activities to date have focused on mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program to facilitate the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

  2. 50 years of service: The Missoula Fire Sciences Lab

    Treesearch

    Jane Kapler Smith; Diane Smith; Colin Hardy

    2011-01-01

    In September 12, 1960, the brand new Northern Forest Fire Laboratory was dedicated in Missoula, MT. The fire lab’s mission was - and is - to improve scientific understanding of wildland fire so it can be managed more safely and effectively in the field. The first scientists to work at the fire lab initiated research that continues to be used, refined, and extended....

  3. The Earth is our lab: Ten years of geoscience school lab in Potsdam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nikolaus Küppers, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    Starting in 2004, a geoscientific school lab for senior high school students was developed in the historical "Großer Refraktor" premises on the Telegraphenberg in Potsdam. Based on a one-day course architecture, laboratory days were developed covering singular themes: - Magnetic field of the Earth - Geographical Information Systems and geodata - Gravity field of the Earth - Geodynamics: seismology and seismics - Geoscience math - Geodata Brandenburg (Geological mapping with aerophotographs, remote sensing, underground data processing) With a focus on geophysical methodologies, course days generally focused on the field work around the Telegraphenberg site while introducing into the art of handling original professional equipment. Field data were afterwards compiled, analysed and interpreted in the group. Single days could be combined as clusters of up to one week and were bookable for national and international groups of max. 25 students. The courses were taught by active scientists with the assistance of student guides as the larger groups had to be split up. The paper gives an overview over the development history of the school lab and explains the course contents, the teaching methods and several employed escorting measures. Possible impact on the professional career decisions of the students is discussed.

  4. Podcast: Scientific Integrity and Lab Fraud

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Nov 25, 2015. Dr. Bruce Woods, a chemist in the Electronic Crimes Division within the OIG’s Office of Investigations discusses his recent webinar for the Association of Public Health Laboratories on lab fraud.

  5. Perspectives on Industrial Innovation from Agilent, HP, and Bell Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hollenhorst, James

    2014-03-01

    Innovation is the life blood of technology companies. I will give perspectives gleaned from a career in research and development at Bell Labs, HP Labs, and Agilent Labs, from the point of view of an individual contributor and a manager. Physicists bring a unique set of skills to the corporate environment, including a desire to understand the fundamentals, a solid foundation in physical principles, expertise in applied mathematics, and most importantly, an attitude: namely, that hard problems can be solved by breaking them into manageable pieces. In my experience, hiring managers in industry seldom explicitly search for physicists, but they want people with those skills.

  6. 77 FR 64143 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Cambridge Isotope Lab

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-18

    ...; Notice of Registration; Cambridge Isotope Lab By Notice dated June 18, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on June 26, 2012, 77 FR 38086, Cambridge Isotope Lab, 50 Frontage Road, Andover, Massachusetts....C. 823(a) and determined that the registration of Cambridge Isotope Lab to manufacture the listed...

  7. Cyberinfrastructure to Support Collaborative Research Within Small Ecology Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laney, C.; Jaimes, A.; Cody, R. P.; Kassin, A.; Salayandia, L.; Tweedie, C. E.

    2011-12-01

    Increasingly, ecological research programs addressing complex challenges are driving technological innovations that allow the acquisition and analysis of data collected over larger spatial scales and finer temporal resolutions. Many research labs are shifting from deploying technicians or students into the field to setting up automated sensors. These sensors can cost less on an individual basis, provide continuous and reliable data collection, and allow researchers to spend more time analyzing data and testing hypotheses. They can provide an enormous amount of complex information about an ecosystem. However, the effort to manage, analyze, and disseminate that information can be daunting. Small labs unfamiliar with these efforts may find their capacity to publish at competitive rates hindered by information management. Such labs would be well served by an easy to manage cyberinfrastructure (CI) that is organized in a modular, plug-and-play design and is amenable to a wide variety of data types. Its functionality would permit addition of new sensors and perform automated data analysis and visualization. Such a system would conceivably enhance access to data from small labs through web services, thereby improving the representation of smaller labs in scientific syntheses and enhancing the spatial and temporal coverage of such efforts. We present a CI that is designed to meet the needs of a small but heavily instrumented research site located within the USDA ARS Jornada Experimental Range in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This site was constructed and is operated by the Systems Ecology Lab at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a relatively small and young lab. Researchers at the site study land-atmosphere carbon, water, and energy fluxes at a mixed creosote (Larrea tridentata) - mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) shrubland. The site includes an eddy covariance tower built to AmeriFlux and FLUXNET specifications, a robotic cart that measures hyperspectral

  8. Engineering Students' Experiences from Physics Group Work in Learning Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mellingsaeter, Magnus Strøm

    2014-01-01

    Background: This paper presents a case study from a physics course at a Norwegian university college, investigating key aspects of a group-work project, so-called learning labs, from the participating students' perspective. Purpose: In order to develop these learning labs further, the students' perspective is important. Which aspects are essential…

  9. Data recording and trend display during anaesthesia using 'MacLab'.

    PubMed

    Kennedy, R R

    1991-08-01

    A single screen display of variables monitored during anaesthesia may be ergonomically superior to the 'stack' of monitors seen in many anaesthetising locations. A system based on a MacLab (Analogue Digital Instruments) analogue-to-digital convertor used in conjunction with a Macintosh computer was evaluated. The system was configured to provide trend displays of up to eight variables on a single screen. It was found to be a useful adjunct to monitoring during anaesthesia. Advantages of this system are low cost, flexibility, and the quality of the software and support provided. Limitations of this and other similar systems are discussed.

  10. Programmed Instruction Manual for a New Solar and Energy Conservation Laboratory. Final Evaluation Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    State Univ. of New York, Farmingdale. Agricultural and Technical Coll.

    A programmed instruction course was developed, consisting of fifteen experiments encompassing eleven separate pieces of equipment operational in a solar and energy conservation lab. The programmed instruction manual for the lab was evaluated and revised during a workshop. This evaluation indicated that both the lab and manual are valuable tools…

  11. Physical Therapist Assistant Fitness Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Backstrom, Kurt; And Others

    Colby Community College's (CCC) Fitness Lab was established to provide the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program with a learning laboratory in which students can practice classroom-acquired skills, while at the same time promoting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual well-being of CCC students and staff, and community members. A…

  12. The Multisensory Sound Lab: Sounds You Can See and Feel.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lederman, Norman; Hendricks, Paula

    1994-01-01

    A multisensory sound lab has been developed at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia). A special floor allows vibrations to be felt, and a spectrum analyzer displays frequencies and harmonics visually. The lab is used for science education, auditory training, speech therapy, music and dance instruction, and relaxation…

  13. Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals’ pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers. PMID:28178270

  14. Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

    PubMed

    Roach, Michael

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals' pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers.

  15. Evaluation of automated repetitive-sequence-based PCR (DiversiLab) compared to PCR ribotyping for rapid molecular typing of community- and nosocomial-acquired Clostridium difficile.

    PubMed

    Church, Deirdre L; Chow, Barbara L; Lloyd, Tracie; Gregson, Daniel B

    2011-06-01

    Automated repetitive PCR (rep-PCR; DiversiLab) was compared to PCR ribotyping of the 16S-23S RNA intergenic spacer of Clostridium difficile (CD) as the "gold standard" method for CD typing. PCR products were separated on DiversiLab LabChips (bioMérieux, St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada) utilizing a 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA) operating the DiversiLab v1.4 assay. Bioanalyzer data were exported to a secure DiversiLab website and analyzed with DiversiLab v3.4 software. Replicability of each method was verified by confirming that the 5 CD reference strains (RS) formed distinct clusters (CD4, CD6, VL0047, VL0013 [ribotype 027], VL0018 [ribotype 001]) by both typing methods. Ninety randomly selected clinical isolates (CS) were analyzed by both methods: 49 from community-acquired and 41 from hospital-acquired cases. A similarity index (SI) of ≥90% was used to define clusters when comparing the known RS cluster to the PCR ribotyping and rep-PCR patterns of CS. Fourteen different PCR-ribotype clusters were identified, but most CS formed 4 major clusters (i.e., CD4 [15/90; 17%], CD6 [17%], 027 [12%], and 001 [9%]). A total of 7 rep-PCR types were identified, but most CS formed 2 major rep-PCR clusters (i.e., CD4 [29/90; 32%] and CD6 [23%]); several PCR ribotypes occurred within a single rep-PCR cluster. Rep-PCR did not distinguish 027 or 001 isolates; i) 027 RS strain did not cluster, ii) eleven 027 CS strains clustered as CD4, iii) no 027 CS strains clustered with the 027 RS, and iv) only 2 001 CS clustered with the RS. Agreement between the PCR-ribotype and rep-PCR clusters only occurred for 35/90 (39%) of the CS using a rep-PCR SI of ≥90%. Rep-PCR time to results was similar, but the annual costs of routinely using this method are 32% higher than PCR ribotyping. Routine use of rep-PCR for CD typing is limited by its lack of definitive separation of the hypertoxigenic 027 or 001 outbreak CD strains. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights

  16. Lab experiments are a major source of knowledge in the social sciences.

    PubMed

    Falk, Armin; Heckman, James J

    2009-10-23

    Laboratory experiments are a widely used methodology for advancing causal knowledge in the physical and life sciences. With the exception of psychology, the adoption of laboratory experiments has been much slower in the social sciences, although during the past two decades the use of lab experiments has accelerated. Nonetheless, there remains considerable resistance among social scientists who argue that lab experiments lack "realism" and generalizability. In this article, we discuss the advantages and limitations of laboratory social science experiments by comparing them to research based on nonexperimental data and to field experiments. We argue that many recent objections against lab experiments are misguided and that even more lab experiments should be conducted.

  17. Evaluation of Light Collection System for Pion and Kaon Experiments in Hall C at Jefferson Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roustom, Salim

    2017-09-01

    The neutral pion and the kaon are opportune to study the hadron structure through General Parton Distributions, which can be viewed as spatial densities at different momenta of the quarks inside the proton. To study hadron structure with pion or kaon experiments in Hall C at 12 GeV Jefferson Lab, one must analyze the final state neutral pions and kaons and their decay products. For the analysis of these particles, dedicated detectors based on the Cherenkov or scintillation mechanism are used, e.g. the HMS and SHMS aerogel detectors and the PbWO4-based Neutral Particle Spectrometer. A critical part of these detectors is the light collection system. Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs) have many advantages, however, they are sensitive to magnetic fields and can get damaged by elevated helium levels in the atmosphere. An alternative to PMTs are Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs). APDs are sensitive to background noise, temperature, and radiation. It is thus important to evaluate the benefits of each light collection system and optimize operating conditions to ensure performance over a reasonably long time. I will present a performance study of PMTs exposed to elevated levels of helium and a comparison of APDs as alternatives, as well as new, compact readout methods. Supported in part by NSF Grants PHY-1714133, PHY-1530874, PHY-1306227 and PHY-1306418.

  18. Towards a Computable Data Corpus of Temporal Correlations between Drug Administration and Lab Value Changes

    PubMed Central

    Newe, Axel; Wimmer, Stefan; Neubert, Antje; Becker, Linda; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich; Ganslandt, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Background The analysis of electronic health records for an automated detection of adverse drug reactions is an approach to solve the problems that arise from traditional methods like spontaneous reporting or manual chart review. Algorithms addressing this task should be modeled on the criteria for a standardized case causality assessment defined by the World Health Organization. One of these criteria is the temporal relationship between drug intake and the occurrence of a reaction or a laboratory test abnormality. Appropriate data that would allow for developing or validating related algorithms is not publicly available, though. Methods In order to provide such data, retrospective routine data of drug administrations and temporally corresponding laboratory observations from a university clinic were extracted, transformed and evaluated by experts in terms of a reasonable time relationship between drug administration and lab value alteration. Result The result is a data corpus of 400 episodes of normalized laboratory parameter values in temporal context with drug administrations. Each episode has been manually classified whether it contains data that might indicate a temporal correlation between the drug administration and the change of the lab value course, whether such a change is not observable or whether a decision between those two options is not possible due to the data. In addition, each episode has been assigned a concordance value which indicates how difficult it is to assess. This is the first open data corpus of a computable ground truth of temporal correlations between drug administration and lab value alterations. Discussion The main purpose of this data corpus is the provision of data for further research and the provision of a ground truth which allows for comparing the outcome of other assessments of this data with the outcome of assessments made by human experts. It can serve as a contribution towards systematic, computerized ADR detection in

  19. Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral Campuses | Climate Neutral Research

    Science.gov Websites

    Campuses | NREL Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral Campuses Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral included a whole-building approach to energy efficiency in laboratory buildings. This website takes that approach a step further in carrying out campus-wide energy- and carbon-reduction strategies. The

  20. OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHWEST AND ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHWEST AND NORTHWEST SIDES. VIEW FACING EAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  1. THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING MISSILE TUBE. VIEW FACING SOUTH - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  2. OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHEAST AND ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST SIDES. VIEW FACING NORTH/NORTHWEST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  3. Incorporating a Career Planning Lab into a Managerial Communications Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    May, Gary L.

    2005-01-01

    This article describes how a small business school, as part of a strategic planning initiative to improve career services, added a self-directed career planning lab to an existing managerial communication course. The lab concept and the learning design are innovative because they met a student need without creating additional time demands on the…

  4. Indicators for the use of robotic labs in basic biomedical research: a literature analysis

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Robotic labs, in which experiments are carried out entirely by robots, have the potential to provide a reproducible and transparent foundation for performing basic biomedical laboratory experiments. In this article, we investigate whether these labs could be applicable in current experimental practice. We do this by text mining 1,628 papers for occurrences of methods that are supported by commercial robotic labs. Using two different concept recognition tools, we find that 86%–89% of the papers have at least one of these methods. This and our other results provide indications that robotic labs can serve as the foundation for performing many lab-based experiments. PMID:29134146

  5. ThinkSpace: Spatial Thinking in Middle School Astronomy Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Udomprasert, Patricia S.; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Plummer, Julia; Sadler, Philip M.; Johnson, Erin; Sunbury, Susan; Zhang, Helen; Dussault, Mary E.

    2016-01-01

    Critical breakthroughs in science (e.g., Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, and Watson & Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA), originated with those scientists' ability to think spatially, and research has shown that spatial ability correlates strongly with likelihood of entering a career in STEM. Mounting evidence also shows that spatial skills are malleable, i.e., they can be improved through training. We report early work from a new project that will build on this research to create a series of middle schools science labs called "Thinking Spatially about the Universe" (ThinkSpace), in which students will use a blend of physical and virtual models (in WorldWide Telescope) to explore complex 3-dimensional phenomena in space science. In the three-year ThinkSpace labs project, astronomers, technologists, and education researchers are collaborating to create and test a suite of three labs designed to improve learners' spatial abilities through studies of: 1) Moon phases and eclipses; 2) planetary systems around stars other than the Sun; and 3.) celestial motions within the broader universe. The research program will determine which elements in the labs will best promote improvement of spatial skills within activities that emphasize disciplinary core ideas; and how best to optimize interactive dynamic visualizations to maximize student understanding.

  6. DOE EiR at Oakridge National Lab 2008/09

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bauer, Michael

    2012-11-30

    This project placed an experienced technology entrepreneur at Oak Ridge National Lab, one of DOE's premier laboratories undertaking cutting edge research in a variety of fields, including energy technologies. With the goal of accelerating the commercialization of advanced energy technologies, the task was to review available technologies at the lab and identify those that qualify for licensing and commercialization by a private startup company, backed by private venture capital. During the project, more than 1,500 inventions filed at the lab were reviewed over a 1 year period; a successively smaller number was selected for more detailed review, ultimately resulting inmore » five, and then 1 technology, being reviewed for immediate commercialization. The chosen technology, consisting in computational chemistry based approached to optimization of enzymes, was tested in lab experiments, paid for by funds raised by ORNL for the purpose of proving out the effectiveness of the technology and readiness for commercialization. The experiments proved out that the technology worked however it's performance proved not yet mature enough to qualify for private venture capital funded commercialization in a high tech startup. As a consequence, the project did not result in a new startup company being formed, as originally intended.« less

  7. KNMI DataLab experiences in serving data-driven innovations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noteboom, Jan Willem; Sluiter, Raymond

    2016-04-01

    Climate change research and innovations in weather forecasting rely more and more on (Big) data. Besides increasing data from traditional sources (such as observation networks, radars and satellites), the use of open data, crowd sourced data and the Internet of Things (IoT) is emerging. To deploy these sources of data optimally in our services and products, KNMI has established a DataLab to serve data-driven innovations in collaboration with public and private sector partners. Big data management, data integration, data analytics including machine learning and data visualization techniques are playing an important role in the DataLab. Cross-domain data-driven innovations that arise from public-private collaborative projects and research programmes can be explored, experimented and/or piloted by the KNMI DataLab. Furthermore, advice can be requested on (Big) data techniques and data sources. In support of collaborative (Big) data science activities, scalable environments are offered with facilities for data integration, data analysis and visualization. In addition, Data Science expertise is provided directly or from a pool of internal and external experts. At the EGU conference, gained experiences and best practices are presented in operating the KNMI DataLab to serve data-driven innovations for weather and climate applications optimally.

  8. Bethune-Cookman University STEM Research Lab. DOE Renovation Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Thompson, Herbert W.

