scholarly journals Ending Software Boom and Bust: Lessons learnt from Scratchpads and proposals for building sustainable virtual research environments for the biodiversity research community

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Scott ◽  
Paul Kiddle ◽  
Sarah Vincent ◽  
Vincent Smith
Keyword(s):  
Learning Experience ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
External Funding ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Lessons Learnt ◽  
Development Cycle ◽  
Research Environments ◽  
Boom And Bust ◽  
To Receive

Scratchpads launched in 2007 and became an extremely popular resource adopted for a variety of communities. Primarily, Scratchpads are used to manage and publish biodiversity data, but many sites were organised around projects, societies and regions. Demand for Scratchpads peeked at requests for more than 80 new sites over a 3 month period in 2014. Today we have over 1000 Scratchpad sites. This has not been a pain-free journey. In 2015 the grants funding Scratchpad support and development came to an end, and whilst the Natural History Museum, London, provided some institutional support, this was alongside several competing initiatives. For a period of nearly two years, the Scratchpads had no dedicated developers. The Scratchpads suffered from this neglect, bugs remained unfixed and the platform became increasingly unstable. This situation has now been rectified, in 2017 the Informatics Group expanded, enabling us to provide a dedicated resource to the Scratchpads again. This has been a challenging but valuable learning experience - and one that many Virtual Research Environments (VREs) in our community have, or will, experience. Current funding models encourage a boom and bust development cycle, described by Hine (2008) as the "dance of the initiatives," as projects constantly need to re-invent themselves in order to receive new external funding. We need to move beyond this, to start working collectively to develop a common roadmap for these systems, so we can begin to mutually benefit from each others development activities. Building on lessons learnt from the Scratchpads, we highlight a draft set of principles that may provide a framework for such a collaboration. While it is unrealistic to expect existing projects at different stages of maturity, and supporting very different use cases, to re-write their codebase in order to facilitate collaboration, we propose a microservices framework that would allow these related systems to converge on the delivery of a common set of services, provided by many current VRE's. This convergence, coupled with the development of a common and mutually agreed roadmap for these systems, has the potential to build a more sustainable future for VRE user and developer communities, as these systems evolve to support new use cases and improve existing functionality.

scholarly journals In-Touch digital platform for unconventional learners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelique Patrice Paul
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
On Demand ◽  
To Receive

In-Touch is an adaptive learning technology, which extends the learning experience beyond the classroom hours and environment for unconventional learners. It serves as a safe online space for students to receive customized help from their teachers. It also mediates and promotes conversation between parents and teachers. In-Touch integrates three elements crucial to promoting success of unconventional learners: on demand help, student-centered approach, and confidence-building. For the purpose of the study, unconventional learners were defined as someone who does not learn in the methods that are currently offered in traditional classrooms. The design of In-Touch is based on a pilot study that considered the needs of parents and teachers who are raising and teaching unconventional learners

Explicit constructivism: a missing link in ineffective lectures?

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Respiratory System ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Regulation Of Respiration ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
Interactive Lectures ◽  
Second Year ◽  
To Receive

This study tested the possibility that interactive lectures explicitly based on activating learners’ prior knowledge and driven by a series of logical questions might enhance the effectiveness of lectures. A class of 54 students doing the respiratory system course in the second year of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery program in my university was randomized to two groups to receive one of two types of lectures, “typical” lectures ( n = 28, 18 women and 10 men) or “constructivist” lectures ( n = 26, 19 women and 7 men), on the same topic: the regulation of respiration. Student pretest scores in the two groups were comparable ( P > 0.1). Students that received the constructivist lectures did much better in the posttest conducted immediately after the lectures (6.8 ± 3.4 for constructivist lectures vs. 4.2 ± 2.3 for typical lectures, means ± SD, P = 0.004). Although both types of lectures were well received, students that received the constructivist lectures appeared to have been more satisfied with their learning experience. However, on a posttest conducted 4 mo later, scores obtained by students in the two groups were not any different (6.9 ± 3 for constructivist lectures vs. 6.9 ± 3.7 for typical lectures, P = 0.94). This study adds to the increasing body of evidence that there is a case for the use of interactive lectures that make the construction of knowledge and understanding explicit, easy, and enjoyable to learners.

scholarly journals Combining Digital Archives Content with Serious Game Approach to Create a Gamified Learning Experience

2015 ◽  
Vol XL-5/W7 ◽  
pp. 387-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.-T. Shih ◽  
C. L. Lin ◽  
C.-Y. Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Digital Art ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Digital Archives ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Historical Archives ◽  
Art And Culture ◽  
Gamified Learning ◽  
Materials Used

This paper presents an interdisciplinary to develop content-aware application that combines game with learning on specific categories of digital archives. The employment of content-oriented game enhances the gamification and efficacy of learning in culture education on architectures and history of Hsinchu County, Taiwan. The gamified form of the application is used as a backbone to support and provide a strong stimulation to engage users in learning art and culture, therefore this research is implementing under the goal of “The Digital ARt/ARchitecture Project”. <br><br> The purpose of the abovementioned project is to develop interactive serious game approaches and applications for Hsinchu County historical archives and architectures. Therefore, we present two applications, “3D AR for Hukou Old ” and “Hsinchu County History Museum AR Tour” which are in form of augmented reality (AR). By using AR imaging techniques to blend real object and virtual content, the users can immerse in virtual exhibitions of Hukou Old Street and Hsinchu County History Museum, and to learn in ubiquitous computing environment. <br><br> This paper proposes a content system that includes tools and materials used to create representations of digitized cultural archives including historical artifacts, documents, customs, religion, and architectures. The Digital ARt / ARchitecture Project is based on the concept of serious game and consists of three aspects: content creation, target management, and AR presentation. The project focuses on developing a proper approach to serve as an interactive game, and to offer a learning opportunity for appreciating historic architectures by playing AR cards. Furthermore, the card game aims to provide multi-faceted understanding and learning experience to help user learning through 3D objects, hyperlinked web data, and the manipulation of learning mode, and then effectively developing their learning levels on cultural and historical archives in Hsinchu County.

scholarly journals Is Twitter a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education? Perspectives of Education Graduate Students

2015 ◽  
pp. 83-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Bista
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Text Book ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
To Receive

This study presents the perspectives of education graduate students of using Twitter as a pedagogical tool for 15 weeks as a required social media activity in class. The results indicated that each course participants reported a positive learning experience of using Twitter. Although this was their first experience with Twitter, participants reported that Twitter provided space and opportunities to engage in academic activities as a new pedagogical tool. Participants reported they used Twitter to receive immediate and frequent course information, ask questions to the mentor, update course assignment, and to share helpful information from outside the text book to their fellow classmates and mentor.  This study also highlights suggestions and implication of Twitter in personal and professional developments. 

scholarly journals Trim Loop Closure for Enhanced CAD Interoperability

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand D. Assadi ◽  
James H. Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Model Space ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Missing Information ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Original Surface ◽  
Downstream Application ◽  
Development Cycle ◽  
Full Complement ◽  
Downstream Analysis ◽  
To Receive

The transfer of design data among different CAD systems or subsequent downstream analysis applications is critically important to the acceleration of the product development cycle. Since each vendor has its own proprietary native file format, this transfer of data among differing systems is difficult at best. International standards such as IGES and STEP have evolved to address this challenge, but they are generally not sufficiently explicit. Each vendor writes its own “flavor” of the standard that other applications may not understand. This paper bridges a gap between disparate systems by developing a strategy to assess the completeness and robustness of models represented in IGES or STEP format, and a technique to either repair the representation or add missing information so that a downstream application can properly interpret it. The method ensures that the receiving system gets a full and accurate NURBS-based representation: the original surface, the corresponding full complement of model space trim curves, and the corresponding full complement of parameter space trim curves. With all the information present, the downstream system is more likely to receive the information it requires to interpret the model.

Risks of investment activity in tourism and hotel-restaurant business

2020 ◽  
pp. 154-160
Author(s):  
Tamara Smovzhenko ◽  
Oryslava Korkuna ◽  
Ivan Korkuna ◽  
Oleh Tsilnyk
Keyword(s):  
Complex Analysis ◽  
External Funding ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Investment Activity ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Investment Capacity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
To Receive

Development of tourism and hotel economy in Ukraine and efficient activity of enterprises in the domain substantially depend on the investment capacity of the whole country that is formed by various financial sources, including the attracted investment. Investment resources are one of the main components of resources maintenance of these economic sectors, yet it is worth mentioning that the investors in any crisis face the risks of investing in the business. Therefore, investment activity risks in tourism and hotel-restaurant business are very relevant today. The paper aims to research the investment activity in tourism and the hotel-restaurant business and to determine the main dangers and risks. The paper researches the investment activity in tourism and hotel-restaurant business. The existing range of intersectoral links in tourism and hotel-restaurant business is characterized. The advantages of investment activity in the domain both for the country’s economy and for the investor are outlined. The process of investment activity planning to provide the enterprise with the necessary investment resources to improve the efficiency of its investment activity in the future is explained. The complex analysis of investment risks is conducted. The investment activity risks in tourism and hotel-restaurant business are classified. The impact of investment risks on the development of tourism and hotel-restaurant business is determined. The paper emphasizes that high risks of investing that can lead to failing to receive the planned income or loss of invested funds are among the essential risks that restrain the growth of external funding sources of the investment activity.

scholarly journals Components and Mechanisms: How Children Talk About Machines in Museum Exhibits

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Attisano ◽  
Shaylene E. Nancekivell ◽  
Stephanie Denison
Keyword(s):  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Local History ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Exhibit Design ◽  
Visitor Experience ◽  
Older Children ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Museum Exhibits ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
To Receive

