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University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences have established a unique medical imaging teaching and testing laboratory in collaboration with Oulu University Hospital in a European Regional Development Fund -project. Virtually implemented medical imaging devices (CT, MRI, radiography) are unique features of the lab. Many of the virtual tools have been developed by the universities themselves. One of the virtual tools implemented during the project is the CTlab simulator, which can be widely used in computed tomography training for all professionals who use radiation in their work. The CTlab provides fast, comprehensive, and efficient solutions for numerical CT simulations with low hardware requirements. The simulator has been developed to introduce the basic operations and workflow behind the CT imaging modality and to illustrate how the polychromatic x-ray spectrum, various imaging parameters, scan geometry and CT reconstruction algorithm affect the quality of the detected images. Key user groups for the simulator include medical physics, engineering, and radiographer students. CTlab has been created with MATLAB's app designer feature. It offers its user the opportunity to select the virtual imaging target, to adjust CT imaging parameters (image volume, scan angles, detector element size and detector width, noise, algorithm/geometry specific parameters), to select specific scan geometry, to observe projection data from selected imaging target with polychromatic x-ray spectrum, and to select the specific algorithm for image reconstruction (FBP, least squares, Tikhonov regularization). The CTlab has so far been used at a postgraduate course on computed tomography technology with encouraging feedback from the students. At the course, teaching of CT modality were performed by using the simulator, giving students unlimited opportunity to practice the use of virtual imaging device and participate demonstrations remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using CTlab in teaching enhances and deepens the learning experience in the physics behind computed tomography. CTlab can be used remotely (https://www.oulu.fi/fi/projektit/laaketieteellisen-kuvantamisen-opetus-ja-testilaboratorio-0), which makes teaching and training of CT scanner usage successful regardless of time and place. The simulator enables more illustrative and in-depth teaching and offers cost-effectiveness, versatility, and flexibility in education. CTlab can also be used to support teaching in special situations, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic when simulator is utilized remotely to perform teaching-related demonstrations flexibly and safely.Copyright © 2023 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.
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Industrial activity of the past has created several contaminated brownfields, which, particularly in remote areas, are difficult to remedy from an economic point of view. In this project, a novel approach for in-situ removal of mineral hydrocarbons from soil was investigated. The underlying concept was to flush contaminated soil with emulsions of plant oil in water, to suck off the contaminant-laden emulsion from the ground water level and to separate oil and water using oil-binding non-wovens. The process development was carried out in a research project, where students from a university of applied sciences and from a technical college were involved. Based on the specific case of brownfield remediation, a collaborative learning experience for the students was created. Environmental protection and safeguarding is a topic of high interest to students, and there was a high motivation to obtain results. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, most collaboration was handled remotely via virtual teams. The chosen brownfield for this case study was a former petroleum refinery site in Lower Austria, were up to 40 g/kg of mineral hydrocarbons were found in the soil in the non-saturated zone. Mineral hydrocarbons show good solubility in plant oils. Emulsions of 5–10% of rapeseed oil in water were prepared and chosen, to have better wettability of the ground materials and lower viscosity. The goal was to develop a process that can extract 80–90% of mineral hydrocarbons in the soil, and which leaves only a minor fraction of the plant oil in the soil. When the trials, which were carried out in the lab and in the field, showed that the permeability of soil is very low, it was decided to develop a prototype for on-site soil washing. The soil of the chosen brownfield is partly made from gravel and sand, where an in-situ flushing process is possible. However, there is also clay, and that material hardly lets water or emulsion penetrate. For the on-site washing process, a laboratory-scale prototype was developed. It was built by the Linzer Technikum (LITEC) and tested with different soils at the university of applied sciences. The prototype could be built by LITEC, with an extraction vessel made of steel and a mixer. Trials were done to determine the degree of extraction of mineral oil and the fraction of plant oil that is not recaptured. 500 g of soil were mixed intensely with 500 g of solvent (water and emulsions). Table 1 presents the results for sand and clay. The process of washing out mineral hydrocarbon contamination from soil was found to show a good potential. The ground material should be sieved to remove coarse material (>10 mm), and the finer fraction can be subjected to the washing of plant oil in water, where the plant oil fraction can be between 5 and 50%, depending on degree of contamination. To reduce the amount of non-recaptured plant oil, a second and third washing cycle with a lower oil fraction, or with pure water, can be applied. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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The objective of the work presented is to highlight experiences, impacts and challenges which students had to face during online learning and the corona-pandemic. This paper reports on findings of a survey conducted at a German university of applied sciences. An online survey was developed and administered. Responses were analyzed, using mostly descriptive statistics, and key findings are shared. These relate to experiences and challenges encountered by students during the time of online learning and revealing insights to the student perspective on online learning. These findings inform decision makers in considering future options regarding the use of technology for distance learning too. © 2022 IEEE.
