Partnering with the Majors: A Process Approach to Increasing IS Enrollment

Information systems (IS) programs have been struggling with declining enrollment since 2001. The IS community has addressed the enrollment crisis by sharing best practices in journals and at conferences. Typically, such practices focus on improving enrollment through either (1) recruitment events or (2) program/curriculum development initiatives. While such efforts have been helpful, additional work is needed to examine this issue in a more systematic fashion within the inter-dependent process of recruitment, retention and placement. Furthermore, current research has been largely silent on the potential role that current IS majors may have in recruiting new students into the major – students recruiting students. This paper shares the enrollment initiatives that Baylor University has implemented over the past 2.5 years that have addressed both of these issues. First, we report on how we embedded enrollment initiatives within the overall student development process starting with recruiting students into the major, retaining them and then culminating in placement upon graduation. Secondly, we present a novel student-driven approach to enrollment; where current IS majors are at the heart of the effort. Our IS majors work in close collaboration with IS faculty and corporate recruiters to draw students into the major and help them find jobs. The paper shares these initiatives along with best practices and results

The Effects on Employees from the Switch to Mandatory Contributions in the University of Arkansas Retirement Plan

After the 2016 fiscal year, the University of Arkansas Retirement Plan instituted mandatory contributions for full-time employees, presumably to boost retirement savings among those least prepared for retirement. Mandatory contributions began at 1% in fiscal-year 2017 and increased annually to 5% in fiscal-year 2022. This change may have harmed employees with tight budget constraints who wish to contribute less than the minimum contribution rate. At the same time, it may have helped those who were saving less than their optimal amount due to behavioral biases. We surveyed employees at the University of Arkansas campus to assess the effects from the change to mandatory contributions and received 171 responses. Our main findings are that most respondents are unaffected by the change to mandatory contributions; a small minority are unsatisfied with the change; average contribution rates increased for all full-time employees, especially staff; a small percentage of staff, but no faculty, may have been harmed by the change; and a larger percentage of staff and faculty may have been helped. These results, however, must be interpreted with caution because they are limited by a relatively small sample size that is not representative of the employee composition at the University of Arkansas. For more robust results, a much larger survey is needed that reaches across all campuses of the University of Arkansas System to accurately assess the effects on employees from mandatory contributions

The characterisation of magnetic couplings and the development of a thruster module for an ROV

This dissertation focuses on the development of thruster modules and the characterisation of magnetic couplings for a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV). The dissertation begins with an introduction to the Seahog ROV developed at the University of Cape Town's Robotics and Agents Research Laboratory (RARL). The history, relevance and features of commercial ROVs are discussed in chapter two to introduce the reader to this form of underwater robotics. After this the dissertation is divided into two separate sections. The first section, chapters three to eight, detail the mechanical and electrical modifications made to an existing, magnetically coupled, thruster module design. The objective of this section was to improve the thruster module in order to achieve performances that are similar to commercially available thrusters. The modifications included changes to the drivetrain, the design of new electronics and motor drivers and a reduction in weight of the module's housing. A fundamental analysis of the thruster module is presented, no Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is provided as the propeller and kort-nozzle designs remained unchanged. Even though the improvements produced a reliable and efficient thruster module a greater understanding of magnetic couplings was required to produce a design that was as lightweight as commercial modules. Therefore the second section of this dissertation, chapters nine to twelve, implement and validate an analytical model to calculate the torque and slip characteristics of magnetic couplings. The dissertation is concluded in chapter thirteen with recommendations that incorporate the knowledge gained in magnetic coupling design with the modifications made to the thruster module to produce a thruster design that is both efficient and light

The Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Clinical Psychology Training Program (CPTP) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1948, the first year any programs were accredited. The CPTP’s history and approach to training through the years have been described in numerous articles (DiLillo & McChargue, 2007; Hargrove, 1991; Hargrove & Howe, 1981; Hargrove & Spaulding, 1988; Hope, Hansen, & Cole, 1994; Howe, 1974; Howe & Neimeyer, 1979; Jones & Levine, 1963; Rivers & Cole, 1976). Our program was historically described as a “Community-Clinical” psychology training program, and this focus on understanding and enhancing well-being at the individual, family, and community levels continues to be valued in our program today across a variety of clinical and research activities. The CPTP has followed the scientistpractitioner, Boulder-model of clinical training since its inception. Our Director of Clinical Training in 1949, Marshall Jones, was a participant in the Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology. Both clinical and research training are continuous, integrated processes in the CPTP, continuously supervised and monitored by the clinical faculty. The CPTP subscribes to the APA evidence- based practice model (APA, 2006) across all of our clinical training. Integration of EBP into our scientist-practitioner curriculum was highlighted in a special issue of Journal of Clinical Psychology that focused on EBP training (DiLillo & McChargue, 2007). Students in the CPTP are trained to be both consumers and producers of research, applying best research evidence in clinical practice and generating new knowledge to improve treatment. Within this EBP framework our emphasis is on behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapies. The department made an active decision, beginning in 1990, to hire scientist- practitioner faculty members with a behavioral or cognitive-behavioral orientation. The core clinical faculty provide clinical and research training in behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, third-generation cognitive-behavioral approaches (e.g., mindfulness and acceptance-based), motivational enhancement approaches, and, to a lesser degree, family systems. The CPTP was honored to receive the 2013 ABCT Outstanding Training Program Award. The award is given for “significant contribution to training behavior therapists and/or promoting behavior therapy.

