The seminars include downloadable class notes and a self administered quiz with answer sheet. The seven-day subscription allows the purchaser to watch and review a video class as many times as needed. Classes last about 50 minutes and can be viewed online for just $39 US for a seven day subscription, a real bargain considering what most online training classes and webinars of this quality cost.

I expected that cost would be the main motivator for the growing trend in online professional training. Likely recession-driven cuts in travel and training budgets have stimulated some growth in online training, but I learned that speed and the convenience of 24/7availability seem to be the leading factors.

"The ability to get fast access to the information you need and view it on your own schedule have been a huge benefit to engineers who have taken the courses, Powder and Bulk Dot Com publisher Joe Taylor told me. "One of the best examples was an email I got just a few weeks ago from an engineer in Europe. He went to our Online Training Center to get a crash course on the options available to solve a particular bulk material flow problem and prepare himself for a presentation to management the next day."

Joe said this example of "just-in-time training" has emerged as one of the more compelling benefits of professional online training. He said lecturers are available to answer questions via email, phone and fax. "Those who attend our classes can pause the video at any time to fire off a question to us," Joe said. "Some really productive dialog has resulted." More seminars are in production. They will feature other leading industry experts and cover a wide variety of process industry operations. Current classes include:

Lecture 1:  Flow Problems - Their effects and flow patterns

Lecture 2:  Design principles for reliable flow - wall friction, flow functions, bin design parameters

Lecture 3:  Feeders, both volumetric and gravimetric - volumetric screws, belts, rotary valves, plus gravimetric & loss-in-weight feeders

Lecture 4:  Measuring bulk solids flow properties - shear testing, variables that affect properties

Lecture 5:  Particle segregation - segregation mechanisms, solutions to common problems

Lecture 6:  Flow aid devices - assistance to gravity flow, air blasters, vibration & fluidization techniques

Lecture 7:  Hopper retrofits to existing systems - cones vs. wedges, hopper liners & special inserts

Lecture 8:  Design examples - determining hopper geometries using the Jenike approach 

Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator

The findings were presented at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. According to Champeau, "Research has shown that mental stimulation similar to that which occurs in individuals who frequently use the Internet may affect the efficiency of cognitive processing and alter the way the brain encodes new information."

While the study focused on an older population, the researchers hope to address the impact of the Internet on younger individuals in future studies. Their goal is to identify aspects of online searching that generate the greatest levels of brain activation.

In this latest study 24 "neurologically normal volunteers" were selected between the ages of 55 and 78. Prior to the study, half the participants used the Internet daily, while the other half had very little experience. Age, educational level and gender were similar among all participants.

Study participants performed Web searches while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, which recorded subtle brain-circuitry changes experienced while browsing. After the initial brain scan, participants went home and conducted Internet searches one hour a day for a total of seven days over a two-week period.
 
In the first scan, participants with little Internet experience demonstrated brain activity in regions controlling language, reading, memory and visual abilities. A second brain scan of the same participants, after they had accomplished their Internet searches at home, demonstrated activation of these same regions, plus additional areas of the brain important for working memory and decision-making.
 
Researchers concluded that, "after Internet training at home, participants with minimal online experience displayed brain activation patterns very similar to those seen in the group of savvy Internet users — after just a brief period of time."

Prior research by the UCLA group found online search activity resulted in more than a twofold increase in brain activation for those with prior browsing knowledge, compared with those with little Internet experience. If you've been lagging in your own Internet searching, there's still hope: The new UCLA research suggests it may take just a few days for those with minimal experience to match the activity levels of those with years of experience. If you have a co-worker or supervisor who seems to be falling behind in their Internet use, you might do their brains a favor by forwarding this article to them!

Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator