Implementation of a Blended Learning Module to Teach Handling, Restraint, and Physical Examination of Cats in Undergraduate Veterinary Training

Cats can be easily stressed in a clinical (training) setting and may show unpredictable reactions and patterns of defensive aggression. This can be a complicating factor in undergraduate veterinary training. Inexperienced veterinary students can evoke defensive feline behavior that negatively affects learning outcomes and animal welfare. As a result, restraint techniques and physical examination of cats was hardly practiced in pre-clinical training at Utrecht University. To overcome this, a new blended learning module was developed using a lecture on feline behavior; e-learning modules about feline behavior, handling, restraint, and physical examination skills; and redesigned practical sessions in which live animals and manikins were used. The aim of this study was to investigate how students’ perceptions of competence and confidence changed regarding feline behavior, handling, restraint, and physical examination skills after the new module was implemented. Questionnaires were used for quantitative analysis, and focus groups were used for qualitative analysis. The results show that compared with students who followed the standard module, students who participated in the blended learning module scored higher in feeling confident with handling animals, feeling competent to perform physical examination on cats, and ability to assess whether a cat is stressed. Students with less experience with cats were more likely to show improvement in assessing a cat’s stress level than students who had much experience with cats. The results demonstrate that the blended learning module improves students’ learning outcomes regarding feline skills training and adds to reduction, refinement, and replacement of the use of live cats.

Application of Electronics Packaging Fundamentals to Photovoltaic Interconnects and Packaging

The energy capacity of photovoltaic (PV) installations worldwide has increased significantly in the last decade, increasing the demand for rigorous investigation of the physical phenomena causing degradation and failures in PV modules. As PV reliability science develops, established methods and approaches from longer-standing industries can inform and expedite PV reliability advances. This work demonstrates how thermomechanical solder bond fatigue models derived for electronics packaging applications can be applied to both standard and emerging PV interconnect designs. This expertise cannot be directly translated to PV however, as target PV module lifetimes are significantly longer than most electronics and the modules must withstand the natural climate wherever they are deployed. Verification of analytical reliability models is then an additional challenge, due to model size, test time, and climate variability. Furthermore, unconventional materials, such as low-temperature solders, are now being integrated into PV designs, for which appropriate material models must be selected and material parameters derived. In this paper, the current state of PV interconnect research is explored, with an emphasis on the experimental and simulation approaches and models being used for this work. Recent results for standard module architectures as well as emerging interconnect schemes are discussed.

A Snake-Like Robot with Envelope Wheels and Obstacle-Aided Gaits

Most of the current snake-like robots can only work in a specific environment, or only have a good movement effect in a certain gait. This paper presents a design for a snake-like robot to improve the adaptability of various environments. Each standard module of the snake-like robot has three degrees of freedom: yawing, rolling, and telescoping. The envelope passive wheels are used to enable the robot to move in complex environments such as a narrow passage. We verified some simple movements such as serpentine movement and rectilinear movement and designed a method for recovering from rollover when the robot is in straight state. In addition, two novel gaits, obstacle-aided concertina gait, and obstacle-aided gait through narrow corner, are proposed in this paper. We demonstrated the feasibility for passing the narrow corner by these gaits in experiments.

DESIGN FEATURES OF RIVER-SEA CRUISE PASSENGER VESSELS FOR RUSSIAN INLAND WATERWAYS AND ADJACENT SEAS

New concepts of river-sea cruise passenger vessels are not only new vessels, but also new tourist product. In market of sea and river cruises there are practically no offers on earlier popular cruises between ports of Black, Mediterranean and Baltic, and Caspian seas. Thus, absence of offers is connected, first, with lack of river-sea cruise vessels. For the solution of problem of connection of sea and river routes modern cruise vessels of PV09, PV300 and PV300VD projects developed by Marine Engineering Bureau are offered. Researches have shown that generally for native conditions traditional single hull type passenger vessel can be recommended. CFD-modelling tests were executed to optimize hull form. Module principles of creating inner living space were used widely. Standard module cabins usage let alternate passenger capacity by using passenger cabin modules with different area in accordance with required comfort level.

Homomorphisms between standard modules over finite-type KLR algebras

Khovanov–Lauda–Rouquier (KLR) algebras of finite Lie type come with families of standard modules, which under the Khovanov–Lauda–Rouquier categorification correspond to PBW bases of the positive part of the corresponding quantized enveloping algebra. We show that there are no non-zero homomorphisms between distinct standard modules and that all non-zero endomorphisms of a standard module are injective. We present applications to the extensions between standard modules and modular representation theory of KLR algebras.