Implementing a Competency-Based Information Technology Curriculum: Challenges and Opportunities (Poster Abstract)

ACM and IEEE Computer Society released new curriculum guidelines for baccalaureate degree programs in Information Technology, also known as the IT2017 report. Built on the foundation of the first ACM/IEEE IT2008 report, the new report, published in December 2017, stands out by its focus on employer-informed competencies that IT graduates should have in order to meet technological challenges of the workplace in the next decade. This poster highlights elements of the IT2017 curricular framework that help academic departments apply a competency-based approach to IT program development. Although competencies are prevalent in many areas of professional practice, placing competencies at the center of IT curriculum development requires rethinking of how we design learning environments in which students achieve IT competencies. In this poster I present some challenges with implementing the IT2017 curricular framework and discuss opportunities for turning the IT2017 report into a living document that learns from IT programs\u27 implementation experiences

How to Complete an Interactive Configuration Process?

When configuring customizable software, it is useful to provide interactive tool-support that ensures that the configuration does not breach given constraints. But, when is a configuration complete and how can the tool help the user to complete it? We formalize this problem and relate it to concepts from non-monotonic reasoning well researched in Artificial Intelligence. The results are interesting for both practitioners and theoreticians. Practitioners will find a technique facilitating an interactive configuration process and experiments supporting feasibility of the approach. Theoreticians will find links between well-known formal concepts and a concrete practical application.Comment: to appear in SOFSEM 201

Trying again to fail-first

For constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs), Haralick and Elliott [1] introduced the Fail-First Principle and defined in it terms of minimizing branch depth. By devising a range of variable ordering heuristics, each in turn trying harder to fail first, Smith and Grant [2] showed that adherence to this strategy does not guarantee reduction in search effort. The present work builds on Smith and Grant. It benefits from the development of a new framework for characterizing heuristic performance that defines two policies, one concerned with enhancing the likelihood of correctly extending a partial solution, the other with minimizing the effort to prove insolubility. The Fail-First Principle can be restated as calling for adherence to the second, fail-first policy, while discounting the other, promise policy. Our work corrects some deficiencies in the work of Smith and Grant, and goes on to confirm their finding that the Fail-First Principle, as originally defined, is insufficient. We then show that adherence to the fail-first policy must be measured in terms of size of insoluble subtrees, not branch depth. We also show that for soluble problems, both policies must be considered in evaluating heuristic performance. Hence, even in its proper form the Fail-First Principle is insufficient. We also show that the “FF” series of heuristics devised by Smith and Grant is a powerful tool for evaluating heuristic performance, including the subtle relations between heuristic features and adherence to a policy

Multimorbidity patterns in people with HIV

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With the progressive aging of populations of people with HIV (PWH), multimorbidity is increasing. Multimorbidity patterns, that is groups of comorbidities that are likely to co-occur, may suggest shared causes or common risk factors. We review the literature regarding multimorbidity patterns identified with data-driven approaches and discuss the methodology and potential implications of the findings. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the substantial heterogeneity in the methods used to identify multimorbidity patterns, patterns of mental health problems, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders and musculoskeletal problems are consistently reported in the general population, with patterns of mental health problems, cardiovascular diseases or metabolic disorders commonly reported in PWH. In addition to these, patterns of lifestyle-related comorbidities, such as sexually transmitted diseases, substance use (alcohol, recreational drugs and tobacco smoking) or their complications, seem to occur among PWH. SUMMARY: Multimorbidity patterns could inform the development of appropriate guidelines for the prevention, monitoring and management of multiple comorbidities in PWH. They can also help to generate new hypotheses on the causes underlying previously known and unknown associations between comorbidities and facilitate the identification of risk factors and biomarkers for specific patterns

Dynamic analysis of a lithium-boiling potassium refractory metal Rankine cycle power system for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Lithium-boiling potassium refractory metal Rankine cycle power system heat transfer model

The Godrevy dog; Early canine or lost pet ?

During sampling of the late Devensian St. Loy Member of the Penwith Formation at Godrevy, Cornwall, several ribs and vertebrae were discovered within the cliff face. The visible bones appeared in context with the surrounding geology with no evidence for later site disturbance or burial. During the excavation the skeleton was entirely enclosed within the coarse grained head deposits. The skeleton was articulated and nearly complete and is identified as Canis familiaris, the"domestic" dog. The recovery of this skeleton from the St. Loy Member of the Penwith Formation, generally regarded to be of mid to late Devensian age, is scientifically problematic. The accepted age for the late Devensian is 12-15,000 years BP. The oldest known domestic dogs are dated at about 10,000 years BP, although the burial of a dog or wolf puppy with a human skeleton from Israel 12,000 yrs BP is taken as early evidence of domestication. There are three possible interpretations: (1) the St. Loy Member of the Penwith Formation is younger than previously thought; (2) that Godrevy dog is a very early domestic dog; (3) that it is possible to incorporate a rcent articulated dog skeleton into Quaternary head deposits without any signs of physical disturbance at the site. Dating of the right radius bone by accelerator mass spectrometry has given a likely age for the skeleton of between 1620 AD and 1680 AD. Thus a 17th century domestic dog has been enclosed within Devensian coarse grained head deposits with no signs of disturbance to the site