Modeling Longitudinal Change in Cervical Length Across Pregnancy

Introduction: A short cervix (cervical length \u3c 25 mm) in the mid-trimester (18 to 24 weeks) of pregnancy is a powerful predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery (gestational age at delivery \u3c 37 weeks). Although the biological mechanisms of cervical remodeling have been the subject of extensive investigation, very little is known about the rate of change in cervical length over the course of a pregnancy, or the extent to which rapid cervical shortening increases maternal risk for spontaneous preterm delivery. Methods: A cohort of 5,160 unique women carrying 5,971 singleton pregnancies provided two or more measurements of cervical length during pregnancy. Cervical length was measured in millimeters using a transvaginal 12-3 MHz ultrasound endocavity probe (SuperSonic Imagine). Maternal characteristics, including relevant medical history and birth outcome data, were collected for each participant. Gestational age at delivery was measured from the first day of each woman’s last menstrual period and confirmed by ultrasound. Repeated measurements of cervical length during pregnancy were modeled as a longitudinal, multilevel growth curve in MPlus. A three-level variance structure was used to account for non-independence of repeated measurements clustered within pregnancies, which are clustered within participants. Results: The average number of cervical length measurements per pregnancy is 6. Shorter mid-trimester cervical lengths and accelerated rates of cervical shortening are associated with shorter gestational duration. A smaller initial cervical length (p \u3c 1*10-4) and a faster rate of change in cervical change length during pregnancy (p \u3c 1*10-4) are significantly associated with an earlier gestational age at delivery. A higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with shorter initial cervical length in early pregnancy (p \u3c 1*10-4), while maternal age is associated with a more rapid rate of change in cervical length (p \u3c 1*10-4). Parameters describing cervical length and its rate change during pregnancy (i.e., intercept, linear slope, and quadratic slope parameters) explained 59% more variance in gestational age at delivery than a single mid-rimester cervical length measurement, which is the current gold standard in clinical practice. However, a significant amount of residual variance in individual estimates of cervical length growth parameters remains (p \u3c 1*10-4), which could be accounted for, in part, by common variation in the population. Conclusion: We have developed longitudinal models of cervical length that describe individual and group level trajectories of cervical change across pregnancy. Extensions of this model incorporating genomic data, can be used to estimate the heritability of cervical length and its role in mediating the timing of birth.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1141/thumbnail.jp

Oral mucosal injury caused by mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors: emerging perspectives on pathobiology and impact on clinical practice.

In recent years oral mucosal injury has been increasingly recognized as an important toxicity associated with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, including in patients with breast cancer who are receiving everolimus. This review addresses the state-of-the-science regarding mTOR inhibitor-associated stomatitis (mIAS), and delineates its clinical characteristics and management. Given the clinically impactful pain associated with mIAS, this review also specifically highlights new research focusing on the study of the molecular basis of pain. The incidence of mIAS varies widely (2-78%). As reported across multiple mTOR inhibitor clinical trials, grade 3/4 toxicity occurs in up to 9% of patients. Managing mTOR-associated oral lesions with topical oral, intralesional, and/or systemic steroids can be beneficial, in contrast to the lack of evidence supporting steroid treatment of oral mucositis caused by high-dose chemotherapy or radiation. However, steroid management is not uniformly efficacious in all patients receiving mTOR inhibitors. Furthermore, technology does not presently exist to permit clinicians to predict a priori which of their patients will develop these lesions. There thus remains a strategic need to define the pathobiology of mIAS, the molecular basis of pain, and risk prediction relative to development of the clinical lesion. This knowledge could lead to novel future interventions designed to more effectively prevent mIAS and improve pain management if clinically significant mIAS lesions develop