Exploring job interview skills of future engineers: application of appraisal analysis assessment and verbal impression management

The issue of employability among engineering graduates has been examined, debated and tried to be resolved by various organizations and researchers. The lack of employability skills especially communication skills causes graduates struggling to fulfill current work demands and professional expectations in order to succeed in today’s fast-changing and global working environments. Communication skills are a crucial factor of employability, thus there is a need for quality assessment especially in job interview to enhance communicative competence of undergraduates. This research aims to unfold and assess what and how job candidates perform in a mock job interview and how they are being judged by the interviewers. It also studies the underlying linguistic evidence in job interviews of future engineers under the conditions of English as a Second Language (ESL) by applying Appraisal analysis (Attitude subsystems) of Systemic Functional Linguistics and Verbal Impression Management. The findings revealed that future graduates who possess certain elements of linguistics competencies are better in answering and some are in dire need to be equipped with the skills of job interview in preparing them to be employable. It can be concluded that good communication skills especially the job interview skills as what the industry required and persisted are not only based on the fluency of English but the ability to present ideas explicitly and facts using appropriate words and positiveness. The study also recommends the need to assess the future engineering graduates’ linguistics abilities in preparing them to be employable

Characterization of Coated Fe-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanostructures

The nanostructures of iron-doped zinc oxide (FZO) produced by a simple and low cost dip-coating route onto a glass substrate were studied. The structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of FZO films were investigated. Nanochains were revealed by SEM analysis at high magnification. A (002)-oriented wurzite structure with a lattice parameter of a = 3.24 Å and c = 5.19 Å was confirmed by X-rays diffraction. High transmittance was exhibited in the visible spectrum, T (550 nm) > 83 %. Finally, electrical measurements revealed a resistivity and mobility of 10 kΩ·cm, and 5 cm² / Vs respectively. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3191

Area and individual differences in personal crime victimization incidence: The role of individual, lifestyle/routine activities and contextual predictors

This article examines how personal crime differences between areas and between individuals are predicted by area and population heterogeneity and their synergies. It draws on lifestyle/routine activities and social disorganization theories to model the number of personal victimization incidents over individuals including routine activities and area characteristics, respectively, as well as their (cross-cluster) interactions. The methodology employs multilevel or hierarchical negative binomial regression with extra binomial variation using data from the British Crime Survey and the UK Census. Personal crime rates differ substantially across areas, reflecting to a large degree the clustering of individuals with measured vulnerability factors in the same areas. Most factors suggested by theory and previous research are conducive to frequent personal victimization except the following new results. Pensioners living alone in densely populated areas face disproportionally high numbers of personal crimes. Frequent club and pub visits are associated with more personal crimes only for males and adults living with young children, respectively. Ethnic minority individuals experience fewer personal crimes than whites. The findings suggest integrating social disorganization and lifestyle theories and prioritizing resources to the most vulnerable, rather than all, residents of poor and densely populated areas to prevent personal crimes

How Do We Assess Civic Attitudes Toward Equal Rights? Data and Methodology

This open access thematic report identifies factors and conditions that can help schools and education systems promote tolerance in a globalized world. The IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS) is a comparative research program designed to investigate the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens, and provides a wealth of data permitting not only comparison between countries but also comparisons between schools within countries, and students within countries. Advanced analytical methods provide insights into relationships between students’ attitudes towards cultural diversity and the characteristics of the students themselves, their families, their teachers and school principals. The rich diversity of educational and cultural contexts in the 38 countries who participated in ICCS 2009 are also acknowledged and addressed. Readers interested in civic education and adolescents’ attitudes towards cultural diversity will find the theoretical perspectives explored engaging. For readers interested in methodology, the advanced analytical methods employed present textbook examples of how to address cross-cultural comparability of measurement instruments and multilevel data structures in international large-scale assessments (ILSA). Meanwhile, those interested in educational policy should find the identification and comparison of malleable factors across education systems that contribute to positive student attitudes towards cultural diversity a useful and thought-provoking resource

Who wants to move? The role of neighbourhood change

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE via http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0308518X15615367 There is growing interest in how, when and where neighbourhoods affect individual behaviours and outcomes. In Britain, falling levels of owner-occupation and the growth of ethnic minority populations have sparked a debate about how neighbourhood characteristics and neighbourhood change intersect with the decision to move. In this paper we investigate how mobility preferences vary with neighbourhood characteristics and neighbourhood change. We use multilevel logistic regression models to test whether this is configured by personal attributes or attachment to one's neighbourhood and perceived similarity to one's neighbours. The results show that neighbourhood deprivation, changes in neighbourhood ethnic composition and changes in tenure mix are associated with preferring to move. Importantly, we show that a feeling of belonging to the neighbourhood or feeling similar to others in the neighbourhood significantly reduces the desire to move. </jats:p