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Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, it became increasingly necessary to rearrange the teaching process at all school levels. Higher education institutions all over the world have been facing the challenge since 2020, to find blended teaching formats and activities to provide higher education without compromising the quality of education, but at the same time mitigating health risks. This article deals with the HyFlex learning model. The aim of this paper is to identify problems that may arise when implementing HyFlex teaching and learning in higher education. Identifying problems also provides an opportunity to offer solutions to these problems and to introduce possible solutions more widely. In order to answer the research question an online survey was conducted in spring 2021 (n = 570). The survey consisted of both closed and open questions. The fact that Estonia was one of those countries, where periods of F2F classes during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic were possible, speaks in favor of conducting the research in Estonia. In conclusion, most of the students (75%) participating in the survey were rather positive, rating the learning experience to be good or even excellent. However, some problems were pointed out too: difficulties in concentrating, decrease of learning motivation/self-discipline, lack of depth in learning, and insufficient self-directed learning skills;followed by communication barriers and problems related to digital competencies and skills for both teachers and students. Based on the above, almost a quarter of the respondents found that the volume of learning increased. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged at the end of 2019, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The main sources of infections are infected and asymptomatic persons. One major problem of the pandemic are the diverse symptoms and the varying manifestations of the illness. In this study, the IgG level recognizing the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 was determined within 336 volunteers from the environment of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt. The aims of this study were to identify the estimated number of undiscovered COVID-19 infections and the corresponding antibody levels. In total, 11.3% of the nonvaccinated probands had a positive IgG antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2, whereas 4.0% did not test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or had never been tested at the time of sampling. Probands in this study reported tiredness (57,5%), ageusia/anosmia (55%) and headache (47,5%) as most frequent symptoms.Copyright © 2021
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Digitale Lehrmaterialien werden seit mehreren Jahren in den Hochschulen eingesetzt und eröffnen ganz neue Wege zur Vermittlung des Lehrstoffs. Die Erstellung dieser Lehrmaterialien kann allerdings je nach Art und Qualität sehr zeitintensiv sein und für Lehrende einen großen Mehraufwand bedeuten. Im Rahmen eines Kooperationsprojekts zur Erstellung von Lehrvideos für geotechnische Feld‐ und Laborversuche haben die Autoren dieses Beitrags allerdings die Erfahrung gemacht, dass das gemeinsame, hochschulübergreifende Erstellen von Lehrmaterialien viele Vorteile mit sich bringt. Dadurch inspiriert, führten die Autoren dieses Berichts eine Umfrage unter den deutschsprachigen Geotechnik‐Lehrstühlen der (Technischen) Universitäten und (Fach‐)Hochschulen durch. Nach drei Semestern, in denen Lehrveranstaltungen an den Hochschulen aufgrund der Corona‐Pandemie überwiegend digital durchgeführt werden mussten, war es ein Ziel dieser Umfrage, den Bestand und den Einsatz digitaler Lehrmaterialien im Fachgebiet Geotechnik zu erheben. Ein weiteres Ziel war die Initiierung eines Netzwerks, in dem sich Geotechnik‐Professorinnen und ‐Professoren zu Lehrthemen austauschen können und gemeinsam (digitale) Lehrmaterialien erstellen und nutzen. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt das gemeinsame Lehrprojekt der Autoren vor, präsentiert die Ergebnisse der durchgeführten Umfrage und berichtet über die ersten Aktivitäten des neuen Netzwerks.Alternate :Digital education for geotechnical engineering: current status and further developmentsDigital teaching tools and materials have been used at universities (of applied sciences) for several years and open up new ways for higher education. However, depending on the type and intended quality, the creation of these teaching materials can be very time‐consuming and mean a lot of extra work for teachers. In a collaborative project to produce teaching videos for geotechnical field and laboratory experiments, the authors of this paper have experienced that a collaborative approach across university borders for the production of teaching materials has many advantages. Inspired by this collaboration, the authors of this report conducted a survey among German‐speaking geotechnical engineering chairs at (technical) universities and universities of applied sciences. After three semesters of mostly digital or hybrid teaching due to the Corona pandemic, one aim of this survey was to capture the use of digital teaching materials in the field of geotechnical engineering. Another goal was to initiate a network in which geotechnical engineering professors can exchange information on teaching topics and jointly create and use (digital) teaching materials. This article presents the authorś collaborative teaching project and the results of the survey conducted. Moreover, it reports on the first activities of the new network.
