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The purpose of this paper is to report undergraduate students’ learning gains in six areas of generic skills. The paper reports on students’ responses to the First Year Experience (FYE) Survey completed at the end of their first year and Graduating Student Survey (GSS) in the final semester of their final year.

In this study, a longitudinal design was applied in data collection, analysis and reporting of assessment if student learning gains. The undergraduate students who were the first cohort of four-year curriculum students in a Hong Kong university were selected as the sample. Repeated measures of reported learning gains of a longitudinal sample based on stacking of both FYE and GSS data were analysed using the Rasch model.

The results showed that the scale for measuring the six areas of generic skills had high reliability and good person separation. Comparison of repeated measures from the same group of students at the two time points were examined to explore whether there is growth in the generic skills during their university studies.

One limitation of the study was the relatively small sample size of 359 students in one higher education institution.

The findings of the study provide insight into conceptual understanding and measurement of university student learning gains.

Whilst several studies have investigated university student learning gains, there is limited research which explores the use Rasch modelling in assessment of student learning gains in multiple areas towards completion of their undergraduate studies.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the value of extended time span coverage of state longitudinal education and workforce data system to inform and improve the effectiveness of future high impact expenditure decisions.

It used an analytical 29-year data file created by the author that links seven already-in-place education and workforce administrative record sources. Relying on the path dependency theory, multi-level mixed-effect logistic and multi-level mixed-effect linear regression models are used to test three hypotheses.

The findings are consistent with the hypotheses: inclusion of the multiple steps along a post-secondary education pathway and prior job histories are both critical to understanding workforce outcomes mechanisms; it takes time for the employment outcome effect to be evident and strong following education attainment.

The study concludes with research limitations and implications for decision makers to call for retaining and investing in administrative records with extended time span coverage, particularly for the already-in-place historical administrative records.

The paper is one of the first to demonstrate the value of extended time span coverage in a longitudinal state integrated data system through econometric modeling, using longitudinally integrated data linking seven administrative records covering continuously for 29 years. No matter for prior education or employment pathway, it is only through extended time span coverage that employment outcomes can be well measured and the rich nuances interpreting the mechanisms of education return on investment can be revealed.

Advancements in robotics have led to significant improvements in robot‐assisted minimally invasive surgery. This paper describes our design of an automated laparoscopic grasper with tri‐directional force measurement capability at the grasping jaws. The laparoscopic tool can measure normal, lateral, and longitudinal grasping forces while grasping soft tissue. Additionally, the tool can also be used to measure the tissue probing forces. Initial testing of the prototype has shown its ability to accurately characterize artificial tissue samples of varying stiffness and accurately measure the probing forces.

This paper aims to investigate the behaviour of geosynthetic reinforced deep cement mixed (DCM) column-supported embankments constructed over soft soils.

Coupled consolidation analyses based on the finite element method are carried out assuming that the soil and DCM columns are fully saturated porous mediums. In the first part of the paper, a case study of an embankment constructed over a very soft soil deposit in Finland is presented. Two- and three-dimensional finite element models for the case study are developed including isolated and attached DCM columns beneath the embankment to capture the arching mechanism between DCM columns. The model simulations were carried out considering the actual staged construction procedure adopted in the field. Finite element predictions show good agreement with field data and confirm that the load transfer is mainly between attached columns beneath the embankment. Next, the significance of geosynthetic reinforcement on the load transfer mechanism is investigated. Finally, the influence of permeability of columns and soft soil on the performance of geosynthetic reinforcement column-supported embankments is studied.

Results demonstrate that the excess pore pressure dissipation rate is fast in DCM column-improved ground compared to the same case without any columns, although the same permeability is assigned to both DCM columns and surrounding soft soil. When DCM column permeability exceeds soil permeability, excess pore pressure dissipation rate shows a remarkable increase compared to that observed when the DCM column permeability is less than or equal to the permeability of surrounding soft soil. [ ]

This paper investigates the contribution of permeability and geosynthetic layer on the vertical load transfer mechanism of the embankment and modelling issues related to application of the embankment load and the properties of the cement-improved columns.

Facing the multiplication of entrepreneurship education programmes (EEP) and the increasing resources allocated, there is a need to develop a common framework to evaluate the design of those programmes. The purpose of this article is to propose such a framework, based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

TPB is a relevant tool to model the development of entrepreneurial intention through pedagogical processes. The independent variables are the characteristics of the EEP and the dependent variables are the antecedents of entrepreneurial behaviour. To illustrate and test the relevance of the evaluation methodology, a pilot study is conducted.

