50107 research outputs found
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Constructing artificial neurons with functional parameters comprehensively matching biological values
No full textThe efficient signal processing in biosystems is largely attributed to the powerful constituent unit of a neuron, which encodes and decodes spatiotemporal information using spiking action potentials of ultralow amplitude and energy. Constructing devices that can emulate neuronal functions is thus considered a promising step toward advancing neuromorphic electronics and enhancing signal flow in bioelectronic interfaces. However, existent artificial neurons often have functional parameters that are distinctly mismatched with their biological counterparts, including signal amplitude and energy levels that are typically an order of magnitude larger. Here, we demonstrate artificial neurons that not only closely emulate biological neurons in functions but also match their parameters in key aspects such as signal amplitude, spiking energy, temporal features, and frequency response. Moreover, these artificial neurons can be modulated by extracellular chemical species in a manner consistent with neuromodulation in biological neurons. We further show that an artificial neuron can connect to a biological cell to process cellular signals in real-time and interpret cell states. These results advance the potential for constructing bio-emulated electronics to improve bioelectronic interface and neuromorphic integration
Keynote: Alpha: The Next Generation
No full textGeneration Alpha, the cohort born from 2010 to the present, is the current student population in our elementary, middle, and high schools (9th grade). Unlike any previous generation, these students are true digital natives as they were born into a time when iPads, Instagram, Siri, and Alexa were integral parts of their formative years. In less than four years’ time, these Alphas will be our incoming collegiate freshman class. Are we ready?
Let's discuss how Open Education can support these learners
Co-opting Commercial Tools to Market Free + Open Materials
No full text"With free and open educational materials from over 2,500 MIT courses across the curriculum, MIT OpenCourseWare has a lot to share - but it’s not always easy to market a product when there’s nothing for purchase. To solve this problem, we’re bringing “all hands on deck” to co-opt commercial tools to cultivate brand awareness and marketing practices that are rooted in shared community values of open education. Join us to learn how we’re using tools traditionally leveraged for commercial gain (such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Analytics and a CRM) and re-orienting them to promote free and open products at scale. This interactive panel with staff from across MIT OpenCourseWare and the MIT Open Learning communications team will focus on special considerations when using these marketing tools to promote products that are free – strategies that you can use in your own organization or institute to amplify the power of open.
Electric spiking activity in epithelial cells
No full textEpithelial cells (human keratinocyte cells and the canine MDCK cell line), traditionally viewed as electrically non-self-excitable and involved primarily in physiological functions such as barrier presentation, absorption, secretion, and protection, are shown here to exhibit traveling extracellular electric charge when they recover from spatially focused, laser-induced wounding of confluent monolayers cultured on a multielectrode array chip. Voltage spikes measured on these electrodes display depolarization, repolarization, and hyperpolarization phases with amplitudes similar to the action potentials of neurons but with the markedly slower duration of 1 to 2 s. Some propagate distances up to hundreds of mu m from the wound with a mean speed of around 10 mm s-1. Generation and transmission of bioelectric signals are significantly influenced by the perturbation of mechanosensitive cationic ion channels. These direct measurements confirm bioelectric signaling that previous work has hypothesized to regulate epithelial cell development and may have relevance to the frequency parameter selection of bioelectric devices
Monday Keynote
No full textIn a time of political and technological uncertainty, open education remains a powerful tool for expanding access to knowledge, strengthening learning, and fostering resilience. This talk will explore how open education advocates can navigate shifting policies, co-opted language, and institutional challenges while continuing to make an impact
Module 6
No full textThis module contains materials on database management concepts, and additional review and practice (study guide, practice exam, and practice exam data) of concepts presented in Modules 1-5
From Landscape to Cityscape - Integrating Natural Resources into Urban Hospitality and Tourism to enhance Guests’ Well-being and Recovery
No full textUrban hospitality increasingly integrates natural elements like living walls and wooden features through biophilic design. While prior research focused on sustainability and consumer behavior, this study examines how natural resources in urban hospitality impact travelers' well-being and stress reduction. A qualitative focus group study with 20 rural resort guests identified three key restorative elements: (1) wood and forest features, (2) flora and fauna, and (3) water. These were linked to feelings of longevity and freshness, fostering well-being and recovery. The second phase of this mixed-method study involves a quantitative on-site survey in six urban hotels with biophilic design using a questionnaire and PhotoVoice technique. It will evaluate how these restorative elements and outcomes can be replicated in urban settings. The findings aim to enhance restorative practices in hospitality and other urban spaces, such as hospitals or schools, and may be applicable to other stakeholder groups like employees and local communities
Internships in tourism – the effect of first working experiences and job attribute importance on the intention to work in the tourism and hospitality industry
No full textTourism and hospitality internships are useful both for employers to recruit and train early career workers, and for potential employees to get a realistic job preview. Yet, negative internship experiences may decrease the intention to work in the tourism industry. The aim of this study is to examine how students’ internship experiences influence their willingness to pursue a career in the tourism and hospitality industry, contingent on relevant job attributes. A systematic literature search identified a set of 27 job attributes which are tested with students in two Austrian tourism schools using a pre-post research design
RE-IMAGINING A COMPETITIVE ALSACE: BRANDING AND PRODUCING PLACE IN LATE-CAPITALISM
No full textThis dissertation brings a critical ethnographic lens to bear on the ideologies and practices of place branding as they unfolded in Eastern France in the mid-2010s. Drawing on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, I unpack the semiotic production of place-as-product as well as branding’s role as an entrenched facet of contemporary governance. In most cases, branding a place—whether a city, region, or nation—involves much more than an advertising campaign. Rather, place branding mobilizes broader “politics of attractiveness” in which positive representations of a place are circulated among external audiences to draw foreign investment and other forms of capital, while internally circulated brand narratives aim to motivate an entrepreneurial citizenry. I engage literature on commodification, language materiality, and neoliberal governmentality to understand various aspects of branding and what it means to live in a branded place. Chapter 3 addresses both the quantitative and qualitative production of authorized brand discourses that come to focus on the creation of a brand identity. Chapter 4 investigates efforts to cultivate affective ambassador publics who “live the brand” in ways that pair feelings of local belonging with economic action. In Chapter 5, I examine place branding knowledge and expertise through an ethnographic account of professional conferences, where disciplinary innovations and best practices are debated. This dissertation joins previous research in considering brands as fragile and fallible processes, and as only one of many ways that people “make place.” Thus, this dissertation explores regional branding in Alsace, France, as just one contemporary intervention in a long history of debates over Alsatian nationality, language, and identity. Chapter 2 explores this regional and European history through the lens of semiotic differentiation, whereby the Alsatian identity is both constructed by and constructive of broader European national ideologies. Chapter 6 examines the local effects of brand ideologies in the renaming of the Alsace region itself as part of a broader regional reform. Approached ethnographically, place brands begin to appear as contingent projects in time, rather than as things in the world (Graan 2016, S82), and the diverse motivations for engaging in (or ignoring) brand discourses and materialities begin to surface.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Social Sustainability in Tourism: A DMO Governance Perspective
No full textSocial sustainability, a critical pillar of sustainable tourism, emphasizes well-being, equity, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Grounded in Stakeholder theory and governance framework, this study examines how Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) address diverse stakeholder needs, integrate social sustainability into strategic planning, and measure their impact through key performance indicators (KPIs). In-depth interviews with 11 DMOs across the United States and Croatia revealed strengths in transparency and trust-building but highlight gaps in participatory governance, equitable access, and systematic monitoring. This research underscores the need for inclusive governance mechanisms and robust KPIs to enhance social sustainability outcomes in rural tourism and offers actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers