On Competences Required for EFL Teachers in Secondary School

With the implementation of English Curriculum Standard for Senior High School,core competence,a vital construct in deepening curriculum reforms,has been brought into the spotlight,which attaches importance to cultivating students’key competences so as to realize the value of people cultivation.In another angle,the continuous intensification of education reform poses more demands on the faculty.What competences required for EFL teachers worth taking into consideration seriously.The paper elaborates required competences for EFL teachers hoping to offer pragmatic suggestions for EFL teachers in the perspective of professional development.

Transversal Competences and Clinic Tutorship: Appreciation by Graduated Nursing Specialists

Background: Transversal competences are included in the United Nations Organization 2030 Agenda for the formation of staff professional in higher education, having disciplinary and transversal skills to develop individual, professional, social, and entrepreneurship at present time, creative individuals being able to solve social problems via collaboration. The aim was to evaluate the transversal competences developed by graduates, specialists in nursing with the accompaniment of clinic tutorship. Methods: Qualitative, phenomenological, and interpretative research. The informants were seven graduates from the Unique Program of Nursing Specialties (UPNS), from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one participant from each knowledge field: Nursing in the Elderly, Public Health, Neurology, Physical and Sports Culture, Oncology, and two participants from Adult in Critical Condition. Information collection was through a focal group, and data analysis according to the principles of Souza Minayo. Signed informed consent was obtained previously. Results: Five categories with 24 sub-categories emerged. Category 1, Student’s perception on clinic tutorship specialty. Category 2, Competences promoted by clinic tutorship according to student’s experience. Category 3, Experiences about clinic tutorship planning. Category 4, Challenges faced by the student in the evaluation of clinic tutorship. Category 5, Opportunity fields in clinic tutorship from students’ experiences. Conclusion: Graduate students from the specialties describe transversal competences related with decision taking, collaborative work, and increase of population welfare, as well as generic disciplinary competences. The analogy of a social hinge between the clinic tutor and the student is highlighted, which allows to identify mobile and fixed components while the bolt that binds mentor with mentee is learning, by means of the accompaniment by an expert. .

Variability and Predictors of Mothers and Fathers’ Socialization Behaviors and Bidirectional Links with Their Preschoolers Socio-Emotional Competences

In their Parental Socialization of Emotions model, Eisenberg, Cumberland and Spinrad (1998) differentiated parents’ Emotion-Related Socialization Behaviours (ERSBs) that support their child’s socio-emotional development: their reactions to their child’s emotions, their discussions about emotions with the child and the expressions of their own emotions in the family. The cross- sectional study focused on the variability of parents’ ERSBs according to children’s and parents’ characteristics (Study 1) and included 167 mothers and 152 fathers of preschoolers. The short-term longitudinal study examined the interaction between parents’ ERSBs and children’s socio-emotional abilities (Theory of Mind, emotional regulation and social adjustment) (Study 2) in 53 two-parent families and their children, with a 6 months interval. In Study 1, parents’ ERSBs, their emotional competences and children’s personality were assessed by means of questionnaires. In Study 2, we combined direct and indirect measures to assess children’s socio-emotional competences. Results of Study 1 indicated that parental ERSBs were mainly predicted by children’s personality, such as emotional stability and parents’ emotional competences, such as communication about their own emotions. Moreover, we observed a differential sensitivity between mothers and fathers toward children’s personality. Results of Study 2 revealed that both mothers and fathers socialized their children’s socio-emotional competences, particularly by the way of emotion-related conversations with their children. Mothers’ emotion-related conversations predicted children’s Theory of mind abilities and social adjustment, while fathers’ emotion-related conversations predicted children’s emotional regulation. In addition, fathers’ reactions to their children’s emotions were predicted by children’s socio-emotional competences. These studies highlighted bidirectional effects between parents’ behaviours and children’s development. They emphasized also the importance to better identify predictors of parents’ ERSBs in order to know on which target the professionals should intervene.

