Personal Abilities Research Articles

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВИКЛАДАННЯ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ ЗА ДОПОМОГОЮ ПОДКАСТІВ У НЕФОРМАЛЬНІЙ ОСВІТІ

The aim of the article is to analyse the peculiarities of teaching English with podcasts. This aim involves solving the following research tasks: to find out the stages of creating podcasts for teaching and learning English for self-education. Methodology: the aim and tasks of the research have been achieved by using such research methods as analysis of scientific pedagogical and methodological sources in teaching English using podcasts; development of a project on teaching English using podcasts for self-education of the adult generation. Scientific novelty. The article analyses the positive and negative aspects of teaching English as a foreign language using podcasts in formal, non-formal and informal education. The results of the study show that teaching English using podcasts can be implemented in formal, non-formal and informal education. Based on the research, it has been found that non-formal education in teaching English is an institutional, targeted and planned education by individuals or organisations that provide didactic, socio-pedagogical, vocationally oriented, linguistic, cultural, anagogical and distance educational services for learning English at a certain level. It is noted that in order to improve the level of English-language communicative competence for professional and everyday communication in various communication situations, it is desirable to create courses for their employees at enterprises. It is emphasised that for better mastering of the English language learning material, it is necessary to create and use podcasts. Based on the study by S. Y. Nikolaieva, their main features (efficiency, effectiveness, ergonomics and high motivation) are taken into account to increase interest in non-formal education and improve personal abilities and facilitate further learning of students in non-classroom environment. The analysis of the study on the use of podcasts in education shows that podcasts are an important and relatively new teaching tool that teachers can use to avoid standard teaching methods. Practical significance. The study reveals the peculiarities of creating and using podcasts in non-formal education, namely in teaching English language learners in non-classroom environment. Such platforms as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are creating new opportunities for learning English. Podcasts have their own peculiarities: accessibility, presentability and independence. The article analyses the advantages and disadvantages of audio podcasts. Conclusions and further research perspectives. Creating a podcast is a complicated process that requires planning and implementation of several stages (planning a podcast, selecting educational material, editing and publishing educational material, creating a trailer and designing a podcast cover, producing podcasts). It is noted that podcasts are a kind of digital archive that stores language and speech information for a long time and makes them available to the audience. Value (originality). The value of the study is characterized by the presentation of a new vision of the peculiarities of creating and using podcasts in non-formal education, namely in teaching English language learners in non-classroom environment. Key words: podcasts, non-formal education, self-education, teaching English.

КОМПЕТЕНТНІСНИЙ ПІДХІД В ПСИХОЛОГІЇ ТА ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ТВОРЧОСТІ КЕРІВНИКА ОСВІТНЬОЇ УСТАНОВИ