    DOE funding was used to renovate 4,500 square feet of aging laboratories and classrooms that support science, engineering, and mathematics disciplines (specifically environmental science, and computer engineering). The expansion of the labs was needed to support robotics and environmental science research, and to better accommodate a wide variety of teaching situations. The renovated space includes a robotics laboratory, two multi-use labs, safe spaces for the storage of instrumentation, modern ventilation equipment, and other “smart” learning venues. The renovated areas feature technologies that are environmentally friendly with reduced energy costs. A campus showcase, the laboratories are a reflection of the University’smore » commitment to the environment and research as a tool for teaching. As anticipated, the labs facilitate the exploration of emerging technologies that are compatible with local and regional economic plans.« less

  9. Simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon by LabVIEW

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyu, Bohan

    2017-08-01

    Most instructors teach complex phenomenon by equation and static illustration without interactive multimedia. Students usually memorize phenomenon by taking note. However, only note or complex formula can not make user visualize the phenomenon of the photonics system. LabVIEW is a good tool for in automatic measurement. However, the simplicity of coding in LabVIEW makes it not only suit for automatic measurement, but also suitable for simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon. In this paper, five simple optics phenomenon will be discuss and simulation with LabVIEW. They are Snell's Law, Hermite-Gaussian beam transverse mode, square and circular aperture diffraction, polarization wave and Poincare sphere, and finally Fabry-Perrot etalon in spectrum domain.

  10. OVERVIEW OF FOURTH LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (ROOFTOP LEVEL OF ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    OVERVIEW OF FOURTH LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (ROOFTOP LEVEL OF BUILDING) SHOWING TOP OF MISSILE TUBE. VIEW FACING WEST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  11. The Computer-Networked Writing Lab: One Instructor's View. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puccio, P. M.

    According to an instructor of basic writing in the Writing Lab at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he can teach differently in a computer-networked writing lab than he did in a conventional classroom. Because the room is designed to teach writing and nothing else, it offers a congenial workspace where the teacher can interact with…

  12. Being a Clinical Psychologist at the Lab School of Baltimore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, Edwin

    2010-01-01

    Each day, seeking to address the never ending challenge of helping students with learning disabilities, the author's Baltimore Lab School and Lab School of Washington (LSW) colleagues remember a similar situation in the past and they try to recall what Sally Smith taught them. Smith taught the author a lot in his seven years of working with…

  13. Transport of pesticides and artificial tracers in vertical-flow lab-scale wetlands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durst, Romy; Imfeld, Gwenaël.; Lange, Jens

    2013-01-01

    Wetland systems can be hydrologically connected to a shallow aquifer and intercept upward flow of pesticide-contaminated water during groundwater discharge. However, pesticide transport and attenuation through wetland sediments (WSs) intercepting contaminated water is rarely evaluated quantitatively. The use of artificial tracers to evaluate pesticide transport and associated risks is a fairly new approach that requires evaluation and validation. Here we evaluate during 84 days the transport of two pesticides (i.e., isoproturon (IPU) and metalaxyl (MTX)) and three tracers (i.e., bromide (Br), uranine (UR), and sulforhodamine B (SRB)) in upward vertical-flow vegetated and nonvegetated lab-scale wetlands. The lab-scale wetlands were filled with outdoor WSs and were continuously supplied with tracers and the pesticide-contaminated water. The transport of IPU and UR was characterized by high solute recovery (approximately 80%) and low retardation compared to Br. The detection of desmethylisoproturon in the wetlands indicated IPU degradation. SRB showed larger retardation (>3) and lower recovery (approximately 60%) compared to Br, indicating that sorption controlled SRB transport. MTX was moderately retarded (approximately 1.5), and its load attenuation in the wetland reached 40%. In the vegetated wetland, preferential flow along the roots decreased interactions between solutes and sediments, resulting in larger pesticide and tracer recovery. Our results show that UR and IPU have similar transport characteristics under the tested subsurface-flow conditions, whereas SRB may serve as a proxy for less mobile and more persistent pesticides. Since UR and SRB are not significantly affected by degradation, their use as proxies for fast degrading pollutants may be limited. We anticipate our results to be a starting point for considering artificial tracers for investigating pesticide transport in environments at groundwater/surface-water interfaces.

  14. No weapons in the weapons lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trebino, Rick

    2010-03-01

    I spent 12 years working at a top-secret nuclear-weapons lab that had its own dedicated force of heavily armed security guards. Of course, security-related incidents were rare, so the guards' main challenge was simply staying awake.

  15. Using collaborative technologies in remote lab delivery systems for topics in automation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ashby, Joe E.

    Lab exercises are a pedagogically essential component of engineering and technology education. Distance education remote labs are being developed which enable students to access lab facilities via the Internet. Collaboration, students working in teams, enhances learning activity through the development of communication skills, sharing observations and problem solving. Web meeting communication tools are currently used in remote labs. The problem identified for investigation was that no standards of practice or paradigms exist to guide remote lab designers in the selection of collaboration tools that best support learning achievement. The goal of this work was to add to the body of knowledge involving the selection and use of remote lab collaboration tools. Experimental research was conducted where the participants were randomly assigned to three communication treatments and learning achievement was measured via assessments at the completion of each of six remote lab based lessons. Quantitative instruments used for assessing learning achievement were implemented, along with a survey to correlate user preference with collaboration treatments. A total of 53 undergraduate technology students worked in two-person teams, where each team was assigned one of the treatments, namely (a) text messaging chat, (b) voice chat, or (c) webcam video with voice chat. Each had little experience with the subject matter involving automation, but possessed the necessary technical background. Analysis of the assessment score data included mean and standard deviation, confirmation of the homogeneity of variance, a one-way ANOVA test and post hoc comparisons. The quantitative and qualitative data indicated that text messaging chat negatively impacted learning achievement and that text messaging chat was not preferred. The data also suggested that the subjects were equally divided on preference to voice chat verses webcam video with voice chat. To the end of designing collaborative

  16. SEAS Classroom to Sea Labs: New Directions for Ridge 2000 Communitywide Education Outreach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goehring, L.

    2005-12-01

    Lessons learned from the two year SEAS pilot program emphasize that student participation in deep-sea research is an important motivator in student learning. Further, SEAS students experience a paradigm shift in understanding evidence-based reasoning and the process of scientific discovery. At the same time, we have learned that fostering authentic student investigations within the confines of the academic year is challenging and only fits classrooms with some academic flexibility. As a result, this year, SEAS will focus on the new Classroom to Sea Lab as a means to help foster student inquiry in the secondary school science classroom. The Classroom to Sea Lab invites student participation in deep-sea research but does so without requiring students to identify and propose suitable sea-going experiments. Classroom to Sea labs are designed to feature current deep-sea research, and emphasize critical skills in laboratory techniques, data collection and analysis, and scientific reporting. Labs are conducted in the classroom (by students) and at sea (by scientists for the students), resulting in parallel datasets for comparison. Labs also feature the work of practicing scientists. An annual Classroom to Sea Report Fair invites students to summarize their findings and submit written analyses for scientist feedback and prizes, emphasizing the importance of communications skills in science. This year, the SEAS program will feature the Shallow-water vs. Deep-sea Vent Mussel Classroom to Sea lab. In this lab, students explore differences in mussel anatomy and feeding strategies, and understand how chemosynthetic symbionts function in this animal. The lab instructs students to dissect shallow-water mussels and measure the proportion of gill tissue to total body tissue. Students are also instructed to download a dataset of vent mussel measurements and compare average proportions. Finally, students are invited to submit their analyses of the lab to the on-line Report Fair

  17. Unique Approach to Hydraulic Characterization at an Underground Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, T. L.; Wang, J. S.

    2009-12-01

    The Sanford Underground Laboratory is the interim lab for the future federally funded DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab). The Sanford Lab took over the abandoned Homestake mine in Lead, SD. Over three hundred miles of drift, extending 8,000 feet below the surface, are now being used to house experiments in disciplines including physics, geology, and biology. The lab is situated in Precambrian metamorphic rocks intersected by Tertiary dike swarms. Three relevant geologic units are defined within the Precambrian rock system; all of which are interpreted to be metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary deposits. The Sanford Lab provides a unique environment to study several aspects of hydrogeology and hydrology; including geochemistry, hydraulic systems in fractured aquifers, and fluvial activity within mine workings. Aquifer characteristics housing the mine workings’ is important to define for future and present research at the underground lab. Outlined here is a unique approach to defining the matrix porosity within the fractured aquifer system. The Homestake mine was abandoned and the pump system keeping the mine dry was turned off in 2003. Over the course of the next five years the water level rose 3470 feet. Oxidation of iron from the water left a red staining on the submerged rocks. Hydrological observations are conducted on different levels throughout the Homestake facility as the water levels are lowered. Isolated air pockets and long stretches of unstained areas along the roof of drifts have been observed, together with less frequent occurrences of seepages. These observations are documented to supplement hydrological monitoring and testing with sensors. The sizes and widths of the trapped air pockets are indications of low permeability values and can be used to estimate the degree of heterogeneity along drifts. It is noted that sections of long stretches of trapped air have more delayed drainages, consistent with low effective permeability

  18. GeoLab 2011: New Instruments and Operations Tested at Desert RATS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, Cindy A.; Calaway, M. J.; Bell, M. S.

    2012-01-01

    GeoLab is a geological laboratory and testbed designed for supporting geoscience activities during NASA's analog demonstrations. Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center built GeoLab as part of a technology project to aid the development of science operational concepts for future planetary surface missions [1, 2, 3]. It is integrated into NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit, a first generation exploration habitat test article. As a prototype workstation, GeoLab provides a high fidelity working space for analog mission crewmembers to perform in-situ characterization of geologic samples and communicate their findings with supporting scientists. GeoLab analog operations can provide valuable data for assessing the operational and scientific considerations of surface-based geologic analyses such as preliminary examination of samples collected by astronaut crews [4, 5]. Our analog tests also feed into sample handling and advanced curation operational concepts and procedures that will, ultimately, help ensure that the most critical samples are collected during future exploration on a planetary surface, and aid decisions about sample prioritization, sample handling and return. Data from GeoLab operations also supports science planning during a mission by providing additional detailed geologic information to supporting scientists, helping them make informed decisions about strategies for subsequent sample collection opportunities.

  19. Enhancing pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills through HOT lab design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malik, Adam; Setiawan, Agus; Suhandi, Andi; Permanasari, Anna

    2017-08-01

    A research on the implementation of HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Laboratory has been carried out. This research is aimed to compare increasing of creative thinking skills of pre-service physics teachers who receive physics lesson with HOT Lab and with verification lab for the topic of electric circuit. This research used a quasi-experiment methods with control group pretest-posttest design. The subject of the research is 40 Physics Education pre-service physics teachers of UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. Research samples were selected by class random sampling technique. Data on pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills were collected using test of creative thinking skills in the form of essay. The results of the research reveal that average of N-gain of creative thinking skills are <0,69> for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with HOT Lab design and <0,39> for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with verification lab, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that application of HOT Lab design is more effective to increase creative thinking skills in the lesson of electric circuit.

  20. (De)Constructing the Undergraduate Research Experience in an Environmental Geochemistry Lab (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, C. S.

    2013-12-01

    Maintaining a productive research lab at the undergraduate level requires a savvy combination of internal organization, high (but realistic) expectations, and adaptation of one's research interests into semester- and summer-length projects. Several key strategies can help achieve the goal of building a lab culture that both enriches students' academic experiences and advances one's own scholarly research and visibility. Foremost among these is the need to maintain momentum and preserve institutional knowledge in an environment where undergraduate students' lifetime in an individual lab may only last a year or two. Examples from the Environmental Geochemistry Lab at Chapman University (www.chapman.edu/envgeo) developed over several years and with 40+ undergraduate students will be presented which can be transferable to other faculty research labs in the earth sciences. Approaches to writing successful external research grant proposals at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) and strategies for both personal and institutional time management/savings will also be discussed, with a focus on new models at Chapman offered to further incentivize faculty involvement in undergraduate research.

  1. A Further Characterization of Empirical Research Related to Learning Outcome Achievement in Remote and Virtual Science Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brinson, James R.

    2017-01-01

    This paper further characterizes recently reviewed literature related to student learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) science labs, as well as factors to consider when evaluating the state and progress of research in this field as a whole. Current research is characterized according to…

  2. Quantification of Confocal Images Using LabVIEW for Tissue Engineering Applications

    PubMed Central

    Sfakis, Lauren; Kamaldinov, Tim; Larsen, Melinda; Castracane, James

    2016-01-01

    Quantifying confocal images to enable location of specific proteins of interest in three-dimensional (3D) is important for many tissue engineering (TE) applications. Quantification of protein localization is essential for evaluation of specific scaffold constructs for cell growth and differentiation for application in TE and tissue regeneration strategies. Although obtaining information regarding protein expression levels is important, the location of proteins within cells grown on scaffolds is often the key to evaluating scaffold efficacy. Functional epithelial cell monolayers must be organized with apicobasal polarity with proteins specifically localized to the apical or basolateral regions of cells in many organs. In this work, a customized program was developed using the LabVIEW platform to quantify protein positions in Z-stacks of confocal images of epithelial cell monolayers. The program's functionality is demonstrated through salivary gland TE, since functional salivary epithelial cells must correctly orient many proteins on the apical and basolateral membranes. Bio-LabVIEW Image Matrix Evaluation (Bio-LIME) takes 3D information collected from confocal Z-stack images and processes the fluorescence at each pixel to determine cell heights, nuclei heights, nuclei widths, protein localization, and cell count. As a demonstration of its utility, Bio-LIME was used to quantify the 3D location of the Zonula occludens-1 protein contained within tight junctions and its change in 3D position in response to chemical modification of the scaffold with laminin. Additionally, Bio-LIME was used to demonstrate that there is no advantage of sub-100 nm poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanofibers over 250 nm fibers for epithelial apicobasal polarization. Bio-LIME will be broadly applicable for quantification of proteins in 3D that are grown in many different contexts. PMID:27758134

  3. Quantification of Confocal Images Using LabVIEW for Tissue Engineering Applications.

    PubMed

    Sfakis, Lauren; Kamaldinov, Tim; Larsen, Melinda; Castracane, James; Khmaladze, Alexander

    2016-11-01

    Quantifying confocal images to enable location of specific proteins of interest in three-dimensional (3D) is important for many tissue engineering (TE) applications. Quantification of protein localization is essential for evaluation of specific scaffold constructs for cell growth and differentiation for application in TE and tissue regeneration strategies. Although obtaining information regarding protein expression levels is important, the location of proteins within cells grown on scaffolds is often the key to evaluating scaffold efficacy. Functional epithelial cell monolayers must be organized with apicobasal polarity with proteins specifically localized to the apical or basolateral regions of cells in many organs. In this work, a customized program was developed using the LabVIEW platform to quantify protein positions in Z-stacks of confocal images of epithelial cell monolayers. The program's functionality is demonstrated through salivary gland TE, since functional salivary epithelial cells must correctly orient many proteins on the apical and basolateral membranes. Bio-LabVIEW Image Matrix Evaluation (Bio-LIME) takes 3D information collected from confocal Z-stack images and processes the fluorescence at each pixel to determine cell heights, nuclei heights, nuclei widths, protein localization, and cell count. As a demonstration of its utility, Bio-LIME was used to quantify the 3D location of the Zonula occludens-1 protein contained within tight junctions and its change in 3D position in response to chemical modification of the scaffold with laminin. Additionally, Bio-LIME was used to demonstrate that there is no advantage of sub-100 nm poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanofibers over 250 nm fibers for epithelial apicobasal polarization. Bio-LIME will be broadly applicable for quantification of proteins in 3D that are grown in many different contexts.

  4. National Lab Science Day | News

    Science.gov Websites

    Laboratory news From lab leadership Submit content - login required Provide feedback Subscribe to our officer at Fermilab, guided Secretary Moniz and members of the U.S. Senate and House on virtual tours of virtual tour Particle detector tours Collisions in 3-D DOE facilities Dark matter and dark energy Particle

  5. Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Investigators Division Staff Facilities and Centers Staff Jobs Safety Personnel Resources Committees In Case of ? Click Here! Personnel Safety Personnel MSD EH&S Manager Martin Neitzel 66-242 ext. 6169 MLNeitzel Schwartz 66-250E ext. 4957 nischwartz@lbl.gov Lab Safety Advisory Committee Rep Robert Kaindl 2-354 ext

  6. VIEW OF THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW OF THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING MISSILE TUBE IN CENTER WITH OPEN HATCH AT RIGHT. VIEW FACING NORTHEAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  7. VIEW OF SECOND LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB WITH MISSILE TUBE ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW OF SECOND LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB WITH MISSILE TUBE WITH HATCH ON LEFT AND CONTROL PANEL ON RIGHT. VIEW FACING SOUTHEAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

  8. Development of a Computer-Assisted Instrumentation Curriculum for Physics Students: Using LabVIEW and Arduino Platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuan, Wen-Hsuan; Tseng, Chi-Hung; Chen, Sufen; Wong, Ching-Chang

    2016-06-01

    We propose an integrated curriculum to establish essential abilities of computer programming for the freshmen of a physics department. The implementation of the graphical-based interfaces from Scratch to LabVIEW then to LabVIEW for Arduino in the curriculum `Computer-Assisted Instrumentation in the Design of Physics Laboratories' brings rigorous algorithm and syntax protocols together with imagination, communication, scientific applications and experimental innovation. The effectiveness of the curriculum was evaluated via statistical analysis of questionnaires, interview responses, the increase in student numbers majoring in physics, and performance in a competition. The results provide quantitative support that the curriculum remove huge barriers to programming which occur in text-based environments, helped students gain knowledge of programming and instrumentation, and increased the students' confidence and motivation to learn physics and computer languages.

  9. Ames Lab 101: Single Crystal Growth

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schlagel, Deborah

    2013-09-27

    Ames Laboratory scientist Deborah Schlagel talks about the Lab's research in growing single crystals of various metals and alloys. The single crystal samples are vital to researchers' understanding of the characteristics of a materials and what gives these materials their particular properties.