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing Perceived Competences in Didactic Activity

In the context of teacher competences’association with student performance,assessment of didactic competences is an important concern for educational professionals.The current study aims to develop and validate a tool for assessing perceived competences in didactic activity for a group of Romanian teachers.The study examined 160 teachers from 15 schools in Bucharest,Romania,aged 20-60 years old.In the process of development and validation of the instrument(Assessment of perceived competences in didactic activity),the recommended steps were followed.Exploratory factorial analysis indicated the existence of three factors:effective communication of the teacher,development of students’critical thinking,and use of auxiliary resources.Reliability analysis showed high reliability coefficients,indicating good psychometric qualities of the scale.The correlations between the three factors were high,so the scale has acceptable convergent validity.Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three factor model has indicators of good fit,also indicating good psychometric properties.The main practical implication is that the proposed instrument can be successfully used in identifying development needs of teachers resulting from the evaluation process.Based on the results derived from self-assessment of teaching competencies,customized professional development programs can be created for each teacher,aiming at developing skills and,implicitly,improving performance at the workplace.

DACC Research 2012-2018:Reconnecting Culture and Competences

The most marked characteristic of a department dedicated to Architecture in the sense of Construction and Conservation is that it places Architecture as a constructed reality at the center of its teaching and research;or better,the indissoluble connection between a knowledge of form and a knowledge of construction.A connection that constitutes a category of awareness of architecture as designed in the past and a category of operational practices running across the entire process of projection from the analytical phase of the first moment of planning,to the identification of the materials and systems of construction to be used;a connection that overrides and informs the activity of construction on the building-site and which reveals it's quality when tested over time.

Managerial Communication Competences for Knowledge Hybridization and Innovations： A Framework for Effective Knowledge Transfer in MNE Hotel Operating in Athens, Greece

The research investigates the role of managerial competences （MC） and knowledge dynamics for effective knowledge transfer （EKT） in an international market during the Greek economic crisis of 2007-2010. Like other economies, Greece faced a serious recession in 2009, which submerged the country into a major funding crisis and resulted in austerity measures. A Troika fund was obtained with the aim of precluding Greece from economic failure. The paper focuses on the managers＇ perspectives as to how new products and local opportunities are exploited via EKT in subsidiaries of multinational enterprise （/VINE） hotels operating in Athens, Greece. Semi-structured interviews with 15 general managers and practitioners of subsidiaries operating in Athens are used representing a range of different activities and sizes. The results identify how managerial communication competences underpin the process of inter- or intra-organizational KT between and within subsidiaries. The research highlights that there is a call to cultivate communication abilities, flexibility, a greater level of autonomy, and open door strategies with the purpose of turning knowledge into commercial ends, through organizational innovation and new product developments. Recently, there has been little focus on the practice influence of managerial and communication skills on the management of MNEs hotels in a competitive host country, of most previous studies estimating the call for competences rather than the genuine owning of these among managers and practitioners. This article sheds the light on a great number of promising activities to utilize inter/intra-organizational KT. Specifically, the managerial communication competences model operates as an initial toolkit for managerial decision-making when facing severe competition in the host country in terms of utilizing, communicating, or seeking to apply the best internal/external KT practices.

China＇s Core Competences Advantage in a Multipolar World

Societal traditions have a decisive impact on cognition and cognitive biases, and thus on the foundations of core competences,including （natural） science and （natural） science-based innovation. The increasing global multi-polarity means that the centuriesold dominance of the Occidental Tradition is waning, and the other societal traditions, including the Sino Tradition, will gainground. Chinese companies will have an advantage over their Occidental counterparts, because Chinese companies can search forcore competences and thus competitive advantages based on the different aspects of Occidental Tradition, Sino Tradition and thecombination of the two. Occidental companies are limited to the different aspects of the Occidental Tradition. Thus, Chinesecompanies have a core competences advantage in a multipolar world.

