Digital Commons Network^™

The Response Of Airborne Mycobiome To Dust Storms In The Eastern Mediterranean, Xuefeng Peng, Daniela Gat, Adina Paytan, Yinon Rudich

Faculty Publications

Airborne microbial communities directly impact the health of humans, animals, plants, and receiving ecosystems. While airborne bacterial and fungal communities have been studied by both cultivation-based methods and metabarcoding surveys targeting specific molecular markers, fewer studies have used shotgun metagenomics to study the airborne mycobiome. We analyzed the diversity and relative abundance of fungi in nine airborne metagenomes collected on clear days (“background”) and during dust storms in the Eastern Mediterranean. The negative correlation between the relative abundance of fungal reads and the concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 μm (PM10) indicate that dust …

Using On-Farm Monitoring Of Ergovaline And Tall Fescue Composition For Horse Pasture Management, Krista Lea, S. Ray Smith

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Central Kentucky horse pastures contain significant populations of tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinacea (Schreb.) Dumort) infected with an endophyte (Epichloë coenophialum (Morgan-Jones and Gams) Bacon and Schardl) known to produce several ergot alkaloids, with ergovaline in the highest concentration. While most classes of horses are not adversely affected by average levels of ergovaline in pastures, late term pregnant mares have a low tolerance to ergovaline and the related ergot alkaloids. Endophyte-infected tall fescue has been known to cause prolonged gestation, thickened placenta, dystocia, agalactia, and foal and mare mortality. The University of Kentucky Horse Pasture Evaluation Program utilizes ergovaline …

Gamification In E-Library Services, Folashade Oyinlola Adedokun, Norasnita Binti Ahmad Ph.D, Suraya Binti Miskon Ph.D

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

The advent of mobile apps, smartphones, laptops have made gamification relevant in the last decade. Gamification is an act of using game elements or mechanics to encourage or motivate learners in a non-game context. Examples of game elements are leaderboards, points, badges, narrative, reward, achievement, competition, etc. A Digital library or e-library is a library that stores information in digital form or fulfills information needs in digital format from external information sources to be distributed to users both registered as specific customers and the community. In general, an e-library aims to meet the library users' information, education, research, and …

Genetic Characterization, Current Model Systems And Prognostic Stratification In Pax Fusion-Negative Vs. Pax Fusion-Positive Rhabdomyosarcoma, Carina A Dehner, Amy E Armstrong, Marielle Yohe, Jack F Shern, Angela C Hirbe

Open Access Publications

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents and accounts for approximately 2% of soft tissue sarcomas in adults. It is subcategorized into distinct subtypes based on histological features and fusion status (

Mg53 Preserves Neuromuscular Junction Integrity And Alleviates Als Disease Progression, Jianxun Yi, Ang Li, Xuejun Li, Kiho Park, Frank Yi, Yajuan Xiao, Dosuk Yoon, Tao Tan, Lyle W. Ostrow, Jianjie Ma, Jingsong Zhou

Faculty and Staff Publications

Respiratory failure from progressive respiratory muscle weakness is the most common cause of death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Defects in neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and progressive NMJ loss occur at early stages, thus stabilizing and preserving NMJs represents a potential therapeutic strategy to slow ALS disease progression. Here we demonstrate that NMJ damage is repaired by MG53, an intrinsic muscle protein involved in plasma membrane repair. Compromised diaphragm muscle membrane repair and NMJ integrity are early pathological events in ALS. Diaphragm muscles from ALS mouse models show increased susceptibility to injury and intracellular MG53 aggregation, which is also a hallmark …

Library Role In Promoting Moral Values In Nigerian Education, Odion Evans Kakulu Mr, David O. Okhakhu Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examines the role of the library in promoting moral value in Nigeria education. Based on the findings, the paper reveals that lack of functional libraries in school systems to educate, inform plays a significant role as the cause of moral crises which lead to the erosion of our moral values and emergence of other vices such as Boko Haram, kidnapping, corruption and bad leadership that create setback in Nigeria economy. The paper investigated moral value, library in education and library as primary agents of moral restoration in Nigeria education. The paper also considers morality as a tool for …

Data Analysis Of The “2021 Covid, Equity And Social Justice Showcase”, Cristo Leon, James Lipuma

STEM Month

During the “2021 STEM for All Video Showcase” (NSF, 2021) funded by the National Science Foundation, 287 short videos showcasing federally funded projects aimed at improving STEM and CS education were presented.