  10. Ames Lab 101: Single Crystal Growth

    ScienceCinema

    Schlagel, Deborah

    2018-01-16

    Ames Laboratory scientist Deborah Schlagel talks about the Lab's research in growing single crystals of various metals and alloys. The single crystal samples are vital to researchers' understanding of the characteristics of a materials and what gives these materials their particular properties.

  11. Pilot Plants Enhance Brazosport Lab Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krieger, James

    1986-01-01

    Describes an experiential lab program for a two-year college's chemical technology program. Discusses student experiences in six miniature pilot plants that represent the essential instrumentation and chemical processes found in the chemical industry. Recognizes the industries that helped implement the program. (TW)

  12. Interesting Guided-Inquiry Labs for a Large-Enrollment, Active Learning Physics II Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagoner, Kasey; Hynes, K. Mairin; Flanagan, Daniel

    2018-04-01

    Introductory physics labs often focus on a series of common experiments intending to teach the student the measurement side of physics. While these experiments have the potential to be quite instructive, we observed that our students often consider them to be boring and monotonous, which often leads to them being uninstructive. To combat this, we have designed a series of labs with two major goals: the experiments should be relevant to the students' world, and the labs should gently guide the students to develop the experimental process on their own. Meeting these goals is difficult, particularly in a course with large enrollment where labs are instructed by graduate students. We have had success meeting these goals in our classroom, where over the last decade our introductory physics course has transformed from a traditional, lecture-learning class to a flipped class based on the textbook Six Ideas that Shaped Physics. Here we describe the structure of the new labs we have designed to capitalize on our classroom success while overcoming the aforementioned difficulties. These new labs are more engaging and instructive for our introductory physics students.

  13. A mirror for lab-based quasi-monochromatic parallel x-rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Thanhhai; Lu, Xun; Lee, Chang Jun; Jung, Jin-Ho; Jin, Gye-Hwan; Kim, Sung Youb; Jeon, Insu

    2014-09-01

    A multilayered parabolic mirror with six W/Al bilayers was designed and fabricated to generate monochromatic parallel x-rays using a lab-based x-ray source. Using this mirror, curved bright bands were obtained in x-ray images as reflected x-rays. The parallelism of the reflected x-rays was investigated using the shape of the bands. The intensity and monochromatic characteristics of the reflected x-rays were evaluated through measurements of the x-ray spectra in the band. High intensity, nearly monochromatic, and parallel x-rays, which can be used for high resolution x-ray microscopes and local radiation therapy systems, were obtained.

  14. DoD Research Labs 101: Who They Are, What They Do | DoDLive

    Science.gov Websites

    Corner Behind the Lens DoD Research Labs 101: Who They Are, What They Do Posted on March 24, 2016 by service branch has several research labs across the country that focus on specific technologies. I could just going to fill you in on what each of the main labs does and give some examples of the cool things

  15. Effects of Implementing a Hybrid Wet Lab and Online Module Lab Curriculum into a General Chemistry Course: Impacts on Student Performance and Engagement with the Chemistry Triplet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irby, Stefan M.; Borda, Emily J.; Haupt, Justin

    2018-01-01

    Here, we describe the implementation a hybrid general chemistry teaching laboratory curriculum that replaces a portion of a course's traditional "wet lab" experiences with online virtual lab modules. These modules intentionally utilize representations on all three levels of the chemistry triplet-macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic.…

  16. AnimatLab: a 3D graphics environment for neuromechanical simulations.

    PubMed

    Cofer, David; Cymbalyuk, Gennady; Reid, James; Zhu, Ying; Heitler, William J; Edwards, Donald H

    2010-03-30

    The nervous systems of animals evolved to exert dynamic control of behavior in response to the needs of the animal and changing signals from the environment. To understand the mechanisms of dynamic control requires a means of predicting how individual neural and body elements will interact to produce the performance of the entire system. AnimatLab is a software tool that provides an approach to this problem through computer simulation. AnimatLab enables a computational model of an animal's body to be constructed from simple building blocks, situated in a virtual 3D world subject to the laws of physics, and controlled by the activity of a multicellular, multicompartment neural circuit. Sensor receptors on the body surface and inside the body respond to external and internal signals and then excite central neurons, while motor neurons activate Hill muscle models that span the joints and generate movement. AnimatLab provides a common neuromechanical simulation environment in which to construct and test models of any skeletal animal, vertebrate or invertebrate. The use of AnimatLab is demonstrated in a neuromechanical simulation of human arm flexion and the myotactic and contact-withdrawal reflexes. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Quantitative Comparisons to Promote Inquiry in the Introductory Physics Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holmes, N. G.; Bonn, D. A.

    2015-09-01

    In a recent report, the American Association of Physics Teachers has developed an updated set of recommendations for curriculum of undergraduate physics labs. This document focuses on six major themes: constructing knowledge, modeling, designing experiments, developing technical and practical laboratory skills, analyzing and visualizing data, and communicating physics. These themes all tie together as a set of practical skills in scientific measurement, analysis, and experimentation. In addition to teaching students how to use these skills, it is important for students to know when to use them so that they can use them autonomously. This requires, especially in the case of analytical skills, high levels of inquiry behaviors to reflect on data and iterate measurements, which students rarely do in lab experiments. Often, they perform lab experiments in a plug-and-chug frame, procedurally completing each activity with little to no sensemaking. An emphasis on obtaining true theoretical values or agreement on individual measurements also reinforces inauthentic behaviors such as retroactively inflating measurement uncertainties. This paper aims to offer a relatively simple pedagogical framework for engaging students authentically in experimentation and inquiry in physics labs.

  18. The Participatory Design of a (Today and) Future Digital Entomology Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hai-Jew, Shalin

    2011-01-01

    This article showcases a virtual interactive participatory design activity for building a digital entomology lab. Conceptualized as a virtual complement to a general entomology course at Kansas State University, the lab would allow learners to explore morphological aspects of insects--their various forms and functions--in order to understand…

  19. Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan.

    PubMed

    Najat, Dereen

    2017-01-01

    Laboratory testing is roughly divided into three phases: a pre-analytical phase, an analytical phase and a post-analytical phase. Most analytical errors have been attributed to the analytical phase. However, recent studies have shown that up to 70% of analytical errors reflect the pre-analytical phase. The pre-analytical phase comprises all processes from the time a laboratory request is made by a physician until the specimen is analyzed at the lab. Generally, the pre-analytical phase includes patient preparation, specimen transportation, specimen collection and storage. In the present study, we report the first comprehensive assessment of the frequency and types of pre-analytical errors at the Sulaimani diagnostic labs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Over 2 months, 5500 venous blood samples were observed in 10 public diagnostic labs of Sulaimani City. The percentages of rejected samples and types of sample inappropriateness were evaluated. The percentage of each of the following pre-analytical errors were recorded: delay in sample transportation, clotted samples, expired reagents, hemolyzed samples, samples not on ice, incorrect sample identification, insufficient sample, tube broken in centrifuge, request procedure errors, sample mix-ups, communication conflicts, misinterpreted orders, lipemic samples, contaminated samples and missed physician's request orders. The difference between the relative frequencies of errors observed in the hospitals considered was tested using a proportional Z test. In particular, the survey aimed to discover whether analytical errors were recorded and examine the types of platforms used in the selected diagnostic labs. The analysis showed a high prevalence of improper sample handling during the pre-analytical phase. In appropriate samples, the percentage error was as high as 39%. The major reasons for rejection were hemolyzed samples (9%), incorrect sample identification (8%) and clotted samples (6%). Most quality control schemes at Sulaimani

  20. LabNet: Toward A Community of Practice. Technology in Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruopp, Richard, Ed.; And Others

    Many educators advocate the use of projects in the science classroom. This document describes an effort (LabNet) that has successfully implemented a program that allows students to learn science using projects. Chapter 1, "An Introduction to LabNet" (Richard Ruopp, Megham Pfister), provides an initial framework for understanding the…

  1. ExperimentaLab: A Virtual Platform to Enhance Entrepreneurial Education through Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iscaro, Valentina; Castaldi, Laura; Sepe, Enrica

    2017-01-01

    With a view to enhancing the entrepreneurial activity of universities, the authors explore the concepts and features of the "experimental lab", presenting it as an effective means of supporting entrepreneurial training programmes and helping students to turn ideas into actual start-ups. In this context, the term experimental lab refers…

  2. The LabTube - a novel microfluidic platform for assay automation in laboratory centrifuges.

    PubMed

    Kloke, A; Fiebach, A R; Zhang, S; Drechsel, L; Niekrawietz, S; Hoehl, M M; Kneusel, R; Panthel, K; Steigert, J; von Stetten, F; Zengerle, R; Paust, N

    2014-05-07

    Assay automation is the key for successful transformation of modern biotechnology into routine workflows. Yet, it requires considerable investment in processing devices and auxiliary infrastructure, which is not cost-efficient for laboratories with low or medium sample throughput or point-of-care testing. To close this gap, we present the LabTube platform, which is based on assay specific disposable cartridges for processing in laboratory centrifuges. LabTube cartridges comprise interfaces for sample loading and downstream applications and fluidic unit operations for release of prestored reagents, mixing, and solid phase extraction. Process control is achieved by a centrifugally-actuated ballpen mechanism. To demonstrate the workflow and functionality of the LabTube platform, we show two LabTube automated sample preparation assays from laboratory routines: DNA extractions from whole blood and purification of His-tagged proteins. Equal DNA and protein yields were observed compared to manual reference runs, while LabTube automation could significantly reduce the hands-on-time to one minute per extraction.

  3. Validation of a Host Response Assay, Septicyte™ LAB, for Discriminating Sepsis from SIRS in the ICU.

    PubMed

    Miller Iii, Russell R; Lopansri, Bert K; Burke, John P; Levy, Mitchell; Opal, Steven; Rothman, Richard E; D'Alessio, Franco R; Sidhaye, Venkataramana K; Aggarwal, Neil R; Balk, Robert; Greenberg, Jared A; Yoder, Mark; Patel, Gourang; Gilbert, Emily; Afshar, Majid; Parada, Jorge P; Martin, Greg S; Esper, Annette M; Kempker, Jordan A; Narasimhan, Mangala; Tsegaye, Adey; Hahn, Stella; Mayo, Paul; van der Poll, Tom; Schultz, Marcus J; Scicluna, Brendon P; Klein Klouwenberg, Peter; Rapisarda, Antony; Seldon, Therese A; McHugh, Leo C; Yager, Thomas D; Cermelli, Silvia; Sampson, Dayle; Rothwell, Victoria; Newman, Richard; Bhide, Shruti; Kirk, James T; Navalkar, Krupa; Davis, Roy F; Brandon, Roslyn A; Brandon, Richard B

    2018-04-06

    A molecular test to distinguish between sepsis and systemic inflammation of non-infectious etiology could potentially have clinical utility. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of a molecular host response assay (SeptiCyte™ LAB) designed to distinguish between sepsis and non-infectious systemic inflammation in critically ill adults. The study employed a prospective, observational, non-interventional design, and recruited a heterogeneous cohort of adult critical care patients from seven sites in the USA (N=249). An additional group of 198 patients, recruited in the large MARS consortium trial in the Netherlands (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01905033), was also tested and analyzed, making a grand total of 447 patients in our study. Performance of SeptiCyte™ LAB was compared to retrospective physician diagnosis by a panel of three experts. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, SeptiCyte™ LAB had an estimated area under curve of 0.82-0.89 for discriminating sepsis from non-infectious systemic inflammation. The relative likelihood of sepsis versus non-infectious systemic inflammation was found to increase with increasing test score (range 0-10). In a forward logistic regression analysis, the diagnostic performance of the assay was improved only marginally when used in combination with other clinical and laboratory variables including procalcitonin. Performance of the assay was not significantly affected by demographic variables including age, sex, or race/ethnicity. SeptiCyte™ LAB appears to be a promising diagnostic tool to complement physician assessment of infection likelihood in critically ill adult patients with systemic inflammation. Clinical trial registrations available at clinicaltrials.gov, IDs NCT02127502 and NCT01905033.

  4. Enhancing Communication Skills of Pre-service Physics Teacher through HOT Lab Related to Electric Circuit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malik, A.; Setiawan, A.; Suhandi, A.; Permanasari, A.; Dirgantara, Y.; Yuniarti, H.; Sapriadil, S.; Hermita, N.

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the improvement to pre-service teacher’s communication skills through Higher Order Thinking Laboratory (HOT Lab) on electric circuit topic. This research used the quasi-experiment method with pretest-posttest control group design. Research subjects were 60 students of Physics Education in UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The sample was chosen by random sampling technique. Students’ communication skill data collected using a communication skills test instruments-essays form and observations sheets. The results showed that pre-service teacher communication skills using HOT Lab were higher than verification lab. Student’s communication skills in groups using HOT Lab were not influenced by gender. Communication skills could increase due to HOT Lab based on problems solving that can develop communication through hands-on activities. Therefore, the conclusion of this research shows the application of HOT Lab is more effective than the verification lab to improve communication skills of pre-service teachers in electric circuit topic and gender is not related to a person’s communication skills.

  5. Advanced Physics Labs and Undergraduate Research: Helping Them Work Together

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, Richard W.

    2009-10-01

    The 2009 Advanced Lab Topical Conference in Ann Arbor affirmed the importance of advanced labs that teach crucial skills and methodologies by carefully conducting a time-honored experiment. Others however argued that such a constrained experiment can play a complementary role to more open-ended, project experiences. A genuine ``experiment'' where neither student or faculty member is exactly sure of the best approach or anticipated result can often trigger real excitement, creativity, and career direction for students while reinforcing the advanced lab and undergraduate research interface. Several examples are cited in areas of AMO physics, optics, fluids, and acoustics. Colleges and universities that have dual-degree engineering, engineering physics, or applied physics programs may especially profit from interdisciplinary projects that utilize optical, electromagnetic, and acoustical measurements in conjunction with computational physics and simulation.

  6. ExoGeoLab Pilot Project for Landers, Rovers and Instruments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foing, Bernard

    2010-05-01

    We have developed a pilot facility with a Robotic Test Bench (ExoGeoLab) and a Mobile Lab Habitat (ExoHab). They can be used to validate concepts and external instruments from partner institutes. The ExoGeoLab research incubator project, has started in the frame of a collaboration between ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration working Group http://sci.esa.int/ilewg), ESTEC, NASA and academic partners, supported by a design and control desk in the European Space Incubator (ESI), as well as infrastructure. ExoGeoLab includes a sequence of technology and research pilot project activities: - Data analysis and interpretation of remote sensing and in-situ data, and merging of multi-scale data sets - Procurement and integration of geophysical, geo-chemical and astrobiological breadboard instruments on a surface station and rovers - Integration of cameras, environment and solar sensors, Visible and near IR spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, sample handling, cooperative rovers - Delivery of a generic small planetary lander demonstrator (ExoGeoLab lander, Sept 2009) as a platform for multi-instruments tests - Research operations and exploitation of ExoGeoLab test bench for various conceptual configurations, and support for definition and design of science surface packages (Moon, Mars, NEOs, outer moons) - Field tests of lander, rovers and instruments in analogue sites (Utah MDRS 2009 & 2010, Eifel volcanic park in Sept 2009, and future campaigns). Co-authors, ILEWG ExoGeoLab & ExoHab Team: B.H. Foing(1,11)*#, C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), L. Boche-Sauvan(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)#, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , A. Calzada(1,6,11), R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1, 15) #, G. Groemer(12)# , W. Stumptner(12)#, B. Foing(2,5), J. K. Blom(3)#, A. Perrin(14)#, M. Mikolajczak(14)#, S. Chevrier(14

  7. NASA GeneLab Project: Bridging Space Radiation Omics with Ground Studies.

    PubMed

    Beheshti, Afshin; Miller, Jack; Kidane, Yared; Berrios, Daniel; Gebre, Samrawit G; Costes, Sylvain V

    2018-06-01

    Accurate assessment of risks of long-term space missions is critical for human space exploration. It is essential to have a detailed understanding of the biological effects on humans living and working in deep space. Ionizing radiation from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a major health risk factor for astronauts on extended missions outside the protective effects of the Earth's magnetic field. Currently, there are gaps in our knowledge of the health risks associated with chronic low-dose, low-dose-rate ionizing radiation, specifically ions associated with high (H) atomic number (Z) and energy (E). The NASA GeneLab project ( https://genelab.nasa.gov/ ) aims to provide a detailed library of omics datasets associated with biological samples exposed to HZE. The GeneLab Data System (GLDS) includes datasets from both spaceflight and ground-based studies, a majority of which involve exposure to ionizing radiation. In addition to detailed information on radiation exposure for ground-based studies, GeneLab is adding detailed, curated dosimetry information for spaceflight experiments. GeneLab is the first comprehensive omics database for space-related research from which an investigator can generate hypotheses to direct future experiments, utilizing both ground and space biological radiation data. The GLDS is continually expanding as omics-related data are generated by the space life sciences community. Here we provide a brief summary of the space radiation-related data available at GeneLab.

  8. Recent developments from the OPEnS Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selker, J. S.; Good, S. P.; Higgins, C. W.; Sayde, C.; Buskirk, B.; Lopez, M.; Nelke, M.; Udell, C.