Software Competences of Geomatic Engineering

In this paper, it is both intended to effectively transfer and emphasize the relationship between geospatial data and software applications while presenting the learning activities which required software competences and presented some software techniques related with geomatic engineering. Effective software competence in geomatic is required for both the combination of information-communication technologies and interdisciplinary collaborative learning activities. The essential way to keep up with future competences is adaptation to different types of information technologies. Today, it is obviously seen that the using of interest-activated technology is a sine qua non condition of engineering education. The main focusing point of this paper is to present some learning suggestions while developing a software related course content in Geomatic to empower engineering education.

Analysis of Formation in Communicative Competences for the Medical Act in Universidad de Antioquia Medicine School Undergraduate Program

This research study was conducted at the undergraduate program of the Medicine Faculty of Universidad de Antioquia. Its main purpose was to analyze the training in communication skills for the medical act. To this purpose, a triangulation between a representative survey of the students, some interviews and focal groups between students and professors, and an analysis of a curricular document on the contents of communication as a generic skill were done. This study allowed us to conclude that the definition of generic competence in communication cannot be established without the participation of the medicine curriculum actors, and that it is paramount to integrate this learning to this university program. The result of the present study is a proposal to include the communicative competence for the medical act in the curriculum of the Medicine Faculty of Universidad de Antioquia.

Need Saliency and Academic Behavior of Technical Students in India: Implications for Career Sustaining Competences

In the current scenario of rapid expansion of higher education, it becomesimperative to study the dynamic factors underlying quality education,student motivation and learning outcomes. Most of the literature availableas on date are predominantly based on western studies, where theindividual’s personal achievement, autonomy, control, power are consideredto be most important. But these western models often influenced by theirindividualistic philosophy and cultural values are quite inapplicable forpluralistic Indian society, where we believe in collaboration and teamwork.Rare attempts have been made to develop an indigenous model to measurethese attributes in our society. The present study is first of its kind to assessthe salient and non-salient needs of technical students pursuing their studiesin India. Authors have identified measures of the students’ engagement invarious academic, co-curricular activities and their performance outcomes.A sample of Four-hundred and Sixty-five (N=465) engineering/sciencestudents were collected through purposive sampling exclusively from IITKharagpur , a premier technical institute in eastern India where studentsacross the country got selected and joined on merit basis, through thenational level joint entrance examination for Engineering and Science, thetoughest examination in the country, known as IIT-JEE. Career implicationsare discussed in light of the major findings.

Chinese University Students’Self-evaluation in Core Competences for the 21st Century

This study aimed to explore university students’perceptions on the possession of core competencies for the 21st century.A crosssectional survey research using a self-report questionnaire involving 40 Likert-type items was used to collect data from 5,042 university students in China who voluntarily participated.Analysis with Rasch rating scale model found the data fitted the Rasch model well.The results showed that Chinese university students considered themselves as having acquired most of the competencies to some extent,especially in Character and Civic Literacy and Interpersonal Communication,but less so in Global and International Perspective and Creativity and Problem Solving.

Exosomes originating from neural stem cells undergoing necroptosis participate in cellular communication by inducing TSC2 upregulation of recipient cells following spinal cord injury

We previously demonstrated that inhibiting neural stem cells necroptosis enhances functional recovery after spinal cord injury.While exosomes are recognized as playing a pivotal role in neural stem cells exocrine function,their precise function in spinal cord injury remains unclear.To investigate the role of exosomes generated following neural stem cells necroptosis after spinal cord injury,we conducted singlecell RNA sequencing and validated that neural stem cells originate from ependymal cells and undergo necroptosis in response to spinal cord injury.Subsequently,we established an in vitro necroptosis model using neural stem cells isolated from embryonic mice aged 16-17 days and extracted exosomes.The results showed that necroptosis did not significantly impact the fundamental characteristics or number of exosomes.Transcriptome sequencing of exosomes in necroptosis group identified 108 differentially expressed messenger RNAs,104 long non-coding RNAs,720 circular RNAs,and 14 microRNAs compared with the control group.Construction of a competing endogenous RNA network identified the following hub genes:tuberous sclerosis 2(Tsc2),solute carrier family 16 member 3(Slc16a3),and forkhead box protein P1(Foxp1).Notably,a significant elevation in TSC2 expression was observed in spinal cord tissues following spinal cord injury.TSC2-positive cells were localized around SRY-box transcription factor 2-positive cells within the injury zone.Furthermore,in vitro analysis revealed increased TSC2 expression in exosomal receptor cells compared with other cells.Further assessment of cellular communication following spinal cord injury showed that Tsc2 was involved in ependymal cellular communication at 1 and 3 days post-injury through the epidermal growth factor and midkine signaling pathways.In addition,Slc16a3 participated in cellular communication in ependymal cells at 7 days post-injury via the vascular endothelial growth factor and macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling pathways.Collectively,these findings confirm that exosomes derived from neural stem cells undergoing necroptosis play an important role in cellular communication after spinal cord injury and induce TSC2 upregulation in recipient cells.

