Curriculum Development and Teachers for Cultivating OECD Student Agency in Japan:From an Examination of Educational Thought,Educational System,History,and Contemporary Science and Mathematics Education Practices

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of a curriculum in Japan to foster the agency(OECD Student Agency)necessary for children living in the future,as outlined in the OECD Education2030 Project,and the role of teachers who implement this curriculum.Therefore,I aim to achieve this goal by taking an overview of educational thought,educational systems and history,and examining several initiatives in the OECD Project and the situation of a Japanese high school that practices science and mathematics education.As a result of analyzing previous research and the narratives obtained from interviews with Teacher A(pseudonym)of a certain F High School(pseudonym),it was found that school education should not simply teach subjects,but should aim to enable student to help student exercise agency in the future.It was suggested that it is not necessary to add content to the curriculum,but rather to prepare to provide students with competencies that will enable them to use the content in various contexts,situations,and circumstances,suggesting that in order to discover such important competencies,teachers and other related parties are required to implement curricula that allow students to slowly and carefully explore the competencies surrounding the content,and to conceive and build curricula that include both hidden and intended curriculum that allows student to reflect on the curriculum they have achieved.

Chaotic Map-Based Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol with Low-Latency for Metasystem

With the rapid advancement in exploring perceptual interactions and digital twins,metaverse technology has emerged to transcend the constraints of space-time and reality,facilitating remote AI-based collaboration.In this dynamic metasystem environment,frequent information exchanges necessitate robust security measures,with Authentication and Key Agreement(AKA)serving as the primary line of defense to ensure communication security.However,traditional AKA protocols fall short in meeting the low-latency requirements essential for synchronous interactions within the metaverse.To address this challenge and enable nearly latency-free interactions,a novel low-latency AKA protocol based on chaotic maps is proposed.This protocol not only ensures mutual authentication of entities within the metasystem but also generates secure session keys.The security of these session keys is rigorously validated through formal proofs,formal verification,and informal proofs.When confronted with the Dolev-Yao(DY)threat model,the session keys are formally demonstrated to be secure under the Real-or-Random(ROR)model.The proposed protocol is further validated through simulations conducted using VMware workstation compiled in HLPSL language and C language.The simulation results affirm the protocol’s effectiveness in resisting well-known attacks while achieving the desired low latency for optimal metaverse interactions.

Assessment of quadriceps muscle thickness using bedside ultrasonography by nurses and physicians in the intensive care unit:Intra- and inter-operator agreement

BACKGROUND Data regarding the agreement among multiple operators for measurement of quadriceps muscle thickness by bedside ultrasonography(USG)are sparse.AIM To statistically assess the agreement among 5 operators for measurement of quadriceps muscle thickness on bedside USG.METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study.The 5 operators of varied experience(comprised of 1 critical care consultant,2 fellows,and 2 nurses)independently measured quadriceps muscle thickness in triplicate for 45 critically ill patients each,using USG.Intra-and interrater agreement rates among the 5 operators were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)and expressed with 95%confidence interval(CI).RESULTS The 5 operators produced a total of 135 readings and 675 observations for ICC calculations to determine the intraoperator and interoperator variations respectively.For intraoperator agreement,the overall ICC(95%CI)was 0.998(0.997,0.999)for operator 1,0.998(0.997,0.999)for operator 2,0.997(0.995,0.999)for operator 3,0.999(0.998,0.999)for operator 4,and 0.998(0.997,0.999)for operator 5.For interoperator agreement,the overall ICC(95%CI)was 0.977(0.965,0.986;P<0.001)for reading 1,0.974(0.960,0.984;P<0.001)for reading 2,and 0.975(0.961,0.985;P<0.001)for reading 3.CONCLUSION USG measurement of quadriceps muscle thickness was not dependent on clinical experience,supporting training for nurses in it.

Integration of GIS in the Development of an Environmental Cadastre Administrative System for the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone

The Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA) is mandated by law to issue Environmental Impact Assessment license. Currently the agency achieves this mandate by issuing environmental licenses manually which always encountered lot of problems of accountability and transparency of the management of environmental licenses and assessment documentation. Client’s information and documentation is usually mixed up while carrying files from one point to the other or from one staff to another. Data on client are stored in a way which makes it difficult for the management to retrieve useful information on time. This paper explores these challenges faced by the manual system of issuing environmental licenses and infer solutions to the current challenges by integrating a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop an Environmental Cadastre administrative System (ECAS) which establishes a web-based information repository database developed with open sources software (Java, PHP, MySQL, QGIS) that published revenues online and made the data available to stakeholders and/or the public to complete the cycle of accountability and transparency. The information is presented and downloadable in a comprehensible and user-friendly manner, which in turn improves monitoring and reporting, and increases effectiveness and accountability of the management of environmental licenses and assessment documentation. The findings show these challenges facing the manual system, the back and forth between EPA and the client in the EIA process, the difficulty in the searching a client record, the mixing up of Client’s information and documentation by carrying files from one point to the other, and the storage of data on client in a way which makes it difficult for the management to retrieve useful information on time, and lack of back up when data or information is lost. Problems encountered in the time-consuming nature of the manual retrieval of files and preparation of prompt and accurate reports make it become a difficult task to accomplish as data and information are difficult to retrieve or collect from various files. Based on these findings, this paper provides the possible solution to the above problems. An online Environmental Cadastre administrative System (ECAS) which establishes a web-based information repository database was designed to capture the full lifecycle of environmental licenses including all stages of monitoring, licenses and payments and seamlessly manage the environmental impact assessment (EIA) licenses.

FORMAL PROOF OF RELATIVE STRENGTH OF SECURITY AMONG ECK2007 MODEL AND OTHER PROOF MODELS FOR KEY AGREEMENT PROTOCOLS

The differences among the extended Canetti ＆ Krawezyk 2007 model （ECK2007） and other four models, i.e., the Bellare ＆ Rogaway （1993, 1995）models （BR93,BR95）, the Bellare, Pointcheval ＆ Rogaway （2000） model （BPR2000） and the Canetti ＆ Krawczyk （2001） model （CK2001） are given. The relative strength of security among these models is analyzed. To support the implication or non-implication relation among these models, the formal proof or the counter-example is provided.

The withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and its impact on global climate change governance

The global community has prepared for the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement since Donald Trump was elected as the president of the U.S. However, Trump's formal declaration of withdrawal still caused worldwide reaction. Trump will use the withdrawal to build his political reputation and to renegotiate the Paris Agreement despite its negative effects on the political credibility, international relationships, and potential long-term economic growth of the U.S. In general, the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement will not change the development of low-carbon technologies and the transformation trend of the global climate governance regime. However, the long-term goals and international cooperation on climate change will be affected by budget cuts in American climate change research and the cancelation of donations from the multilateral environmental fund of the U.S. If the Paris Agreement is renegotiated, the common but differentiated principle of responsibility of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be challenged again. Nevertheless, climate change governance remains a main theme of future sustainable development. Instead of national governments, local governments and non-governmental organizations will develop strategies for technical innovation and emphasize pragmatic cooperation, thus expanding their roles in climate change governance. The capacity building on climate change research and public awareness should be enhanced as a long-term objective of global climate change governance.

Comparing and evaluating the nationally determined contributions of the top six emitters under the Paris Agreement goals

Comparing and evaluating the Nationally Determined Contribution(NDC) is an important element in global stocktake in the post-Paris climate negotiations, aimed at closing the emissions gap with the Paris Agreement goals. To date, however, there has still been no explicit guideline or method. By applying emissions allowance allocated by 16 schemes as benchmarks, this paper tries to compare and evaluate the NDCs of the top six emitters, which jointly account for about 70% of the world's CO_2 emissions. Results show that the four developed countries' NDCs lack ambition with respect to most allocations under 2℃ and all under 1.5℃, indicating they need to substantially ratchet up their NDCs and lead elevating mitigation. Evaluating cumulative emissions is more likely to clarify the ambition and fairness of China's NDC. If considering cumulative emissions, China's NDC is aligned with the median of cumulative allowances under 2℃ and within the 1.5℃ range. The Paris Agreement invited the Parties to communicate the mid-century low emissions strategies. This paper also tries to explore the mid-century mitigation in the perspective of allocations, which might provide decision-makers with some useful information when envisaging the post-NDC mitigation.

The gap report of global climate change mitigation, finance, and governance after the United States declared its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

On 1 June 2017, the US President Donald Trump officially announced the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, thus the study on the reasons of withdrawal, the potential impacts, and coping strategies has become a focus among policy circles and of the international community. Based on the self-developed US Policy Assessment Model, this paper systematically evaluates the three potential ＂major deficits＂ in terms of mitigation, climate finance, and global climate governance, as a result of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and puts forward policy suggestions for coping with such transformations accordingly. The study shows that the United States ＇withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will affect the existence and implementation of successive climate policies and result in an additional 8.8-13.4% increase in the global emissions reduction deficit. The United States＇ withdrawal will also deteriorate the existing climate finance mechanism. The Green Climate Fund （GCF）＇s funding gap will increase by USS2 billion, while the gap of long-term climate finance will increase by about USS5 billion a year. Either the China-EU or the ＂BASIC plus＂ mechanism could fill the governance deficit caused by the United States and the lack of political momentum may continue for a while in the future.

The impacts of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost of China, EU, and Japan under the constraints of the global carbon emission space

Based on the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model and scenario analysis, the impacts of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost in China, European Union (EU), and Japan are assessed under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 2
C scenarios due to the changed emission pathway of the U.S. The results show that, under the condition of constant global cumulative carbon emissions and a fixed burden-sharing scheme among countries, the failure of the U.S. to honor its NDC commitment to different degrees will increase the U.S. carbon emission space and decrease its mitigation cost. However, the carbon emission space of other parties, including China, EU, and Japan, will be reduced and their mitigation costs will be increased. In 2030, under the 2
C target, the carbon price will increase by 4.4e14.6 US$ t1 in China, by 9.7e35.4 US$ t1 in the EU, and by 16.0e53.5 US$ t1 in Japan. In addition, China, EU, and Japan will incur additional Gross Domestic Production (GDP) loss. Under the 2
C target, the GDP loss of China would increase by US$22.0e71.1 billion (equivalent to 16.4e53.1 US$ per capita), the EU's GDP loss would increase by US$9.4e32.1 billion (equivalent to 20.7e71.1 US$ per capita), and Japan's GDP loss will increase by US$4.1e13.5 billion (equivalent to 34.3e111.6 US$ per capita).

Influence of the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation on the approach of non-Arctic states to Arctic scientific activities

As the third legally-binding instrument of the Arctic Council, the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation was signed in May 2017 and entered into force on 23 May 2018. The Agreement not only reduces obstacles to the international scientific cooperation and promotes the movement of people and equipment across borders for the effective and efficient development of Arctic scientific knowledge, but also provides an improved international Arctic legal environment for conducting Arctic scientific cooperation based on UNCLOS and institutional arrangements. However, the observer states, the NGOs and IGOs, as well as Permanent Participants are rarely mentioned in this Agreement. This article chooses one group, non-Arctic states, as a case in point in order to critically discuss the influence of this new Arctic scientific cooperation agreement. It argues that the non-Arctic states are left behind at the original legal situation and trapped in an inferior status in Arctic science. Under these circumstances, this article suggests that non-Arctic states, especially those with competitive research abilities, should appeal for amendment of the Agreement to allow wider access to research areas and data sharing, especially when cooperating with the eight-member states of the Arctic Council. Also, non-Arctic states should take the Agreement as the reference when signing bilateral agreements with Arctic states so as to safeguard their interests when conducting Arctic scientific activities. Moreover, the active participation in other fora as well as various bilateral scientific projects can assist non-Arctic states to strengthen the relations with the Arctic states and build trust in the Arctic Council.

The Effect of Anemia on Quality of Life and Self-Care Agency in Turkey Hemodialysis Patients

Objective: Anemia is an important complication which affects quality of life and self-care agency in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of anemia on quality of life and self-care agency in adult patients who receive chronic hemodialysis treatment. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the Quality of Life Scale, the Self Care Agency Scale, and a data form were administered to 136 hemodialysis patients who were receiving treatment three hospital-based dialysis units in Istanbul. Results: The health perception of cases whose hemoglobin level was 12 mg/dl and above was significantly better than those whose hemoglobin level was lower than 12 mg/dl. Hemoglobin levels were significantly and positively correlated to physical role function, general health, and health from the previous year (p < 0.05). As the hemoglobin levels of the cases increased, quality of life pertaining to the mentioned domains increased. Conclusion: It was concluded that the quality of life in chronic dialysis patients was affected by anemia.

Interobserver agreement for contrast-enhanced ultrasound of liver imaging reporting and data system:A systematic review and metaanalysis

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver malignancy.From the results of previous studies,Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System(LIRADS)on contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)has shown satisfactory diagnostic value.However,a unified conclusion on the interobserver stability of this innovative ultrasound imaging has not been determined.The present metaanalysis examined the interobserver agreement of CEUS LI-RADS to provide some reference for subsequent related research.AIM To evaluate the interobserver agreement of LI-RADS on CEUS and analyze the sources of heterogeneity between studies.METHODS Relevant papers on the subject of interobserver agreement on CEUS LI-RADS published before March 1,2020 in China and other countries were analyzed.The studies were filtered,and the diagnostic criteria were evaluated.The selected references were analyzed using the“meta”and“metafor”packages of R software version 3.6.2.RESULTS Eight studies were ultimately included in the present analysis.Meta-analysis results revealed that the summary Kappa value of included studies was 0.76[95%confidence interval,0.67-0.83],which shows substantial agreement.Higgins I2 statistics also confirmed the substantial heterogeneity(I2=91.30%,95%confidence interval,85.3%-94.9%,P<0.01).Meta-regression identified the variables,including the method of patient enrollment,method of consistency testing,and patient race,which explained the substantial study heterogeneity.CONCLUSION CEUS LI-RADS demonstrated overall substantial interobserver agreement,but heterogeneous results between studies were also obvious.Further clinical investigations should consider a modified recommendation about the experimental design.

A Lonely Journey:An Autoethnography of the Fifteen-Year Identity Construction of a Female ESP Teacher in China

This autoethnographic study explores from a sociocultural perspective the author’s identity construction journey as a female English-for-specific-purposes(ESP)teacher at a university in China for more than 15 years.It delves into the author’s evolving exercise between teacher agency and language policy within both institutional and national contexts.The author aims to voice for marginalized ESP teachers and create a space for them to better negotiate with English-for-general-purposes(EGP)colleagues,academic staff,and policy makers.This study highlights the significance of autoethnography in teacher identity research,particularly for niche ESP teachers who direct novel enterprises through bottom-up implementation.Furthermore,the author emphasizes humanism behind ESP instruction,which significantly expands the view that the ESP features instrumental value.She also advocates for comprehensive support to sustain ESP teaching innovation,ESP teachers’identity construction,and their professional development.These insights have implications for all accountable parties in the context of educational reform to enable constructive negotiation,for ESP teachers to develop their sense of empowerment,and for inclusive education to become more accessible.

Is the Equity Transfer Agreement of a Chinese-Foreign Contractual Joint Venture Valid? A Case Comment on Xianyuan v.Zhongxin

Under Chinese law, when parties have signed an equity transfer agreement of the Chinese-Foreign contractual joint venture, they need to report to the examination and approval authority for approval. However, due to imperfection of and conflicts among laws and regulations as well as misunderstanding of the above system, it is always difficult for judges to determine the validity of such equity transfer agreement under the administrative approval system. Among the three categories of FIEs provided in Chinese law 1, scholars have had a comprehensive discussion over equity transfer agreement involving Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprises, but this case is concerned with the equity transfer agreement of a Chinese-Foreign contractual joint venture. In this case, the People's Supreme Court holds that the equity transfer agreement that has not undergone the approval procedures are not valid but not void. Furthermore, the parties that are bound to submit the agreement to the approval authority shall perform their duties of this kind.

Vocational Identity and Agency of Chinese College Students: Effects of Filial Piety and Implications in Career Education

Balancing family obligations and personal aspirations is crucial for college students in making life decisions.This critical review examined empirical studies on the effects of filial piety on college students’vocational identity and agency.According to identity capital theory,college students need a sense of agency to construct identity consciously and adapt to adulthood.Filial piety may profoundly influence this process as the core value and internalized social structure for the role of being an adult child in a Chinese family.However,no studies have been conducted from the identity capital perspective.This review found that filial piety had direct effects on college students'vocational identity and also indirect effects by shaping specific agency competencies.The impact of filial piety on the agency was more likely to occur through providing normative guidance about adult roles,influencing how college students view family as a supportive resource,and perpetuating parenting experiences.Based on these findings,this article suggested further examining the mediating role of agency between filial piety and identity development,as well as the effects of filial piety on the psychological foundation of agency development.This review suggested enhancing the agency of college students and encouraging reflections on filial piety in career education.

Solution of the Nucleon Structure Problem from a Field Theory of Fermions and Bosons and the Origin of the Proton Stability

A bound state formalism derived from a fermion-boson symmetric Lagrangian has been used to calculate the nucleon masses, the charge neutrality of the neutron, the magnetic moments and the electromagnetic form factor ratios μpGEp/GMpand μnGEn/GMn. A quantitative description is obtained, assuming a mixing of a scalar bound state of 3(f f¯)fstructure with its corresponding vector (f f¯)fstate (f indicating massless elementary fermions). Only a few parameters are needed, mainly fixed by energy and momentum conservation. The nucleon stability is explained by an extra binding in the confinement potential, negative for electric and positive for magnetic binding of the proton, and opposite for the neutron. The stronger electric extra binding of the proton allows a decay of the neutron to proton and electron.