    2016-12-01

    The Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) lab is a facility that is open to all from around the world to use (http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/open-sensing). With 3-D CAD, electronics benches, 3-D printers and laser cutters, and a complete precision metal shop, the lab can build just about anything. Electronic platforms such as the Arduino are combined with cutting edge sensors, and packaged in rugged housing to address critical environmental sensing needs. The results are published in GITHub and in the AGU journal Earth and Space Sciences under the special theme of "Environmental Sensing." In this poster we present advancements including: A ultra-precise isotopic sampler for rainfall; an isotopic sampler for soil gas; a data-logging wind vane that can be mounted on the tether of a balloon; a rain-gage calibrator with three rates of constant application; a <$20 dissolved O2 probe for water; a stream-bed permeameter that gives rapid quantification of permeability. You can use the OPEnS lab! Just sketch your idea on a white board and send it in. The conversation is started, and your prototype can be ready in a few weeks. We have a staff of three engineers ready to help, where you are working remotely, or decide to spend some time with the team in Corvallis.

  9. Dr. Monaco Examines Lab-on a-Chip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    Dr. Lisa Monaco, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) project scientist for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development (LOCAD) program, examines a lab on a chip. The small dots are actually ports where fluids and chemicals can be mixed or samples can be collected for testing. Tiny channels, only clearly visible under a microscope, form pathways between the ports. Many chemical and biological processes, previously conducted on large pieces of laboratory equipment, can now be performed on these small glass or plastic plates. Monaco and other researchers at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama, are customizing the chips to be used for many space applications, such as monitoring microbes inside spacecraft and detecting life on other planets. The portable, handheld Lab-on-a Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) made its debut flight aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission launched December 9, 2006. The system allowed crew members to monitor their environment for problematic contaminants such as yeast, mold, and even E.coli, and salmonella. Once LOCAD-PTS reached the International Space Station (ISS), the Marshall team continued to manage the experiment, monitoring the study from a console in the Payload Operations Center at MSFC. The results of these studies will help NASA researchers refine the technology for future Moon and Mars missions. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

  10. Incorporating a Literature-Based Learning Approach into a Lab Course to Increase Student Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parent, Beth A.; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Swanson, Karen V.; Smith, Ann C.

    2010-01-01

    Scientific literature was used to give a research oriented context to our immunology lab course. Immunology lab, a senior level course (60 students/year) was formerly taught in a traditional mode, with exercises aimed at learning lab protocols. To engage students in understanding we connected the protocols to their use as reported in research…

  11. Baseball Physics: A New Mechanics Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wagoner, Kasey; Flanagan, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    The game of baseball provides an interesting laboratory for experimenting with mechanical phenomena (there are many good examples in "The Physics Teacher," available on Professor Alan Nathan's website, and discussed in "Physics of Baseball & Softball"). We have developed a lab, for an introductory-level physics course, that…

  12. Institutional profile: the national Swedish academic drug discovery & development platform at SciLifeLab

    PubMed Central

    Arvidsson, Per I; Sandberg, Kristian; Sakariassen, Kjell S

    2017-01-01

    The Science for Life Laboratory Drug Discovery and Development Platform (SciLifeLab DDD) was established in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden, in 2014. It is one of ten platforms of the Swedish national SciLifeLab which support projects run by Swedish academic researchers with large-scale technologies for molecular biosciences with a focus on health and environment. SciLifeLab was created by the coordinated effort of four universities in Stockholm and Uppsala: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University, and has recently expanded to other Swedish university locations. The primary goal of the SciLifeLab DDD is to support selected academic discovery and development research projects with tools and resources to discover novel lead therapeutics, either molecules or human antibodies. Intellectual property developed with the help of SciLifeLab DDD is wholly owned by the academic research group. The bulk of SciLifeLab DDD's research and service activities are funded from the Swedish state, with only consumables paid by the academic research group through individual grants. PMID:28670468

  13. Institutional profile: the national Swedish academic drug discovery & development platform at SciLifeLab.

    PubMed

    Arvidsson, Per I; Sandberg, Kristian; Sakariassen, Kjell S

    2017-06-01

    The Science for Life Laboratory Drug Discovery and Development Platform (SciLifeLab DDD) was established in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden, in 2014. It is one of ten platforms of the Swedish national SciLifeLab which support projects run by Swedish academic researchers with large-scale technologies for molecular biosciences with a focus on health and environment. SciLifeLab was created by the coordinated effort of four universities in Stockholm and Uppsala: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University, and has recently expanded to other Swedish university locations. The primary goal of the SciLifeLab DDD is to support selected academic discovery and development research projects with tools and resources to discover novel lead therapeutics, either molecules or human antibodies. Intellectual property developed with the help of SciLifeLab DDD is wholly owned by the academic research group. The bulk of SciLifeLab DDD's research and service activities are funded from the Swedish state, with only consumables paid by the academic research group through individual grants.

  14. The target vacuum storage facility at iThemba LABS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neveling, R.; Kheswa, N. Y.; Papka, P.

    2018-05-01

    A number of nuclear physics experiments at iThemba LABS require target foils that consist of specific isotopes of elements which are reactive in air. Not only is it important to prepare these targets in a suitable environment to prevent oxidation, but consideration should also be given to the long term storage and handling facilities of such targets. The target vacuum storage facility at iThemba LABS, as well as additional hardware necessary to transport and install the target foils in the experimental chamber, will be discussed.

  15. Incorporating inquiry and the process of science into introductory astronomy labs at the George Washington University

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cobb, Bethany E.

    2018-01-01

    Since 2013, the Physics Department at GWU has used student-centered active learning in the introductory astronomy course “Introduction to the Cosmos.” Class time is spent in groups on questions, math problems, and hands-on activities, with multiple instructors circulating to answer questions and engage with the students. The students have responded positively to this active-learning. Unfortunately, in transitioning to active-learning there was no time to rewrite the labs. Very quickly, the contrast between the dynamic classroom and the traditional labs became apparent. The labs were almost uniformly “cookie-cutter” in that the procedure and analysis were specified step-by-step and there was just one right answer. Students rightly criticized the labs for lacking a clear purpose and including busy-work. Furthermore, this class fulfills the GWU scientific reasoning general education requirement and thus includes learning objectives related to understanding the scientific method, testing hypotheses with data, and considering uncertainty – but the traditional labs did not require these skills. I set out to rejuvenate the lab sequence by writing new inquiry labs based on both topic-specific and scientific reasoning learning objectives. While inquiry labs can be challenging for the students, as they require active thinking and creativity, these labs engage the students more thoroughly in the scientific process. In these new labs, whenever possible, I include real astronomical data and ask the students to use digital tools (SDSS SkyServer, SOHO archive) as if they are real astronomers. To allow students to easily plot, manipulate and analyze data, I built “smart” Excel files using formulas, dropdown menus and macros. The labs are now much more authentic and thought-provoking. Whenever possible, students independently develop questions, hypotheses, and procedures and the scientific method is “scaffolded” over the semester by providing more guidance in the

  16. Nanophotonics for Lab-on-Chip Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seitz, Peter

    Optical methods are the preferred measurement techniques for biosensors and lab-on-chip applications. Their key properties are sensitivity, selectivity and robustness. To simplify the systems and their operation, it is desirable to employ label-free optical methods, requiring the functionalization of interfaces. Evanescent electromagnetic waves are probing the optical proper ties near the interfaces, a few 100 nm deep into the sample fluid. The sensitivity of these measurements can be improved with optical micro-resonators, in particular whispering gallery mode devices. Q factors as high as 2x108 have been achieved in practice. The resulting narrow-linewidth resonances and an unexpected thermo-optic effect make it possible to detect single biomolecules using a label-free biosensor principle. Future generations of biosensors and labs-on-chip for point-of-care and high-troughput screening applications will require large numbers of parallel measurement channels, necessitating optical micro-resonators in array format produced very cost-effectively.

  17. Commerce lab: Mission analysis and payload integration study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    Conceived as one or more arrays of carriers which would fly aboard space shuttle, Commerce Lab can provide a point of focus for implementing a series of shuttle flights, co-sponsored by NASA and U.S. domestic concerns, for performing materials processing in research and pre-commercial investigations. As an orbiting facility for testing, developing, and implementing hardware and procedures, Commerce Lab can enhance space station development and hasten space platform production capability. Tasks considered include: (1) synthesis of user requirements and identification of common element and voids; (2) definition of performance and infrastructure requirement and alternative approaches; and (3) carrier, mission model, and infrastructure development.

  18. Comparing Physical, Virtual, and Hybrid Flipped Labs for General Education Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Son, Ji Y.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on learning, attitudes, and costs in a redesigned general education undergraduate biology course that implemented web-based virtual labs (VLs) to replace traditional physical labs (PLs). Over an academic year, two new modes of VL instruction were compared to the traditional PL offering: (1) all…

  19. Domain Adaptation Methods for Improving Lab-to-field Generalization of Cocaine Detection using Wearable ECG.

    PubMed

    Natarajan, Annamalai; Angarita, Gustavo; Gaiser, Edward; Malison, Robert; Ganesan, Deepak; Marlin, Benjamin M

    2016-09-01

    Mobile health research on illicit drug use detection typically involves a two-stage study design where data to learn detectors is first collected in lab-based trials, followed by a deployment to subjects in a free-living environment to assess detector performance. While recent work has demonstrated the feasibility of wearable sensors for illicit drug use detection in the lab setting, several key problems can limit lab-to-field generalization performance. For example, lab-based data collection often has low ecological validity, the ground-truth event labels collected in the lab may not be available at the same level of temporal granularity in the field, and there can be significant variability between subjects. In this paper, we present domain adaptation methods for assessing and mitigating potential sources of performance loss in lab-to-field generalization and apply them to the problem of cocaine use detection from wearable electrocardiogram sensor data.

  20. Pion and Kaon Lab Frame Differential Cross Sections for Intermediate Energy Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norbury, John W.; Blattnig, Steve R.

    2008-01-01

    Space radiation transport codes require accurate models for hadron production in intermediate energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. Codes require cross sections to be written in terms of lab frame variables and it is important to be able to verify models against experimental data in the lab frame. Several models are compared to lab frame data. It is found that models based on algebraic parameterizations are unable to describe intermediate energy differential cross section data. However, simple thermal model parameterizations, when appropriately transformed from the center of momentum to the lab frame, are able to account for the data.

  1. Exploring problem-based cooperative learning in undergraduate physics labs: student perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergin, S. D.; Murphy, C.; Shuilleabhain, A. Ni

    2018-03-01

    This study examines the potential of problem-based cooperative learning (PBCL) in expanding undergraduate physics students’ understanding of, and engagement with, the scientific process. Two groups of first-year physics students (n = 180) completed a questionnaire which compared their perceptions of learning science with their engagement in physics labs. One cohort completed a lab based on a PBCL approach, whilst the other completed the same experiment, using a more traditional, manual-based lab. Utilising a participant research approach, the questionnaire was co-constructed by researchers and student advisers from each cohort in order to improve shared meaning between researchers and participants. Analysis of students’ responses suggests that students in the PBCL cohort engaged more in higher-order problem-solving skills and evidenced a deeper understanding of the scientific process than students in the more traditional, manual-based cohort. However, the latter cohort responses placed more emphasis on accuracy and measurement in lab science than the PBCL cohort. The students in the PBCL cohort were also more positively engaged with their learning than their counterparts in the manual led group.

  2. Assessment of the human epidermal model LabCyte EPI-MODEL for In vitro skin corrosion testing according to the OECD test guideline 431.

    PubMed

    Katoh, Masakazu; Hamajima, Fumiyasu; Ogasawara, Takahiro; Hata, Ken-Ichiro

    2010-06-01

    A new OECD test guideline 431 (TG431) for in vitro skin corrosion tests using human reconstructed skin models was adopted by OECD in 2004. TG431 defines the criteria for the general function and performance of applicable skin models. In order to confirm that the new reconstructed human epidermal model, LabCyte EPI-MODEL is applicable for the skin corrosion test according to TG431, the predictability and repeatability of the model for the skin corrosion test was evaluated. The test was performed according to the test protocol described in TG431. Based on the knowledge that LabCyte EPI-MODEL is an epidermal model as well as EpiDerm, we decided to adopt the the Epiderm prediction model of skin corrosion for the LabCyte EPI-MODEL, using twenty test chemicals (10 corrosive chemicals and 10 non-corrosive chemicals) in the 1(st) stage. The prediction model results showed that the distinction of non-corrosion to corrosion corresponded perfectly. Therefore, it was judged that the prediction model of EpiDerm could be applied to the LabCyte EPI-MODEL. In the 2(nd) stage, the repeatability of this test protocol with the LabCyte EPI-MODEL was examined using twelve chemicals (6 corrosive chemicals and 6 non-corrosive chemicals) that are described in TG431, and these results recognized a high repeatability and accurate predictability. It was concluded that LabCyte EPI-MODEL is applicable for the skin corrosive test protocol according to TG431.

  3. Life Lab Computer Support System's Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lippman, Beatrice D.; Walfish, Stephen

    Step-by-step procedures for utilizing the computer support system of Miami-Dade Community College's Life Lab program are described for the following categories: (1) Registration--Student's Lists and Labels, including three separate computer programs for current listings, next semester listings, and grade listings; (2) Competence and Resource…

  4. A "Language Lab" for Architectural Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackenzie, Arch; And Others

    This paper discusses a "language lab" strategy in which traditional studio learning may be supplemented by language lessons using computer graphics techniques to teach architectural grammar, a body of elements and principles that govern the design of buildings belonging to a particular architectural theory or style. Two methods of…

  5. Bilingual (German-English) Molecular Biology Courses in an Out-of-School Lab on a University Campus: Cognitive and Affective Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodenhauser, Annika; Preisfeld, Angelika

    2015-01-01

    Taking into account (German) students' deficiencies in scientific literacy as well as reading competence and the "mother tongue + 2" objective of the European commission, a bilingual course on molecular biology was developed. It combines CLIL fundamentals and practical experimentation in an out-of-school lab. Cognitive and affective…

  6. Measure, Then Show: Grasping Human Evolution Through an Inquiry-Based, Data-driven Hominin Skulls Lab.

    PubMed

    Bayer, Chris N; Luberda, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Incomprehension and denial of the theory of evolution among high school students has been observed to also occur when teachers are not equipped to deliver a compelling case also for human evolution based on fossil evidence. This paper assesses the outcomes of a novel inquiry-based paleoanthropology lab teaching human evolution to high-school students. The inquiry-based Be a Paleoanthropologist for a Day lab placed a dozen hominin skulls into the hands of high-school students. Upon measuring three variables of human evolution, students explain what they have observed and discuss findings. In the 2013/14 school year, 11 biology classes in 7 schools in the Greater New Orleans area participated in this lab. The interviewed teacher cohort unanimously agreed that the lab featuring hominin skull replicas and stimulating student inquiry was a pedagogically excellent method of delivering the subject of human evolution. First, the lab's learning path of transforming facts to data, information to knowledge, and knowledge to acceptance empowered students to themselves execute part of the science that underpins our understanding of deep time hominin evolution. Second, although challenging, the hands-on format of the lab was accessible to high-school students, most of whom were readily able to engage the lab's scientific process. Third, the lab's exciting and compelling pedagogy unlocked higher order thinking skills, effectively activating the cognitive, psychomotor and affected learning domains as defined in Bloom's taxonomy. Lastly, the lab afforded students a formative experience with a high degree of retention and epistemic depth. Further study is warranted to gauge the degree of these effects.

  7. STS-115 Vitual Lab Training

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2005-06-07

    JSC2005-E-21191 (7 June 2005) --- Astronaut Steven G. MacLean, STS-115 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for his duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

  8. STS-115 Vitual Lab Training

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2005-06-07

    JSC2005-E-21192 (7 June 2005) --- Astronauts Christopher J. Ferguson (left), STS-115 pilot, and Daniel C. Burbank, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

  9. Space Life Sciences Lab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-10-09

    The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor is the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

  10. Value added or misattributed? A multi-institution study on the educational benefit of labs for reinforcing physics content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holmes, N. G.; Olsen, Jack; Thomas, James L.; Wieman, Carl E.

    2017-06-01

    Instructional labs are widely seen as a unique, albeit expensive, way to teach scientific content. We measured the effectiveness of introductory lab courses at achieving this educational goal across nine different lab courses at three very different institutions. These institutions and courses encompassed a broad range of student populations and instructional styles. The nine courses studied had two key things in common: the labs aimed to reinforce the content presented in lectures, and the labs were optional. By comparing the performance of students who did and did not take the labs (with careful normalization for selection effects), we found universally and precisely no added value to learning course content from taking the labs as measured by course exam performance. This work should motivate institutions and departments to reexamine the goals and conduct of their lab courses, given their resource-intensive nature. We show why these results make sense when looking at the comparative mental processes of students involved in research and instructional labs, and offer alternative goals and instructional approaches that would make lab courses more educationally valuable.

  11. Lab-on-a-chip modules for detection of highly pathogenic bacteria: from sample preparation to detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Julich, S.; Kopinč, R.; Hlawatsch, N.; Moche, C.; Lapanje, A.; Gärtner, C.; Tomaso, H.

    2014-05-01

    Lab-on-a-chip systems are innovative tools for the detection and identification of microbial pathogens in human and veterinary medicine. The major advantages are small sample volume and a compact design. Several fluidic modules have been developed to transform analytical procedures into miniaturized scale including sampling, sample preparation, target enrichment, and detection procedures. We present evaluation data for single modules that will be integrated in a chip system for the detection of pathogens. A microfluidic chip for purification of nucleic acids was established for cell lysis using magnetic beads. This assay was evaluated with spiked environmental aerosol and swab samples. Bacillus thuringiensis was used as simulant for Bacillus anthracis, which is closely related but non-pathogenic for humans. Stationary PCR and a flow-through PCR chip module were investigated for specific detection of six highly pathogenic bacteria. The conventional PCR assays could be transferred into miniaturized scale using the same temperature/time profile. We could demonstrate that the microfluidic chip modules are suitable for the respective purposes and are promising tools for the detection of bacterial pathogens. Future developments will focus on the integration of these separate modules to an entire lab-on-a-chip system.

