Divergent Messages in a Converging World

The mid 1990s was a period when the development of the household market for new information and communication technologies (ICTs) was of paramount importance for producers and suppliers. The Household Information Systems project was devised to investigate whether or not discourses of convergence accompanying the development of new ICT services and products had any resonance in the lives of "ordinary" consumers. This article presents an overview of the research and a more general series of observations about research into the domestic consumption of new media technology. The article advocates an approach to studying new media technology that analyzes the "full life cycle" of technology. In practice, this means utilizing theories from a range of disciplines focusing on a number of different points in the "cultural circuit" within which all technology is located.     

Prevalence of sleep disorders and sleep problems in an elite super rugby union team

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep disorders in an elite rugby union team using in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) and sleep questionnaires. Twenty-five elite rugby union players underwent a night of PSG during the “off-season” of the Super Rugby competition to assess their sleep. Of interest were measurements that detected the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA; apnea-hypopnea index ≥5 events/hr) and the presence of moderate-severe periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMs; ≥15 events/hr). Players completed sleep-related questionnaires to assess daytime sleepiness, perception of insomnia, risk of OSA, and the presence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and underwent basic anthropometric assessments including body mass index and neck circumference. OSA was present in 24% (n=6) of players and PLMs ≥15 events/hr in 12% (n=3). Questionnaire responses showed that all players had insomnia defined subthreshold insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness, two players were identified as being at risk for OSA and none were classified as having RLS. In conclusion, sleep disorders and excessive sleepiness are common in elite rugby union players. A process to identify and manage sleep disorders should be considered by teams to optimise their physical recovery, athletic performance and to safeguard their health.     

An evaluation of adaptive filtering in the context of realistic task-based information exploration

Exploratory search increasingly becomes an important research topic. Our interests focus on task-based information exploration, a specific type of exploratory search performed by a range of professional users, such as intelligence analysts. In this paper, we present an evaluation framework designed specifically for assessing and comparing performance of innovative information access tools created to support the work of intelligence analysts in the context of task-based information exploration. The motivation for the development of this framework came from our needs for testing systems in task-based information exploration, which cannot be satisfied by existing frameworks. The new framework is closely tied with the kind of tasks that intelligence analysts perform: complex, dynamic, and multiple facets and multiple stages. It views the user rather than the information system as the center of the evaluation, and examines how well users are served by the systems in their tasks. The evaluation framework examines the support of the systems at users’ major information access stages, such as information foraging and sense-making. The framework is accompanied by a reference test collection that has 18 tasks scenarios and corresponding passage-level ground truth annotations. To demonstrate the usage of the framework and the reference test collection, we present a specific evaluation study on CAFÉ, an adaptive filtering engine designed for supporting task-based information exploration. This study is a successful use case of the framework, and the study indeed revealed various aspects of the information systems and their roles in supporting task-based information exploration.     

The solution of boundary value problems by multiple Laplace transformations

By use of the multiple Laplace transform a partial differential equation and its associated boundary conditions characterizing a boundary value problem in n independent real variables can be transferred directly into an algebraic equation in n independent complex variables. This algebraic equation can be solved for the multiple transform of the solution of the boundary value problem. Multiple inversion of this transform then gives the desired solution. The general theory underlying such solution of boundary value problems in two and three independent variables is advanced in detail. Use of this theory is illustrated by solution of two specific problems.     

Children in care in education: Who is entered for exams and who reaches critical thresholds of success at age 16?

Being entered for exams and reaching key educational thresholds, for example 5 A* to C grades (including English and Mathematics) at GCSE, are important markers of participation and success in secondary education. However, little is known about the prevalence and make-up of children in care reaching these thresholds. Using secondary data analysis, we compared the proportions of children in care, children ‘in need’ and children in the general population who achieved four key thresholds, including exam entry and 5 A* to C grades, including English and Mathematics. We then focused on children in care and examined factors that predicted exam entry and achieving 5 A* to C grades, including English and Mathematics. Children receiving social care interventions were less likely than children in the general population to be entered for exams or to reach important educational thresholds. For children in care, several socio-demographic, care and educational factors predicted their likelihood of success. No children with an autistic spectrum disorder or who had ever been permanently excluded were recorded to have achieved 5 A* to C grades, including English and Mathematics. Children with poor attainment at Key Stage 2 were also at significant risk of not achieving this threshold. Practitioners and policymakers should consider the modifiable risk factors for poor educational performance and be aware of groups of children in care who are at significant risk of not achieving a minimum standard which could open doors for their future.     

Assessment in an era of accessibility: Evaluating rules for scripting audio representation of test items

Standardized, large-scale assessment of educational outcomes has become a global phenomenon over the past three decades (Smith, 2016 ). A key challenge facing assessment designers is that standard formats may be inaccessible or may create barriers to student performance. Schwanke, Smith, and Edyburn's ( 2001 ) A3 model describes how advocates have reacted to structural barriers by providing accommodations and, ultimately, accessibility. This paper synthesizes and evaluates three studies that attempted to improve accessibility in assessments for students who struggle with print reading through audio presentation of assessment items. Cross-study implications for policy and practice are considered.     

Mapping points of interest: an analysis of students’ engagement with digital primary sources

ABSTRACT

The Digital Archival Advertisements Survey Process (DAASP) model is a collaborative active learning exercise designed to aid students in evaluating primary source documents of print-based advertisements. By deploying DAASP, the researchers were able to assess the students’ ability to evaluate their biases of the advertisements in a first-year composition course. This research attempts to answer the following research question: Do students perceive heatmap-centered collaboration as helpful with their evaluation of library-licensed digital primary sources? This research explored students’ experiences interacting with and reflecting on archival advertisements (mid-twentieth century) in a first-year composition class in Fall 2017 utilizing the DAASP model.