The current investigation examines children’s (N = 61; 4- to 8-year old) learning about a novel machine in a local history museum. Parent–child dyads were audio-recorded as they navigated an exhibit that contained a novel artifact: a coffee grinder from the turn of the 20th century. Prior to entering the exhibit, children were randomly assigned to receive an experimental “component” prompt that focused their attention on the machine’s internal mechanisms or a control “history” prompt. First, we audio-recorded children and their caregivers while they freely explored the exhibit, and then, we measured children’s learning by asking them two questions in a test phase. Children of all ages, regardless of the prompt given, discussed most aspects of the machine, including the whole machine, its parts, and, to a lesser extent, its mechanisms. In the test phase, older children recalled more information than younger children about all aspects of the machine and appeared more knowledgeable to adult coders. Overall, this suggests that children of all ages were motivated to discuss all aspects of a machine, but some scaffolding may be necessary to help the youngest children take full advantage of these learning opportunities. While the prompts did not significantly influence the number of children who discussed the machine’s mechanisms, children who received the component prompt were rated as more knowledgeable about the machine in the test phase, suggesting that this prompt influenced what they learned. Implications for visitor experience and exhibit design are discussed.

scholarly journals Unlocking the Entomological Collection of the Natural History Museum of Maputo, Mozambique

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domingos Sandramo ◽  
Enrico Nicosia ◽  
Silvio Cianciullo ◽  
Bernardo Muatinte ◽  
Almeida Guissamulo
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Natural History Museum ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Data Portal ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Biodiversity Information

The collections of the Natural History Museum of Maputo have a crucial role in the safeguarding of Mozambique's biodiversity, representing an important repository of data and materials regarding the natural heritage of the country. In this paper, a dataset is described, based on the Museum’s Entomological Collection recording 409 species belonging to seven orders and 48 families. Each specimen’s available data, such as geographical coordinates and taxonomic information, have been digitised to build the dataset. The specimens included in the dataset were obtained between 1914–2018 by collectors and researchers from the Natural History Museum of Maputo (once known as “Museu Alváro de Castro”) in all the country’s provinces, with the exception of Cabo Delgado Province. This paper adds data to the Biodiversity Network of Mozambique and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, within the objectives of the SECOSUD II Project and the Biodiversity Information for Development Programme. The aforementioned insect dataset is available on the GBIF Engine data portal (https://doi.org/10.15468/j8ikhb). Data were also shared on the Mozambican national portal of biodiversity data BioNoMo (https://bionomo.openscidata.org), developed by SECOSUD II Project.

scholarly journals Biodiversity data and new species descriptions of polychaetes from offshore waters of the Falkland Islands, an area undergoing hydrocarbon exploration

ZooKeys ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 938 ◽  
pp. 1-86
Author(s):  
Lenka Neal ◽  
Gordon L. J. Paterson ◽  
David Blockley ◽  
Ben Scott ◽  
Emma Sherlock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Falkland Islands ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Polychaete Species ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Morphological Species ◽  
Taxonomic Novelty

Benthic environmental impact assessments and monitoring programs accompanying offshore hydrocarbon industry activities result in large collections of benthic organisms. Such collections offer great potential for systematics, biodiversity and biogeography research, but these opportunities are only rarely realised. In recent decades, the hydrocarbon industry has started exploration activities in offshore waters off the Falkland Islands. A large collection of ca. 25,000 polychaete (Annelida) specimens, representing some 233 morphological species was processed at the Natural History Museum, London. Taxonomic assessment led to recognition of many polychaete species that are new to science. The existing taxonomic literature for the region is outdated and many species in existing literature are likely misidentifications. Initially, an online taxonomic guide (http://falklands.myspecies.info) was created, to provide a single taxonomic source for 191 polychaete species to standardise identification across different environmental contractors working in Falkland Islands. Here, this effort is continued to make data available for 18,015 specimens through publication of raw biodiversity data, checklist with links to online taxonomic information and formal descriptions of five new species. New species were chosen across different families to highlight the taxonomic novelty of this area: Apistobranchus jasoni Neal &amp; Paterson, sp. nov. (Apistobranchidae), Leitoscoloplos olei Neal &amp; Paterson, sp. nov. (Orbiniidae), Prosphaerosyllis modinouae Neal &amp; Paterson, sp. nov. (Syllidae) and Aphelochaeta falklandica Paterson &amp; Neal, sp. nov., and Dodecaceria saeria Paterson &amp; Neal, sp. nov. (both Cirratulidae). The potential of the Falkland Islands material to provide up to date informationfor known species described in the literature is also highlighted by publishing images and redescription of Harmothoe anderssoni Bergström, 1916 and Aphelochaeta longisetosa (Hartmann-Schröder, 1965). Biodiversity and abundance data are made available through a DarwinCore database, including material collected from 83 stations at Sea Lion developmental oil field in North Falklands Basin and voucher specimens’ data collected from exploratory oil wells in East Falklands Basin.

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