We’ve shown, that the process of professional creativity is the process of forming a creative personality oriented towards high professional achievements. This process is explained in self-development, professional activities and professional interactions, which, on the one hand, determine the development of the professional creativity of the manager, and, on the other hand, are the result of the formed ability of the individual to professional creativity. The professional creativity of the manager is also characterized by a harmonious combination of basic, dominant qualities that form competence. At the same time, the personal qualities, professional knowledge, abilities and skills of the manager are always explained at the level of professional creativity. The level of professional creativity desired by the manager is achieved to a large extent thanks to a defined, clearly formed professional position (performance of creative activity at an innovative and creative level), based on professional demands, convictions, which, in turn, involve forecasting the expected result of creative activity, formulating clear, balanced and stable criteria for evaluating professional creativity. It has been proven that in the process of mastering by a specialist knowledge about the methods of carrying out professional activities, acquiring the skills and abilities to carry out the latter, the development of the manager’s personality takes place in the direction of his/her preparation for creativity. A high level of professional knowledge, abilities and skills allows the manager to clearly define significant moral values and meanings in the conditions of modern society, not only to make operational and effective management decisions, but also to influence the decision-making of the entire teaching staff, the ability “to lead”, occupying leadership positions, having formed “a working team” of like-minded people, who, realizing their creative abilities in their professional paradigm of the activities, achieve the set innovative goals, receiving from this not only material, but, above all, moral satisfaction. It was determined that a sufficiently high level of in-depth professional knowledge is ensured by the activation of the manager’s cognitive needs, a creative approach to solving problematic tasks and situations, which does not allow the manager to limit himself/herself to only stereotypical approaches in solving management tasks, as well as such tasks that increase the manager’s competence, activate the process of his/her self-actualization. Thus, the more knowledge a manager acquires, the more diverse his/her approaches to solving managerial tasks and problems will be, which, in turn, mobilizes the intellect for the process of transforming new information, inventing creative, innovative ways of modelling a creative product. It should be noted that the professional creativity of the head of an educational institution has certain specific features: the complex, multivariate content of the professional activity, which is characterized by a constant search for productive ways of solving management tasks and problems in unforeseen situations, which facilitates the manager to actualize his personal and intellectual individual capabilities: the latter often prompts the manager to implement a creative approach in professional activity; requires high emotional and volitional stability and high speed of flow of mental reactions in order to invent an original way of responding to extreme and changing situations of the surrounding world; a high level of development of moral and professional qualities of the individual. In this case, we are talking about the formation of the value-meaning sphere of the leader’s personality.

Psychometric properties of a COVID-19 health literacy scale in a sample of German school principals applying Rasch analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health literacy was found to be an asset to manage health-related information. The HLS-COVID-Q22 has been developed to measure COVID-19 health literacy. External validation needs to be assessed in different populations to verify the questionnaire's functioning. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HLS-COVID-Q22 in a sample of German school principals. The sample consisted of 2187 German school principals who completed the HLS-COVID-Q22 online from April to March 2021. The data was analyzed using Rasch analysis, applying the Partial Credit Model for polytomous data. Dimensionality, item fit statistics and rating scale functioning was tested. Values for item difficulty and person ability as well as reliability indices were computed. Unidimensionality could be confirmed. The rating scale categories worked as intended, participants used every rating step category. Generally, item fit was verified. One item showed potential misfit but could remain in the questionnaire as excluding the item did not reduce reliability. A person separation index of 3.41 and person reliability of 0.92 showed excellent differentiation between COVID-19 health literacy levels. Furthermore, the values for item separation of 20.08 and item reliability of 1.0 indicate good construct validity. The German version of the HLS-COVID-Q22 appears to be a reliable measurement tool for the target population. Evidence for construct, statistical and fit validity was collected. Future studies need to test additional types of validity like convergent and divergent validity to further evaluate the questionnaire. Moreover, the psychometric properties of the translated versions of the HLS-COVID-Q22 should be compared using Rasch analysis.

Dysphagia-Specific Instrument Based on Item Response Theory and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

This study aimed to identify functional challenges faced by individuals with non-esophageal dysphagia and to offer a tool for quantitatively evaluating the person abilities within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Additionally, this study attempted to differentiate the personal abilities of individuals with dysphagia and hierarchize item difficulties using the ICF-based Item Response Theory (IRT) modeling approach. This cross-sectional study enrolled a cohort of 150 patients with dysphagia (105 male and 45 female) from a tertiary hospital in China. Participants were assigned to evaluate the 114-item ICF dysphagia questionnaire. To further assess their swallowing capabilities, eating patterns, quality of life, and nutritional status, participants underwent a battery of five additional scales. The ICF qualifiers underwent data shaping including dichotomization and missing value imputation, Mokken scale analysis (MSA) for checking unidimensionality, local independence, monotonicity, and invariant item ordering (IIO), and parametric IRT modeling for identifying an optimal model from the 1-parametric logistic model (1PLM), 2PLM, 3PLM, and 4PLM. Finally, we tested the robustness of the optimal model via Monte Carlo simulation and illustrated the usefulness of the model by its person-item map. The 1PLM emerged as the optimal model with a total of 50 ICF items (12 'd-Activities and Participation', 33 'b-Body Functions', and 5 'e-environmental' items). The final scale presented strong reliability with Cronbach's Alpha = 0.967. Furthermore, the scale showed good validity with a significant positive correlation (p < 0.001, = 0.60) between model-estimated person abilities and swallowing-quality of life (SWAL-QoL) scores. The findings also demonstrated measurement equivalence of the final model for individuals with different genders or across various age groups. The utilization of the person-item map can effectively compare the difficulty levels of items with the abilities of patients, thereby facilitating the delivery of tailored care and precise rehabilitation strategies that match the individual competency of those suffering from dysphagia. This study developed a parsimonious dysphagia-specific ICF outcomes tool derived from the IRT, named iSWAL-Performance Scale. The findings complement quantitative information on the psychometric characteristics of this 50-item scale.

