Sub-degree Level Research Articles

The private higher education provider landscape in the UK

ABSTRACT The private higher education (HE) sector in the UK is subject to little oversight or regulation. Consequently, it remains a largely unknown quantity. Yet, the UK government is keen to foster the growth of private providers as a means of stimulating competition across the entire HE sector that will purportedly lead to ‘a greater choice of more innovative and better quality products and services at lower cost’ (DBIS 2016a, 8). We document the landscape of private higher education provision in the UK to assess whether private providers are likely to be able to perform the role envisaged for them by government. We analyse data for 802 private providers in the UK collected from provider's websites and other publicly available sources in 2017. A latent class analysis indicates that the sector can be broken down into four distinctive types of providers: (1) for-profit providers principally offering business/IT courses at sub-degree level (c.50%) (2) or at bachelors or masters level (c.10%), (3) not-for-profit providers offering other kinds of specialist provision at bachelors and masters level (c.27%), and (4) longer-standing for-profit providers including those with their own degree-awarding powers delivering courses mainly at masters level (c.13%). Three of the four provider types offer little in the way of traditional bachelor degree provision, and the most common provider type is subject to virtually no regulatory oversight and highly vulnerable to ‘market exit’. These findings cast doubt on the capacity of private HE providers to replace or enhance publicly funded HE provision.

Pose determination of passively cooperative spacecraft in close proximity using a monocular camera and AruCo markers

Missions requiring autonomous, close-proximity operations of spacecraft, such as On-Orbit Servicing, On-Orbit Assembly and Active Debris Removal, have become a thriving topic in the aerospace research community over the last decades, not only from an economic, operative, and scientific perspective, but also as a mean of ensuring the sustainability of the space environment. These operations involve a variety of technological challenges, most of which are related to the need of autonomous and safe Guidance, Navigation and Control systems. Since the future of these mission scenarios is strictly tied to spacecraft standardisation and modularity, relative navigation employing monocular cameras on servicing platforms to approach targets equipped with artificial markers for pose estimation purposes has drawn great attention. Following this trend, this paper presents an original vision-based pose estimation architecture for relative navigation with respect to passively cooperative targets equipped with ArUco markers. The proposed architecture foresees two operative modes, namely Acquisition and Tracking. The first features ArUco's detection through hue-saturation-value image representation, their identification by reading their built-in code and the computation of the pose without a-priori knowledge. The second, instead, takes advantage of prior pose estimates to speed up the entire processing pipeline. Performance is assessed through an extensive numerical simulation campaign, considering as test scenario the final approach phase of a rendezvous manoeuvre to reach a satellite belonging to a large constellation in Low Earth Orbit, and using the Planet and Asteroid Natural scene Generation Utility tool for realistic synthetic image generation. The dedicated tests on the Acquisition mode show that successful marker detection and pose initialization is achieved from up to 99.76% of the possible relative position and attitude states of the chaser with respect to the target at beginning of the final approach trajectory. As the chaser gets closer to the target, results highlight significant robustness of both operative modes against illumination conditions and uncertainties in the knowledge of camera intrinsic parameters. Overall, the architecture shows pose estimation accuracies up to millimetric and sub-degree levels.

Double cascade reconstruction in KM3NeT/ARCA

The detection of astrophysical ντ is an important verification of the observed flux of high-energy neutrinos. A flavour ratio of approximately νe : νμ : ντ ≈ 1 : 1 : 1 is predicted for astrophysical neutrinos measured at Earth due to neutrino oscillations. On top of this, the ντ offers a unique channel for neutrino astronomy due to absence of an atmospheric ντ background contribution. When a ντ interacts it produces a particle cascade and often a τ lepton which in turn decays mainly into another cascade. This results in a double cascade signature. An excellent angular resolution can be achieved when both cascade vertices are reconstructed. The KM3NeT/ARCA detector, which is under construction in the Mediterranean sea, will be able to detect this signature due to its timing and spatial resolution for cascades. We will discuss the dedicated reconstruction algorithm and performance for reconstructing double cascades using KM3NeT. The angular deviation reaches sub-degree level for tau lengths larger than 25 meters.