The videos highlight strategies to engage students during COVID-19 and address educational inequities.

Play Probes: Understanding Young People Through Playful Expressions, Line Christiansen, Sune Gudiksen

Learn X Design Conference Series

Understanding young people can be a difficult matter when one is past that age. Stories of misunderstandings stemming from generational divides are ubiquitous. A virus, such as Covid-19, threatens to create a deeper generational divide and possibly lead to the problem reaching a magnitude not seen before. This paper investigates how probes with play triggers can yield a deeper understanding of today’s youth. By analyzing the outcome of 54 youth-created play probes, clustered themes were identified, and the selected ones have been presented in detail. The prelimi-nary conclusions indicate that the play probes allow access to insights about young people …

Co-Creating A Cross-Material Silk And Porcelain Art Exhibition, Anne Solberg, Ellen Baskår

Learn X Design Conference Series

This paper resides in the field of artistic research and material-based art. The research issue is the co-creation of an art exhibition by two artist-researchers working with diametrically different materials. The research project is structured as a duo-ethnographic approach, with the voice of each participant present. Text and images are intertwined in the paper, both necessary for the communication of the project as a visual and material enterprise. Theoretical perspectives are the dialogue as a poly-vocal enterprise, embodied making and learning, and the role of materials in the art-making. The communication throughout the project was not vocal only, but visual …

Integrating Design Thinking Into Steam Education: The Design Of Steam Education Platform And Course Based On Creativity Elements, Xuejiao Yin, Shumeng Hou, Qingxuan Chen

Learn X Design Conference Series

The fast development of artificial intelligence in modern society facilitates the needs of creative education. Design thinking,a innovative thinking frame,is benefit to cultivate children’s creativity. However ,little research has clearly explain how to use design thinking to improve creativi-ty.Therefore,this study aimed at integrating creativity and design thinking into STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), and thereby cultivate students’ prob-lem solving and creative ability. Firstly, 151 school-age children participated in the study and fin-ished the creativity tests. Second, dimensions of creativity (e.g., adventure, curiosity, and flexibility) that were significantly related to academic performance were abstracted as core design elements …

Environmental Education In Protected Areas In Petrópolis, Rio De Janeiro: Children As Agents Of Empathy For And Engagement With The Cause Of Nature Conservation, Marianne Von Lachmann, Rita Maria De Souza Couto, Roberta Portas

Learn X Design Conference Series

This article presents examples of environmental education programs and events run in protected areas of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and a brief overview of novel findings in the histo-ry, sociology, anthropology, and geography of childhood, converging with those from the area of education, in which children’s agency in cultural production, the diversity of children’s cultures, and multiple childhoods are recognized. This article outlines the importance of continued efforts to take children from private and public schools, from kindergarten to high school, to engage in play-ful activities in preserved nature, as demonstrated in the initiatives described. When the full …

Materiality Of Space And Time In The Virtual Design Studio, Ruth Neubauer, Christoph H. Wecht

Learn X Design Conference Series

Digital structures as well as time can be described as crucial material affordances of the virtual design studio space. We question the notion that digital spaces are inherently immaterial and intangible. We challenge the concept of presence and flexibility in the context of the virtual space, and claim that digital infrastructures can be as materially inflexible as physical worlds. Simultaneously we argue for the potential of understanding virtual spaces beyond binary conceptions of presence/absence. We use concepts of practice and materiality to analyse virtual spaces as distributed spatiotemporal structures that can be designed to afford flexibility. We are interested in …

Socially-Engaged Distance Design Collaboration, Kardelen Aysel, Can Güvenir

Learn X Design Conference Series

Applied design education was required to replicate the socially constructivist structure through digital tools due to Covid-19 Pandemic. However the effects of the distant design education over the students’ learning experience is not stated yet. For this reason, this study aims to discuss how the affective learning outcomes, creative and design self-efficacy and visual literacy level, of design students. Within this framework, the effects of distance education in the scope of introduction to industrial design course was indicated and discussed through reflections and self-evaluation surveys. The study was held with 26 1st year industrial design students in the fall semester …

Thinking With Card: Tactile And Making-Based Resources For Active Remote Learning In Stem Subjects, Benjamin Hughes