The Context of the Emergency Department as a Location for a Smoking Cessation Intervention-Process Evaluation Findings From the Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department Trial.

Hospital emergency departments (ED) offer an opportunity to engage with large numbers of people who smoke to prompt cessation, although the acceptability of opportunistic intervention in this context has been questioned. This process evaluation study was embedded into the Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (COSTED) randomized controlled trial and sought to explore the context of intervention delivery within the ED. Qualitative interviews were conducted with participants and staff across six EDs participating in the COSTED randomized controlled trial. Interview data were thematically analyzed specifically exploring contextual influences. Data were triangulated with ethnographic observations. In participant interviews (N = 34), it was acceptable overall to receive a brief opportunistic smoking cessation intervention in the ED. Contextual factors are impacted at a range of levels. At the micro level participant views and experiences combined with staff tailoring were important. Being given an e-cigarette starter kit by a "credible source" helped to legitimize vaping for smoking cessation and gave confidence in personal ability to switch away from tobacco. At the meso level, adaptations to intervention delivery were made in response to the context of the ED. Stop smoking advisors (N = 11) had to adapt and deliver the intervention flexibly depending on space and clinical need. At the macro level, hospital policies supportive of vaping legitimized the approach. Smoking cessation outcomes reported in the main trial across sites were very similar because of the high credibility, acceptability, and flexible approach to delivering the COSTED intervention in the ED. Attending a hospital ED is the right time and place to receive smoking cessation intervention, even for those not motivated to quit. People are willing to receive intervention, and clinical staff are willing to support intervention delivery. Despite challenges, overall the context is helpful in supporting people to switch away from tobacco. The intervention, with flexible and tailored implementation, is adaptable to different ED contexts. This suggests that wider implementation across NHS Trusts of the effective COSTED intervention is feasible and will ultimately support smoking cessation for people attending EDs, who may not otherwise have sought support.

Narrative competence disparities between Children's hospital and General hospital in China: A comparative survey.

Narrative medicine was introduced in China in 2011 and has been applied as a tool for humane medical practice. The prominent problem in the narrative medicine is the lack of adequate attention and devotion. This study aimed to investigate Chinese medical staffs' narrative competence and the influencing factors, confirming whether the level of narrative competence is different in different hospital settings. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1003 medical staffs, including 201 from Children's hospital and 802 from the General hospital. The participants were scored based on the Chinese narrative competence scale, a brief Chinese version of the resilience scale, and a Chinese version of the self-efficacy scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. A total of 1003 medical staff from Children's hospital and General hospital participated in the survey, with a response rate of 94.36%. Our results showed that the score of narrative competence of General hospital and Children's hospital was 149.45±26.22 and 147.10±18.87, respectively, both of which were in intermediate level. Resilience, familiarity with narrative medicine were influencing factors of narrative competence in 2 kinds of hospitals, and whether having written parallel charts before were the influencing factors of narrative competence in General hospital. Besides, our study found that the level of narrative competence (χ2 = 13.672, p≤0.001), resilience score (personal ability dimension, t = 3.439, p≤0.001) and self-efficacy (t = 1.976, p<0.005) are different between General and Children's hospital. Narrative competence is different between General hospital and Children's hospital. Medical staff in General hospital are more familiar with narrative medicine. The competence of medical staff in China needs to be improved.