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This paper is concerned with the well-posedness of a diffusion–reaction system for a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) mathematical model. This model is written in terms of four nonlinear partial differential equations with nonlinear diffusions, depending on the total amount of the SEIR populations. The model aims at describing the spatio-temporal spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and is a variation of the one recently introduced, discussed, and tested in a paper by Viguerie et al (2020). Here, we deal with the mathematical analysis of the resulting Cauchy–Neumann problem: The existence of solutions is proved in a rather general setting, and a suitable time discretization procedure is employed. It is worth mentioning that the uniform boundedness of the discrete solution is shown by carefully exploiting the structure of the system. Uniform estimates and passage to the limit with respect to the time step allow to complete the existence proof. Then, two uniqueness theorems are offered, one in the case of a constant diffusion coefficient and the other for more regular data, in combination with a regularity result for the solutions. © 2023 The Authors. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Introduction: The constant changes in life in modern society, dictated by the economic, social, political and ecological and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation, affect a wide range of activities, including higher education. Research on students' motivation is relevant because it helps to clarify learning motivation issues. Not only for higher education teachers, but also for students, it is important to know the problems affecting learning motivation in order to increase students' motivation for learning and to achieve a better quality of studies. In this dynamic and difficult time, every higher education institution must look for new methods and ways to develop a creative and independent personality traits in students, so they are motivated and capable of learning, deepening their knowledge and seeking continuous improvement. Method(s): Analysis of scientific literature and legal acts regulating pharmaceutical activity in Lithuania and the method of empirical research - an anonymous questionnaire. Research subjects were pharmacy technician students from Kaunas University of Applied Sciences. The processing of the obtained data was performed in IBM SPSS 22. Result(s): The vast majority of students rated their motivation as high. A comparison between students from different courses found that third year students rated their motivation the highest. Pharmacy technician students are most motivated to study by the desire to acquire education (4.8 of 5 points), the desire to acquire knowledge and the desire to have a higher education diploma (4.7 of 5 points) and the desire to work in a well-paid job (4.6 of 5 points). These motivational factors motivated third year students the most. As one of the most demotivating factors, students indicated changes in pharmaceutical legislation that could impact their employment opportunities. Conclusion(s): Learning is mostly motivated by the desire to acquire education and have a profession, the desire to acquire professional knowledge and the desire to have a higher education diploma. Comparing students of different courses, it was found that the above factors motivate third year and second year students the most.
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Digital education for geotechnical engineering: current status and further developments. Digital teaching tools and materials have been used at universities (of applied sciences) for several years and open up new ways for higher education. However, depending on the type and intended quality, the creation of these teaching materials can be very time-consuming and mean a lot of extra work for teachers. In a collaborative project to produce teaching videos for geotechnical field and laboratory experiments, the authors of this paper have experienced that a collaborative approach across university borders for the production of teaching materials has many advantages. Inspired by this collaboration, the authors of this report conducted a survey among German-speaking geotechnical engineering chairs at (technical) universities and universities of applied sciences. After three semesters of mostly digital or hybrid teaching due to the Corona pandemic, one aim of this survey was to capture the use of digital teaching materials in the field of geotechnical engineering. Another goal was to initiate a network in which geotechnical engineering professors can exchange information on teaching topics and jointly create and use (digital) teaching materials. This article presents the authorś collaborative teaching project and the results of the survey conducted. Moreover, it reports on the first activities of the new network. , Ernst und Sohn. All rights reserved.
