Are figures accessible in mathematics academic journals?

Are figures accessible in mathematics academic journals? An analysis of current image accessibility in highly cited mathematics journals.

Aspects on Process Engineering in the Finnish Pulp and Paper Industry : Thesis for the Degree of Licentiate in Science of Technology

Process development will be largely driven by the main equipment suppliers. The reason for this development is their ambition to supply complete plants or process systems instead of single pieces of equipment. The pulp and paper companies' interest lies in product development, as their main goal is to create winning brands and effective brand management. Design engineering companies will find their niche in detail engineering based on approved process solutions. Their development work will focus on increasing the efficiency of engineering work. Process design is a content-producing profession, which requires certain special characteristics: creativity, carefulness, the ability to work as a member of a design team according to time schedules and fluency in oral as well as written presentation. In the future, process engineers will increasingly need knowledge of chemistry as well as information and automation technology. Process engineering tools are developing rapidly. At the moment, these tools are good enough for static sizing and balancing, but dynamic simulation tools are not yet good enough for the complicated chemical reactions of pulp and paper chemistry. Dynamic simulation and virtual mill models are used as tools for training the operators. Computational fluid dynamics will certainlygain ground in process design.

An induction programme for Bologna first-year bachelor’s degree students in Spain

Introduction. The current study describes the planning process and aims of the university reforms in Spain and suggests an innovative proposal, namely the design and evaluation of a week-long induction programme for first-year bachelor‟s degree students at the University of Lleida (Spain), organised within the European higher education framework. The purpose of this induction programme is to help new students adapt to university life. Method. A total of 102 students and ten lecturers were involved in the study. These participants responded questionnaires and interviews. We contrasted all the results in order to obtain some results that were useful to evaluate the induction programmee which the University introduced in the first four degrees. Results. Findings of the study revealed that participants gave very positive feedback regarding the programme, and the results also highlighted areas which could be improved. Conclusion. The new proposals clearly require a higher level of staff participation to make them work, highlighting the need for appropriate training of university staff and improving coordination with appropriate systems.

Integrability of a linear center perturbed by a fourth degree homogeneous polynomial

In this work we study the integrability of a two-dimensional autonomous system in the plane with linear part of center type and non-linear part given by homogeneous polynomials of fourth degree. We give sufficient conditions for integrability in polar coordinates. Finally we establish a conjecture about the independence of the two classes of parameters which appear in the system; if this conjecture is true the integrable cases found will be the only possible ones.

Integrability of a linear center perturbed by a fifth degree homogeneous polynomial

In this work we study the integrability of two-dimensional autonomous system in the plane with linear part of center type and non-linear part given by homogeneous polynomials of fifth degree. We give a simple characterisation for the integrable cases in polar coordinates. Finally we formulate a conjecture about the independence of the two classes of parameters which appear on the system; if this conjecture is true the integrable cases found will be the only possible ones.

Percolation of spatially constrained Erdos-R enyi networks with degree correlations

Motivated by experiments on activity in neuronal cultures [J. Soriano, M. Rodr ́ıguez Mart́ınez, T. Tlusty, and E. Moses, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 105, 13758 (2008)], we investigate the percolation transition and critical exponents of spatially embedded Erd̋os-Ŕenyi networks with degree correlations. In our model networks, nodes are randomly distributed in a two-dimensional spatial domain, and the connection probability depends on Euclidian link length by a power law as well as on the degrees of linked nodes. Generally, spatial constraints lead to higher percolation thresholds in the sense that more links are needed to achieve global connectivity. However, degree correlations favor or do not favor percolation depending on the connectivity rules. We employ two construction methods to introduce degree correlations. In the first one, nodes stay homogeneously distributed and are connected via a distance- and degree-dependent probability. We observe that assortativity in the resulting network leads to a decrease of the percolation threshold. In the second construction methods, nodes are first spatially segregated depending on their degree and afterwards connected with a distance-dependent probability. In this segregated model, we find a threshold increase that accompanies the rising assortativity. Additionally, when the network is constructed in a disassortative way, we observe that this property has little effect on the percolation transition.

A method for decision making with the OWA operator

A new method for decision making that uses the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator in the aggregation of the information is presented. It is used a concept that it is known in the literature as the index of maximum and minimum level (IMAM). This index is based on distance measures and other techniques that are useful for decision making. By using the OWA operator in the IMAM, we form a new aggregation operator that we call the ordered weighted averaging index of maximum and minimum level (OWAIMAM) operator. The main advantage is that it provides a parameterized family of aggregation operators between the minimum and the maximum and a wide range of special cases. Then, the decision maker may take decisions according to his degree of optimism and considering ideals in the decision process. A further extension of this approach is presented by using hybrid averages and Choquet integrals. We also develop an application of the new approach in a multi-person decision-making problem regarding the selection of strategies.

On the computation of reducible invariant tori on a parallel computer

We present an algorithm for the computation of reducible invariant tori of discrete dynamical systems that is suitable for tori of dimensions larger than 1. It is based on a quadratically convergent scheme that approximates, at the same time, the Fourier series of the torus, its Floquet transformation, and its Floquet matrix. The Floquet matrix describes the linearization of the dynamics around the torus and, hence, its linear stability. The algorithm presents a high degree of parallelism, and the computational effort grows linearly with the number of Fourier modes needed to represent the solution. For these reasons it is a very good option to compute quasi-periodic solutions with several basic frequencies. The paper includes some examples (flows) to show the efficiency of the method in a parallel computer. In these flows we compute invariant tori of dimensions up to 5, by taking suitable sections.

Passport to a profession in the degree of pharmacy: how to integrate university students into the real world of work: "Passport to a profession in Pharmacy"

The incorporation of the Spanish university system into the European Higher Education Areahas brought about a series of adaptations. Among the recommendations is the inclusion ofan external training period in a company, which has resulted in significant changes in thedegree syllabus in order to balance the theoretical and practical education required by thestudents. This new framework has been legally confirmed by the Spanish Government and, inthe case of the University of Barcelona, by the publication of internal guidelines. Takingadvantage of this new opportunity to adapt the Pharmacy degree to real-world problems inindustry, the Dean’s team of the Faculty of Pharmacy, with the support of the Facultyadministrative staff and the Students Advisory Service, have assumed the challenge ofincluding a new subject in the syllabus entitled Training in Companies.In parallel, a new activity has been set up to ensure that the students choose the mostsuitable company department/job for them and to help them pass the company interview.Under the name of Passport to a Profession, a series of ten explanatory talks has beenscheduled every academic year. These talks deal with a broad range of topics aimed atproviding the students with the basic tools they will need to make the most of a companytraining period and to make headway in the professional world when they finish theirdegree. In addition, three Faculty of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical company workshops and tworound-table conferences have been held in the last two years in order to bring the universityand industry together. Notably, the project to provide students with company training isexpanding on an international level, with two to three undergraduate students contractedevery year by a United Kingdom-based multinational pharmaceutical company.The statistical data of the whole process has been analysed for a more in-depthunderstanding of the activity and to improve the programme.

Networks of noisy oscillators with correlated degree and frequency dispersion

We investigate how correlations between the diversity of the connectivity of networks and the dynamics at their nodes affect the macroscopic behavior. In particular, we study the synchronization transition of coupled stochastic phase oscillators that represent the node dynamics. Crucially in our work, the variability in the number of connections of the nodes is correlated with the width of the frequency distribution of the oscillators. By numerical simulations on Erdös-Rényi networks, where the frequencies of the oscillators are Gaussian distributed, we make the counterintuitive observation that an increase in the strength of the correlation is accompanied by an increase in the critical coupling strength for the onset of synchronization. We further observe that the critical coupling can solely depend on the average number of connections or even completely lose its dependence on the network connectivity. Only beyond this state, a weighted mean-field approximation breaks down. If noise is present, the correlations have to be stronger to yield similar observations.