Visual statistical learning requires attention.

Statistical learning is a person's ability to automatically learn environmental regularities through passive exposure. Since the earliest studies of statistical learning in infants, it has been debated exactly how "passive" this learning can be (i.e., whether attention is needed for learning to occur). In Experiment 1 of the current study, participants performed a serial feature search task where they searched for a target shape among heterogenous nontarget shapes. Unbeknownst to the participants, one of these nontarget shapes was presented much more often in location. Even though the regularity concerned a nonsalient, nontarget item that did not receive any attentional priority during search, participants still learned its regularity (responding faster when it was presented at this high-probability location). While this may suggest that not much, if any, attention is needed for learning to occur, follow-up experiments showed that if an attentional strategy (i.e., color subset search or exogenous cueing) effectively prevents attention from being directed to this critical regularity, incidental learning is no longer observed. We conclude that some degree of attention to a regularity is needed for visual statistical learning to occur.

Pendekatan Kepemimpinan Kependidikan Al-Ghazali dan Ibnu Khaldun: Relevansi dalam Manajemen Agile Modern

Leadership is an individual's personal ability that plays an important role in bringing the organisation to its goals. The complexity of the environment of modern society, along with the pressure of competition between educational institutions, the increasing expectations of parents and the need to introduce changes in the process of working in Islamic educational institutions led to a great deal of interest in agile management methods. Al Ghazali and Ibn Khaldun are great figures who pay great attention to the world of education, including the concept of educational leadership. The presence of leaders in facing these conditions is absolutely necessary so that Islamic educational institutions can still exist to contribute to the intellectual life of the nation. The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of educational leadership of Al-Ghazali and Ibn Khaldun and explain the relevance of these concepts in the context of agile management. This research uses the Library Research method. The author searches for literature sources in the form of books and journals. The analysis used is comparative analysis. The conclusion of this research is the relevance of the concept of educational leadership of Al-Ghazali and Ibn Khaldun in the context of agile management, namely working to achieve the pleasure of Allah swt, holding fast to the goals of Islamic education, having leadership skills, involving customers in educational projects, involving customers in educational projects, teamwork and collaboration, new work processes, regular reflection and continuous quality improvement.

Pengaruh Digital Financial Literacy Terhadap Perilaku Keuangan Masyarakat Kota Gresik

Financial literacy can be generally defined as a person's ability to understand, analyze, manage and communicate personal finances. Technological advances can have an impact on people's financial behavior. So financial literacy in this era of sophisticated digital technology and virtualization is very important for society, so digital financial literacy needs to be understood by the public. Digital financial literacy (DFL) is financial literacy in the form of digital financial technology. Demographic factors also influence financial behavior in society. Demographic factors can have an influence because the older you get, the more experience you have, including your financial intelligence, which also increases. This research used a sample of 125 respondents and obtained data from the results of a questionnaire distributed using the Likert scale assessment method. The analysis method uses structuralEquation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM PLS) analysis. The results of this research conclude that Digital Financial Literacy (DFL) has been proven to have a good and significant effect on the financial behavior of the people of Gresik City. And educational demographics are proven to have a good and significant effect in moderating the influence of DFL on financial behavior.