Accuracy Of 6dof Kinematics Of Tibiofemoral Joint Using High-speed Dfis Combined With 3d Mri Model

Cui Zhang1,2,3,Yu Liu2* and Shaobai Wang21Biomechanics Laboratory, College of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China. 2School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China. 3Sports Biomehanics Laboratory, Shandong Institute of Sport Science, Jinan, China.*Yu Liu, (Corresponding author) PURPOSE: To validate the precision, accuracy and consistency of 6DOF movement of Tibiofemoral Joint via a custom high-speed Dual plane Fluoroscopic Imaging System(DFIS) combined with 3D MRI model registration. METHODS: 5 copper beads were embed in tibial and femur of one fresh pig hind leg separately. 3D beads rigid model and 3D skeleton model were reconstructed based on CT and MRI images of the beads and the tibia and femur of the pig hind leg separately. Flexion and extension movement of pig leg were recorded by high-speed DFIS. The registration results of 3D beads rigid model was set as gold standard. Bias, SD of bias, Bland-Altman analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used to test the precision, accuracy and consistency of 6DOF results of MRI bone model, compare with gold standard. RESULTS: The 6DOF kinematic results of tibiofemoral joint obtained by high speed DFIS combined with MRI 3D bone model registration method was highly correlated to the results obtained by gold standard (r > 0.917). The bias and SD of bias of the anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, superior-inferior transitions, and flexion-extension, varus-valgus, internal-external rotations of tibiofemoral joint were in sub-millimeter and sub-degree level. The mean D-value of 3D MRI bone model registration and gold standard results were uniformly distributed within the consistency interval. CONCLUSION: Combined high-speed DFIS with MRI images to reconstruct 3D skeleton model for registration is a method with high accuracy, precision and consistency, which can be used to measure clinical 6DOF movement and soft tissue contact characteristics of the tibiofemoral joint. Funding was provided by the National Nature Science Foundation of China 81702211; the Movement Science Research Innovation Team(2019-183).

Geometric Modelling for 3D Point Clouds of Elbow Joints in Piping Systems.

Pipe elbow joints exist in almost every piping system supporting many important applications such as clean water supply. However, spatial information of the elbow joints is rarely extracted and analyzed from observations such as point cloud data obtained from laser scanning due to lack of a complete geometric model that can be applied to different types of joints. In this paper, we proposed a novel geometric model and several model adaptions for typical elbow joints including the 90° and 45° types, which facilitates the use of 3D point clouds of the elbow joints collected from laser scanning. The model comprises translational, rotational, and dimensional parameters, which can be used not only for monitoring the joints’ geometry but also other applications such as point cloud registrations. Both simulated and real datasets were used to verify the model, and two applications derived from the proposed model (point cloud registration and mounting bracket detection) were shown. The results of the geometric fitting of the simulated datasets suggest that the model can accurately recover the geometry of the joint with very low translational (0.3 mm) and rotational (0.064°) errors when ±0.02 m random errors were introduced to coordinates of a simulated 90° joint (with diameter equal to 0.2 m). The fitting of the real datasets suggests that the accuracy of the diameter estimate reaches 97.2%. The joint-based registration accuracy reaches sub-decimeter and sub-degree levels for the translational and rotational parameters, respectively.

Accuracy and precision in resection alignment: Insights from 10,144 clinical cases using a contemporary computer-assisted total knee arthroplasty system

BackgroundStudies on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with computer-assisted orthopedic surgery (CAOS) are limited by sample size or overlooked longitudinal performance of the system. This study aimed to assess resection accuracy across the entire TKA application history of a modern CAOS system considering multiple factors. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed based on a database that archives technical logs of all TKAs performed using a CAOS system. Coronal resection errors and percentage of outliers (<2° alignment error) in the proximal tibia and distal femur were assessed. Multilevel modeling was used to understand whether and where the resection error variability was located in the grouping categories, which included geographic region, individual established surgeon, preoperative alignment, adoption phase (learning/proficient), and version of the CAOS software application. ResultsA total of 10,144 cases were reviewed. The accuracy (mean) and precision (standard deviation) of the coronal alignment for both the tibia and femur were at the sub-degree level. High percentages of acceptable resections were observed across the pooled and each grouping category. The accountability for the amounts of total variability in tibial and femoral resection errors was negligible for all grouping categories, demonstrated by ICC values less than the common variations in observational studies. ConclusionsThe study applied advanced analyses to assess alignment outcome in TKA bony resection alignment across the history of a specific CAOS system. The results demonstrated high resection alignment accuracy insensitive to geographic region, CAOS software application, adoption phase, preoperative alignment, and inter-surgeon differences.

An investigation on the professionalization of education in Maritime logistics and supply chains

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the development of logistics and supply chain education through conducting comparative study between high diploma and associate degree. This study will critically review the added value of sub-degree courses of professional education. What exactly drives sub-degree students to enroll for a high diploma and associate degree program in maritime logistics and supply chain studies? How do they select to enroll such programs? Do such programs foster the students to equip in the professions? What do they look for obtaining professional status afterwards?Design/methodology/approachTo address the stated queries, this study will analyze students’ evaluation of the effectiveness of sub-degree education and their motivation on enrolling these courses through a questionnaire survey.FindingsIn the context of higher education, sub-degrees of professional studies experienced tremendous growth in recent decades. Many academic institutions have recorded an upward trend in providing professional education on subjects that traditionally focused on apprentice-style, non-academic learning approach. However, the reasons behind the steady growth of the demand of sub-degree level of professional education have been under-researched.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on Hong Kong data only.Originality/valueThe paper not only increases the scope and depth of research area in logistics and supply chain education but also contributes theoretically to the understanding on the curriculum of sub-degree logistics and supply chain programs.

Application and Evaluation of Lighthouse Technology for Precision Motion Capture

Lighthouse technology, commercially known as SteamVR tracking, is a 3D motion capture system developed for virtual reality applications that couples light-based and inertial tracking methods. In this paper, we benchmark its performance in motion tracking for possible applications in biomechanics and robotics. The tracking performance of the system was evaluated to determine the accuracy and repeatability for pose measurements from dynamic studies. In order to establish a baseline for tracking and to cross-validate the results, a seven degree-of-freedom industrial robotic arm was used. For precision, repeated motions were performed using the robotic arm with a motion capture tracker mounted on the end-effector of the robot. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing poses of the motion tracker from the lighthouse technology with the poses obtained for the robot's end-effector. Key to the evaluation approach was the use of an additional tracker which served as a ground reference frame for tracking. This improved the evaluation results by resolving global frame inconsistency issues observed during initial data acquisition and findings documented in referenced literature. The results obtained show accuracy and precision of the system to be millimeter and sub-degree level for position and orientation measurements respectively under good tracking conditions. Post evaluation, the system was applied to a phantom limb (prosthetic arm) for an inverse kinematics analysis. Recording a tracker attached to the initial and final segments of the prosthetic limb, the experimental data was applied to a kinematic model of the limb to solve for the joint angle values.

Development of a Small-sized and Low-cost Attitude Measurement Unit for Agricultural Robot Application

The objective of this study was to develop a small-sized and low-cost unit to provide attitude measurements for lightloaded, small-sized and cost effective agricultural robot application. The attitude measurement unit comprised an electronic control unit (ECU) and a gyroscope and an accelerometer within a small-sized and low-cost IMU. In order to avoid the measurement limitations of a single sensor, a self-adaptive complementary filter and a Kalman filter were discussed and compared for sensor fusion. By comparison, in respect of preventing angle drift and maintaining dynamic characteristics, the Kalman filter has the significant advantage, especially in dynamic motion. In the comparison with a highly precise aviation-level fiber optic gyroscope (FOG), the results showed that the static angle drift was restrained by Kalman filter which reached the performance of the FOG. And in the series of farm experiments, the dynamic characteristic of the developed attitude measurement unit is close to the FOG performance in the sub-degree level. This is an acceptable accuracy for light-loaded, small-sized and cost effective agricultural robot application such as agriculture drone, greenhouse robots, harvesting robot arm and so on.

Orbit Determination of KOMPSAT-1 and Cryosat-2 Satellites Using Optical Wide-field Patrol Network (OWL-Net) Data with Batch Least Squares Filter

The optical wide-field patrol network (OWL-Net) is a Korean optical surveillance system that tracks and monitors domestic satellites. In this study, a batch least squares algorithm was developed for optical measurements and verified by Monte Carlo simulation and covariance analysis. Potential error sources of OWL-Net, such as noise, bias, and clock errors, were analyzed. There is a linear relation between the estimation accuracy and the noise level, and the accuracy significantly depends on the declination bias. In addition, the time-tagging error significantly degrades the observation accuracy, while the time-synchronization offset corresponds to the orbital motion. The Cartesian state vector and measurement bias were determined using the OWL-Net tracking data of the KOMPSAT-1 and Cryosat-2 satellites. The comparison with known orbital information based on two-line elements (TLE) and the consolidated prediction format (CPF) shows that the orbit determination accuracy is similar to that of TLE. Furthermore, the precision and accuracy of OWL-Net observation data were determined to be tens of arcsec and sub-degree level, respectively.

TH-AB-202-11: Spatial and Rotational Quality Assurance of 6DOF Patient Tracking Systems

Purpose: External tracking systems used for patient positioning and motion monitoring during radiotherapy are now capable of detecting both translations and rotations (6DOF). In this work, we develop a novel technique to evaluate the 6DOF performance of external motion tracking systems. We apply this methodology to an infrared (IR) marker tracking system and two 3D optical surface mapping systems in a common tumor 6DOF workspace. Methods: An in-house designed and built 6DOF parallel kinematics robotic motion phantom was used to follow input trajectories with sub-millimeter and sub-degree accuracy. The 6DOF positions of the robotic system were then tracked and recorded independently by three optical camera systems. A calibration methodology which associates the motion phantom and camera coordinate frames was first employed, followed by a comprehensive 6DOF trajectory evaluation, which spanned a full range of positions and orientations in a 20×20×16 mm and 5×5×5 degree workspace. The intended input motions were compared to the calibrated 6DOF measured points. Results: The technique found the accuracy of the IR marker tracking system to have maximal root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.25 mm translationally and 0.09 degrees rotationally, in any one axis, comparing intended 6DOF positions to positions measured by the IR camera. The 6DOF RSME discrepancy for the first 3D optical surface tracking unit yielded maximal values of 0.60 mm and 0.11 degrees over the same 6DOF volume. An earlier generation 3D optical surface tracker was observed to have worse tracking capabilities than both the IR camera unit and the newer 3D surface tracking system with maximal RMSE of 0.74 mm and 0.28 degrees within the same 6DOF evaluation space. Conclusion: The proposed technique was effective at evaluating the performance of 6DOF patient tracking systems. All systems examined exhibited tracking capabilities at the sub-millimeter and sub-degree level within a 6DOF workspace.

Spatial and rotational quality assurance of 6DOF patient tracking systems.

External tracking systems used for patient positioning and motion monitoring during radiotherapy are now capable of detecting both translations and rotations. In this work, the authors develop a novel technique to evaluate the 6 degree of freedom 6(DOF) (translations and rotations) performance of external motion tracking systems. The authors apply this methodology to an infrared marker tracking system and two 3D optical surface mapping systems in a common tumor 6DOF workspace. An in-house designed and built 6DOF parallel kinematics robotic motion phantom was used to perform motions with sub-millimeter and subdegree accuracy in a 6DOF workspace. An infrared marker tracking system was first used to validate a calibration algorithm which associates the motion phantom coordinate frame to the camera frame. The 6DOF positions of the mobile robotic system in this space were then tracked and recorded independently by an optical surface tracking system after a cranial phantom was rigidly fixed to the moveable platform of the robotic stage. The calibration methodology was first employed, followed by a comprehensive 6DOF trajectory evaluation, which spanned a full range of positions and orientations in a 20 × 20 × 16 mm and 5° × 5° × 5° workspace. The intended input motions were compared to the calibrated 6DOF measured points. The technique found the accuracy of the infrared (IR) marker tracking system to have maximal root-mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.18, 0.25, 0.07 mm, 0.05°, 0.05°, and 0.09° in left-right (LR), superior-inferior (SI), anterior-posterior (AP), pitch, roll, and yaw, respectively, comparing the intended 6DOF position and the measured position by the IR camera. Similarly, the 6DOF RSME discrepancy for the HD optical surface tracker yielded maximal values of 0.46, 0.60, 0.54 mm, 0.06°, 0.11°, and 0.08° in LR, SI, AP, pitch, roll, and yaw, respectively, over the same 6DOF evaluative workspace. An earlier generation 3D optical surface tracking unit was observed to have worse tracking capabilities than both the IR camera unit and the newer 3D surface tracking system with maximal RMSE of 0.69, 0.74, 0.47 mm, 0.28°, 0.19°, and 0.18°, in LR, SI, AP, pitch, roll, and yaw, respectively, in the same 6DOF evaluation space. The proposed technique was found to be effective at evaluating the performance of 6DOF patient tracking systems. All observed optical tracking systems were found to exhibit tracking capabilities at the sub-millimeter and subdegree level within a 6DOF workspace.

Hybrid Analog–Digital Antenna Array With Built-in Image Injection Calibration

This study presents a hybrid receiving array architecture that combines analog and digital beamforming to offer a solution for the phased-array feed and other multifunction receive-only applications. This architecture is capable of handling multiple beams forming simultaneous and precision beam steering. To further reduce the hardware counts of the online performance monitoring, a calibration method is proposed in which none of the transmitters or the dedicated distribution network are used. The hybrid architecture concept and built-in calibration are validated experimentally via a prototype. The system performance, including the statistical results of the baseband measurement, phase error, and radiation patterns under various array configurations, are illustrated. An effective phase tuning step of 0.1 ° , as well as a steering resolution at the subdegree level, is achieved, and the measured aperture distribution is in good agreement with that derived from the proposed online calibration.

Perception of Non-Law Students on the Combined Lecture- and Problem-Based Learning Approaches

To fulfill the accreditation requirements of professional organizations, business law is commonly included in the business programs in higher education. However, business students, particularly at the sub-degree level, are often challenged to study law. The literature suggests that a combination of lecture-based learning (LBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) approaches can enhance student learning and outcomes. This study evaluates the perceptions of accounting and business majors on the effectiveness of these combined teaching modes in studying business law. Survey data were collected from 262 respondents who enrolled and studied business law with this dual teaching mode during the academic year 2012–2013. Findings reveal that under this approach of learning, students are motivated and more engaged. They benefit from group dynamics, including collaborative and peer learning, social interaction, teamwork, task allocation, and confidence building. Overall, students are satisfied with this teaching mode.

The quality of Hong Kong's self-financing sub-degree education from an economic perspective

This paper examines the quality of Hong Kong's sub-degree level education provided by the self-financing institutes in terms of its impact on the earnings of workers, based on Hong Kong's 2006 by-census data. Education is an investment in human capital that enhances the productivity of workers and increases their lifetime incomes; and a more productive investment will produce a higher rate of return. The effects of education on workers' earnings can be regarded as a proxy for measuring the quality of education undertaken. This study shows that, as regards earnings, and therefore (indirectly) quality, the quality of sub-degree level education provided by some self-financing institutes is statistically significantly lower than that provided by publicly-funded institutes.

Career Preferences of Social Work Students in Beijing and Shanghai

Professional social work is a recent development in China. This article reports the results of a survey of social work students (n = 1331) in Beijing and Shanghai concerning their career preferences, the work they intend to be doing in five years time and their views about the training that they were receiving. The sample included students from sub-degree, Bachelor and Master's degree levels in all years. Results indicated that social work is strongly linked with individual counselling and psychotherapy which is preferred over work with families and groups. Community work and resource mobilization were relatively less popular despite being the most appropriate modality for the social problems that Beijing and Shanghai face. Students show a marked preference for working in government or other large organizations. After graduation, those in degree programmes hoped to move into administration and management. Fewer students were interested in grassroots work. Many of those studying at Master's level intended to become university based social work teachers. Limitations of the research included the cross-sectional nature of the design, lack of information about the levels of motivation of social work students, and limitations to the generalizability of the findings as Shanghai and Beijing are not necessarily representative of China.

Outcome-Based Teaching and Learning in Computer Science Education at Sub-degree Level

Computer Science is recognized as a young growing field compared with many other sub-degree and even undergraduate programs. Recently, many educators in this field teaching in community college as well as university have been recommended to redesign and restructure the program studies according to outcome-based teaching and learning approach. However, the issues related to how to define objectives and assess outcomes in this outcome-based approach (OBA) continues to be a challenge among the computer science faculty who are not originally trained in techniques for setting up objectives and measuring outcomes. This paper serves as a brief introduction of OBA and how it can be implemented from the program design perspective. In this paper, our experience of initial attempt in designing and developing our sub-degree computing program using OBA will be shared. In addition, the writing style of course learning outcomes and outcomes measurements are illustrated through example of two courses. Based on the OBA paradigm, we evaluate our teaching effectiveness and student outcomes based on the teaching evaluation results and their articulation success. Through deeper understanding and learning, outcome-based education can eventually bring a great impact on students and prepare them for both exciting career and successful articulation in the computing field.

Charm mixing in a model-independent analysis of correlatedD0D¯0decays

We investigate the impact of charm mixing on the model-independent gamma measurement using Dalitz plot analysis of the three-body D decay from B+->DK+ process, and show that ignoring the mixing at all stages of the analysis is safe up to a sub-degree level of precision. We also find that in the coherent production of D0-D0* system in e+e- collisions, the effect of charm mixing is enhanced, and propose a model-independent method to measure charm mixing parameters in the time-integrated Dalitz analysis at charm factories.

The Past, Present, and Future of Hospitality and Tourism Higher Education in Hong Kong

SUMMARY Hospitality and tourism management programmes are widely available in Hong Kong. At present, there is no official publication on the history and development of higher education in hospitality and tourism management in Hong Kong. This paper aims to review the history and current status of hospitality and tourism higher education in Hong Kong, focusing on the programmes offered at sub-degree, degree, and post-graduate degree levels, and to explore future directions for its development.

“Flashing Fields” in Nearly Simultaneous ENVISAT and ERS-2 C-Band SAR Images

Large differences are observed between radar backscatter measurements made by the ENVISAT and ERS-2 satellite synthetic aperture radars, within 30 min of each other over certain agricultural fields in Flevoland, The Netherlands. The differences appear to be caused by the presence of highly directive scattering combined with very small variations in the azimuth illumination angle of the two sensors at the degree or subdegree level. There is relatively little awareness of such sensitivity to illumination direction, and it is not predicted by models for microwave interaction usually applied to soils and vegetation. It is, however, to be expected if there are significant contributions from coherent scattering extending over patches of the agricultural fields in question. We present analysis that supports such a conclusion.