Exploring Expatriate Academics\u27 Perceptions of Job Satisfaction Relating to Organizational Support at International Branch Campuses in China

International branch campuses are generally a recent institutional development, especially in China, which has built several campuses in recent years. As such, researchers have a limited understanding of these growing higher education sites. The purpose of this study was to learn more about how these campuses can improve, expand, and thrive, instead of shuttering as many have in other countries. Literature shows a clear relationship between job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, employee retention, and the imperative to support expatriate academics. This qualitative study focused on expatriate academics’ perceptions regarding job satisfaction and organizational support. The researcher utilized individual faculty interviews at international branch campuses in China to explore how expatriate faculty felt satisfied and supported at work and in what ways they did not. In addition, the researcher used the general inductive approach, employing semistructured interviews with 33 participants at six international branch campuses. The process included transcribing interviews and analyzing data by coding and categorizing unstructured word data into thematic findings. Findings indicated faculty members’ perceptions of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction relating to their support and lack of support at branch campuses. This research showed the ways in which administrators could or could not be succeeding at keeping their foreign faculty satisfied and feeling supported, and which aspects needed the most improvement. By exploring faculty job satisfaction and perceptions of organizational support, new and/or enduring knowledge can support broad understanding of the needs of expatriate faculty and their commitment to continuing employment. In an applied focus, this study could allow university administration to gain a clearer understanding of those areas of faculty support that may need the most improvement leading to possibly higher retention rates

Fully automated segmentation and tracking of the intima media thickness in ultrasound video sequences of the common carotid artery

Abstract—The robust identification and measurement of the intima media thickness (IMT) has a high clinical relevance because it represents one of the most precise predictors used in the assessment of potential future cardiovascular events. To facilitate the analysis of arterial wall thickening in serial clinical investigations, in this paper we have developed a novel fully automatic algorithm for the segmentation, measurement, and tracking of the intima media complex (IMC) in B-mode ultrasound video sequences. The proposed algorithm entails a two-stage image analysis process that initially addresses the segmentation of the IMC in the first frame of the ultrasound video sequence using a model-based approach; in the second step, a novel customized tracking procedure is applied to robustly detect the IMC in the subsequent frames. For the video tracking procedure, we introduce a spatially coherent algorithm called adaptive normalized correlation that prevents the tracking process from converging to wrong arterial interfaces. This represents the main contribution of this paper and was developed to deal with inconsistencies in the appearance of the IMC over the cardiac cycle. The quantitative evaluation has been carried out on 40 ultrasound video sequences of the common carotid artery (CCA) by comparing the results returned by the developed algorithm with respect to ground truth data that has been manually annotated by clinical experts. The measured IMTmean ± standard deviation recorded by the proposed algorithm is 0.60 mm ± 0.10, with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.05%, whereas the corresponding result obtained for the manually annotated ground truth data is 0.60 mm ± 0.11 with a mean CV equal to 5.60%. The numerical results reported in this paper indicate that the proposed algorithm is able to correctly segment and track the IMC in ultrasound CCA video sequences, and we were encouraged by the stability of our technique when applied to data captured under different imaging conditions. Future clinical studies will focus on the evaluation of patients that are affected by advanced cardiovascular conditions such as focal thickening and arterial plaques

Embedding accessibility in research support and scholarly communication systems and processes: A Reflective Case Study.

In the context of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (2018) this reflective case study examines the improvements we are making to accessibility across our research systems. We share our methodologies and break down the steps we are taking to embed inclusive practices.  We explore how these steps went and what we have learnt from the process. We are committed to future digital content accessibility in research and scholarly communication at the [Organisation name] and this project shows how it can be achieved using existing resources and be applied to other situations. &nbsp

Implementation and analysis of a spatial skills course for Secondary level STEM education