Learn X Design Conference Series

Thinking with Card is an online resource that encourages active learning through making activities linked to subjects within core STEM curricula. The (bilingual) resources are aimed at Key Stage 2 and 3 students (UK) and Middle School students (China) (approx age 7-14). The project was launched in July 2020 in response to the pandemic and corresponding need for stimulating activities suitable for home and remote learning. The free downloadable models can be printed and constructed using simple tools and have shown to help students understand complex concepts which are difficult to grasp from textbooks or even demonstrations (e.g. the relationship …

Hybrid Spaces Teaching For ‘Chinese Traditional Costume Craft’, Shunhua Luo, Jingrui Yang, Chunhong Fan

Learn X Design Conference Series

The general teaching mode for practical courses of design education was demonstration teaching by face-to-face and step-by-step. This exploration perhaps could provide a teaching method as a reference for practical courses in other design contents. An improved teaching mode about Chinese traditional costume crafts focusing on hybrid spaces including online teaching platforms, digital technology, and virtual interactive learning was introduced. Lu embroidery as the teaching object was shown in this case study. Online teaching platforms and interactive learning system of crafts based on virtual technology were employed, and students were required to study embroidery knowledge and crafts by self-learning at …

Rethinking Experiential Learning In Design Education: The Shift Of The Systemic Design Course To A Multimodal Online Learning Environment, Alessandro Campanella, Eliana Ferrulli, Silvia Barbero

Learn X Design Conference Series

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has generated serious consequences on the higher ed-ucation sector, highlighting its existing vulnerabilities and forcing it to face complex challenges. However, the current situation can also be seen as an opportunity to deeply rethink the learning activities and the environments in which they are carried out, whether online or in the class-room, designing long-term innovation plans that extends beyond the end of the crisis. The paper aims to explore the process of redesigning an experiential and social learning course for an online learning modality. The reported case study, the Systemic Design course held in …

Jinan 2021: Engaging With Challenges In Design Education, Erik Bohemia, Liv Merete Nielsen, Naz A.G.Z. Börekçi, Yang Zhang

Learn X Design Conference Series

The year 2021 has been particularly special for the DRS Learn X Design (LxD 2021)1 organising teams. The conference series marked the 10th anniversary since the first event was held in Paris in 2011. The DRS Learn X Design 2021, 6th International Conference for Design Education Researchers took place online between 24–26 September 2021. It was hosted by Shandong University of Art & Design (SUAD) in Jinan, China. During this online international conference, the participants reflected on the ongoing challenges which have affected their practices. The process of sharing different perspectives with the international design education community members facilitated collective …

Assessing Learning Performance And Using Preference Of Design Thinking Methods In Graduate Interdisciplinary Online Course, Juan Li, Shuo-Fang Liu, Meng-Xun Ho, Zhe Li

Learn X Design Conference Series

Under the COVID-19 epidemic, faced with the problem of ensuring the quality of teaching online, Design Thinking, as a design teaching and evaluation tool for interdisciplinary collaborative courses, has attracted much attention. The research purpose is to explore the performance and preference of four popular design thinking methods in interdisciplinary online courses. This study took an intensive online course as the case study, which developed curriculum based on Brainstorming, Crazy8, User Journey Mapping and Storyboarding. Quantitative evaluation and Evaluation Grid Method were adopted to compare participants’ performance and preference of these four design thinking methods. The results revealed that, compared …

A Game Implementation Approach For Design Education, Duhan Ölmez, Fehmi Doğan

Learn X Design Conference Series

This paper proposes a new implementation of video games to be used as an architectural design education tool within design studios. There are studies which include video games in design educa-tion, however, they include video games either as mere representational media, or simplified de-sign environments, or as just visualization tools. Video games’ structures provide a ground for de-signing with constraints to find solutions to ill-defined design problems with a trial-and-error pro-cess. As an addition to traditional master and apprentice model of learning in the studio, video games can reduce the workload of the tutors and allow them to focus on …

Senseed: A Multisensory Environment Design For Urban Pre-Schoolers In China To Learn About Plant Seeds, Ge Fu

Learn X Design Conference Series

A consequence of rapid urbanisation is the ever-limited availability of green space in cities, limit-ing children's access to nature and associated learning opportunities. To address this issue, the present paper describes the design of a learning environment called Senseed. The proposed pro-ject will introduce urban children aged 3-6 years to sensory games designed to increase their in-teraction with China's natural environment, thus enhancing their interest in and understanding of nature. The study combines interviews, a questionnaire, and case studies to identify environmen-tal education issues for pre-school learners, employing exhibition settings as a healthy and engag-ing multidisciplinary approach to pre-schoolers' needs. …