  12. ASK4Labs: A Web-Based Repository for Supporting Learning Design Driven Remote and Virtual Labs Recommendations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zervas, Panagiotis; Fiskilis, Stefanos; Sampson, Demetrios G.

    2014-01-01

    Over the past years, Remote and Virtual Labs (RVLs) have gained increased attention for their potential to support technology-enhanced science education by enabling science teachers to improve their day-to-day science teaching. Therefore, many educational institutions and scientific organizations have invested efforts for providing online access…

  13. Tap Teens' Curiosity with Lab Band.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saunders, Jane

    2002-01-01

    Describes the Lab Band project used with 12th grade students at the Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada). Explains that each band student taught a peer how to play their instrument which created versatility in the band. States that all students kept a reflective journal. (CMK)

  14. From Computer Lab to Technology Class.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherwood, Sandra

    1999-01-01

    Discussion of integrating technology into elementary school classrooms focuses on teacher training that is based on a three-year plan developed at an elementary school in Marathon, New York. Describes the role of a technology teacher who facilitates technology integration by running the computer lab, offering workshops, and developing inservice…

  15. Differences between Lab Completion and Non-Completion on Student Performance in an Online Undergraduate Environmental Science Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corsi, Gianluca

    2011-12-01

    Web-based technology has revolutionized the way education is delivered. Although the advantages of online learning appeal to large numbers of students, some concerns arise. One major concern in online science education is the value that participation in labs has on student performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between lab completion and student academic success as measured by test grades, scientific self-confidence, scientific skills, and concept mastery. A random sample of 114 volunteer undergraduate students, from an online Environmental Science program at the American Public University System, was tested. The study followed a quantitative, non-experimental research design. Paired sample t-tests were used for statistical comparison between pre-lab and post-lab test grades, two scientific skills quizzes, and two scientific self-confidence surveys administered at the beginning and at the end of the course. The results of the paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements on all post-lab test scores: Air Pollution lab, t(112) = 6.759, p < .001; Home Chemicals lab t(114) = 8.585, p < .001; Water Use lab, t(116) = 6.657, p < .001; Trees and Carbon lab, t(113) = 9.921, p < .001; Stratospheric Ozone lab, t(112) =12.974, p < .001; Renewable Energy lab, t(115) = 7.369, p < .001. The end of the course Scientific Skills quiz revealed statistically significant improvements, t(112) = 8.221, p < .001. The results of the two surveys showed a statistically significant improvement on student Scientific Self-Confidence because of lab completion, t(114) = 3.015, p < .05. Because age and gender were available, regression models were developed. The results indicated weak multiple correlation coefficients and were not statistically significant at alpha = .05. Evidence suggests that labs play a positive role in a student's academic success. It is recommended that lab experiences be included in all online Environmental Science

  16. Assessing the Impact of a Virtual Lab in an Allied Health Program.

    PubMed

    Kay, Robin; Goulding, Helene; Li, Jia

    2018-01-01

    Competency-based education in health care requires rigorous standards to ensure professional proficiency. Demonstrating competency in hands-on laboratories calls for effective preparation, knowledge, and experience, all of which can be difficult to achieve using traditional teaching methods. Virtual laboratories are an alternative, cost-effective approach to providing students with sufficient preparatory information. Research on the use of virtual labs in allied health education is limited. The current study investigated the benefits, challenges, and perceived impact of a virtual lab in an allied health program. The sample consisted of 64 students (55 females, 9 males) enrolled in a university medical laboratory science program. A convergent mixed-methods approach (Likert survey, open-ended questions, think-aloud protocol data) revealed that students had positive attitudes towards visual learning, authenticity, learner control, organization, and scaffolding afforded by the virtual lab. Challenges reported included navigational difficulties, an absence of control over content selection, and lack of understanding for certain concepts. Over 90% of students agreed that the virtual lab helped them prepare for hands-on laboratory sessions and that they would use this format of instruction again. Overall, 84% of the students agreed that the virtual lab helped them to achieve greater success in learning.

  17. Integration of the HTC Vive into the medical platform MeVisLab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Egger, Jan; Gall, Markus; Wallner, Jürgen; de Almeida Germano Boechat, Pedro; Hann, Alexander; Li, Xing; Chen, Xiaojun; Schmalstieg, Dieter

    2017-03-01

    Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive technology that replicates an environment via computer-simulated reality. VR gets a lot of attention in computer games but has also great potential in other areas, like the medical domain. Examples are planning, simulations and training of medical interventions, like for facial surgeries where an aesthetic outcome is important. However, importing medical data into VR devices is not trivial, especially when a direct connection and visualization from your own application is needed. Furthermore, most researcher don't build their medical applications from scratch, rather they use platforms, like MeVisLab, Slicer or MITK. The platforms have in common that they integrate and build upon on libraries like ITK and VTK, further providing a more convenient graphical interface to them for the user. In this contribution, we demonstrate the usage of a VR device for medical data under MeVisLab. Therefore, we integrated the OpenVR library into MeVisLab as an own module. This enables the direct and uncomplicated usage of head mounted displays, like the HTC Vive under MeVisLab. Summarized, medical data from other MeVisLab modules can directly be connected per drag-and-drop to our VR module and will be rendered inside the HTC Vive for an immersive inspection.

  18. Recommendations for the use of notebooks in upper-division physics lab courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2018-01-01

    The use of lab notebooks for scientific documentation is a ubiquitous part of physics research. However, it is common for undergraduate physics laboratory courses not to emphasize the development of documentation skills, despite the fact that such courses are some of the earliest opportunities for students to start engaging in this practice. One potential impediment to the inclusion of explicit documentation training is that it may be unclear to instructors which features of authentic documentation practice are efficacious to teach and how to incorporate these features into the lab class environment. In this work, we outline some of the salient features of authentic documentation, informed by interviews with physics researchers, and provide recommendations for how these can be incorporated into the lab curriculum. We do not focus on structural details or templates for notebooks. Instead, we address holistic considerations for the purpose of scientific documentation that can guide students to develop their own documentation style. While taking into consideration all the aspects that can help improve students' documentation, it is also important to consider the design of the lab activities themselves. Students should have experience with implementing these authentic features of documentation during lab activities in order for them to find practice with documentation beneficial.

  19. A LabVIEW®-based software for the control of the AUTORAD platform: a fully automated multisequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) system for radiochemical analysis.

    PubMed

    Barbesi, Donato; Vicente Vilas, Víctor; Millet, Sylvain; Sandow, Miguel; Colle, Jean-Yves; Aldave de Las Heras, Laura

    2017-01-01

    A LabVIEW ® -based software for the control of the fully automated multi-sequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) platform AutoRAD performing radiochemical analysis is described. The analytical platform interfaces an Arduino ® -based device triggering multiple detectors providing a flexible and fit for purpose choice of detection systems. The different analytical devices are interfaced to the PC running LabVIEW ® VI software using USB and RS232 interfaces, both for sending commands and receiving confirmation or error responses. The AUTORAD platform has been successfully applied for the chemical separation and determination of Sr, an important fission product pertinent to nuclear waste.

  20. Assessment of human epidermal model LabCyte EPI-MODEL for in vitro skin irritation testing according to European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM)-validated protocol.

    PubMed

    Katoh, Masakazu; Hamajima, Fumiyasu; Ogasawara, Takahiro; Hata, Ken-Ichiro

    2009-06-01

    A validation study of an in vitro skin irritation testing method using a reconstructed human skin model has been conducted by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), and a protocol using EpiSkin (SkinEthic, France) has been approved. The structural and performance criteria of skin models for testing are defined in the ECVAM Performance Standards announced along with the approval. We have performed several evaluations of the new reconstructed human epidermal model LabCyte EPI-MODEL, and confirmed that it is applicable to skin irritation testing as defined in the ECVAM Performance Standards. We selected 19 materials (nine irritants and ten non-irritants) available in Japan as test chemicals among the 20 reference chemicals described in the ECVAM Performance Standard. A test chemical was applied to the surface of the LabCyte EPI-MODEL for 15 min, after which it was completely removed and the model then post-incubated for 42 hr. Cell v iability was measured by MTT assay and skin irritancy of the test chemical evaluated. In addition, interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha) concentration in the culture supernatant after post-incubation was measured to provide a complementary evaluation of skin irritation. Evaluation of the 19 test chemicals resulted in 79% accuracy, 78% sensitivity and 80% specificity, confirming that the in vitro skin irritancy of the LabCyte EPI-MODEL correlates highly with in vivo skin irritation. These results suggest that LabCyte EPI-MODEL is applicable to the skin irritation testing protocol set out in the ECVAM Performance Standards.

  1. The Advanced Lab Course at the University of Houston

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forrest, Rebecca

    2009-04-01

    The University of Houston Advanced Lab course is designed to help students understand the physics in classic experiments, become familiar with experimental equipment and techniques, gain experience with independent experimentation, and learn to communicate results orally and in writing. It is a two semester course, with a Lab Seminar also required during the first semester. In the Seminar class we discuss keeping a notebook and writing a laboratory report, error analysis, data fitting, and scientific ethics. The students give presentations, in pairs, on the workings and use of basic laboratory equipment. In the Lab courses students do a one week introductory experiment, followed by six two-week experiments each semester. These range from traditional experiments in modern physics to contemporary experiments with superconductivity and chaos. The students are required to keep a laboratory notebook and to write a four-page paper for each experiment in the publication style of the American Institute of Physics. This course introduces students to the experimental tools and techniques used in physics, engineering, and industry laboratories, and allows them to mature as experimentalists.

  2. User recruitment, training, and support at NOAO Data Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nikutta, Robert; Fitzpatrick, Michael J.; NOAO Data Lab

    2018-06-01

    The NOAO Data Lab (datalab.noao.edu) is a fully-fledged science data & analysis platform. However, simply building a science platform is notenough to declare it a success. Like any such system built for users, it needs actual users who see enough value in it to be willing toovercome the inertia of registering an account, studying the documentation, working through examples, and ultimately attempting tosolve their own science problems using the platform. The NOAO Data Lab has been open to users since June 2016. In this past year we haveregistered hundreds of users and improved the system, not least through the interaction with and feedback from our users. The posterwill delineate our efforts to recruit new users through conference presentations, platform demos and user workshops, and what we do toassure that users experience their first steps and their learning process with Data Lab as easy, competent, and inspiring. It will alsopresent our efforts in user retention and user support, from a human-staffed helpdesk, to one-on-one sessions, to regular"bring-your-own-problem (BYOP)" in-house sessions with interested users.

  3. geneLAB: Expanding the Impact of NASA's Biological Research in Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rayl, Nicole; Smith, Jeffrey D.

    2014-01-01

    The geneLAB project is designed to leverage the value of large 'omics' datasets from molecular biology projects conducted on the ISS by making these datasets available, citable, discoverable, interpretable, reusable, and reproducible. geneLAB will create a collaboration space with an integrated set of tools for depositing, accessing, analyzing, and modeling these diverse datasets from spaceflight and related terrestrial studies.

  4. Teacher Support in Computer-Supported Lab Work: Bridging the Gap between Lab Experiments and Students' Conceptual Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furberg, Anniken

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on a study of teacher support in a setting where students engaged with computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in science. The empirical basis is an intervention study where secondary school students and their teacher performed a lab experiment in genetics supported by a digital learning environment. The analytical…

  5. The NOAO Data Lab PHAT Photometry Database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olsen, Knut; Williams, Ben; Fitzpatrick, Michael; PHAT Team

    2018-01-01

    We present a database containing both the combined photometric object catalog and the single epoch measurements from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). This database is hosted by the NOAO Data Lab (http://datalab.noao.edu), and as such exposes a number of data services to the PHAT photometry, including access through a Table Access Protocol (TAP) service, direct PostgreSQL queries, web-based and programmatic query interfaces, remote storage space for personal database tables and files, and a JupyterHub-based Notebook analysis environment, as well as image access through a Simple Image Access (SIA) service. We show how the Data Lab database and Jupyter Notebook environment allow for straightforward and efficient analyses of PHAT catalog data, including maps of object density, depth, and color, extraction of light curves of variable objects, and proper motion exploration.

  6. Governing Methods: Policy Innovation Labs, Design and Data Science in the Digital Governance of Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Ben

    2015-01-01

    Policy innovation labs are emerging knowledge actors and technical experts in the governing of education. The article offers a historical and conceptual account of the organisational form of the policy innovation lab. Policy innovation labs are characterised by specific methods and techniques of design, data science, and digitisation in public…

  7. A New Twist on Torque Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane, W. Brian

    2014-01-01

    The traditional introductory-level meterstick-balancing lab assumes that students already know what torque is and that they readily identify it as a physical quantity of interest. We propose a modified version of this activity in which students qualitatively and quantitatively measure the amount of force required to keep the meterstick level. The…

  8. Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-28

    to all Technical Advisors. Must agree with code of conduct, confidentiality and our mission DoD ELAP Program  ISO / IEC 17025 :2005 and DoD QSM...Additional DoD QSM requirements fit well in current 17025 process … just much, much more. Sector Specific. Outcome (L-A-B case)  83

  9. The StratusLab cloud distribution: Use-cases and support for scientific applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Floros, E.

    2012-04-01

    The StratusLab project is integrating an open cloud software distribution that enables organizations to setup and provide their own private or public IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) computing clouds. StratusLab distribution capitalizes on popular infrastructure virtualization solutions like KVM, the OpenNebula virtual machine manager, Claudia service manager and SlipStream deployment platform, which are further enhanced and expanded with additional components developed within the project. The StratusLab distribution covers the core aspects of a cloud IaaS architecture, namely Computing (life-cycle management of virtual machines), Storage, Appliance management and Networking. The resulting software stack provides a packaged turn-key solution for deploying cloud computing services. The cloud computing infrastructures deployed using StratusLab can support a wide range of scientific and business use cases. Grid computing has been the primary use case pursued by the project and for this reason the initial priority has been the support for the deployment and operation of fully virtualized production-level grid sites; a goal that has already been achieved by operating such a site as part of EGI's (European Grid Initiative) pan-european grid infrastructure. In this area the project is currently working to provide non-trivial capabilities like elastic and autonomic management of grid site resources. Although grid computing has been the motivating paradigm, StratusLab's cloud distribution can support a wider range of use cases. Towards this direction, we have developed and currently provide support for setting up general purpose computing solutions like Hadoop, MPI and Torque clusters. For what concerns scientific applications the project is collaborating closely with the Bioinformatics community in order to prepare VM appliances and deploy optimized services for bioinformatics applications. In a similar manner additional scientific disciplines like Earth Science can take

  10. Lab-on-fiber technology: a new vision for chemical and biological sensing.

    PubMed

    Ricciardi, Armando; Crescitelli, Alessio; Vaiano, Patrizio; Quero, Giuseppe; Consales, Marco; Pisco, Marco; Esposito, Emanuela; Cusano, Andrea

    2015-12-21

    The integration of microfluidics and photonic biosensors has allowed achievement of several laboratory functions in a single chip, leading to the development of photonic lab-on-a-chip technology. Although a lot of progress has been made to implement such sensors in small and easy-to-use systems, many applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and in vivo biosensing still require a sensor probe able to perform measurements at precise locations that are often hard to reach. The intrinsic property of optical fibers to conduct light to a remote location makes them an ideal platform to meet this demand. The motivation to combine the good performance of photonic biosensors on chips with the unique advantages of optical fibers has thus led to the development of the so-called lab-on-fiber technology. This emerging technology envisages the integration of functionalized materials on micro- and nano-scales (i.e. the labs) with optical fibers to realize miniaturized and advanced all-in-fiber probes, especially useful for (but not limited to) label-free chemical and biological applications. This review presents a broad overview of lab-on-fiber biosensors, with particular reference to lab-on-tip platforms, where the labs are integrated on the optical fiber facet. Light-matter interaction on the fiber tip is achieved through the integration of thin layers of nanoparticles or nanostructures supporting resonant modes, both plasmonic and photonic, highly sensitive to local modifications of the surrounding environment. According to the physical principle that is exploited, different configurations - such as localized plasmon resonance probes, surface enhanced Raman scattering probes and photonic probes - are classified, while various applications are presented in context throughout. For each device, the surface chemistry and the related functionalization protocols are reviewed. Moreover, the implementation strategies and fabrication processes, either based on bottom-up or top

  11. Using RSpec in an introductory bright star spectroscopy lab activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howe, James; Sitar, David J.

    2018-01-01

    After presenting at the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers during the fall 2016 meeting, we were encouraged to turn our poster into a paper. This article describes the strengthening of a bright star spectroscopy lab activity for introductory astronomy lab students (AST1002) at Appalachian State University. Explanations of the tools and methods used in the activity are included, particularly the preparation of additional materials using RSpec and calibrated instrument response curves.

  12. My Green Car: The Adventure Begins (Ep. 1) – DOE Lab-Corps Video Series

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Saxena, Samveg; Shah, Nihar; Hansen, Dana

    One key difference between a great technology that stays in the lab and one that reaches the marketplace is customer interest. In Episode 1, the Lab’s MyGreenCar team gets ready to step outside the lab and test their technology’s value to consumers in a scientific way. What makes a new technology compelling enough to transition out of the lab and become a consumer product? That’s the question Berkeley Lab researchers Samveg Saxena, Nihar Shah, and Dana Hansen plus industry mentor Russell Carrington set out to answer for MyGreenCar, an app providing personalized fuel economy or electric vehicle range estimates formore » consumers researching new cars. DOE’s Lab-Corps program offered the technology team some answers. The EERE-funded program, based on the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ model for entrepreneurial training, provides tools and training to move energy-related inventions to the marketplace. During Lab-Corp’s intensive six-week session, technology teams interview 100 customer and value chain members to discover which potential products based on their technologies will have significant market pull. A six video series follows the MyGreenCar team’s Lab-Corps experience, from pre-training preparation with the Lab’s Innovation and Partnerships Office through the ups and downs of the customer discovery process. Will the app make it to the marketplace? You’ll just have to watch.« less

  13. [A design of simple ventilator control system based on LabVIEW].

