Celebrating 25 Years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but where to next?

Ruth Taylor is a current MSc Human Rights student at LSE. She is also the International Development Manager for Student Hubs, where she leads on the Impact International programme for the UK, which aims to promote global citizenship amongst UK students

Is the Job Market Tight for Your Grads? Beyond the ABCs of Job Search: ‘Suit’em Up’, Inside & Out, and ‘Brand’ Them

This paper focuses on ‘fear’ found most common among upper-level college students and military veterans in today’s tight job market. One principles of marketing educator’s experiential project, entitled ‘Suit’em up,’ inside & out, and ‘brand’ them is discussed at length with implementation details and perception survey findings provided along with pre-project related mini-lectures. The project moved individual participants beyond the typical ABCs of the job search process to that of creating for a mission-centric, introspective-based marketing plan with the ultimate goal of finding meaningful, lifesatisfying work. Implications for student cohorts- at large and academic, veteran, and at-large career counselors are identified

Creating Transparent and Accessible Methods For Approximating the Composite Strength of Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels

Background: The method of designing partially composite sandwich wall panels (SWPs) relies strongly on the use of percent of composite action. Calculating these values proves to be a complex and virtually inaccessible process for practicing engineers, resulting in the reliance on proprietary software or connector-system manufacturers for the necessary values. We simulated percent composite action data, including several relevant variables, to examine the relationship and determine if simple and accessible methods of calculation could be created. Methods: Code from collaborating engineers used to calculate percent composite action with the Iterative Sandwich Beam Theory (ISBT) method was translated into R, a free software. Large data sets (five million observations each) were simulated using the ISBT method, including eight potential explanatory variables and two response variables, percent of deflection composite action (Def.%.Cmp) and percent of cracking composite action (Crk.%.Cmp). Data sets were created for two possible explanatory variable ranges, the “common” range and the full theoretical range. Data were analyzed and cleaned, and traditional variable selection techniques were applied. Ordinary least squares (OLS), quantile regression, and pruned regression trees were fit to the data in an attempt to provide simplified models for calculation. Results: The simple regression methods were unfit for the data sets simulated using the full theoretical ranges for explanatory variables, which exhibited very loose relationships between explanatory and response variables, so the main analysis was run for the common range data sets. Strong relationships were found between predictor variables wall height in inches (variable L), average elastic stiffness of the connectors (kip/in) (variable K) and percent composite action response variables. We found models were most effective with transformations for the response variables ((Def.%.Cmp)1.5 and (Crk.%.Cmp)2). The mean relative absolute error rates were high for OLS, quantile models and traditional pruned regression trees (Def.%.Cmp min.=0.302 max.=0.490, Crk.%.Cmp min.= 0.246 max.=0.490), but the median relative absolute error rates were much lower (Def.%.Cmp min.=0.0744 max.=0.233, Crk.%.Cmp min.= 0.0605 max.=0.156). This indicated inconsistency in prediction; we found that all of the simple regression models tended to overestimate the values of percent composite on the lower and upper tails of the data, indicated by the predicted/observed ratios being over 1. Pruned regression trees were used to estimate coefficients for K, by producing regression trees for (Def.%.Cmp)1.5/K and (Crk.%.Cmp)2/K. Using these new regression trees, we reduced our error drastically compared to our linear models (Def.%.Cmp mean absolute prediction error=0.104 median absolute prediction error=0.0772, Crk.%.Cmp mean absolute prediction error= 0.171 median absolute prediction error =0.0663), and our prediction to observation ratios reduced to roughly 1, indicating less severe overestimation. Conclusions: We found the full theoretical range of variables to produce data too unstable for simple regression methods. Variables L and K were found to be significant and useful in predicting percent composite action. The implemented regression methods were not able to be produced at this stage of research to be of practical use, either from being too inaccurate or too complicated for our purposes. However, the ISBT method for calculation is now available in freely software, allowing for accessibility for practicing engineers.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/fsrs2021/1041/thumbnail.jp

Evaluating an Instrument Designed to Assess Job Satisfaction of Airline Passenger Service Staff

The importance of understanding how the practices of the work setting impact employee job satisfaction has stimulated a great deal of research, much of which has been researched within the secondary or manufacturing industries. This research project sought to investigate employee job satisfaction as it relates to the tertiary or service industry sector. This paper reports the findings of a survey with 74 airline flight attendants who responded to a questionnaire that provided data for assessing relationships between work unit context variables and job satisfaction. Human resource management implications from the study results, particularly in terms of creating and maintaining a favourable work setting, are discussed

The views of migrant health workers living in Austria and Belgium on return migration to sub-Saharan Africa