Ethical and Moral Competences of Upper Secondary Students:A Comparative Study

Purpose:This article presents the theoretical framework,research design,methodology,and main findings of the comparative measurement of ethical-moral competences of 15-year-old upper secondary students in Shanghai,under the ETiK-International-Shanghai project.Design/Approach/Methods:By dividing the ethical-moral competences into the categories of basic ethical-moral knowledge,ethical-moral judgment competence,and competence in developing ethical-moral action plans,a survey of 2,036 students was conducted,using a reliable and valid testing instrument.Findings:In general,15-year-olds from homes with more educational resources perform higher in all three scales across all countries taken under consideration in our study.Furthermore,school practices,teaching,as well as quantity and quality of instruction play a very important role in the moral education process and especially in developing students’proficiency levels of ethical-moral knowledge,reasoning competence,as well as students’high abilities in developing moral action plans.When relevant educational background factors are held constant,Chinese students show lower average scores on basic ethical-moral knowledge and moral judgment competence.With exception of the tested Vienna students,all other European samples scored better than the Chinese students—also on the test for developing ethical-moral action plans.However,Chinese students are especially able to display outstanding empathy when dealing with suffering,misfortune,and sorrow,as well as in their willingness to help others.Originality/Value:The findings of this article can foster thinking about which topics should be further discussed to improve the ethical-moral knowledge and competences of Chinese students and highlight requirements for the further development of moral education in China at the levels of teaching,curriculum,teacher education,and research.

Assessing the Levels of Clinical Reasoning Skills Using Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning in Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Descriptive Comparative Study

Background: Clinical reasoning is a critical cognitive skill that enables undergraduate nursing students to make clinically sound decisions. A lapse in clinical reasoning can result in unintended harm to patients. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the levels of clinical reasoning skills between third year and fourth year undergraduate nursing students. Methods: The study utilized a descriptive comparative research design, based on the positivism paradigm. 410 undergraduate nursing students were systematically sampled and recruited into the study. The researchers used the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning questionnaire to collect data on clinical reasoning skills from third- and fourth-year nursing students while adhering to ethical principles of human dignity. Descriptive statistics were done to analyse the level of clinical reasoning and an independent sample t-test was performed to compare the clinical reasoning skills of the student. A p value of 0.05 was accepted. Results: The results of the study revealed that the mean clinical reasoning scores of the undergraduate nursing students were knowledge/theory application (M = 3.84;SD = 1.04);decision-making based on experience and evidence (M = 4.09;SD = 1.01);dealing with uncertainty (M = 3.93;SD = 0.87);reflection and reasoning (M = 3.77;SD = 3.88). The mean difference in clinical reasoning skills between third- and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students was not significantly different from an independent sample t-test scores (t = −1.08;p = 0.28);(t = −0.29;p = 0.73);(t = 1.19;p = 0.24);(t = −0.57;p = 0.57). Since the p-value is >0.05, the null hypothesis (H0) “there is no significantno significant difference in clinical reasoning between third year and fourth year undergraduate nursing students”, was accepted. Conclusion: This study has shown that the level of clinical reasoning skills of the undergraduate nursing students was moderate to low. This meant that the teaching methods have not been effective to improve the students clinical reasoning skills. Therefore, the training institutions should revise their curriculum by incorporating new teaching methods like simulation to enhance students’ clinical reasoning skills. In conclusion, evaluating clinical reasoning skills is crucial for addressing healthcare issues, validating teaching methods, and fostering continuous improvement in nursing education.

