Definitions, uses, and understanding of technology have varied tremendously since Jacob Bigelow's Elements of Technology in 1829. In addition to providing a frame of reference for understanding technology, the purpose of this study was to define or describe it conceptually. A determination of dimensions comprising technology was made by critiquing historical and contemporary examples of definition by Bigelow and Volti. An analytic-synthetic method was employed to deconstruct both definitions spanning two centuries to derive aspects of technology. Definitions relying on an anthropocentric "how humans use technology" viewpoint failed to account for different perspectives that were found when an ethological perspective inquiring "how technology is used" served as a framework. Findings support qualification of insulin as technology according to the following comprehensive definition: something inherently intelligent enough to either function, be used to function, or be interpreted as having a function that intelligent beings-human or otherwise-can appreciate, something devised, designed (by primary intention), or discovered (by secondary intention) serving particular purposes from a secular standpoint without humankind creating it, or a significant beneficiary of rationally derived knowledge that is "used for" a purpose without itself necessarily being translated into something material that "does" autonomously, or dependently when used.

In recent decades, a number of high-profile cases involving fraud as research misconduct have been in the media and resulted in severe consequences for those convicted. According to the increased cases of allegations and coverage in the media, this reflects a heightened awareness that fraudulent actions exist.  Nonetheless, the Office of Research Integrity data suggests that despite the growth in the number of the cases of allegation there has not been a commensurate increase in findings of misconduct. The purpose of this paper is to explore misconduct to better understand what it entails. An analysis of misconduct from the perspective of the definitions of allegations and fraud of is conducted and potential frameworks for understanding both are considered. The paper considers serial-positioning effects of primacy and recency on allegation phenomena, as well as supervenience theory and contextualism as a lens for understanding fraud. Discussion of the relational semantics of the core aspects of fraud and de facto grouping of forms of misconduct.  It is concluded that the interrogative pronouns of “what” and “when” could be used to categorize forms of misconduct laying the foundation for the next paper that deconstructs the definition of falsification according to the Public Health Service.

The article introduces the author's concept of applying principles of biological design to drive creative problem-solving. It provides a brief background of the field of Biomimetics, which serves as a context for the reader to appreciate how it began with an established field upon which he constructed and adapted his concept to apply to human-made intangibles. A discussion of Theoretical Biomimetics specifies the differences between it and its predecessor. The final section provides the opportunity to see Theoretical Biomimetics in detail applied to education theory to address a problem related to student learning in higher education and how best to establish optimized sequences to implement evidence-based active-learning techniques to fill a void in the literature demonstrating from nature what has worked. The originality lies in the author taking a multidisciplinary approach to synergize a sequence of existing active-learning techniques and apply them to a new area in a new way. KeywordsBiomimetics, creative problem-solving, educational theory, active learning, teaching methodologies, pedagogy IntroductionWhat do Aircraft, CPR, The Camera, Eyeglasses, and Swimming all have in common?They all exist as results of the successful comprehension and application of data obtainedMultidisciplinary Journal for Education, https://doi.org/10.4995/muse.2017.7078 Social and Technological Sciences ISSN: 2341-2593 La Shun L. Carroll (2017) from the observation of principles that guide biological processes or designs to create, develop, or advance human-made tangibles. If one wants to fly, then studying birds is the best option. Likewise, if the goal is to sustain life then understanding how life is sustained should provide guidance on which essential principles to incorporate. Therefore, it requires no stretch of the imagination to understand the potential benefits of studying and applying principles that govern biological processes and designs in nature to address problems of all sorts.Problems do come in many forms, such as naturally occurring events. While it may not be the case that the conditions are the cause of the natural event occurring; the natural event occurs because of the conditions and may provide clues as to how best to deal with it in the future. Responsibility is either directly attributed (i.e., the cause of), or indirectly attributed (i.e., because of). Although it is unfathomable to either encounter or create a problem for which there is no solution, without insight into the workings of the most creative of problem-solvers known to man, it may prove too daunting a task to solve on our own. Our reality consists of a constant juggling act where we become aware of a problem only to reveal another problem in the process of solving the first. There is apparently no way to address every problem without creating "new" ones. Nevertheless, there may be hope for finding a new application that borrows from an existing field known as Biomimetics, which the author has envisioned and he believes has the...

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences suggested the definition of science literacy emphasize how crucial understanding the scientific process and the ability to evaluate conflicting scientific evidence is.  The purpose of this article is to present an evidence-supported curriculum covering the fundamentals of logic, reasoning, and argumentation skills to address the emphasized basic knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be scientifically literate, which will prepare the public to understand and engage with science meaningfully.  An analytic-synthetic approach toward understanding the notion of public is taken using a theoretical biomimetics framework that identifies naturally occurring objects or phenomena that descriptively captures the essence of a construct to facilitate creative problem-solving.  In the present case, the problem being solved is how to reconcile what is meant by public, how it ought to be interpreted, the different levels of confidence in science that exist, and various understandings of science all with one another.  The results demonstrate there is an inherent denotative-connotative inconsistency in the traditional notion of public that can be explicated through the concept of a fractal allowing for comprehension of the relationship between public confidence in, and understanding of, science.

Traditionally understood in reference to distance education, cognitive presence may be defined as "the extent to which the participants in any particular configuration of a community of inquiry can construct meaning through sustained communication.  The purpose of this paper was to create a blueprint for the reflective ePortfolio as the capstone project for my graduate degree.   The blueprint was accomplished by adapting for use cognitive presence as a tool for both analysis and framing, which has never been done to the best of my knowledge.  I considered myself to be a participant in a “community of inquiry” model and substituted the result of my interaction with each of the required instructor-course content pairings I took to serve as fellow participants in this community model. The result of my participation was understood to be the knowledge and experience that I have gained, which was reflected in eight of my academic research papers.  These selected papers were the artifacts around which my ePortfolio was ultimately developed and demonstrated my participation as an active member in this community of inquiry constructing meaning through sustained communication.