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This article reports on a study of student engagement in the first year of their undergraduate information and communication technology (ICT) degree at an Australian university. The study was conducted at Monash University in the four undergraduate ICT degrees of the Faculty of Information Technology. The study draws on data collected from staff and students using interviews and a start of semester survey. Three aspects of engagement broadly classified as behavioural, cognitive and affective are used as a framework to analyse the data. Results show that staff perceived students as demonstrating low levels of engagement in their university study. Students presented many reasons to explain the nature and extent of their engagement. Many of their reasons relate to studying in an educational landscape of changing lifestyles and work patterns and a strong reliance on technology to support their learning. This article re-conceptualises the undergraduate student learning experience in the current tertiary climate. Implications of the perceived lack of student engagement are discussed and recommendations are made for ways to increase the level of student engagement. (Contains 2 notes.)

The ability to work in teams is an attribute highly valued by employers of information technology (IT) graduates. For IT students to effectively engage in team work tasks, the process of working in teams should be satisfying for the students. This work explored whether university students who were involved in compulsory team work were satisfied with their experience. The research was seeking predictors of satisfaction with team work which may lead to educators being able to plan interventions that improve students' experiences. Team work satisfaction was measured by asking students to reflect on their current team work experience while rating their level of agreement with statements relating to Global Satisfaction (e.g., Group members interact well with each other.) and Global Dissatisfaction (e.g., My group isn't very efficient). The statements were taken from a set generated by Keyton (1991) in her study of group work satisfaction in university level students. Potential predictors were also assessed by the survey and included: previous experience with team work; perceived usefulness of team work training; familiarity with team members; and gender mix within the team. Two cohorts of students were surveyed. The first consisted of 270 Database 1 (DB1) students working in teams of 3-4 students on a short duration project (5 weeks). Most of these students were at the beginning of their degrees and therefore relatively inexperienced in regards to team work. The second contained 100 Software Engineering Project (SEP) students who were in the final stages of their degree. These students had more experience with team work than the Database students, and were working on a longer project (8 months). It was found that self-reported previous team work experience had little bearing on current satisfaction for either cohort. This finding contradicted the conclusions of Drury, Kay, and Losberg (2003) and Wong, Shi, and Wilson (2004). However, the former reported results from a smaller cohort of older students and the latter measured group performance as an indicator of satisfaction which may account for the differences. For the DB1 students there was no correlation between perceived usefulness of the team work training and the satisfaction. However, there was a small significant correlation for the SEP students. This result may have been due to the nature of the training offered. The training for the DB1 students was of a passive self directed nature whereas the SEP students were offered a two-day workshop. There was no support for the hypothesis that working with friends would influence satisfaction. However, this finding is difficult to interpret given the way in which previous familiarity with team members was assessed. Finally, it was found that working in mixed gender teams was more satisfying for students working on long (8 month) projects than for students working on short duration (5 week) tasks, supporting previous work by Wong et al. It was proposed that the longer term project allowed the team to become better acquainted and better able to capitalize on the communication skills of females. This proposal will require further research. (Contains 3 tables.)

Describes how to employ multivariate regression models and National Research Council data (used to rank doctoral programs) to analyze how measures of program size, faculty seniority, and faculty research and doctoral-degree productivity influence subjective ratings of doctoral programs in 35 academic fields. Illustrates how to compute the effects of changing the number of faculty positions allocated to a field. (10 references) (MLH)

Using the 1995 National Research Council ratings of doctoral programs in 41 fields, a statistical methodology is offered for assessing how measures of program size, faculty seniority, faculty research productivity, and faculty productivity in producing doctoral degrees influenced raters' decisions. Then using data for one field, economics, administrators are shown how to compute the impact of adding one faculty member. (MSE)