Certainty,Justice and the Law of Agency in the Chinese Civil Code:A View from England

The new Chinese rules on agency do not impose broad“fiduciary”duties on agents—instead,there are a number of specific provisions designed to protect the principal against particular abuses to which it is peculiarly vulnerable in the principal/agent relationship.Chinese law,thus,deliberately refuses to follow the lead of English law,which imposes very strict and wide-ranging fiduciary duties on agents.This paper argues that this is probably wise.English law has to be seen against a matrix of a system of commercial law which was forged on the anvil of international trade and commodity supply contracts,leading to a set of rules that prefer certainty of outcomes(and the avoidance of litigation)overachieving particular justice in individual cases(such as might have been achieved by subjecting English law to an overarching“good faith”principle).English commercial law is adversarial,not cooperative.This explains why,in a relationship that is characterized by cooperation,such as the principal/agent relationship,the general rules of English commercial law are replaced by wide,justice-oriented rules.A system that is already based on cooperation,for which Chinese law is almost paradigmatic,is likely much more adept at applying the general rules to the agency relationship than English law would be.

Effect of Brisk Walking on Self-Care Agency or Care Dependency among Colorectal Cancer Patients with Permanent Stoma

Objective:The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of brisk walking as an intervention for self-care agency and care dependency in patients with permanent colorectal cancer stoma.Method:This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design,specifically a non-equivalent control group pre-test and post-test design.Utilizing the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale(ESCA)and Care Dependency Scale(CDS),a survey was administered to 64 patients from a hospital in Shandong Province.The statistical methods used for analyzing data included frequency,mean,standard deviation(SD),independent t-test,P-value calculation,and dependent t-test.Result:After two months of a brisk walking exercise program,participants in the experimental group had a higher level of self-care agency than before the experiment(P<0.05),and their level of care dependency was significantly reduced(P<0.05).Participants in the control group also showed higher levels of self-care agency(P<0.05)and lower levels of care dependency(P<0.05)after two months compared to their levels before the two months.Conclusion:The brisk walking program had a positive impact on patients’self-care agency and reduced their care dependency.

Profile of Declared Work Accidents at the Parakou Agency of the National Social Security Fund, 2015-2021, Benin

Introduction: Work accidents (WA) have consequences for both the individual and the company. The objective of this study is to study the profile of work accidents declared to the Parakou agency of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) from 2015 to 2021. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection. It concerned workers affiliated with the CNSS in Parakou, victims of declared WA whose file was available and exploitable. The sampling was exhaustive. Data was collected from registers and worker records. The variables studied were socio-demographic and related to the accident. They were analyzed using R version 4.1 software. Results: The annual incidence rate of WA varied from 5.8% in 2015 to 1.7% in 2021. The victims were 90.6% male. There were more subjects aged 28 to 37 years (37.1%). Workers and laborers were the most concerned. Fractures (22.9%) were the major lesions. At 38.5% they sat in the thoracic limbs and at 22.5% in the pelvic limbs. The majority (63.6%) of these accidents occurred in the workplace. The processing industry sector was mainly (52.1%) the place of accidents. Conclusion: The prevalence of WA declared to the agency of the National Social Security Fund of Parakou from 2015 to 2021 is decreasing. The most affected were young people. It is important to assess their socio-economic impacts.

Development of Global Cropland Agreement Level Analysis by Integrating Pixel Similarity of Recent Global Land Cover Datasets

Global cropland monitoring is important when considering tactical strategies for achieving food sustainability. Different global land cover (GLC) datasets providing cropland information have already been published and they are used in many applications. The different data input methods, classification techniques, class definitions and production years among the different GLC datasets make them all independently useful sources of information. This study attempted to produce a cropland agreement level (CAL) analysis based on the integration of several cropland datasets to more accurately estimate cropland area distribution. Estimating cropland area and how it has changed on a national level was done by converting the level of cropland agreement into percentages with an existing cropland fraction map. A pre-analysis showed that the four GLC datasets used in the 2005 and 2010 groups had similar year input data acquisitions. Therefore, we placed these four datasets (GlobCover, MODIS LC, GLCNMO and ESACCI LC) into 2005 and 2010 year-groups and selected them to process dataset integration through a CRISP approach. The results of this process proposed four agreement levels for this CAL analysis, and the model correlation was converted into percentage values. The cropland estimate results from the CAL analysis were observed along with FAO data statistics and showed the highest accuracy, with a 0.70 and 0.71 regression value for 2005 and 2010 respectively. In the cropland area change analysis, this CAL change analysis had the highest level of accuracy when describing the total size of cropland area change from 2005 and 2010 when compared to other individual original GLC datasets.