The influence of surface and deep cues on primary and secondary school students’ assessment of relevance in Web menus

International audience

Design of Single-Input-Single-Output Compliant Mechanisms for Practical Applications Using Selection Maps

We present an interactive map-based technique for designing single-input-single-output compliant mechanisms that meet the requirements of practical applications. Our map juxtaposes user-specifications with the attributes of real compliant mechanisms stored in a database so that not only the practical feasibility of the specifications can be discerned quickly but also modifications can be done interactively to the existing compliant mechanisms. The practical utility of the method presented here exceeds that of shape and size optimizations because it accounts for manufacturing considerations, stress limits, and material selection. The premise for the method is the spring-leverage (SL) model, which characterizes the kinematic and elastostatic behavior of compliant mechanisms with only three SL constants. The user-specifications are met interactively using the beam-based 2D models of compliant mechanisms by changing their attributes such as: (i) overall size in two planar orthogonal directions, separately and together, (ii) uniform resizing of the in-plane widths of all the beam elements, (iii) uniform resizing of the out-of-plane thick-nesses of the beam elements, and (iv) the material. We present a design software program with a graphical user interface for interactive design. A case-study that describes the design procedure in detail is also presented while additional case-studies are posted on a website. DOI:10.1115/1.4001877].

Judicial Selection, Lay Participation, and Judicial Culture in the Czech Republic: A Study in a Central European (Non)Transformation. College of Europe Research Paper in Law 03/2014

Introduction. The idea that “merit” should be the guiding principle of judicial selections is a universal principle, unlikely to be contested in whatever legal system. What differs considerably across legal cultures, however, is the way in which “merit” is defined. For deeper cultural and historical reasons, the current definition of “merit” in the process of judicial selections in the Czech Republic, at least in the way it is implemented in the institutional settings, is an odd mongrel. The old technocratic Austrian judicial heritage has in some aspects merged with, in others was altered or destroyed, by the Communist past. After 1989, some aspects of the judicial organisation were amended, with the most problematic elements removed. Furthermore, several old as well as new provisions relating to the judiciary were struck down by the Constitutional Court. However, apart from these rather haphazard interventions, there has been neither a sustained discussion as to how a new judicial architecture and system of judicial appointments ought to look like nor much of broader, conceptual reform in this regard. Thus, some twenty five years after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the guiding principles for judicial selection and appointments are still a debate to be had.

High School Influences on the Selection of Athletic Training as a Career

Context: Research suggests internships, mentorship, and specialized school programs positively influence career selection; however, little data exists specific to athletic training. Objective: We identified high school (HS) experiences influencing career choice in college athletic training students (ATS). Design: Our survey included 35 Likert-type close-ended questions, which were reviewed by a panel of faculty and peers to establish content and construct validity. Setting: Participants completed an online questionnaire at their convenience. Participants: 217 college ATS (153 female, 64 male) from a random selection of accredited programs on the east coast. We excluded minors, freshmen, and undecided majors from the study. Informed consent was implied by proceeding to the questionnaire. Data Collection and Analysis: We used descriptive statistics to analyze the data collected via a secure website. Results: Mentors were most influential in the decision of career path (62.4%;n=131/210) with 85.2% (n=138/162) reporting mentors were readily available to answer questions regarding career options and 53.1% (n=86/162) counseled them regarding HS electives. Of participants involved in an internship (41.0%;n=86/210), most developed such opportunities independently (66.3%;n=57/86). Respondents who attended traditional HS suggested providing diverse electives (71.9%;n=133/185), additional internship (53.5%;n=99/185), and mentorship (33.0%;n=61/185) opportunities to effectively educate students regarding career options. Conclusions: College ATS that gained internship experience during HS report the opportunity positively influenced their career selection. Mentors support HS students by offering insight and expertise in guiding students’ career choices. Participants suggested HS afford diverse electives with internship and mentorship opportunities to positively influence interested students towards pursuing a career in athletic training.

A comparative approach to web evaluation and website evaluation methods.

There is still a lack of an engineering approach for building Web systems, and the field of measuring the Web is not yet mature. In particular, there is an uncertainty in the selection of evaluation methods, and there are risks of standardizing inadequate evaluation practices. It is important to know whether we are evaluating the Web or specific website(s). We need a new categorization system, a different focus on evaluation methods, and an in-depth analysis that reveals the strengths and weaknesses of each method. As a contribution to the field of Web evaluation, this study proposes a novel approach to view and select evaluation methods based on the purpose and platforms of the evaluation. It has been shown that the choice of the appropriate evaluation method(s) depends greatly on the purpose of the evaluation.

Sexual selection in a tropical fruit fly : role of a plant derived chemical in mate choice

The specific mechanisms by which selective pressures affect individuals are often difficult to resolve. In tephritid fruit flies, males respond strongly and positively to certain plant derived chemicals. Sexual selection by female choice has been hypothesized as the mechanism driving this behaviour in certain species, as females preferentially mate with males that have fed on these chemicals. This hypothesis is, to date, based on studies of only very few species and its generality is largely untested. We tested the hypothesis on different spatial scales (small cage and seminatural field-cage) using the monophagous fruit fly, Bactrocera cacuminata. This species is known to respond to methyl eugenol (ME), a chemical found in many plant species and one upon which previous studies have focused. Contrary to expectation, no obvious female choice was apparent in selecting ME-fed males over unfed males as measured by the number of matings achieved over time, copulation duration, or time of copulation initiation. However, the number of matings achieved by ME-fed males was significantly greater than unfed males 16 and 32 days after exposure to ME in small cages (but not in a field-cage). This delayed advantage suggests that ME may not influence the pheromone system of B. cacuminata but may have other consequences, acting on some other fitness consequence (e.g., enhancement of physiology or survival) of male exposure to these chemicals. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications of our findings to explore alternate hypotheses to explain the patterns of response of dacine fruit flies to specific plant-derived chemicals.