Data are consistent and reliable, considering the small scale of this experiment. The EEP assessed had a strong measurable impact on the entrepreneurial intention of the students, while it had a positive, but not very significant, impact on their perceived behavioural control.

This is a first step of an ambitious research programme aiming at producing theory‐grounded knowledge. Reproduction of the experiment will allow researchers to test how specific characteristics of an EEP influence its impact and how the impact differs across several cohorts of students. Those comparisons will serve to improve a priori the design of EEP.

The new methodology is built on a robust theoretical framework and based on validated measurement tools. Its originality is about a relative – longitudinal – measure of impact over time and a particular use of the theory of planned behaviour which is seen as an assessment framework.

This paper aims to present performance comparison of fiber sheet-strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) beams bonded with geopolymer and epoxy resin under ambient and fire conditions.

This study presents experimental results of bending tests at ambient temperature and fire resistance tests on two control beams and eight fiber sheet-strengthened RC beams. The test variables include fiber sheet type (carbon fiber [CF] and basalt fiber [BF] sheet), number of layers of fiber sheet (one and two layers) and adhesive agent type (geopolymers and epoxy resin). Data generated from these tests were used to evaluate and compare the strengthening effectiveness of CF-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and CF-reinforced geopolymer (CFRG) at ambient temperature and under fire exposure conditions.

Test results clearly show that the CFRG system can provide good strengthening effectiveness on RC beams at ambient temperature, as the CFRP system, owing to excellent bond properties of geopolymers. Although geopolymers possess better bonding properties at high temperature than organic matrix, the strengthened beams bonded with geopolymer do not exhibit better fire resistance than that those bonded with epoxy resin, owing to early falling-off of fire insulation. Thus, in CFRG-strengthened beams, relevant measures are to be taken to minimize falling-off of fire insulation to achieve good fire resistance.

The presented results are from unique fire tests and provide valuable insight (and information) on the performance of fiber sheet-strengthened RC beams bonded with geopolymer and epoxy resin under ambient and fire conditions.

This paper aims to aims to extend emotional labor research by exploring whether the impact of emotional labor on customer satisfaction depends on the order in which different emotional labor strategies are used by employees. Specifically, the authors explore how the order effects of two emotional labor strategies – deep and surface acting – impact customer satisfaction.

The authors conducted two experimental studies in which participants interacted with service employees who systematically switched between surface and deep acting strategies during the service episode. In Study 1, participants watched a video clip depicting a service encounter in a bookstore. In Study 2, participants partook in a simulated career-counseling session.

The four different emotional labor strategy order effects differentially impact customer satisfaction. Consistent with theories of gain–loss effects, improvement and decline trends positively or negatively impact customers, respectively. Furthermore, results show that these trends impact customer satisfaction growth differently over time.

The authors only focused on two emotional labor strategies, and future research may benefit from extending the research to additional regulation strategies and/or specific discrete emotions.

The results suggest that managers may train employees in recognizing that customer satisfaction is not just driven by customers’ overall assessment of the interaction but also by their experience at different stages of the interaction.

Service marketing and management scholars have largely explored emotional labor from a between-person or within-person perspective, with little empirical attention paid to within-episode processes that focus on how employee behavior varies within a single service episode. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to demonstrate that surface and deep acting can be used simultaneously and dynamically over the course of a single service interaction in impacting customer satisfaction.

This research aims to answer two major research questions related to the COVID-19 crisis from a longitudinal approach: What is the revenue management (RM) role during the different periods subject to analysis? What are the RM strategies and measures implemented during this crisis in contrast with a non-crisis context? It also aims to propose an RM implementation model that provides a contingency plan to face future crises.

This qualitative study, following a longitudinal approach, analyses three round-table discussions with 11 internationally renowned experts during three key scenarios of the COVID-19 crisis: the lockdown period (from March to June 2020) and the following two summer seasons (the post-lockdown period): Post-lockdown I (the summer campaign, 2020) and Post-lockdown II (the summer campaign, 2021). Based on a deductive approach, thematic analysis is conducted using NVivo.