Transcriptomic and bioinformatics analysis of the mechanism by which erythropoietin promotes recovery from traumatic brain injury in mice

Recent studies have found that erythropoietin promotes the recovery of neurological function after traumatic brain injury.However,the precise mechanism of action remains unclea r.In this study,we induced moderate traumatic brain injury in mice by intrape ritoneal injection of erythro poietin for 3 consecutive days.RNA sequencing detected a total of 4065 differentially expressed RNAs,including 1059 mRNAs,92 microRNAs,799 long non-coding RNAs,and 2115circular RNAs.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology analyses revealed that the coding and non-coding RNAs that were differentially expressed after traumatic brain injury and treatment with erythropoietin play roles in the axon guidance pathway,Wnt pathway,and MAPK pathway.Constructing competing endogenous RNA networks showed that regulatory relationship between the differentially expressed non-coding RNAs and mRNAs.Because the axon guidance pathway was repeatedly enriched,the expression of Wnt5a and Ephb6,key factors in the axonal guidance pathway,was assessed.Ephb6 expression decreased and Wnt5a expression increased after traumatic brain injury,and these effects were reversed by treatment with erythro poietin.These findings suggest that erythro poietin can promote recove ry of nerve function after traumatic brain injury through the axon guidance pathway.

Multiple myeloma survival in New South Wales, Australia, by treatment era to 2020

Objective: Australia has relatively high multiple myeloma(MM) incidence and mortality rates. Advancements in MM treatment over recent decades have driven improvements in MM survival in high-income countries;however, reporting in Australia is limited. We investigated temporal trends in population-wide MM survival across 3 periods of treatment advancements in New South Wales(NSW), Australia.Methods: Individuals with an MM diagnosis in the NSW Cancer Registry between 1985 and 2015 with vital follow-up to 2020, were categorized into 3 previously defined treatment eras according to their diagnosis date(1985±1995, chemotherapy only;1996±2007, autologous stem cell transplantation;and 2008±2015, novel agents including proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs). Both relative survival and cause-specific survival according to Fine and Gray's competing risks cumulative incidence function were calculated by treatment era and age at diagnosis.Results: Overall, 11,591 individuals were included in the study, with a median age of 70 years at diagnosis. Five-year relative survival improved over the 36-year(1985±2020) study period(31.0% in 1985±1995;41.9% in 1996±2007;and 56.1% in 2008±2015). For individuals diagnosed before 70 years of age, the 5-year relative survival nearly doubled, from 36.5% in 1985±1995 to 68.5% in 2008±2015. Improvements for those > 70 years of age were less pronounced between 1985±1995 and 1996±2007;however, significant improvements were observed for those diagnosed in 2008±2015. Similar overall and age-specific patterns were observed for causespecific survival. After adjustment for gender and age at diagnosis, treatment era was strongly associated with both relative and cause-specific survival(P < 0.0001).Conclusions: Survival of individuals with MM is improving in Australia with treatment advances. However, older age groups continue to experience poor survival outcomes with only modest improvements over time. Given the increasing prevalence of MM in Australia, the effects of MM treatment on quality of life, particularly in older age, warrant further attention.

Mitigating Straggler Effect in Federated Learning Based on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface over Internet of Vehicles

To protect vehicular privacy and speed up the execution of tasks,federated learning is introduced in the Internet of Vehicles(IoV)where users execute model training locally and upload local models to the base station without massive raw data exchange.However,heterogeneous computing and communication resources of vehicles cause straggler effect which weakens the reliability of federated learning.Dropping out vehicles with limited resources confines the training data.As a result,the accuracy and applicability of federated learning models will be reduced.To mitigate the straggler effect and improve performance of federated learning,we propose a reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-assisted federated learning framework to enhance the communication reliability for parameter transmission in the IoV.Furthermore,we optimize the phase shift of RIS to achieve a more reliable communication environment.In addition,we define vehicular competence to measure both vehicular trustworthiness and resources.Based on the vehicular competence,the straggler effect is mitigated where training tasks of computing stragglers are offloaded to surrounding vehicles with high competence.The experiment results verify that our proposed framework can improve the reliability of federated learning in terms of computing and communication in the IoV.

Geriatric nursing competence of clinical nursing staff at different hospital levels in Chongqing,China:A cross-sectional study

Objectives:This study aimed to survey the geriatric nursing competencies of clinical nursing staff in Chongqing City,China,and provide suggestions to enhance these competencies.Methods:This study was conducted in 204 hospitals in Southwest China from December 24,2022 to January 7,2023.The“Geriatric Nursing Competence of Clinical Nurse Investigation Tool”was used to explore factors that influence geriatric nurses’competencies via stratified sampling.The survey was conducted by distributing and collecting questionnaires through the online platform Wenjuanxing.Results:A total of 10,692 nurses answered the questionnaires.Of these questionnaires,9,442 were valid.The total geriatric nursing competence score of the clinical nursing staff was 2.29±0.81,the secondary hospital score was 2.23±0.78,and the tertiary hospital’s overall mean score was 2.33±0.83.The factors that influenced secondary hospitals included the department of medicine,age of nurses and total length of career(P<0.05).The factors that influenced tertiary hospitals included the department of medicine,age of nurses,nurses’professional title,and geriatric practical advanced nurses’certification(P<0.05).Conclusions:Geriatric nursing competence among clinical nursing staff is imbalanced at a lower-middle level and is influenced by various factors.Thefindings highlight the need for further clinical training in geriatric nursing.The training of geriatric nurses should focus on necessary clinical skills and on preparing them to adequately manage comprehensive geriatric syndromes.

Post competency training in standardized training of resident physicians and integrated postgraduates

We focus on the importance and necessity of post-competency-based training in medical education alongside its current challenges and opportunities.Integrating post competency training into standardized educational frameworks is increasingly recognized as a critical component of preparing residents and postgraduates for real-world clinical practice.Post competency training represents a commitment to excellence in medical education,striving to produce competent,skilled practitioners to meet the challenges of modern healthcare.

Implementation of an international medical student pen-pal club:survey outcomes of perceptions in cultural competency and global health

Background:Pen-pal clubs(PPC)are used worldwide for students to learn about different cultures and other skillsets without the need for travel.Many medical students are interested in global health opportunities abroad but costs,scheduling,and other barriers allow few to participate in such experiences.It is important that medical students have nuanced global medical perspectives and can contribute to the global medical community.Objective:The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that an international medical student PPC improves medical students'perspectives of cultural competency and global health engagement.Methods:In 2021,a novel medical student PPC was established that began between an American and Japanese medical school.Following a shareholders meeting,it was decided that the number of medical schools involved globally be expanded through previous institutional affiliations and online presences.In total,the club connected 50 American medical students and 52 medical students from 17 high-and middle-income countries.The primary form of communication was online;pen-pals were encouraged to communicate monthly using provided topics,although frequency and way of communication was their discretion.In February 2022,American PPC members were emailed a qualitative survey to assess the PPC's impact.Results:The survey was completed by 42%of American PPC members,95%of which were 22-26 years.Participants were preclinical medical students,60%whom were female and the majority either white(47%)or Asian(43%).Overall,the PPC positively influenced American medical students'perception of global medicine,medical education,and their cultural competency after joining the PPC compared to prior(P=0.004).Conclusion:PPCs encourage medical students to think from a global perspective and foster open-mindedness within varying social and cultural contexts.Having a global communication platform for students during medical school education may be an additional way to train aspiring global leaders.