    PubMed

    Pei, Baoqing; Xu, Shengwei; Li, Hui; Li, Deyu; Pei, Yidong; He, Haixing

    2011-01-01

    This paper designed a ventilator control system to control proportional valves and motors. It used LabVIEW to control the object mentioned above and design ,validate, evaluate arithmetic, and establish hardware in loop platform. There are two system' s hierarchies. The high layer was used to run non-real time program and the low layer was used to run real time program. The two layers communicated through TCP/IP net. The program can be divided into several modules, which can be expanded and maintained easily. And the harvest in the prototype designing can be seamlessly used to embedded products. From all above, this system was useful in employing OEM products.

  14. Teaching Lab Science Courses Online: Resources for Best Practices, Tools, and Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeschofnig, Linda; Jeschofnig, Peter

    2011-01-01

    "Teaching Lab Science Courses Online" is a practical resource for educators developing and teaching fully online lab science courses. First, it provides guidance for using learning management systems and other web 2.0 technologies such as video presentations, discussion boards, Google apps, Skype, video/web conferencing, and social media…

  15. Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2011-01-01

    MatLab(TradeMark)(MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many countries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its real strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbox. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using symbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language form (command interface) is similar with well known programming languages such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define classes in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most of the essential constructs of a higher programming language. MatLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful to perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We believe there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and analysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applications. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientific problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabular format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed.

  16. Using "Saccharomyces cerevisiae" to Test the Mutagenicity of Household Compounds: An Open Ended Hypothesis-Driven Teaching Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Pamela A.

    2007-01-01

    In our Fundamentals of Genetics lab, students perform a wide variety of labs to reinforce and extend the topics covered in lecture. I developed an active-learning lab to augment the lecture topic of mutagenesis. In this lab exercise, students determine if a compound they bring from home is a mutagen. Students are required to read extensive…

  17. Beyond Classroom, Lab, Studio and Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Waller, J. L.; Brey, J. A.; DeMuynck, E.; Weglarz, T. C.

    2017-12-01

    When the arts work in tandem with the sciences, the insights of these disciplines can be easily shared and teaching and learning are enriched. Our shared experiences in classroom/lab/studio instruction and in art and science based exhibitions reward all involved. Our individual disciplines cover a wide range of content- Art, Biology, Geography, Geology- yet we connect on aspects that link to the others'. We easily move from lab to studio and back again as we teach—as do our students as they learn! Art and science education can take place outside labs and studios through study abroad, international workshops, museum or gallery spaces, and in forums like the National Academies' programs. We can reach our neighbors at local public gatherings, nature centers and libraries. Our reach is extended in printed publications and in conferences. We will describe some of our activities listed above, with special focus on exhibitions: "Layers: Places in Peril"; "small problems, BIG TROUBLE" and the in-progress "River Bookends: Headwaters, Delta and the Volume of Stories In Between". Through these, learning and edification take place between the show and gallery visitors and is extended via class visits and related assignments, field trips for child and adult learners, interviews, films and panel presentations. These exhibitions offer the important opportunities for exhibit- participating scientists to find common ground with each other about their varied work. We will highlight a recent collaborative show opening a new university-based environmental research center and the rewarding activities there with art and science students and professors. We will talk about the learning enhancement added through a project that brought together a physical geography and a painting class. We will explore how students shared the form and content of their research projects with each other and then, became the educators through paintings and text of their geoscience topics on gallery walls.

  18. E-Labs - Learning with Authentic Data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bardeen, Marjorie G.; Wayne, Mitchell

    the success teachers have had providing an opportunity for students to: • Organize and conduct authentic research. • Experience the environment of scientific collaborations. • Possibly make real contributions to a burgeoning scientific field. We've created projects that are problem-based, student driven and technology dependent. Students reach beyond classroom walls to explore data with other students and experts and share results, publishing original work to a worldwide audience. Students can discover and extend the research of other students, modeling the processes of modern, large-scale research projects. From start to finish e-Labs are student-led, teacher-guided projects. Students need only a Webmore » browser to access computing techniques employed by professional researchers. A Project Map with milestones allows students to set the research plan rather than follow a step-by-step process common in other online projects. Most importantly, e-Labs build the learning experience around the students' own questions and let them use the very tools that scientists use. Students contribute to and access shared data, most derived from professional research databases. They use common analysis tools, store their work and use metadata to discover, replicate and confirm the research of others. This is where real scientific collaboration begins. Using online tools, students correspond with other research groups, post comments and questions, prepare summary reports, and in general participate in the part of scientific research that is often left out of classroom experiments. Teaching tools such as student and teacher logbooks, pre- and post-tests and an assessment rubric aligned with learner outcomes help teachers guide student work. Constraints on interface designs and administrative tools such as registration databases give teachers the "one-stop-shopping" they seek for multiple e-Labs. Teaching and administrative tools also allow us to track usage and assess the

  19. Engaging with science: High school students in summer lab internships

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bequette, Marjorie Bullitt

    Years of research and rhetoric have suggested that students should be given the opportunity to work with practicing scientists as a way to develop more sophisticated ideas about the nature of science, yet little research about these experiences exists. This project uses a case study approach to examine the experience of eight high school students working part-time during one summer as research assistants in biomedical laboratories. The students completed small research studies under the supervision of scientist-mentors. This dissertation explores questions related to how these students learned to work in a lab, in what ways they grew to understand this scientific context, and how their own relationships with science changed. The goal of looking at these young adults' summer experiences in science labs is to make suggestions for three settings: programs like this one, where high school students work closely with scientists in lab settings; other programs where scientists and students work together; and science education more generally. Analysis of pre- and post-interviews with students, and extensive observations of their laboratory work, suggests that students develop new ideas about the culture of science and the day-to-day workings of the labs. These ideas hold potential power for the students, and other participants in both similar and different educational settings, as they prepare for lives as scientifically engaged adults.

  20. Folding Inquiry into Cookbook Lab Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gooding, Julia; Metz, Bill

    2012-01-01

    Cookbook labs have been a part of science programs for years, even though they serve little purpose other than to verify phenomena that have been previously presented by means other than through investigations. Cookbook science activities follow a linear path to a known outcome, telling students what procedures to follow, which materials to use,…

  1. Design Lab. USMES "How To" Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donahoe, Charles; And Others

    The major emphasis in all Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) units is on open-ended, long-range investigations of real problems. Since children often design and build things in USMES, 26 "Design Lab" cards provide information on the safe use and simple maintenance of tools. Each card has a large photograph of…

  2. ODU-CAUSE: Computer Based Learning Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sachon, Michael W.; Copeland, Gary E.

    This paper describes the Computer Based Learning Lab (CBLL) at Old Dominion University (ODU) as a component of the ODU-Comprehensive Assistance to Undergraduate Science Education (CAUSE) Project. Emphasis is directed to the structure and management of the facility and to the software under development by the staff. Serving the ODU-CAUSE User Group…

  3. H CANYON PROCESSING IN CORRELATION WITH FH ANALYTICAL LABS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weinheimer, E.

    2012-08-06

    Management of radioactive chemical waste can be a complicated business. H Canyon and F/H Analytical Labs are two facilities present at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC that are at the forefront. In fact H Canyon is the only large-scale radiochemical processing facility in the United States and this processing is only enhanced by the aid given from F/H Analytical Labs. As H Canyon processes incoming materials, F/H Labs provide support through a variety of chemical analyses. Necessary checks of the chemical makeup, processing, and accountability of the samples taken from H Canyon process tanks are performed at themore » labs along with further checks on waste leaving the canyon after processing. Used nuclear material taken in by the canyon is actually not waste. Only a small portion of the radioactive material itself is actually consumed in nuclear reactors. As a result various radioactive elements such as Uranium, Plutonium and Neptunium are commonly found in waste and may be useful to recover. Specific processing is needed to allow for separation of these products from the waste. This is H Canyon's specialty. Furthermore, H Canyon has the capacity to initiate the process for weapons-grade nuclear material to be converted into nuclear fuel. This is one of the main campaigns being set up for the fall of 2012. Once usable material is separated and purified of impurities such as fission products, it can be converted to an oxide and ultimately turned into commercial fuel. The processing of weapons-grade material for commercial fuel is important in the necessary disposition of plutonium. Another processing campaign to start in the fall in H Canyon involves the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel for disposal in improved containment units. The importance of this campaign involves the proper disposal of nuclear waste in order to ensure the safety and well-being of future generations and the environment. As processing proceeds in the fall, H Canyon will have a

  4. From e-manufacturing to Internet Product Process Development (IPPD) through remote - labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Córdoba Nieto, Ernesto; Andres Cifuentes Parra, Paulo; Camilo Parra Díaz, Juan

    2014-07-01

    This paper presents the research developed at Universidad Nacional de Colombia about the e-Manufacturing platform that is being developed and implemented at LabFabEx (acronym in Spanish as "Laboratorio Fabrica Experimental"). This platform besides has an approach to virtual-remote labs that have been tested by several students and engineers of different industrial fields. At this paper it is shown the physical and communication experimental platform, the general scope and characteristics of this e-Manufacturing platform and the virtual lab approach. This research project is funded by COLCIENCIAS (Administrative Department of science, technology and innovation in Colombia) and the enterprise IMOCOM S.A.

  5. The status of the Callio Lab Underground Laboratory in the Pyhäsalmi mine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joutsenvaara, Jari; Enqvist, Timo; Isoherranen, Ville; Jalas, Panu; Kutuniva, Johanna; Kuusiniemi, Pasi

    2017-04-01

    We present the structure and the latest technical characteristics of the Callio Lab, the new underground laboratory managing the scientific and other non-mining related operations in the Pyhäsalmi mine in Pyhäjärvi, Finland. The very deep laboratory hall space, called Lab 2 of Callio Lab, was finished in spring 2016 at the depth of 1 430 metres (4 100 m.w.e.). Callio Lab has also other easily accessible (by car or truck) halls for laboratory use, for example at the depths of 440 m, 600 m and 990 m. We also review the current and planned activities related to particle physics, applied sciences, industrial R&D and production.

  6. Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Background Laboratory testing is roughly divided into three phases: a pre-analytical phase, an analytical phase and a post-analytical phase. Most analytical errors have been attributed to the analytical phase. However, recent studies have shown that up to 70% of analytical errors reflect the pre-analytical phase. The pre-analytical phase comprises all processes from the time a laboratory request is made by a physician until the specimen is analyzed at the lab. Generally, the pre-analytical phase includes patient preparation, specimen transportation, specimen collection and storage. In the present study, we report the first comprehensive assessment of the frequency and types of pre-analytical errors at the Sulaimani diagnostic labs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Materials and Methods Over 2 months, 5500 venous blood samples were observed in 10 public diagnostic labs of Sulaimani City. The percentages of rejected samples and types of sample inappropriateness were evaluated. The percentage of each of the following pre-analytical errors were recorded: delay in sample transportation, clotted samples, expired reagents, hemolyzed samples, samples not on ice, incorrect sample identification, insufficient sample, tube broken in centrifuge, request procedure errors, sample mix-ups, communication conflicts, misinterpreted orders, lipemic samples, contaminated samples and missed physician’s request orders. The difference between the relative frequencies of errors observed in the hospitals considered was tested using a proportional Z test. In particular, the survey aimed to discover whether analytical errors were recorded and examine the types of platforms used in the selected diagnostic labs. Results The analysis showed a high prevalence of improper sample handling during the pre-analytical phase. In appropriate samples, the percentage error was as high as 39%. The major reasons for rejection were hemolyzed samples (9%), incorrect sample identification (8%) and clotted samples (6

  7. NREL Describes to U.S. Senate Role National Labs Play in Sustainable

    Science.gov Websites

    Transportation Innovation | News | NREL Describes to U.S. Senate Role National Labs Play in Sustainable Transportation Innovation NREL Describes to U.S. Senate Role National Labs Play in Sustainable industry through public and private partnerships. Gearhart's testimony stressed the role of innovation and

  8. Left ventricular pressure and volume data acquisition and analysis using LabVIEW.

    PubMed

    Cassidy, S C; Teitel, D F

    1997-03-01

    To automate analysis of left ventricular pressure-volume data, we used LabVIEW to create applications that digitize and display data recorded from conductance and manometric catheters. Applications separate data into cardiac cycles, calculate parallel conductance, and calculate indices of left ventricular function, including end-systolic elastance, preload-recruitable stroke work, stroke volume, ejection fraction, stroke work, maximum and minimum derivative of ventricular pressure, heart rate, indices of relaxation, peak filling rate, and ventricular chamber stiffness. Pressure-volume loops can be graphically displayed. These analyses are exported to a text-file. These applications have simplified and automated the process of evaluating ventricular function.

  9. Project-based physics labs using low-cost open-source hardware

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouquet, F.; Bobroff, J.; Fuchs-Gallezot, M.; Maurines, L.

    2017-03-01

    We describe a project-based physics lab, which we proposed to third-year university students. These labs are based on new open-source low-cost equipment (Arduino microcontrollers and compatible sensors). Students are given complete autonomy: they develop their own experimental setup and study the physics topic of their choice. The goal of these projects is to let students to discover the reality of experimental physics. Technical specifications of the acquisition material and case studies are presented for practical implementation in other universities.

  10. Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in freshness keeping of tilapia fillets as sashimi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Rong; Liu, Qi; Chen, Shengjun; Yang, Xianqing; Li, Laihao

    2015-08-01

    Aquatic products are extremely perishable food commodities. Developing methods to keep the freshness of fish represents a major task of the fishery processing industry. Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) as food preservative is a novel approach. In the present study, the possibility of using lactic acid bacteria in freshness keeping of tilapia fillets as sashimi was examined. Fish fillets were dipped in Lactobacillus plantarum 1.19 (obtained from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center) suspension as LAB-treated group. Changes in K-value, APC, sensory properties and microbial flora were analyzed. Results showed that LAB treatment slowed the increase of K-value and APC in the earlier storage, and caused a smooth decrease in sensory score. Gram-negative bacteria dominated during refrigerated storage, with Pseudomonas and Aeromonas being relatively abundant. Lactobacillus plantarum 1.19 had no obvious inhibitory effect against these Gram-negatives. However, Lactobacillus plantarum 1.19 changed the composition of Gram-positive bacteria. No Micrococcus were detected and the proportion of Staphylococcus decreased in the spoiled LAB-treated samples. The period that tilapia fillets could be used as sashimi material extended from 24 h to 48 h after LAB treatment. The potential of using LAB in sashimi processing was confirmed.

  11. HTC Vive MeVisLab integration via OpenVR for medical applications

    PubMed Central

    Egger, Jan; Gall, Markus; Wallner, Jürgen; Boechat, Pedro; Hann, Alexander; Li, Xing; Chen, Xiaojun; Schmalstieg, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    Virtual Reality, an immersive technology that replicates an environment via computer-simulated reality, gets a lot of attention in the entertainment industry. However, VR has also great potential in other areas, like the medical domain, Examples are intervention planning, training and simulation. This is especially of use in medical operations, where an aesthetic outcome is important, like for facial surgeries. Alas, importing medical data into Virtual Reality devices is not necessarily trivial, in particular, when a direct connection to a proprietary application is desired. Moreover, most researcher do not build their medical applications from scratch, but rather leverage platforms like MeVisLab, MITK, OsiriX or 3D Slicer. These platforms have in common that they use libraries like ITK and VTK, and provide a convenient graphical interface. However, ITK and VTK do not support Virtual Reality directly. In this study, the usage of a Virtual Reality device for medical data under the MeVisLab platform is presented. The OpenVR library is integrated into the MeVisLab platform, allowing a direct and uncomplicated usage of the head mounted display HTC Vive inside the MeVisLab platform. Medical data coming from other MeVisLab modules can directly be connected per drag-and-drop to the Virtual Reality module, rendering the data inside the HTC Vive for immersive virtual reality inspection. PMID:28323840

  12. HTC Vive MeVisLab integration via OpenVR for medical applications.

    PubMed

    Egger, Jan; Gall, Markus; Wallner, Jürgen; Boechat, Pedro; Hann, Alexander; Li, Xing; Chen, Xiaojun; Schmalstieg, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    Virtual Reality, an immersive technology that replicates an environment via computer-simulated reality, gets a lot of attention in the entertainment industry. However, VR has also great potential in other areas, like the medical domain, Examples are intervention planning, training and simulation. This is especially of use in medical operations, where an aesthetic outcome is important, like for facial surgeries. Alas, importing medical data into Virtual Reality devices is not necessarily trivial, in particular, when a direct connection to a proprietary application is desired. Moreover, most researcher do not build their medical applications from scratch, but rather leverage platforms like MeVisLab, MITK, OsiriX or 3D Slicer. These platforms have in common that they use libraries like ITK and VTK, and provide a convenient graphical interface. However, ITK and VTK do not support Virtual Reality directly. In this study, the usage of a Virtual Reality device for medical data under the MeVisLab platform is presented. The OpenVR library is integrated into the MeVisLab platform, allowing a direct and uncomplicated usage of the head mounted display HTC Vive inside the MeVisLab platform. Medical data coming from other MeVisLab modules can directly be connected per drag-and-drop to the Virtual Reality module, rendering the data inside the HTC Vive for immersive virtual reality inspection.