Further professionalisation of revenue managers, which has enabled the correct application of strategies and measures, highlighting the importance of not lowering prices, the flexibility of booking conditions, the development of other sources of income and the increase in the value of services, amongst others, are key factors in managing this crisis. The longitudinal analysis carried out in three different periods of this crisis shows how these measures have evolved and the contrast with RM application in a non-crisis context. The revenue manager's leadership and proactivity, the holistic organisation of RM marketing, commercial and sales departments and the quick adaptation of RM systems (RMSs) by modifying their algorithms are essential to reducing the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry. This crisis has led the industry to rethink processes and strategies and to increase digitalisation. The proposed model, which considers the various RM strategies and measures implemented during COVID-19 in contrast to a non-crisis context, is the cornerstone for developing a graded contingency plan to face future crises. This research sheds light on the widely discussed role of RM during this crisis.

This study has various limitations. First, the three round-table discussions were held online due to the health crisis, and the chosen webinar format may have biased the participants' answers due to its public nature. Second, the survey was carried out in Spanish. Despite the strong international profiles of the participants, cultural distortion may appear, suggesting that the research should possibly be extended to other cultural contexts in the future. Third, some of the participants were unable to attend all the round-table discussions due to their professional duties, so people with similar profiles were invited to the rest of the sessions.

The revenue manager's leadership and proactivity, the holistic organisation of RM marketing, commercial and sales departments and the quick adaptation of RMSs by modifying their algorithms are essential to reducing the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry. This crisis has led the industry to rethink processes and strategies and to increase digitalisation. The proposed model, which considers the various RM strategies and measures implemented during COVID-19 in contrast to a non-crisis context, is the cornerstone for developing a graded contingency plan to face future crises. This research sheds light on the widely discussed role of RM during this crisis.

This work contributes to the literature by providing a model that considers the various RM strategies and measures implemented during COVID-19 in contrast to a non-crisis context. The novelty of this research is mainly found in the conducting of a deductive and longitudinal study considering previous research focussed on RM strategies applied during the COVID-19 crisis and supplementing it with new measures by applying qualitative techniques.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the longitudinal aerodynamic characterization of an unmanned cropped delta configuration from real flight data. In order to perform this task an unmanned configuration with cropped delta planform and rectangular cross-section has been designed, fabricated, instrumented and flight tested at flight laboratory in Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), India.

As a part of flight test program a real flight database, through various maneuvers, have been generated for the designed unmanned configuration. A dedicated flight data acquisition system, capable of onboard logging and telemetry to ground station, has been used to record the flight data during these flight test experiments. In order to identify the systematic errors in the measurements, the generated flight data has been processed through data compatibility check.

It is observed from the flight path reconstruction that the obtained biases are negligible and the scale factors are almost close to unity. The linear aerodynamic model along with maximum likelihood and least-square methods have been used to perform the parameter estimation from the obtained compatible flight data. The lower values of Cramer-Rao bounds obtained for various parameters has shown significant confidence in the estimated parameters using maximum likelihood method. In order to validate the aerodynamic model used and to increase the confidence in the estimated parameters a proof-of-match exercise has been carried out.

The entire work presented is original and all the experiments have been carried out in Flight laboratory of IITK.

Background: Rising food bank usage in the UK suggests a growing prevalence of food insecurity. However, a formalised, representative measure of food insecurity was not collected in the UK until 2019, over a decade after the initial proliferation of food bank demand. In the absence of a direct measure of food insecurity, this article identifies and summarises longitudinal proxy indicators of UK food insecurity to gain insight into the growth of insecure access to food in the 21st century.

Methods: A rapid evidence synthesis of academic and grey literature (2005–present) identified candidate proxy longitudinal markers of food insecurity. These were assessed to gain insight into the prevalence of, or conditions associated with, food insecurity.

Results: Food bank data clearly demonstrates increased food insecurity. However, this data reflects an unrepresentative, fractional proportion of the food insecure population without accounting for mild/moderate insecurity, or those in need not accessing provision. Economic indicators demonstrate that a period of poor overall UK growth since 2005 has disproportionately impacted the poorest households, likely increasing vulnerability and incidence of food insecurity. This vulnerability has been exacerbated by welfare reform for some households. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically intensified vulnerabilities and food insecurity. Diet-related health outcomes suggest a reduction in diet quantity/quality. The causes of diet-related disease are complex and diverse; however, evidence of socio-economic inequalities in their incidence suggests poverty, and by extension, food insecurity, as key determinants.

Conclusion: Proxy measures of food insecurity suggest a significant increase since 2005, particularly for severe food insecurity. Proxy measures are inadequate to robustly assess the prevalence of food insecurity in the UK. Failure to collect standardised, representative data at the point at which food bank usage increased significantly impairs attempts to determine the full prevalence of food insecurity, understand the causes, and identify those most at risk.