Based on a national survey of college administrators' (n=3,333) views of planning, this study investigated the relationship between having a chief planning officer to coordinate planning functions and perceptions of and attitudes toward campus planning. Results suggest the presence of a planner increased perceptions of more rational and comprehensive planning. (Author/MSE)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASAs) Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on Mars in November 2018, and, for the first time, a seismometer was deployed on the surface of the planet. The seismic recordings reveal diurnal and seasonal changes of the broadband noise level that are consistent with variations of the local atmospheric conditions. The seismic data include a variety of spectral peaks, which are interpreted as wind-excited, mechanical resonances of the lander, resonances of the subsurface, or artifacts produced in the measurement system. Understanding the origin of these signals is critical for the detection and characterization of marsquakes as well as for studies investigating the ambient noise. We identify the major spectral peaks up to 9 Hz, corresponding to the frequency range the most relevant to observed marsquakes. We track the variations in frequency, amplitude, and polarization of these peaks over the duration of the mission so far. The majority of these peaks can readily be classified as measurement artifacts or lander resonances (lander modes), of which the latter have a temperature-dependent peak frequency and a wind-sensitive amplitude. Of particular interest is a prominent resonance at 2.4 Hz, which is used to discriminate between seismic events and local noise and is possibly produced by a subsurface structure. In contrast to the lander modes, the 2.4 Hz resonance has distinctly different features: (1) a broad and stable spectral shape, slightly shifted on each component; (2) predominantly vertical energy; (3) temperature-independent peak frequency; (4) comparatively weak amplification by local winds, though there is a slow change in the diurnal and seasonal amplitude; and (5) excitation during all seismic events that excite this frequency band. Based on these observations, we suggest that the 2.4 Hz resonance is the only mode below 9 Hz that could be related to a local ground structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration InSight mission has deployed the seismic experiment, SEIS, on the surface of Mars, and has recorded a variety of signals including marsquakes and dust devils. This work presents results on the tilt and local noise sources, which provide context to aid interpretation of the observed signals and allow an examination of the near-surface properties. Our analysis uses data recorded by the short-period sensors on the deck, throughout deployment and in the final configuration. We use thermal decorrelation to provide an estimate of the sol-to-sol tilt. This tilt is examined across deployment and over a Martian year. After each modification to the site, the tilt is seen to stabilize over 3-20 sols depending on the action, and the total change in tilt is <0.035°. Long-term tilt over a Martian year is limited to <0.007°. We also investigate the attenuation of lander-induced vibrations between the lander and SEIS. Robotic arm motions provide a known lander source in the 5-9 Hz bandwidth, yielding an amplitude attenuation of lander signals between 100 and 1000 times. The attenuation of wind sensitivity from the deck to ground presents a similar value in the 1.5-9 Hz range, thus favoring a noise dominated by lander vibrations induced by the wind. Wind sensitivities outside this bandwidth exhibit different sensitivity changes, indicating a change in the coupling. The results are interpreted through a finite-element analysis of the regolith with a depth-dependent Young's modulus. We argue that discrepancies between this model and the observations are due to local compaction beneath the lander legs and/or anelasticity. An estimate for the effective Young's modulus is obtained as 62-81 MPa, corroborating previous estimates for the top layer duricrust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background A polymorphism in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes in case-control studies. We aimed to estimate associations of the marker rs7903146 (C/T) polymorphism with fasting glucose, lipids, diabetes prevalence and complications in an older general population. Methods In total, 944 subjects aged ≥ 65 years from the population representative InCHIANTI study were enrolled in this study. Those with fasting blood glucose of ≥ 7 mmol/l or physician diagnosis were considered diabetic. Cut-off points for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were ≥ 5.6 mmol/l to < 7 mmol/l. Results In the general population sample, minor (T) allele carriers of rs7903146 had higher fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p = 0.028) but lower fasting insulin (p = 0.030) and HOMA2b scores (p = 0.001), suggesting poorer beta-cell function. T allele carriers also had smaller waist circumference (p = 0.009), lower triglyceride levels (p = 0.006), and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.008). The prevalence of diabetes or IFG was 32.4% in TT carriers and 23.3% in CC carriers; adjusted OR = 1.67 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 2.65, p = 0.031). Within the diabetic and IFG groups, fewer T allele carriers had metabolic syndrome features (p = 0.047) or had experienced a myocardial infarction (p = 0.037). Conversely, T allele carriers with diabetes had poorer renal function (reduced 24-hour creatinine clearance, p = 0.013), and possibly more retinopathy (p = 0.067). Physician-diagnosed dementia was more common in the T carriers (in diabetes p = 0.05, with IFG p = 0.024). Conclusion The TCF7L2 rs7903146 polymorphism is associated with lower insulin levels, smaller waist circumference, and lower risk lipid profiles in the general elderly population. Patients with diabetes who are carriers of the minor allele are less likely to have metabolic-syndrome features, but may experience more microvascular complications, although the number of cases was small. If replicated, these findings may have implications for developing treatment approaches tailored by genotype.

Purpose: Dog bites to the head, neck, and face (HNF) disproportionately affect children. It is unclear if specific facial regions are uniquely at risk in this population. Both the periorbital region and the central target area (CTA; nose, lips, and cheeks) have been proposed as being at increased risk. This study addressed the following question: Among individuals sustaining a dog bite injury to the HNF, are children, when compared with adults, at greater risk of injury to the periorbital region or CTA?Patients and Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, we enrolled a sample composed of patients presenting with HNF dog bite injuries. The predictor variable was age category: pediatric or adult (≥18 years). The primary outcome variable was injury location: isolated periorbital, isolated CTA, both periorbital and CTA, or other HNF location (neither periorbital nor CTA). Other variables included specific facial structures injured, demographic characteristics, injury circumstances, and clinical course. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were calculated.Results: The sample consisted of 183 pediatric (58.5%) and 130 adult (41.5%) patients. Isolated periorbital injuries were more common in the pediatric group (relative risk [RR], 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3 to 3.7]; P = .003), as was injury to both periorbital and CTA regions (RR, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5]; P = .01). Isolated CTA injury was the most common injury pattern overall in both children and adults, but children were at significantly less risk than adults (RR, 0.7 [95% CI, 0.5 to 0.9]; P = .002). Children were also less likely to sustain an injury to other HNF regions (RR, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.3 to 0.97]; P = .038).Conclusions: Children were twice as likely as adults to incur a periorbital dog bite, but no such increased risk was observed for the CTA. This may reflect unique anatomic risks in children or targeting of their eyes by attacking dogs, contributing to higher rates of HNF injury in this population. Public health measures should recommend against children being at eye level with dogs, even if familiar or under adult supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although airbags have been shown to reduce the incidence of life-threatening injuries, they have increased the risk of minor injuries such as those to the skin. Based on the distribution of injuries that can be directly attributed to the airbag itself, it is believed that shear loading exists as a mechanism for these skin injuries. The purpose of this study was to develop a new methodology designed to assess the injury potential from different types of airbag with respect to shear loading. This new methodology utilized a high-speed impactor to accelerate the airbag fabric past a sample of skin. Contact normal forces were monitored by the use of pressure sensors, and fabric velocity was determined from a high-speed video. The abraded skin samples were analysed using light microscopic analysis and ultraviolet light source photography. A new abrasion rating method was developed called the total abrasion score, which allows for quantifiable differentiation between the abrasions caused by different airbag fabric and seam types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]