  13. Optum Labs: building a novel node in the learning health care system.

    PubMed

    Wallace, Paul J; Shah, Nilay D; Dennen, Taylor; Bleicher, Paul A; Bleicher, Paul D; Crown, William H

    2014-07-01

    Unprecedented change in the US health care system is being driven by the rapid uptake of health information technology and national investments in multi-institution research networks comprising academic centers, health care delivery systems, and other health system components. An example of this changing landscape is Optum Labs, a novel network "node" that is bringing together new partners, data, and analytic techniques to implement research findings in health care practice. Optum Labs was founded in early 2013 by Mayo Clinic and Optum, a commercial data, infrastructure services, and care organization that is part of UnitedHealth Group. Optum Labs now has eleven collaborators and a database of deidentified information on more than 150 million people that is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. This article describes the early progress of Optum Labs. The combination of the diverse collaborator perspectives with rich data, including deep patient and provider information, is intended to reveal new insights about diseases, treatments, and patients' behavior to guide changes in practice. Practitioners' involvement in agenda setting and translation of findings into practical care innovations accelerates the implementation of research results. Furthermore, feedback loops from the clinic help Optum Labs expand on successes and give quick attention to challenges as they emerge. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  14. Lab Simulates Outdoor Algae Growth

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    Algae can be turned into renewable biofuel, which is why scientists want to discover an inexpensive, fast-growing strain of algae. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a system to speed up this search. The unique climate-simulating system uses temperature controls and multi-colored LED lights to mimic the constantly changing conditions of an outdoor algae pond. By simulating outdoor climates inside the lab, the system saves researchers time and expense.

  15. Astronomy for Everyone: Harvard's Move Toward an All-Inclusive Astronomy Lab and Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bieryla, Allyson

    2016-01-01

    Harvard University has a growing astronomy program that offers various courses to the undergraduate concentrators, secondaries and non-majors. Many of the courses involve labs that use the 16-inch DFM Clay Telescope for night-time observations and the heliostat for observing the Sun. The goal is to proactively adapt the lab and telescope facilities to accommodate all students with disabilities. The current focus is converting the labs to accommodate visually impaired students. Using tactile images and sound, the intention is to create an experience equivalent to that of a student with full sight.

  16. Parmitano and Cassidy in U.S. Lab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-05-31

    ISS036-E-005515 (31 May 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano (left) and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy talk with fellow human beings on Earth using videoconferencing software and one of their on-board laptop computers in the U.S. lab Destiny.

  17. Map Your Way to a Better Lab.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roth, Wolff-Michael

    1990-01-01

    The use of concept maps, Vee diagrams, flow charts, and productive questions to increase student understanding of laboratory exercises and to improve student attitudes toward lab classes is discussed. Examples of each are provided. Student responses to these teaching methods are described. (CW)

  18. Using Lab Notebooks to Examine Students' Engagement in Modeling in an Upper-Division Electronics Lab Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanley, Jacob T.; Su, Weifeng; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate how students' use of modeling can be examined and assessed using student notebooks collected from an upper-division electronics lab course. The use of models is a ubiquitous practice in undergraduate physics education, but the process of constructing, testing, and refining these models is much less common. We focus our attention on…

  19. Turning a Common Lab Exercise into a Challenging Lab Experiment: Revisiting the Cart on an Inclined Track

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amato, Joseph C.; Williams, Roger E.

    2010-01-01

    A common lab exercise in the introductory college physics course employs a low-friction cart and associated track to study the validity of Newton's second law. Yet for college students, especially those who have already encountered a good high school physics course, the exercise must seem a little pointless. These students have already learned to…

  20. Encouraging Creativity in the Science Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eyster, Linda

    2010-01-01

    Although science is a creative endeavor (NRC 1996, p. 46), many students think they are not encouraged--or even allowed--to be creative in the laboratory. When students think there is only one correct way to do a lab, their creativity is inhibited. Park and Seung (2008) argue for the importance of creativity in science classrooms and for the…

  1. Every Day Is National Lab Day

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bull, Glen

    2010-01-01

    President Barack Obama recently issued a call for increased hands-on learning in U.S. schools in an address at the National Academy of Sciences. Obama concluded that the future of the United States depends on one's ability to encourage young people to "create, and build, and invent." In this article, the author discusses National Lab Day (NLD)…

  2. Computer Labs Report to the Holodeck

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raths, David

    2011-01-01

    In many ways, specialized computer labs are the black holes of IT organizations. Budgets, equipment, employees--even space itself--are sucked in. Given a choice, many IT shops would engage warp drive and escape their gravitational pull forever. While Captain Kirk might have looked to Scotty for a fix to the problem, colleges and universities are…

  3. Berkeley Lab - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

    Science.gov Websites

    nanoparticles that could make solar panels more efficient by converting light usually missed by solar cells into of Methane's Increasing Greenhouse Effect A Berkeley Lab research team tracked a rise in the warming effect of methane - one of the most important greenhouse gases for the Earth's atmosphere - over a 10

  4. Berkeley Lab's Cool Your School Program

    ScienceCinema

    Brady, Susan; Gilbert, Haley; McCarthy, Robert

    2018-02-02

    Cool Your School is a series of 6th-grade, classroom-based, science activities rooted in Berkeley Lab's cool-surface and cool materials research and aligned with California science content standards. The activities are designed to build knowledge, stimulate curiosity, and carry the conversation about human-induced climate change, and what can be done about it, into the community.

  5. My Green Car: The Adventure Begins (Ep. 1) – DOE Lab-Corps Video Series

    ScienceCinema

    Saxena, Samveg; Shah, Nihar; Hansen, Dana

    2018-06-12

    One key difference between a great technology that stays in the lab and one that reaches the marketplace is customer interest. In Episode 1, the Lab’s MyGreenCar team gets ready to step outside the lab and test their technology’s value to consumers in a scientific way. What makes a new technology compelling enough to transition out of the lab and become a consumer product? That’s the question Berkeley Lab researchers Samveg Saxena, Nihar Shah, and Dana Hansen plus industry mentor Russell Carrington set out to answer for MyGreenCar, an app providing personalized fuel economy or electric vehicle range estimates for consumers researching new cars. DOE’s Lab-Corps program offered the technology team some answers. The EERE-funded program, based on the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ model for entrepreneurial training, provides tools and training to move energy-related inventions to the marketplace. During Lab-Corp’s intensive six-week session, technology teams interview 100 customer and value chain members to discover which potential products based on their technologies will have significant market pull. A six video series follows the MyGreenCar team’s Lab-Corps experience, from pre-training preparation with the Lab’s Innovation and Partnerships Office through the ups and downs of the customer discovery process. Will the app make it to the marketplace? You’ll just have to watch.

  6. Time Efficiency, Written Feedback, and Student Achievement in Inquiry-Oriented Biology Labs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basey, John M.; Maines, Anastasia P.; Francis, Clinton D.

    2014-01-01

    We examined how different styles of written feedback by graduate-student teaching assistants (GTAs) in college intro biology lab (USA) influenced student achievement and related the different styles to time efficiency. We quantified GTA feedback on formative lab reports and student achievement on two different types of assessments, a quiz in 2010…

  7. Using hypermedia to develop an intelligent tutorial/diagnostic system for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Controller Lab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oreilly, Daniel; Williams, Robert; Yarborough, Kevin

    1988-01-01

    This is a tutorial/diagnostic system for training personnel in the use of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Controller (SSMEC) Simulation Lab. It also provides a diagnostic capable of isolating lab failures at least to the major lab component. The system was implemented using Hypercard, which is an program of hypermedia running on Apple Macintosh computers. Hypercard proved to be a viable platform for the development and use of sophisticated tutorial systems and moderately capable diagnostic systems. This tutorial/diagnostic system uses the basic Hypercard tools to provide the tutorial. The diagnostic part of the system uses a simple interpreter written in the Hypercard language (Hypertalk) to implement the backward chaining rule based logic commonly found in diagnostic systems using Prolog. Some of the advantages of Hypercard in developing this type of system include sophisticated graphics, animation, sound and voice capabilities, its ability as a hypermedia tool, and its ability to include digitized pictures. The major disadvantage is the slow execution time for evaluation of rules (due to the interpretive processing of the language). Other disadvantages include the limitation on the size of the cards, that color is not supported, that it does not support grey scale graphics, and its lack of selectable fonts for text fields.

  8. Reliability and sensitivity of the TonoLab rebound tonometer in awake Brown Norway rats.

    PubMed

    Morrison, John C; Jia, Lijun; Cepurna, William; Guo, Ying; Johnson, Elaine

    2009-06-01

    To compare the sensitivity of the TonoLab rebound tonometer with the Tono-Pen in awake Brown Norway rats and to compare their ability to predict optic nerve damage induced by experimental IOP elevation. TonoLab and Tono-Pen tonometers were calibrated in cannulated rat eyes connected to a pressure transducer. The TonoLab was used in awake animals housed in standard lighting to measure IOP during light and dark phases. Both instruments were used to monitor chronically elevated IOP produced by episcleral vein injection of hypertonic saline. Measured IOPs were correlated with quantified optic nerve damage in injected eyes. Although they were lower than transducer and Tono-Pen measurements at all levels, TonoLab readings showed an excellent linear fit with transducer readings from 20 to 80 mm Hg (R(2) = 0.99) in cannulated eyes. In awake animals housed in standard lighting, the TonoLab documented significantly higher pressures during the dark phase (27.9 +/- 1.7 mm Hg) than during the light phase (16.7 +/- 2.3 mm Hg). With elevated IOP, correlation between TonoLab and Tono-Pen readings (R(2) = 0.86, P < 0.0001) was similar to that in cannulated eyes. Although both instruments provided measurements that correlated well with optic nerve injury grade, only the Tono-Pen documented significant IOP elevation in eyes with the least amount of injury (P < 0.05). The TonoLab is sensitive enough to be used in awake Brown Norway rats, though instrument fluctuation may limit its ability to identify significant pressure elevations in eyes with minimal optic nerve damage.

  9. Nuclear Medicine at Berkeley Lab: From Pioneering Beginnings to Today (LBNL Summer Lecture Series)

    ScienceCinema

    Budinger, Thomas [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Medicine & Functional Imaging

    2018-01-23

    Summer Lecture Series 2006: Thomas Budinger, head of Berkeley Lab's Center for Functional Imaging, discusses Berkeley Lab's rich history pioneering the field of nuclear medicine, from radioisotopes to medical imaging.

  10. Facility for the evaluation of space communications and related systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kerczewski, Robert J.; Svoboda, James S.; Kachmar, Brian A.

    1995-01-01

    NASA Lewis Research Center's Communications Projects Branch has developed a facility for the evaluation of space communications systems and related types of systems, called the Advanced Space Communications (ASC) Laboratory. The ASC Lab includes instrumentation, testbed hardware, and experiment control and monitor software for the evaluation of components, subsystems, systems, and networks. The ASC lab has capabilities to perform radiofrequency (RF), microwave, and millimeter-wave characterizations as well as measurements using low, medium, or high data rate digital signals. In addition to laboratory measurements, the ASC Lab also includes integrated satellite ground terminals allowing experimentation and measurements accessing operational satellites through real space links.

  11. Virtual Lab to Develop Achievement in Electronic Circuits for Hearing-Impaired Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baladoh, S. M.; Elgamal, A. F.; Abas, H. A.

    2017-01-01

    This paper aims to report and discuss the use of a virtual lab for developing achievement in electronic circuits for hearing-impaired students. Results from a number of studies have proved that the virtual lab allowed students to build and test a wide variety of electronic circuits. The present study was implemented to investigate the…

  12. Quantifying the Level of Inquiry in a Reformed Introductory Geology Lab Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moss, Elizabeth; Cervato, Cinzia

    2016-01-01

    As part of a campus-wide effort to transform introductory science courses to be more engaging and more accurately convey the excitement of discovery in science, the curriculum of an introductory physical geology lab course was redesigned. What had been a series of ''cookbook'' lab activities was transformed into a sequence of activities based on…

  13. Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2011-01-01

    MatLab(R) (MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many cou ntries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its re al strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbo x. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using s ymbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language fo rm (command interface) is similar with well known programming languag es such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define c lasses in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most ofthe essential constructs of a higher programming language. M atLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful t o perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We belie ve there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and ana lysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applicati ons. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientifi c problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabu lar format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed. The presentation will emphasize creating

  14. Propulsion Systems Lab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-04-14

    NASA Glenn’s Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) is conducting research to characterize ice crystal clouds that can create a hazard to aircraft engines in certain conditions. With specialized equipment, scientists can create a simulated ice crystal cloud with the set of bars in the back spraying out a mist. The red area includes lasers, which measure the intensity of the cloud and a series of probes to measure everything from humidity to air pressure. The isokinetic probe (in gold) samples particles and the robotic arm (in orange) has a test tube on the end that catches ice particles for further measuring. NASA Glenn’s PSL is the only place in the world which can create these kind of ice crystal cloud conditions.

  15. INFORM Lab: a testbed for high-level information fusion and resource management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valin, Pierre; Guitouni, Adel; Bossé, Eloi; Wehn, Hans; Happe, Jens

    2011-05-01

    DRDC Valcartier and MDA have created an advanced simulation testbed for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of Network Enabled Operations in a Coastal Wide Area Surveillance situation, with algorithms provided by several universities. This INFORM Lab testbed allows experimenting with high-level distributed information fusion, dynamic resource management and configuration management, given multiple constraints on the resources and their communications networks. This paper describes the architecture of INFORM Lab, the essential concepts of goals and situation evidence, a selected set of algorithms for distributed information fusion and dynamic resource management, as well as auto-configurable information fusion architectures. The testbed provides general services which include a multilayer plug-and-play architecture, and a general multi-agent framework based on John Boyd's OODA loop. The testbed's performance is demonstrated on 2 types of scenarios/vignettes for 1) cooperative search-and-rescue efforts, and 2) a noncooperative smuggling scenario involving many target ships and various methods of deceit. For each mission, an appropriate subset of Canadian airborne and naval platforms are dispatched to collect situation evidence, which is fused, and then used to modify the platform trajectories for the most efficient collection of further situation evidence. These platforms are fusion nodes which obey a Command and Control node hierarchy.

  16. Concentration, Chlorination, and Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water for Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Health Effects Research: U.S. EPA’s Four Lab Study

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Four Lab Study” involved participation of researchers from four national Laboratories and Centers of the Office of Research and Development along with collaborators from the water industry and academia. The study evaluated toxicological...

  17. Exploratory qualitative case study of lab-type activity interactions in an online graduate geoscience course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ciavarella, Veronica C.

    This exploratory qualitative case study investigated the use of lab-type activities in an online graduate geoscience course. Constructivism is the theoretical framework used to explain how learning happens in lab-type activity, and provided the goals to which successful learning in lab-type activity is compared. This study focused on the learner-instructor, learner-learner, and perceptions of the learner-content interactions that occurred related to lab-type activities in an online graduate geoscience course to determine: if the instructor appeared as a facilitator of the learning process in the interactions over the activities; if students engaged in discussion and reflection about the activities; if students perceived the activities as meaningful and authentic; and if students perceived using higher order thinking and prior knowledge while interacting with the content. Ten graduate students from three offerings of the course participated in this study, as well as the instructor and designer of the course content and lab-type activities. Data were collected through interviews, and observation and analysis of the lab-type activities, instructor feedback to students in their graded activities, and discussion that occurred between the instructor and students and among students about the lab-type activities in discussion forums. The nature of the instructor's interactions in discussion forums, in feedback to students on graded activities, and reported by students' in interviews supported that, in the learner-instructor interactions, the instructor of this course was a facilitator who guided and scaffolded the students towards successfully completing the activities. Students engaged in discussion and reflected on the activities, but most learner-learner interactions in discussion forums about the lab-type activities appeared to occur for the purpose of comparison of results, support, and empathy. Students' success at higher order thinking type questions in lab

  18. Assessment of Student Learning in Modern Experiments in the Introductory Calculus-Based Physics Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woodahl, Brian; Ross, John; Lang, Sarah; Scott, Derek; Williams, Jeremy

    2010-10-01

    With the advent of newer microelectronic sensors it's now possible to modernize introductory physics labs with the latest technology and this may allow for enhanced student participation/learning in the experiments. For example, force plate sensors can digitize and record the force on an object, later it can be analyzed in detail (i.e, impulse from force vs. time). Small 3-axis accelerometers can record 3-dim, time-dependent acceleration of objects undergoing complex motions. These devices are small, fairly easy to use, and importantly, are likely to enhance student learning by ``personalizing'' data collection, i.e. making the student an active part of the measurement process and no longer a passive observer. To assess whether these new high-tech labs enhance student learning, we have implemented pre- and post- test sessions to measure the effectiveness of student learning. Four of our calculus-based lab sections were used: Two sections the control group, using the previous ``old technology'' labs, the other two, the experimental group, using the new ``modern technology'' labs. Initial returns of assessment data offer some surprising insight.