Content and Language Integration as a part of a degree reform at Tampere University of Technology

Tampere University of Technology is undergoing a degree reform that started in 2013. One of the major changes in the reform was the integration of compulsory Finnish, Swedish and English language courses to substance courses at the bachelor level. The integration of content and language courses aims at higher quality language learning, more fluency in studies, and increased motivation toward language studies. In addition, integration is an opportunity to optimize the use of resources and to offer courses that are more tailored to the students' field of study and to the skills needed in working life. The reform also aims to increase and develop co-operation between different departments at the university and to develop scientific follow up. This paper gives an overview of the integration process conducted at TUT and gives examples of adjunct CLIL implementations in three different languages.

Mentoring in the acquisition of professional skills through practices in companies by degree students

Abstract This work has had as objective to analyze the skills acquired through internships in business companies by students of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University Pompeu Fabra. The internship is a basic item in order to obtain a hard connection between the University and social-economic world where University and Enterprises develop their activity. In this study we want to know about two aspects. The first one, we want to know the profit that is obtained from the Student as a consequence of internship and mentoring. Also, we want to study about the importance of mentoring as a principal element that establishes the relationship between the Student and the Company. Moreover, it has sought to analyze if certain factors such as the size of the company where the practices has been performed, the study rank level that was achieved or the fact of being a man or a woman, were among the determining factors at the time of acquiring the skills. The results presented here indicate that the size of the company that have been making the practices and the gender of the student are related to the acquisition of certain skills. There was not a statistically significant relationship related to the rank level have by the students in the practice. In the future we are going to study if the labor market Integration is easier if the Student has performed work placement. Keywords Skills; employability; internship; meatoring.

Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) levels differ across populations by degree of industrialization.

CONTEXT: Compensatory increases in FGF23 with increasing phosphate intake may adversely impact health. However, population and clinical studies examining the link between phosphate intake and FGF23 levels have focused mainly on populations living in highly industrialized societies in which phosphate exposure may be homogenous. OBJECTIVE: Contrast dietary phosphate intake, urinary measures of phosphate excretion and FGF23 levels across populations that differ by level of industrialization. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of three populations Setting: Maywood, IL, U.S., Mah|fe Island, Seychelles, and Kumasi, Ghana Participants: Adults with African ancestry aged 25-45 years Main Outcome: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels Results: The mean age was 35.1 (6.3) years and 47.9% were male. Mean phosphate intake and fractional excretion of phosphate were significantly higher in the U.S. vs. Ghana while no significant difference in phosphate intake or fractional excretion of phosphate was noted between U.S. and Seychelles for men or women. Overall, median FGF23 values were 57.41 RU/ml (IQR 43.42, 75.09) in U.S., 42.49 RU/ml (IQR 33.06, 55.39) in Seychelles and 33.32 RU/ml (IQR 24.83, 47.36) in Ghana. In the pooled sample, FGF23 levels were significantly and positively correlated with dietary phosphate intake (r=0.11; P < 0.001), and the fractional excretion of phosphate (r=0.13; P < 0.001) but not with plasma phosphate levels (-0.001; P = 0.8). Dietary phosphate intake was significantly and positively associated with the fractional excretion of phosphate (r=0.23; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The distribution of FGF23 levels in a given population may be influenced by the level of industrialization, likely due to differences in access to foods preserved with phosphate additives.

A virtual mathematics learning environment for engineering students

Teachers of the course Introduction to Mathematics for Engineers at the UOC, an online distance-learning university, have designed,developed and tested an online studymaterial. It includes basic pre-university mathematics, indications for correct follow-up of this content and recommendations for finding appropriate support and complementarymaterials. Many different resources are used,depending on the characteristics of thecontents: Flash sequences, interactive applets, WIRIS calculators and PDF files.During the last semester, the new study material has been tested with 119 students. The academic results and student satisfaction have allowed us to outline and prioritise future lines of action.