Immersive Learning From Basic Design For Communication Design: A Theoretical Framework, Yuan Liu, Dina Ricco, Daniela Anna Calabi

Learn X Design Conference Series

In this paper we discuss the two changes that basic design education faced: one is the teaching need of transformation from visual to multisensory and synaesthetic communication; the other is the use of virtual environments to teach design. As an answer to the trend of constructivist learning, also in order to fulfill the need for multisensory training, the discussion of an innovative learning environment for basic design education has become essential. The problems remain, as virtual technology has limitations regarding visualizing abstract concepts. This research aims to build an immersive virtual environment to teach basic design, along with the value …

Preparing To Introduce Design Thinking In Middle Schools, Michael Robert Gibson, Keith Michael Owens, Peter Hyland, Christina Donaldson

Learn X Design Conference Series

This case study critically analyses and describes knowledge gained and understandings constructed by a team of university-based design educators and researchers who engaged in the planning necessary to begin introducing specific aspects of design thinking in middle school classrooms in an Texas city of more than 140,000. (Middle schools in the U.S. typically educate students aged 11 to 14 years.) This piece articulates key insights about how and why the introduction of design thinking should be collaboratively and strategically planned if it is to function as an effective augmentation of a college preparatory curricula, and the learning experiences that constitute …

Designing Criteria For Developing Educational Multimedia Games, Chaitanya Solanki, Deepak John Mathew

Learn X Design Conference Series

Increasing research is being done into the relationship between learning and games in recent years. Player engagement and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation have shown to be pertinent in improving the quality of knowledge retention in game-based learning environments. Similarly, the use of multimedia in game-based learning environments has also shown to have significant potential for effective learning; however, it is unclear whether a generalized criterion can be designed for it. This work presents a review of theories and guidelines that pertain to learning environments, game design, and multimedia learning, in an effort to distill the key elements which can help develop design …

Deep Fakes: The Algorithms That Create And Detect Them And The National Security Risks They Pose, Nick Dunard

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The dissemination of deep fakes for nefarious purposes poses significant national security risks to the United States, requiring an urgent development of technologies to detect their use and strategies to mitigate their effects. Deep fakes are images and videos created by or with the assistance of AI algorithms in which a person’s likeness, actions, or words have been replaced by someone else’s to deceive an audience. Often created with the help of generative adversarial networks, deep fakes can be used to blackmail, harass, exploit, and intimidate individuals and businesses; in large-scale disinformation campaigns, they can incite political tensions around the …

Practical Identity And Forms Of Life: An Attempt At Clarifying Wittgenstein’S Ethics, Christopher King

Episteme

No abstract provided.

An Agambenian Critique Of The Australian Immigration Detention Camps, Ronya Ramrath

Episteme

No abstract provided.

Volume 32 (2021), Ronya Ramrath, Nathan Mckay, Kiley Komro, Christopher King, Henry Barlow

Episteme

No abstract provided.

Twenty-First Century Skill Building For Homeschooled Students With Special Needs, Jami M. Tipton

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Although problem-based learning (PBL) is not new, the ways in which homeschool teachers use attributes of PBL with their students with special needs is unknown. Posts were collected from 20 homeschool teachers’ blogs. After I coded 87 blog posts, results showed that homeschool teachers provided a variety of opportunities for their students to practice 21st-century skills. Specifically, they developed lessons that encouraged students to share what they learned and developed cross-disciplinary content, most often with language arts. Results may provide insights for homeschool teachers interested in more purposefully implementing PBL experiences with the purpose of teaching 21st-century skills.

A Phenomenology Of Consumer Goods, Abhinav Bhargava

Episteme

No abstract provided.

Alfalfa Response To Phosphorus Sources Associated With The Application Of Liming And Gypsum-Shoot Numbers, P. Sarmento, M. Corsi, F. P. Campos

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was grown in a Typic Mapluolox soil with triple superphosphate (TS), Gafsa phosphate (GP) and GP with gypsum (GP + G). Three rates of phosphorus application were used 50, 100 and 200 mg P dm^-3, before and after liming. Alfalfa was harvested three times. Basal and axillary shoot numbers in alfalfa increased with increasing phosphorus rates. Shoots were produced in higher number with GP in comparison with TS. GP + G resulted in higher basal shoot number than GP. However, there was no gypsum effect on axillary shoot numbers. Liming before or after …