  19. Giant Electromagnet Move at Brookhaven Lab, June 22, 2013

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2013-06-22

    On Saturday, June 22, 2013, a 50-foot-wide, circular electromagnet began its 3,200-mile land and sea voyage from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York to a new home at Fermilab in Illinois. There, scientists will use it to study the properties of muons, subatomic particles that live only 2.2 millionths of a second, and the results could open the door to new realms of particle physics. In the first part of the move, Emmert International and a team of Fermilab and Brookhaven Lab scientists and engineers transported the electromagnet across the Brookhaven Lab site to a staging area by its mainmore » gate.« less

  20. MarkoLAB: A simulator to study ionic channel's stochastic behavior.

    PubMed

    da Silva, Robson Rodrigues; Goroso, Daniel Gustavo; Bers, Donald M; Puglisi, José Luis

    2017-08-01

    Mathematical models of the cardiac cell have started to include markovian representations of the ionic channels instead of the traditional Hodgkin & Huxley formulations. There are many reasons for this: Markov models are not restricted to the idea of independent gates defining the channel, they allow more complex description with specific transitions between open, closed or inactivated states, and more importantly those states can be closely related to the underlying channel structure and conformational changes. We used the LabVIEW ® and MATLAB ® programs to implement the simulator MarkoLAB that allow a dynamical 3D representation of the markovian model of the channel. The Monte Carlo simulation was used to implement the stochastic transitions among states. The user can specify the voltage protocol by setting the holding potential, the step-to voltage and the duration of the stimuli. The most studied feature of a channel is the current flowing through it. This happens when the channel stays in the open state, but most of the time, as revealed by the low open probability values, the channel remains on the inactive or closed states. By focusing only when the channel enters or leaves the open state we are missing most of its activity. MarkoLAB proved to be quite useful to visualize the whole behavior of the channel and not only when the channel produces a current. Such dynamic representation provides more complete information about channel kinetics and will be a powerful tool to demonstrate the effect of gene mutations or drugs on the channel function. MarkoLAB provides an original way of visualizing the stochastic behavior of a channel. It clarifies concepts, such as recovery from inactivation, calcium- versus voltage-dependent inactivation, and tail currents. It is not restricted to ionic channels only but it can be extended to other transporters, such as exchangers and pumps. This program is intended as a didactical tool to illustrate the dynamical behavior of a

  1. Metacognition Lab at Miles College Takes Peer Mentoring to a Higher Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chekwa, Emmanuel; Dorius, Tina

    2016-01-01

    Albert Einstein famously said, "I never teach my students. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." At the Miles College Metacognition Lab, we follow a similar philosophy. In the Metacognition Lab, we teach our students to think about how they are thinking. We have created a system of student interactions that…

  2. Dorm Room Labs for Introductory Large-Lecture Science Classes for Nonscience Majors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moldwin, Mark B.

    2018-01-01

    Many large-lecture introductory science courses for nonscience majors do not have a lab component and hence do not provide much opportunity for students to engage in the practice of science. I have developed a new instructional activity called Dorm Room Labs that enables students to conduct hands-on activities as homework (or dorm room work) to…

  3. The U.S. Lab placed in vacuum chamber for leak test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    In the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station, is lowered into a three-story vacuum chamber. The 32,000-pound scientific research lab, named Destiny, is the first Space Station element to spend seven days in the renovated vacuum chamber for a leak test. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Shuttle mission STS-98, the 5A assembly mission, targeted for Jan. 18, 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research.

  4. DC High Voltage Conditioning of Photoemission Guns at Jefferson Lab FEL

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hernandez-Garcia, C.; Benson, S. V.; Biallas, G.

    2009-08-04

    DC high voltage photoemission electron guns with GaAs photocathodes have been used to produce polarized electron beams for nuclear physics experiments for about 3 decades with great success. In the late 1990s, Jefferson Lab adopted this gun technology for a free electron laser (FEL), but to assist with high bunch charge operation, considerably higher bias voltage is required compared to the photoguns used at the Jefferson Lab Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility. The FEL gun has been conditioned above 400 kV several times, albeit encountering non-trivial challenges with ceramic insulators and field emission from electrodes. Recently, high voltage processing withmore » krypton gas was employed to process very stubborn field emitters. This work presents a summary of the high voltage techniques used to high voltage condition the Jefferson Lab FEL photoemission gun.« less

  5. Artificial intelligence programming with LabVIEW: genetic algorithms for instrumentation control and optimization.

    PubMed

    Moore, J H

    1995-06-01

    A genetic algorithm for instrumentation control and optimization was developed using the LabVIEW graphical programming environment. The usefulness of this methodology for the optimization of a closed loop control instrument is demonstrated with minimal complexity and the programming is presented in detail to facilitate its adaptation to other LabVIEW applications. Closed loop control instruments have variety of applications in the biomedical sciences including the regulation of physiological processes such as blood pressure. The program presented here should provide a useful starting point for those wishing to incorporate genetic algorithm approaches to LabVIEW mediated optimization of closed loop control instruments.

  6. Perceptions of Prospective Biology Teachers on Scientific Argumentation in Microbiology Inquiry Lab Activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roviati, E.; Widodo, A.; Purwianingsih, W.; Riandi, R.

    2017-09-01

    Inquiry laboratory activity and scientific argumentation in science education should be promoted and explicitly experienced by prospective biology teacher students in classes, including in microbiology courses. The goal of this study is to get information about perceptions of prospective biology teachers on scientific argumentation in microbiology inquiry lab activities. This study reported the result of a survey research to prospective biology teachers about how their perception about microbiology lab classes and their perception about inquiry and argumentation in microbiology lab activities should be. The participants of this study were 100 students of biology education department from an institute in Cirebon, West Java taking microbiology lecture during the fifth semester. The data were collected using questionnaire to explore the perceptions and knowledge of prospective biology teachers about microbiology, inquiry lab activities and argumentation. The result showed that students thought that the difficulties of microbiology as a subject were the lack of references and the way lecturer teaching. The students’ perception was that argumentation and inquiry should be implemented in microbiology courses and lab activities. Based on the data from questionnaire, It showed that prospective biology teacher students had very little knowledge about scientific argumentation and its implementation in science education. When the participants made arguments based on the problems given, they showed low quality of arguments.

  7. LabVIEW: a software system for data acquisition, data analysis, and instrument control.

    PubMed

    Kalkman, C J

    1995-01-01

    Computer-based data acquisition systems play an important role in clinical monitoring and in the development of new monitoring tools. LabVIEW (National Instruments, Austin, TX) is a data acquisition and programming environment that allows flexible acquisition and processing of analog and digital data. The main feature that distinguishes LabVIEW from other data acquisition programs is its highly modular graphical programming language, "G," and a large library of mathematical and statistical functions. The advantage of graphical programming is that the code is flexible, reusable, and self-documenting. Subroutines can be saved in a library and reused without modification in other programs. This dramatically reduces development time and enables researchers to develop or modify their own programs. LabVIEW uses a large amount of processing power and computer memory, thus requiring a powerful computer. A large-screen monitor is desirable when developing larger applications. LabVIEW is excellently suited for testing new monitoring paradigms, analysis algorithms, or user interfaces. The typical LabVIEW user is the researcher who wants to develop a new monitoring technique, a set of new (derived) variables by integrating signals from several existing patient monitors, closed-loop control of a physiological variable, or a physiological simulator.

  8. Improving Middle School Students’ Quantitative Literacy through Inquiry Lab and Group Investigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aisya, N. S. M.; Supriatno, B.; Saefudin; Anggraeni, S.

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the application of metacognitive strategies learning based Vee Diagram through Inquiry Lab and Group Investigation toward students’ quantitative literacy. This study compared two treatments on learning activity in middle school. The metacognitive strategies have applied to the content of environmental pollution at 7th grade. This study used a quantitative approach with quasi-experimental method. The research sample were the 7th grade students, involves 27 students in the experimental through Inquiry Lab and 27 students in the experimental through Group Investigation. The instruments that used in this research were pretest and posttest quantitative literacy skills, learning step observation sheets, and the questionnaire of teachers and students responses. As the result, N-gain average of pretest and posttest increased in both experimental groups. The average of posttest score was 61,11 for the Inquiry Lab and 54,01 to the Group Investigation. The average score of N-gain quantitative literacy skill of Inquiry Lab class was 0,492 and Group Investigation class was 0,426. Both classes of experiments showed an average N-gain in the medium category. The data has been analyzed statistically by using SPSS ver.23 and the results showed that although both the learning model can develop quantitative literacy, but there is not significantly different of improving students’ quantitative literacy between Inquiry Lab and Group Investigation in environmental pollution material.

  9. Arduino: a low-cost multipurpose lab equipment.

    PubMed

    D'Ausilio, Alessandro

    2012-06-01

    Typical experiments in psychological and neurophysiological settings often require the accurate control of multiple input and output signals. These signals are often generated or recorded via computer software and/or external dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware is usually very expensive and requires additional software to control its behavior. In the present article, I present some accuracy tests on a low-cost and open-source I/O board (Arduino family) that may be useful in many lab environments. One of the strengths of Arduinos is the possibility they afford to load the experimental script on the board's memory and let it run without interfacing with computers or external software, thus granting complete independence, portability, and accuracy. Furthermore, a large community has arisen around the Arduino idea and offers many hardware add-ons and hundreds of free scripts for different projects. Accuracy tests show that Arduino boards may be an inexpensive tool for many psychological and neurophysiological labs.

  10. Implementation and use of cloud-based electronic lab notebook in a bioprocess engineering teaching laboratory.

    PubMed

    Riley, Erin M; Hattaway, Holly Z; Felse, P Arthur

    2017-01-01

    Electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) are better equipped than paper lab notebooks (PLNs) to handle present-day life science and engineering experiments that generate large data sets and require high levels of data integrity. But limited training and a lack of workforce with ELN knowledge have restricted the use of ELN in academic and industry research laboratories which still rely on cumbersome PLNs for recordkeeping. We used LabArchives, a cloud-based ELN in our bioprocess engineering lab course to train students in electronic record keeping, good documentation practices (GDPs), and data integrity. Implementation of ELN in the bioprocess engineering lab course, an analysis of user experiences, and our development actions to improve ELN training are presented here. ELN improved pedagogy and learning outcomes of the lab course through stream lined workflow, quick data recording and archiving, and enhanced data sharing and collaboration. It also enabled superior data integrity, simplified information exchange, and allowed real-time and remote monitoring of experiments. Several attributes related to positive user experiences of ELN improved between the two subsequent years in which ELN was offered. Student responses also indicate that ELN is better than PLN for compliance. We demonstrated that ELN can be successfully implemented in a lab course with significant benefits to pedagogy, GDP training, and data integrity. The methods and processes presented here for ELN implementation can be adapted to many types of laboratory experiments.

  11. The Effect of LAB Silage Inoculants on the Rumen Environment--Current Research Status

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Inoculants containing mainly lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most common additives used in making silage. Their function is to promote intensive production of lactic acid and rapid decrease in pH and so minimize fermentation losses. Some LAB inoculants reduce aerobic spoilage. In addition, feedin...

  12. Breaking Out of the Lab

    PubMed Central

    Maier, Jürgen; Hampe, J. Felix; Jahn, Nico

    2016-01-01

    Real-time response (RTR) measurement is an important technique for analyzing human processing of electronic media stimuli. Although it has been demonstrated that RTR data are reliable and internally valid, some argue that they lack external validity. The reason for this is that RTR measurement is restricted to a laboratory environment due to its technical requirements. This paper introduces a smartphone app that 1) captures real-time responses using the dial technique and 2) provides a solution for one of the most important problems in RTR measurement, the (automatic) synchronization of RTR data. In addition, it explores the reliability and validity of mobile RTR measurement by comparing the real-time reactions of two samples of young and well-educated voters to the 2013 German televised debate. Whereas the first sample participated in a classical laboratory study, the second sample was equipped with our mobile RTR system and watched the debate at home. Results indicate that the mobile RTR system yields similar results to the lab-based RTR measurement, providing evidence that laboratory studies using RTR are externally valid. In particular, the argument that the artificial reception situation creates artificial results has to be questioned. In addition, we conclude that RTR measurement outside the lab is possible. Hence, mobile RTR opens the door for large-scale studies to better understand the processing and impact of electronic media content. PMID:27274577

  13. Concentration, Chlorination, and Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water for Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Health Effects Research: U.S. EPA’s Four Lab Study

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Four Lab Study’, involved participation of scientists and engineers from four national Laboratories and Centers of the Office of Research and Development along with collaborators from water industry and academia. The study evaluated tox...

  14. Genetic Diversity and Evidence for Transmission of Streptococcus mutans by DiversiLab rep-PCR

    PubMed Central

    Momeni, Stephanie S.; Whiddon, Jennifer; Cheon, Kyounga; Ghazal, Tariq; Moser, Stephen A.; Childers, Noel K.

    2016-01-01

    This two-part study investigated the genetic diversity and transmission of Streptococcus mutans using the DiversiLab repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) approach. For children with S. mutans and participating household members, analysis for evidence of unrelated child-to-child as well as intra-familial transmission was evaluated based on commonality of genotypes. A total of 169 index children and 425 household family members from Uniontown, Alabama were evaluated for genetic diversity using rep-PCR. Thirty-four unique rep-PCR genotypes were observed for 13,906 S. mutans isolates. For transmission, 117 child and household isolates were evaluated for shared genotype (by child and by genotype cases, multiple matches possible for each child). Overall, children had 1–9 genotypes and those with multiple genotypes were 2.3 times more likely to have caries experience (decayed, missing and filled teeth/surfaces>0). Only 28% of children shared all genotypes within the household, while 72% had at least 1 genotype not shared with anyone in the household. Children had genotype(s) not shared with any household members in 155 cases. In 158 cases children and household members shared a genotype in which 55% (87/158 cases) were shared with more than one family member. Children most frequently shared genotypes with their mothers (54%; 85/158), siblings (46%; 72/158) and cousins (23%; 37/158). A reference library for S. mutans for epidemiological surveillance using the DiversiLab rep-PCR approach is detailed. The genetic diversity of S. mutans in this population demonstrated frequent commonality of genotypes. Evidence for both child-to-child and intra-familial transmission of S. mutans was observed by rep-PCR. PMID:27432341

  15. NBodyLab Simulation Experiments with GRAPE-6a AND MD-GRAPE2 Acceleration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, V.; Ates, A.

    2005-12-01

    NbodyLab is an astrophysical N-body simulation testbed for student research. It is accessible via a web interface and runs as a backend framework under Linux. NbodyLab can generate data models or perform star catalog lookups, transform input data sets, perform direct summation gravitational force calculations using a variety of integration schemes, and produce analysis and visualization output products. NEMO (Teuben 1994), a popular stellar dynamics toolbox, is used for some functions. NbodyLab integrators can optionally utilize two types of low-cost desktop supercomputer accelerators, the newly available GRAPE-6a (125 Gflops peak) and the MD-GRAPE2 (64-128 Gflops peak). The initial version of NBodyLab was presented at ADASS 2002. This paper summarizes software enhancements developed subsequently, focusing on GRAPE-6a related enhancements, and gives examples of computational experiments and astrophysical research, including star cluster and solar system studies, that can be conducted with the new testbed functionality.

  16. Blood in Urine: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

    MedlinePlus

    ... Information → Blood in Urine URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/labtests/bloodinurine.html Blood in Urine ... 2017 Mar 14]; [about 4 screens]: Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/urinalysis/tab/test Lab ...

  17. DNA Microarray Wet Lab Simulation Brings Genomics into the High School Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, A. Malcolm; Zanta, Carolyn A.; Heyer, Laurie J.; Kittinger, Ben; Gabric, Kathleen M.; Adler, Leslie

    2006-01-01

    We have developed a wet lab DNA microarray simulation as part of a complete DNA microarray module for high school students. The wet lab simulation has been field tested with high school students in Illinois and Maryland as well as in workshops with high school teachers from across the nation. Instead of using DNA, our simulation is based on pH…

  18. On my association with Bell Labs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sondhi, M. Mohan

    2004-05-01

    I joined the Acoustics Research department at Bell Labs in 1962, just eight days before AT&T launched the first communications satellite, Telstar. During the 39 years between 1962 and my retirement in 2001, I worked on several problems related in one way or another to the processing of speech signals. Schroeder and Flanagan are presenting talks from a broad perspective in this session, so I will confine this talk to just my own contributions and collaborations for some of the topics on which I worked, e.g., echo cancellation, inverse problems in acoustics, speech analysis, synthesis, and recognition. I will tell you about one of these contributions that fortunately turned out to yield considerable profits to AT&T. To give you a flavor of the spirit of free inquiry at Bell Labs during that period, I will tell you about the contribution that I am most proud of (which was supported for several years even though it had no monetary value). And I will also mention the contribution that is most often cited of all my papers (which was in collaboration with two mathematicians, and had nothing at all to do with acoustics).

  19. Lab-on-a-Chip Instrument Development for Titan Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, P. A.; Greer, F.; Fisher, A.; Hodyss, R. P.; Grunthaner, F.; Jiao, H.; Mair, D.; Harrison, J.

    2009-12-01

    of these stationary phases into microdevices, both by the packing of submicron-sized beads, and by the growth of porous polymer monoliths inside empty channels via a photoinitiated chemical polymerization process. References: 1. “Monolithic photolithographically patterned Fluorocur™ PFPE membrane valves and pumps for in situ planetary exploration”, P. A. Willis et al., Lab Chip 8, 1024 (2008). 2. “The Urey Instrument: An Advanced In Situ Organic and Oxidant Detector for Mars Exploration”, A. Aubrey et al., Astrobiology 8, 583 (2008). 3. “Development and evaluation of a microdevice for amino acid biomarker detection and analysis on Mars” A. M. Skelley et al., PNAS 102, 1041 (2005).

  20. Electronics Lab Instructors' Approaches to Troubleshooting Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

    2017-01-01

    In this exploratory qualitative study, we describe instructors' self-reported practices for teaching and assessing students' ability to troubleshoot in electronics lab courses. We collected audio data from interviews with 20 electronics instructors from 18 institutions that varied by size, selectivity, and other factors. In addition to describing…