High spatial skills have been directly linked to enhanced performance in STEM disciplines, with improvements in spatial skills linked to an increase in female retention at the university level. Spatial skills development and direct training are well researched and implemented within university level engineering education but are less defined at earlier stages of education. It is hypothesised that a spatial intervention implemented at the secondary level could be beneficial in order to boost student performance in STEM, where it still influences their interest in subjects and future career paths. The purpose of this paper is to present the implementation process of a spatial intervention in Irish secondary schools and the initial analysis of combined teacher and student data. The intervention was implemented with Transition Year (aged ~15 to 16 years old) students. Fifty teachers undertook a tailored professional development training to prepare them to deliver the spatial skills intervention, some of which then took part in various qualitative data gathering activities. The intervention was delivered to approximately 1500 students. They were administered a range of psychometric tests, including multiple spatial tests and a fluid reasoning test to investigate their development in a variety of cognitive aspects. This paper will focus on investigating the possible relationships between teacher spatial ability and student gains in spatial ability. The findings of the study were positive, indicating the successful implementation of the intervention and showing promise for future iterations

The challenges of implementing a spatial ability intervention at secondary level

Spatial skills development has been widely examined throughout the literature, with evidence suggesting many cognitive abilities are malleable and can be improved through targeted solutions. Some previous examples of intervention studies have been shown to reduce the gap between genders, and those of a lower socio-economic status where the training increased spatial ability, as well as in discipline-specific educational performance. These findings align with many national agendas for STEM diversity, which strive to increase participation and performance of such under-represented groups in STEM. With a lot of research being conducted around spatial skill development within a university level setting, or outside of a formal educational context completely, the applicability of such training interventions in a secondary level school context is unclear. With secondary level education aiming to develop many cognitive abilities, including spatial ability as outlined in curriculum documents, the implementation of such an intervention could improve student outcomes and add value to the educational experience of the students. With the time-sensitive nature of secondary level schooling, there are many concerns around the amount of time and effort that needs to be invested to successfully implement such an intervention. Through the piloting of a spatial training intervention, this paper focusses on the development of spatial skills within an upper secondary level setting in Ireland with 358 students aged 14-16 enrolled in the Transition Year programme and their 10 teachers. This paper examines the challenges of implementation of a specific spatial skills intervention, through a variety of lenses, including pedagogy based and performance based, and offers considerations for future research in the area. By looking from both teacher and student perspectives, we explore the issues encountered and offer suggestions to researchers conducting similar studies at secondary level

Senior Recital: Liam Duffy, Tenor; Maura Nika, Piano; Ellie Paschall, Soprano; Olivia Crane, Soprano; Milo Cusack, Baritone; November 12, 2023

Kemp Recital HallNovember 12, 2023Sunday Evening8:00 p.m

Emergence of Dirac-like bands in the monolayer limit of epitaxial Ge films on Au(111)

After the discovery of Dirac fermions in graphene, it has become a natural question to ask whether it is possible to realize Dirac fermions in other two-dimensional (2D) materials as well. In this work, we report the discovery of multiple Dirac-like electronic bands in ultrathin Ge films grown on Au(111) by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. By tuning the thickness of the films, we are able to observe the evolution of their electronic structure when passing through the monolayer limit. Our discovery may signify the synthesis of germanene, a 2D honeycomb structure made of Ge, which is a promising platform for exploring exotic topological phenomena and enabling potential applications

Systematic Study of Ferromagnetism in CrxSb2-xTe3 Topological Insulator Thin Films using Electrical and Optical Techniques.

Ferromagnetic ordering in a topological insulator can break time-reversal symmetry, realizing dissipationless electronic states in the absence of a magnetic field. The control of the magnetic state is of great importance for future device applications. We provide a detailed systematic study of the magnetic state in highly doped CrxSb2-xTe3 thin films using electrical transport, magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements and terahertz time domain spectroscopy, and also report an efficient electric gating of ferromagnetic order using the electrolyte ionic liquid [DEME][TFSI]. Upon increasing the Cr concentration from x = 0.15 to 0.76, the Curie temperature (Tc) was observed to increase by ~5 times to 176 K. In addition, it was possible to modify the magnetic moment by up to 50% with a gate bias variation of just ±3 V, which corresponds to an increase in carrier density by 50%. Further analysis on a sample with x = 0.76 exhibits a clear insulator-metal transition at Tc, indicating the consistency between the electrical and optical measurements. The direct correlation obtained between the carrier density and ferromagnetism - in both electrostatic and chemical doping - using optical and electrical means strongly suggests a carrier-mediated Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) coupling scenario. Our low-voltage means of manipulating ferromagnetism, and consistency in optical and electrical measurements provides a way to realize exotic quantum states for spintronic and low energy magneto-electronic device applications