Hope-, Hype- and Fear-Technologies. TAB-Brief Nr. 39 Special Edition

Using four exemplary areas of technology, the focus of TAB Brief No. 39 takes up aspects of the political and social perception and discussion of technology-related hopes and fears. It is a contribution to the upcoming conference of the Network of Parliamentary TA Institutions (EPTA) in Berlin on the topic of "Hope, Hype and Fear Technologies". Far-reaching scientific and technological visions are on the upswing. They promise to solve major problems such as the climate change or energy supply and to fulfil the ancient dreams of mankind such as decelerating or even eliminating the ageing process or creating artificial life. What initially sounds like earthly impressions of paradise may induce unease, concern and fear at the same time. The historical experience with regard to technology suggests to assume that ambivalences and risks cannot be avoided and that these might be bigger, the more extensive the technological interventions in nature and society will be and the more rapidly they will be made. The gap between hopes and expectations regarding progress on the one hand and concern and fears on the other hand is getting larger and larger and the waves of corresponding hope, hype and fear technologies come in rapid succession. This situation is a challenge both for social debates and for political decisions, e.g. research promotion and funding, and thus represents a topic of technology assessment – an example of topics this »TAB-Brief« is focusing on

Exponential Random Graph Modeling for Complex Brain Networks

Exponential random graph models (ERGMs), also known as p* models, have been utilized extensively in the social science literature to study complex networks and how their global structure depends on underlying structural components. However, the literature on their use in biological networks (especially brain networks) has remained sparse. Descriptive models based on a specific feature of the graph (clustering coefficient, degree distribution, etc.) have dominated connectivity research in neuroscience. Corresponding generative models have been developed to reproduce one of these features. However, the complexity inherent in whole-brain network data necessitates the development and use of tools that allow the systematic exploration of several features simultaneously and how they interact to form the global network architecture. ERGMs provide a statistically principled approach to the assessment of how a set of interacting local brain network features gives rise to the global structure. We illustrate the utility of ERGMs for modeling, analyzing, and simulating complex whole-brain networks with network data from normal subjects. We also provide a foundation for the selection of important local features through the implementation and assessment of three selection approaches: a traditional p-value based backward selection approach, an information criterion approach (AIC), and a graphical goodness of fit (GOF) approach. The graphical GOF approach serves as the best method given the scientific interest in being able to capture and reproduce the structure of fitted brain networks

The role of salt intake and salt sensitivity in the management of hypertension in South Asian people with chronic kidney disease: A randomized controlled trial

Background The effectiveness of salt restriction to lower blood pressure (BP) in Bangladeshi patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is uncertain. Objective To test the hypothesis that a tailored intervention intended to reduce salt intake in addition to standard care will achieve a greater reduction in BP in UK Bangladeshi patients with CKD than standard care alone. Design A randomised parallel-group controlled trial conducted over a 6 month period. Setting A tertiary renal unit based in acute care hospital in East London. Participants 56 adult participants of Bangladeshi origin with CKD and BP >130/80 mm Hg or on antihypertensive medication. Intervention Participants were randomly allocated to receive a tailored low-salt diet or the standard low-salt advice. BP medication, physical activity and weight were monitored. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in ambulatory BP. Adherence to dietary advice was assessed by measurement of 24 h urinary salt excretion. Results Of 56 participants randomised, six withdrew at the start of the study. During the study, one intervention group participant died, one control group participant moved to Bangladesh. Data were available for the primary endpoint on 48 participants. Compared with control group the intervention urinary sodium excretion fell from 260 mmol/d to 103 mmol/d (131 to 76, p<0.001) at 6 months and resulted in mean (95% CI) falls in 24 h systolic/diastolic BP of 8 mm Hg (11 to 5)/2 (?4 to 2) both p<0.001. Conclusions A tailored intervention can achieve moderate salt restriction in patients with CKD, resulting in clinically meaningful falls in BP independent of hypertensive medication

Oxide_Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Exhaust Mixer Development in the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project

LibertyWorks, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Corporation, first studied CMC (ceramic matrix composite) exhaust mixers for potential weight benefits in 2008. Oxide CMC potentially offered weight reduction, higher temperature capability, and the ability to fabricate complex-shapes for increased mixing and noise suppression. In 2010, NASA was pursuing the reduction of NOx emissions, fuel burn, and noise from turbine engines in Phase I of the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project (within the Integrated Systems Research Program). ERA subtasks, including those focused on CMC components, were being formulated with the goal of maturing technology from Proof of Concept Validation (Technology Readiness Level 3 (TRL 3)) to System/Subsystem or Prototype Demonstration in a Relevant Environment (TRL 6). LibertyWorks, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Corporation, first studied CMC (ceramic matrix composite) exhaust mixers for potential weight benefits in 2008. Oxide CMC potentially offered weight reduction, higher temperature capability, and the ability to fabricate complex-shapes for increased mixing and noise suppression. In 2010, NASA was pursuing the reduction of NOx emissions, fuel burn, and noise from turbine engines in Phase I of the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project (within the Integrated Systems Research Program). ERA subtasks, including those focused on CMC components, were being formulated with the goal of maturing technology from Proof of Concept Validation (Technology Readiness Level 3 (TRL 3)) to System/Subsystem or Prototype Demonstration in a Relevant Environment (TRL 6). Oxide CMC component at both room and elevated temperatures. A TRL5 (Component Validation in a Relevant Environment) was attained and the CMC mixer was cleared for ground testing on a Rolls-Royce AE3007 engine for performance evaluation to achieve TRL 6