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Digital teaching tools and materials have been used at universities (of applied sciences) for several years and open up new ways for higher education. However, depending on the type and intended quality, the creation of these teaching materials can be very time-consuming and mean a lot of extra work for teachers. In a collaborative project to produce teaching videos for geotechnical field and laboratory experiments, the authors of this paper have experienced that a collaborative approach across university borders for the production of teaching materials has many advantages. Inspired by this collaboration, the authors of this report conducted a survey among German-speaking geotechnical engineering chairs at (technical) universities and universities of applied sciences. After three semesters of mostly digital or hybrid teaching due to the Corona pandemic, one aim of this survey was to capture the use of digital teaching materials in the field of geotechnical engineering. Another goal was to initiate a network in which geotechnical engineering professors can exchange information on teaching topics and jointly create and use (digital) teaching materials. This article presents the authors collaborative teaching project and the results of the survey conducted. Moreover, it reports on the first activities of the new network.
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Since 20 years, the Bologna process has influenced the higher education market - Student-centered learning and strengthening employability are essential aims. The Yerevan Communique (2015) underlines the development of students'competencies as necessary to handle the rapidly changing labor market - especially personal and social competencies should be advocated. The importance of these competencies becomes apparent in light of the increasing digitization duringthe COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, a project called KukiS-Toolbox ('Kompetent und koharent im Studium-Toolbox';'competent and coherent through study life-Toolbox') started in March 2019 at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. The project focused on promoting personal and social competencies among students. Teaching and learning materials based on empirical studies about study life were developed. We focused on three issues: Students' Sense of Coherence (S-SoC),Loneliness - Social Integration, and Procrastination. Firstly, an analysis about demands and needs was realized (N=586students and 12 qualitative interviews with study program's management). On this basis, teaching and learning materials like fact sheets, learning videos, tutorials 'to go and for lectures' were developed. Our cooperation with the department of physiotherapy allows the conceptualization of short physical activity tasks, which can be easily and quickly included inlectures. All materials are included in the KukiS-Toolbox provided by a Moodle Course at the CUAS. All students and staff members can use the materials for free. To sum up, the project follows the key principles for action of the Okanagan Charter (2015) and contributes to the promotion of students' competencies and health.
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University students had to switch from face-to-face education to web-based distance education (WBDE) owing to new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. While theoretical courses can be provided properly with WBDE, it has been thought that applied courses cannot be sustained effectively by the same way. University students' attitudes toward WBDE regarding theoretical and applied courses taught in physiotherapy and rehabilitation department has not been investigated yet, which was therefore aimed in current study. This cross-sectional study included university students (n=180, 20.14 ±1.57 years) who still maintain actively WBDE at Izmir Democracy University, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department. "Scale for Evaluating Students' Attitudes/Opinions/Thoughts Regarding Applied and Theoretical Courses in Distance Education" was generated by the researchers and performed through online platform. Scale comprised 26 items. Each item is scored as from 5 (completely agree) to 1 (strongly disagree). Proper factor analyses were performed and repeated until the items were found to be significant. Factor loads of final 16-item ranged from 0.27 to 0.84. All fit indices (x2/SD=1.42) were within acceptable limits. One-dimensional structure of scale was confirmed with 16 items. Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be 0.916, and total correlations of the items varied between 0.422 and 0.772. This scale was found to be highly reliable. Internal consistency between items was high. Maximum score obtained from scale is 80. Total score of students (39.91 ±10.97) showed that attitudes/opinions/ideas regarding theoretical and applied courses through WBDE were negative. These negative attitudes of students were same according to gender (p>0.05). Attitudes of university students studying at physiotherapy and rehabilitation department through WBDE regarding theoretical and applied courses were negative regardless of gender. This valid and reliable scale should be used to identify need of university students studying at applied sciences about WBDE. Advanced technology products should be urgently synchronized to WBDE.