Background: The negative consequences of the brain drain of sub-Saharan African health workers for source countries are well documented and include understaffed facilities, decreased standards of care and higher workloads. However, studies suggest that, if migrated health workers eventually return to their home countries, this may lead to beneficial effects following the transfer of their acquired skills and knowledge (brain gain). The present study aims to explore the factors influencing the intentions for return migration of sub-Saharan African health workers who emigrated to Austria and Belgium, and gain further insight into the potential of circular migration. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 27 sub-Saharan African health workers in Belgium and Austria were conducted. Results: As mentioned by the respondents, the main barriers for returning were family, structural crises in the source country, and insecurity. These barriers overrule the perceived drivers, which were nearly all pull factors and emotion driven. Despite the fact that only a minority plans to return permanently, many wish to return regularly to work in the healthcare sector or to contribute to the development of their source country. Conclusion: As long as safety and structural stability cannot be guaranteed in source countries, the number of return migrants is likely to remain low. National governments and regional organizations could play a role in facilitating the engagement of migrant health workers in the development of the healthcare system in source countries

Executive Director’s Note

This edition is the first to be published under a reorganized Publications Committee with a new program and a new editor. Dr. Elizabeth C. Stevens is the editor of Rhode Island History, the scholarly journal of the Rhode Island Historical Society. She was an associate editor of the Papers of General Nathanael Greene, a thirteen-volume NEH-sponsored project at the Rhode Island Historical Society that was completed in 2005. She has also worked on another historical editing project, volume two of The Jane Addams Papers. Elizabeth has a doctorate in American Studies from Brown University (1993) and is the author of Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman: A Century of Abolitionist, Suffragist, and Workers’ Rights Activism. (McFarland, 2004

An In-Depth Review of ALEC 305: Presentation Strategies for Agricultural Audiences

This portfolio reviews the class, ALEC 305: Presentation Strategies for Agricultural Audiences. This is junior-level class required for students majoring in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communication (AESC) and is an elective for students minoring in AESC or in Leadership and Communication. The class was also approved as a required class for the Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication (ALEC) major that is anticipated to launch in Fall 2022. As a core requirement for ALEC, the enrollment is anticipated to increase from 25 students to 50 students a year. This class focuses on practical presentations strategies that connect to students’ careers. Learning activities in the course include discussions, informal and formal presentations, and a variety of additional hands-on activities and demonstrations. Student evaluation comments supported that students enjoyed the active learning strategies utilized in the class and appreciated the detailed assignment feedback. Additionally, self-reported data indicated students felt more competent in all major skill areas taught in the class, including creating visuals, sounding and looking confident, and organizing presentations. Some students indicated they would appreciate more presentation opportunities in the future, but most liked the class how it was currently taught. To address the expected increase of enrollment in the future, a graduate teaching assistant has been secured for this class. Another improvement to this course is the addition of virtual reality programs to allow students to practice their presentations. Assignments and content will also be adjusted in the future to best meet the needs of the students enrolled in ALEC 305

An In Vitro Study of Hair Cell Regeneration within the Inner Ear of the Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens

The newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, an Urodele amphibian, is capable of regenerating many body parts and tissues. The newt presented a potential alternative to the avian and mammalian animal models in which to investigate the mechanisms of the hair cell regeneration in the auditory and vestibular organs. As part of the initial study, the morphology of the seven sensory epithelia were examined using several techniques. The main aim of this study was to assess recovery of hair cells and distinguish the means by which this recovery occurred. An in vitro system was established in which to characterize hair cell recovery following ablation with gentamicin. The level of apoptotic bodies in the epithelia following treatment demonstrated that hair cells were lost via programmed cell death. There was no evidence for repair of non-lethally damaged hair cells. Hair cell recovery was found to be robust but slow. Incubation with bromodeoxyuridine revealed a stimulation of proliferation amongst supporting cells, although new hair cells did not arise from these mitotic events. Hes1, p27kip1 and Ath1, known to be expressed during developmental patterning of the sensory epithelia in the mammalian inner ear, were investigated in newt sensory epithelia. All three were shown to be present in the saccule. The presence of Ath1 and p27kip1 was examined in undamaged tissue and during the recovery period following ablation of hair cells by immunohistochemistry. Labelling for p27kip1 remained unaltered throughout the recovery period, but no labelling with antibody to Ath1 was apparent in regenerated hair cells. The effect of the limb blastemal (growth zone) environment, known to induce cell cycle re-entry of other newt cells, was also investigated by the implantation of undamaged saccules. Implanted saccules were found to survive for up to six days within the blastema

Condition of Social Change at El Dornajo, Southwestern Ecuador

This dissertation explores the role of internal and external conditions of social change at the site of El Dornajo in the El Oro-Tumbes region of southern Ecuador / northern Peru. The El Oro-Tumbes region lies on the boundary between the central and northern Andean culture areas. Consequently, the developmental trajectory of this region has often been seen as closely tied to that of its more complex neighbors. Indeed, as inter-regional interaction between these areas increased through time, the potential for such interactions to affect the intermediate region also increased. However, the El Oro-Tumbes region is also the epicenter of El Niño activity along the South American, coast making environmental hazards an equally plausible condition for social change. The possible role of these conditions, inter-regional interaction and environmental hazards, were examined at the site of El Dornajo, a central place in the Zarumilla River Valley during the Regional Development Period. Results indicate that neither condition was a catalyst for social change, although each played a role in the developmental trajectory of the site in ways not originally anticipated. Existing data suggest that social inequality at El Dornajo was most directly associated with land rights and regional interaction between elites that were manifest at the site in clambakes and the display of prestige goods