International Challenges Research Articles

Global interprofessional education: An international healthcare student challenge.

Global interprofessional education: An international healthcare student challenge.

The Place of Academia in the Knowledge Triangle: How Students Recognize the Role of Scientists for Building an Innovation Ecosystem

Abstract: Universities traditionally play a central role in building a thriving knowledge and innovation ecosystem. However, in many Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, universities and research centres are hardly recognized by students as attractive places for career development or as partners for successful business endeavours. Many factors can explain why the public image of scientists in countries like Bulgaria is underestimated: from low investments and under-financed research to old research infrastructure, poor media coverage, low international mobility and lack of interest from local businesses. At the same time, new opportunities and investments remain hidden for students and young people who remain sceptical about pursuing a research career. Considering this, the paper aims to explore the main challenges for positioning Academia back in the centre of the innovation ecosystem. Starting with a short overview of the main pillars of the knowledge triangle, it further enlarges the analysis with the role of the new national institutions (such as Centre of Excellence and Centres of Competence) within the modern innovation ecosystem. Focusing on the researchers’ role, the paper summarizes how universities can further help to strengthen the knowledge sharing within the society. The paper is structured as follows. The literature review identifies the main components of the thriving innovation ecosystem, considering some of the pressing national and international challenges, recent technology opportunities and public expectations. Then, it presents the EU-level initiative – the European Researchers Night (ERN) role in boosting public awareness and interest in science. More specifically, it explores the K-TRIO project activities in Bulgaria from a knowledge-sharing perspective. In the next part it analyses the opinions of about 107 ICT students who took part during the last year in surveys and round tables dedicated to the role of researchers, research careers and research opportunities for building a sustainable innovation ecosystem. The outcomes of the surveys and round table discussions are presented along with the main conclusions and lessons learned, summarizing their perceptions, prejudices and recommendations. The last part highlights how working with young people and attracting them to Academia can boost its importance for the innovation ecosystem.

On Intercultural Communication in Chinese International Education in the New Era

Cross-cultural communication is the necessity of the development of Chinese international education, the necessity of the development of language teaching theory, and the necessity of the social development for talent demand. The main goal of international Chinese education in the new era is to cultivate the intercultural communicative competence of Chinese learners. International Chinese teachers play an important role in Chinese teaching. In cross-cultural communication, it is the responsibility of Chinese language international education to make both parties behave appropriately, reduce misunderstandings, avoid conflicts, and achieve communication goals smoothly so as to better enhance international understanding. With China's rising international influence, as well as the Chinese international promotion opportunities and challenges, so it is urgent to promote Chinese international education teachers' cross-cultural communication ability, this article through the analysis of the current international situation and challenges, and presents the new characteristics of cross-cultural communication, to discuss how to better develop in the new period of cross-cultural communicative competence.

Arising calls for national sovereignty in times of European crises and the political Zeitenwende

The recent periods of multiple crises go hand in hand with calls for more national sovereignty. Drawing on data provided by the Manifesto Project, this contribution seeks to study empirically how widespread the wish to ‘take back control’ is reflected through political parties all over Europe. We show that although ‘sovereignist’ issues across EU member states were not among the political top priorities in the past, parties’ issue emphasis has increased in the shadow of the last decade’s multiple crises. On top of that, we argue that sovereignist aspirations have the potential to further increase alongside upcoming international challenges. In particular, events such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and the declared Zeitenwende may raise calls for more national sovereignty.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Over the last decade, North America has witnessed a tremendous growth in the enrollment of international students in higher education. Research shows that international students face various challenges and struggle to adjust in a new environment. They often experience stress, anxiety, loneliness, peer pressure, and financial issues, as well as, in some cases, forms of cultural, linguistic, and racial discrimination and inequities. This study explores the journey of an international student in North America while pursuing an undergraduate degree. Using autoethnography as a qualitative research method, I describe and systematically analyze my personal experiences as an international student. Through personal lived experiences and cultural differences, which intersect in ways that specifically speak to acculturative stress, oppression, language barriers, and academic challenges. These lived experiences and cultural differences intersect in ways that are often interconnected with social justice concerns. In conclusion, I call for providing more robust psychological, sociocultural, and academic support and services, which are crucial for international adjustment, stability and academic success. Additionally, I explain the importance of proper mentoring and peer support resources, which are necessary to navigate hurdles when transitioning into a new culture and academics, as well as in meeting everyday linguistic, social and practical challenges.

The way ahead: adaptive medical standards to optimize commercial space traveler health, safety and performance

The promise of space travel opens a new era of opportunity for consideration of space medical standards, health screening, maintenance, and even environmental threat mitigation. There is a significant gap in scientific knowledge between previously well-established aeromedical standards for suborbital, orbital and beyond present a significant gap in scientific knowledge and mission-specific physiologic responses to extended duration activities. This paper will review the current and evolving standards and examine gaps and shortfalls which must be addressed to ensure space traveler safety and security. In addition, we will address the international, cultural and educational challenges of which potential space travelers and their healthcare providers must be aware, and will present an approach to systematically addressing these challenges.

Teaching Latin and ancient Greek in the 21st-century Primary School: Framing local approaches to international challenges

AbstractThe idea for this special issue of Journal of Classics Teaching arose from the conference ‘Monsters in the classroom: Latin and Greek at primary school’ which Steve Hunt (Cambridge), Lidewij Van Gils (Amsterdam), and myself (Ghent) co-organised in January of 2022.1 This conference gathered teaching expertise from eight countries and attracted more than 120 participants from 20 countries to discuss both the successes and challenges related to current international practice in the teaching of Classical languages at primary school. It became a constructive and fruitful event, where participants from different countries shared good practice in order to learn from each other and formulate steps forward.

National Security as a Value-Added Proposition for Advanced Nuclear Reactors: A U.S. Focus

The U.S. has transitioned from being the 20th-century global leader in civilian nuclear power to a nation searching for ways to revive its once-dominant nuclear enterprise. The future of U.S. civilian nuclear power transcends that of a science and technology issue and, fundamentally, is a policy issue. This is a policy paper that uses a nuclear power policy framework to analyze current and historical U.S. civilian nuclear power policy and to identify weaknesses and deficiencies that need to be overcome in order for the U.S. to (1) leverage advanced nuclear reactors as a domestic technology to meet energy security and reliability objectives under carbon constraints, (2) operationalize national security as a priority objective and (3) restore the U.S. as a major global exporter of nuclear technology. The results of this analysis indicate that the national security implications of U.S. nuclear power have been marginalized in general due to the domestic market challenges of competing with less expensive and oftentimes more socially acceptable technologies, as well as the international challenges of competing with state-owned nuclear enterprises. The results are then discussed and used for making three following policy recommendations: (1) conduct a U.S. nuclear industrial base review; (2) create a demand signal using U.S. military installations; and (3) shift away from a sell-side nuclear vendor model for global exports to a buy-side model brokered by a third-party integrator that can work with multiple U.S. nuclear partners.

Stressors and job burnout of Chinese expatriate construction professionals

PurposeBesides ensuring traditional project objectives, expatriate construction professionals (EXCPs) working on international projects face challenges adapting to unfamiliar environments with varying construction standards, work practices and cultural values. This puts them at a high risk of job burnout. Thus, this study aims to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of EXCPs' job burnout in the international construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the Job demands-resource model (JD-R), a theoretical framework was developed. Industry-specific stressors and expatriate management practices were identified using a literature review and interviews. The authors then used a questionnaire survey to collect data from Chinese EXCPs. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were then utilized to test hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that early-career EXCPs experience the most severe levels of job burnout. The paths analysis proved the direct and indirect mitigating effects of expatriate management practices on job burnout, and EXCP's job burnout was associated with poor job performance and decreased intention to stay in the international assignment.Originality/valueWhile prior research has explored job burnout among construction professionals working on domestic projects, little attention has been given to EXCPs and their unique challenges. This study aims to fill this critical gap in the literature by offering a unique perspective on the antecedents and outcomes of job burnout among EXCPs in international contexts and presents a significant contribution to understanding and addressing occupational health issues faced by EXCPs.

Fast Inspection of Quality of Indigo Naturalis by Multiple Light Scattering.

Quality control of Chinese herbal medicine is a crucial component of Chinese herbal medicine research and development. Faced with the challenges of modernization and internationalization of Chinese herbal medicine, it is urgent to establish thorough and effective procedures for quality identification of Chinese herbal medicine, and there is an urgent need for new analytical and testing techniques that are efficient, accurate, and environmentally friendly. Multiple light scattering is a cutting-edge and analytical method that can accurately and rapidly assess the quality of Chinese herbal medicine without altering the nature or state of the sample or using organic reagents. Indigo Naturalis is considered a good remedy for pediatric hyperthermia, psoriasis, leukemia, and ulcerative colitis. In this study, the process of addition of Indigo Naturalis powder in water was recorded precisely using a multiple light scattering instrument. The qualitative and quantitative measurements of the instrument can be used to accurately capture the overall trajectory and sinking behavior of Indigo Naturalis powder into water and to establish a rapid evaluation method for the quality of Indigo Naturalis with the transmission and backscattering spectrograms of the sample as qualitative indicators and stability index as a quantitative indicator. The analytical technique based on multiple light scattering provides a fast, accurate, green, and environmentally friendly method for the quality evaluation of Indigo Naturalis and supports the development and transformation of high-quality Indigo Naturalis.

Is Accurate Lumen Segmentation More Important than Outlet Boundary Condition in Image-Based Blood Flow Simulations for Intracranial Aneurysms?

PurposeImage-based blood flow simulations are increasingly used to investigate the hemodynamics in intracranial aneurysms (IAs). However, a strong variability in segmentation approaches as well as the absence of individualized boundary conditions (BCs) influence the quality of these simulation results leading to imprecision and decreased reliability. This study aims to analyze these influences on relevant hemodynamic parameters within IAs.MethodsAs a follow-up study of an international multiple aneurysms challenge, the segmentation results of five IAs differing in size and location were investigated. Specifically, five possible outlet BCs were considered in each of the IAs. These are comprised of the zero-pressure condition (BC1), a flow distribution based on Murray’s law with the exponents n = 2 (BC2) and n = 3 (BC3) as well as two advanced flow-splitting models considering the real vessels by including circular cross sections (BC4) or anatomical cross sections (BC5), respectively. In total, 120 time-dependent blood flow simulations were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, focusing on five representative intra-aneurysmal flow and five shear parameters such as vorticity and wall shear stress.ResultsThe outlet BC variation revealed substantial differences. Higher shear stresses (up to Δ9.69 Pa), intrasaccular velocities (up to Δ0.15 m/s) and vorticities (up to Δ629.22 1/s) were detected when advanced flow-splitting was applied compared to the widely used zero-pressure BC. The tendency of outlets BCs to over- or underestimate hemodynamic parameters is consistent across different segmentations of a single aneurysm model. Segmentation-induced variability reaches Δ19.58 Pa, Δ0.42 m/s and Δ957.27 1/s, respectively. Excluding low fidelity segmentations, however, (a) reduces the deviation drastically (>43%) and (b) leads to a lower impact of the outlet BC on hemodynamic predictions.ConclusionWith a more realistic lumen segmentation, the influence of the BC on the resulting hemodynamics is decreased. A realistic lumen segmentation can be ensured, e.g., by using high-resolved 2D images. Furthermore, the selection of an advanced outflow-splitting model is advised and the use of a zero-pressure BC and BC based on Murray’s law with exponent n = 3 should be avoided.

A Literature Review: Challenges of Internationalization in Small and Micro Enterprises Medium (SMEs)

This article aims to find out the challenges faced by SMES in entering international markets. The methodology in writing this article is literature review. And limited to articles related to field studies. The search results found several articles with the specified keywords. Some of the challenges faced by SMEs in entering international markets in several countries such as Fiji, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Finland and Sweden in entering international markets include access, both access to limited knowledge of international markets, access to finance, geographical conditions, and several other challenges. It is hoped that this article will provide benefits for finding solutions in facing the challenges of SMEs in facing the international market.

Menstrual Abnormalities in Female International Students in Japan: Changes during Pre-Arrival, Difficult, and Current Periods.

The number of Japan's international students has rapidly increased in the last decade. This study examines the relationship between menstrual abnormalities in cycle and symptoms, stress level, and lifestyle of female international students in Japan across three time periods, namely pre-arrival, difficult, and current time periods. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, including the menstrual distress questionnaire (MDQ), between December 2022 and February 2023. The questionnaire was distributed to 56 female international students from two universities in Japan, and a total of 29 valid responses were collected. We found varying menstrual cycle abnormalities and severity of menstrual symptoms across three time periods, with the difficult period after arrival in Japan displaying the highest symptom severity. Higher stress levels were significantly associated with more severe menstrual symptoms. Lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption were also linked to menstrual symptoms. The current study emphasizes the importance of providing menstrual education, support, and resources to address international students' unique challenges in managing their menstrual health while studying abroad. By promoting awareness, education, and access to healthcare services, universities may contribute to international students' well-being and academic success.

Liberal Internationalism in the United States: Current Crises and Prospect Forecast

Liberal internationalism is an international order that the United States has long advocated. The aims of liberal internationalism are expanding democratic practices and free trade, defending democracy from its rivals while protecting and promoting human rights. This essay will expound the definition and development history of liberal internationalism, analyze the current crisis it is facing, and point out it in combination with the current American foreign policy that although there are domestic and international challenges, the United States still has the strengths to promote liberal internationalism and maintain the existing liberal international order considering the historical background, comparison of national power, maturity of existing international order and the will of rising power. The Biden administration’s current foreign policy also shows that the United States is continuing to pursue liberal internationalism.

The mediating role of concepts for collective reasoning about integrating play, teaching and digital media in preschool: A potential for enabled agency for early childhood teachers

An international contemporary challenge for early childhood teachers is to integrate digital media in preschool. Research indicates that teachers have concerns regarding the use of digital media in preschool, especially in relation to play. In this study, we explore how an early childhood education and care (ECEC) work team takes on this challenge when, in focus group conversations, discusses digital media in relation to a theoretical framework with principles and implications for understanding play and teaching in preschool. We adopt a sociocultural perspective when examining the mediating role of theoretical concepts for reasoning about the integration of digital media in ECEC. The findings illustrate how the concepts mediate an understanding of (i) play and teaching as responsive activities with a focus on the importance of sharing the same digital media references (ii) play and teaching activities as building on a mutual frame of reference, which is a challenge as children have different experiences of digital media than adults, (iii) play as including fluctuations between “as if” and “as is” and something that must include fantasy and an openness, with digital media contributing to or hindering such openness, and (iv) how teaching can take shape in mutual activities where mutual experiences of digital media can be used as a starting point for teaching. Implications for professional development efforts and teacher agency are discussed.

Análisis de la tasa de cesáreas en el Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil La Paz de Madrid (2010-2018) a través de la clasificación de Robson

IntroductionThe need to rationalise and optimise the use of caesarean sections is an international public health challenge. To this end, the WHO recommends the use of the Robson classification, which allows comparison of caesarean section rates according to the maternal-fetal profile. The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of caesarean section in the Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil La Paz in Madrid between 2010 and 2018 using the Robson classification. Material and methodsThe population analysed corresponds to data from the 41,037 deliveries registered in the Obstetrics programme of the Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil La Paz of Madrid from 2010 to 2018. Using SPSS software, the temporal change in (a) the percentage of deliveries (vaginal and caesarean) with respect to total births, (b) the caesarean rate with respect to vaginal deliveries and (c) the relative contribution to the overall caesarean rate is evaluated. ResultsThe highest partial contributions to the overall caesarean section rate were made by nulliparous women with induced labour, previous caesarean section, nulliparous women with spontaneous labour and multiple gestations. The group of nulliparous with induced labour was the only one with a significant increase in its contribution to the overall caesarean section rate (30.4% in 2018). ConclusionsThe results of this work indicate that the challenge in public health is to further assess the relationship between induction of labour and risk of intrapartum caesarean section, particularly in nulliparous women, the group with the highest and significantly increasing relative caesarean section rate.

PROSPEK HUKUM PIDANA INTERNASIONAL DAN TANTANGAN POLRI

Changes and developments in the national, regional, and global environment have triggered the rapid development of transnational crime, in this context, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) with the authority to act as state apparatus and law enforcer is the spearhead and front guard of the criminal justice system in eradicating transnational crime. Related to the foregoing, the applicability of International Criminal Law and its application in Indonesia is still an unresolved problem. In connection with the above, in terms of reviewing and analyzing related to the prospects of international criminal law and challenges to the Indonesian National Police, the author use normative juridical research methods using library research. The Juridical-Normative research method is a research method that places legal principles and legal rules as a touchstone to assess whether there was actually a violation or not. So, it can be concluded that there is a need to strengthen and develop international criminal law which is supported by comparative studies and activities in the framework of comparative law or comparative study of international criminal law studies at S1 STIK-PTIK. In the Elucidation of Article 7 of the Human Rights Court Law, it is stated that “the crimes of genocide and crimes against humans in this provision are in accordance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 6 and Article 7)”. This provision raises the consequence that the legal spirit, interpretation, elements, and application must follow and comply with the provisions contained in the ICC Statute. In the course of the following, several serious human rights violations have been examined and tried based on the Human Rights Court Law with the establishment of an Ad Hoc Human Rights Court, such as the East Timor Post-Ballot case and the Abepura case.

Software for brain tumor diagnosis on magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND: The main reason for the development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in neuro-oncology is the high prevalence of brain tumors reaching up to 200 cases per 100,000 population. The incidence of a primary focus in the brain is 5%10%; however, 60%70% of those who die from malignant neoplasms have metastases in the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most common method for primary non-invasive diagnosis of brain tumors and monitoring disease progression. One of the challenges is the classification of tumor types and determination of clinical parameters (size and volume) for the conduct, diagnosis, and treatment procedures, including surgery.
 AIM: To develope a software module for the differential diagnosis of brain neoplasms on MRI images.
 METHODS: The software module is based on the developed Siberian Brain Tumor Dataset (SBT), which contains information on over 1000 neurosurgical patients with fully verified (histologically and immunohistochemically) postoperative diagnoses. The data for research and development was presented by the Federal Neurosurgical Center (Novosibirsk). The module uses two- and three-dimensional computer vision models with pre-processed MRI sequence data included in the following packages: pre-contrast T1-weighted image (WI), post-contrast T1-WI, T2-WI, and T2-WI with fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery technique. The models allow to detect and recognize with high accuracy 4 types of neoplasms, such as meningioma, neurinoma, glioblastoma, and astrocytoma, and segment and distinguish components and sizes: ET (tumor core absorbing Gd-containing contrast), TC (tumor core) = ET + Necr (necrosis) + NenTu, and WT (whole tumor) = TC + Ed (peritumoral edema).
 RESULTS: The developed software module shows high segmentation results on SBT by Dice metric for ET 0.846, TC 0.867, WT 0.9174, Sens 0.881, and Spec 1.000 areas. The testing and validation were done at the international BraTS Challenge 2021 competition. The test dataset yielded DiceET 0.86588, DiceTC 0.86932, and DiceWT 0.921 values, placing the developed software module in the top ten. According to the classification, the results demonstrate high accuracy rates of up to 92% in patient analysis (up to 89% in slice analysis), a very high potential, and a perspective for future research in this area.
 CONCLUSIONS: The developed software module may be used for training specialists and in clinical diagnostics.

From Large to Powerful: International Comparison, Challenges and Strategic Choices for China’s Livestock Industry

Accelerating the construction of a strong livestock industry is of great significance to better guarantee the supply of livestock products and improve the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the industry. This study constructed an evaluation index system including supply security, scientific and technological support, industrial resilience and international trade to evaluate the strength of China’s livestock industry, and then conducted an in-depth analysis of the issues and challenges of the construction of a livestock powerhouse. The research results showed that China’s livestock industry ranked 5th in the world, such that China was transitioning from being a large-producing livestock country to being a livestock powerhouse, although improvement was still needed to reach the goal. There were significant differences across species. China’s layer industry was a world leader; the pig, sheep and goat, and broiler industries were strong; and the beef cattle and dairy industries were weaker. There are still many challenges, such as the fact that the domestic supply security capacity needs to be strengthened, the level of scientific and technological support needs to be improved, the modern operation system needs to be sound, the industry and supply chain are not highly resilient, the international trade risks are increasing, and the policy support system needs to be improved. It is recommended to improve the institutional mechanism for the construction of the livestock industry, promote a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, build a modern livestock operation system, enhance the resilience and security level of the industry and supply chain, and consolidate and expand international trade and cooperation.

The role of logistics in international crises and challenges

The role of logistics in international crises and challenges