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The delivery of healthcare to patients with chronic non-communicable diseases has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cardiovascular diseases constitute the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the western world and beyond. Telecardiology services are essential for the continuity of medical care, the prevention, and early diagnosis of disease exacerbations. This is a dire need for both patients, who can experience long-term impairment and decrease in functional independence if left untreated, and healthcare systems, who cannot endure additional burden in times of crisis. The development and maintenance of effective remote care frameworks in this field is a multidisciplinary endeavor, where input and scholarly dialogue in the whole spectrum of applied sciences is valuable. In this context, the authors provide an overview of telecardiology applications, discuss its strengths and weaknesses and elaborate on strategies for safe and effective remote cardiovascular care during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 iGlobal Research and Publishing Foundation. All rights reserved.
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We introduce the concept of a digital twin by using Stieltjes differential equations. A precise mathematical definition of solution to the problem is presented. We also analyze the existence and uniqueness of solutions, introduce the concept of main digital twin. As a particular case, the classical compartmental SIR (susceptible, infected, recovered) epidemic model is considered and we study the interrelation between the digital twin and the system. In doing so, we use Stieltjes derivatives to feed the data from the real system to the virtual model which, in return, improves it in real time. Numerical simulations with real data of the COVID-19 epidemic show the accuracy of the proposed ideas. © 2022 The Authors. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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The COVID-19 pandemic transferred engineering education at Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS), Oulu, Finland, in the School of Engineering and Natural Resources to digital remote learning in the middle of spring semester 2020. This study describes engineering students' experiences and perceptions of the digital remote learning during COVID-19 pandemic in OUAS. Findings show that rapid transformation to remote education mode happened successfully, however, it highlights the development needs for some of the courses as not all subjects were ready to digital remote learning from pedagogical point of view. The importance of continuous support, well-structured classes, and engagement via digital learning environments with the students during remote teaching is essential for a successful learning experience. © 2021 IEEE.
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Creating community among new graduate students in a COVID world prompted the development of a two-week virtual orientation program for engineering and applied sciences graduate students at a research university. Despite the complexity of multiple time zones, technology challenges, and the virtual space, the program sought to accomplish three goals: (1) community building among students;(2) intellectual engagement with faculty in the home departments;and (3) career development as a foundation for their overall graduate school experience. Participants (N=350 MS or PhD students) were introduced to support services (e.g., health and counseling, ombuds) and student organizations, attended workshops on digital literacy and technology tools, gained perspective from alumni and industry panels, and began their personal career development plan. Evaluations were highly positive, with means of 3.5 - 4.4 on a 5.0 scale, with 5 being very satisfied. Additionally, 98 first-year PhD students were also enrolled in a rigorous and comprehensive online asynchronous TA training, with high satisfaction scores from those who completed the training. While virtual delivery may have limitations, this program has clearly demonstrated that a pre-arrival program can add value to the graduate student on-boarding process and improve the welcome culture at educational institutions. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
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Introduction: Workplace Health Without Borders (WHWB), a not-for-profit volunteer organization formed in 2011, with a vision - ""A world where workers do not get sick because of their work"" - has partnered with organizations in order to improve occupational health in the workplace, community and worldwide. One example is with several institutions in Tanzania, Africa. Materials and Methods: Training brings WHWB’s mission “to life” by training specialists to identify workplace hazards so workers can protect themselves, their families & communities. As an Approved Training Provider for the Occupational Hygiene Training Association (OHTA), WHWB has trained university students, government occupational health & safety inspectors, doctors, nurses, ergonomists & private industry contractors, using OHTA training materials. We worked with the Muhimbili University of Health and Applied Sciences & then OSHA Tanzania to “gather” students & interested parties for in-person training in 2015 & 2019. Several projects, including assessment of silica exposure to stone crushers, have resulted. Results: WHWB has developed in-country relationships through training & projects, and is seen as stellar in its provision of both in-person, &, during the COVID-19 pandemic, evolving to on-line information & education sharing. Conclusions: Since inception in 2011, WHWB has evolved to support global training & projects in various under-served countries. WHWB partners with OHTA, IOHA, AIHA as well as local, national & international organizations to identify needs & link volunteers to continue the quest for improved working conditions.