Insight from molecular modeling and ADMET analysis: Design, synthesis and in vitro acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase assessment of thiazolidinone containing benzoxazole hybrids derivatives

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a brain disorder medically defined as loss of memory and analytical reasoning abilities of an infected person. The adult or aged peoples are more likely to be adversely affected by this disease. Following this prospect, this study is conducted to synthesize a novel class of (Z)-2-(((Z)-2-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-ylthio)-1-phenylethylidene)hydrazono)-3-phenylthiazolidin-4-one based derivatives and evaluate its performance towards the treatment of AD. This study showed the better results when compared to the inhibition potential of the standard drug Donepezil against AChE (IC50= 4.10 ± 1.05 µM) and against BuChE (IC50=6.59 ± 1.63 µM), the inhibition potential shown by benzimidazole based thiadiazole scaffolds against the targeted enzymes is of wide range. The inhibition potential of all the scaffolds against AChE ranged from 2.89 ± 0.65 µM to 19.04 ± 0.49 µM and against BuChE ranged from 3.70 ± 0.98 µM to 23.19 ± 0.71 µM. Moreover, to investigate the binding interaction of effective scaffolds against the active sites of AChE and BuChE, molecular docking studies were carried out and the analysis data evaluated the substantial binding interaction of scaffolds against the targeted enzymes. The structural characteristic of each scaffold is determined by using different spectroscopic techniques. In this work only three analogues found to be the most active having the observed IC50 values 7d, 3.05 ± 0.19 µM, 2.90 ± 0.87 µM(for BuChE), 7g, 3.88 ± 0.32 µM(for AChE), 4.98 ± 0.54 µM(for BuChE), 7k 2.89 ± 0.65 µM(for AChE), 3.70 ± 0.98 µM(for BuChE). Furthermore, the selected analogues considered for In-Vivo and cytotoxic study as well as structure modification carried out in search of more active analogues.

Bimanual Arm Trainer Versus Traditional Occupational Therapy Services in Upper Extremity Function.

Upper extremity (UE) dysfunction resulting from stroke significantly affects a person's ability to complete self-care activities, consequently diminishing functional independence. Effective interventions that improve UE function in persons with stroke are needed. To explore the effectiveness of the Bimanual Arm Trainer (BAT) compared with traditional occupational therapy treatment sessions (i.e., a control group) on improving UE function after acute ischemic stroke. Clinical trial, two-group, nonrandomized repeated-measures design. Inpatient rehabilitation facility. Twenty-seven persons with ischemic stroke and an Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) score ≤17. Minimum of three 10-min sessions on the BAT. ARAT, Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Recovery after Stroke (FMA-UE). Both the intervention and control groups showed significant improvement on the ARAT from evaluation to discharge (main effect of time: p = .02). There was no statistically significant main effect of group and no significant Time × Group interaction (p = .63). FMA-UE scores also improved significantly in the intervention group from evaluation to discharge (p < .001). FMA-UE scores were not available for the control group. Both the intervention and control groups demonstrated significant improvements in UE function from evaluation to discharge. There were no statistically significant differences between groups, indicating that the BAT results in similar improvements in UE function, as would be expected in traditional occupational therapy. Further research is warranted to examine additional BAT programs, use different outcome measures, and assess participants over a longer time span. Plain-Language Summary: The Bimanual Arm Trainer (BAT) is a novel device that can be used in occupational therapy to improve arm function among stroke patients. There is limited research on BAT's effectiveness in improving arm function among stroke patients. In an acute inpatient rehabilitation setting, we compared outcome scores of patients who received traditional occupational therapy services with those who also used the BAT. Both groups achieved significant improvements in arm function from evaluation to discharge. We found that the addition of the BAT interventions did not significantly affect the outcome measure scores for either group. We conclude that more research is needed to examine additional BAT programs, use different outcome measures, and assess participants over a longer period of time.

The Relationship of Arcus Pedis Form with Running Speed in Markentho's Football Running Community at Manahan Stadium

Background: Running speed refers to a person's ability to perform consecutive movements to cover a distance in the shortest possible time. This speed is influenced by the arch of the foot (arcus pedis), which can be classified as low, high, or average, and functions as a shock absorber when the foot contacts the ground. Common deformities in abnormal foot structures include pes cavus and flat feet. Aim: To determine the relationship between the condition of the arcus pedis and running speed in the Anak Buah Markentho running community at Manahan Stadium. Methods: This research was conducted on 25 members of a running community. The normality test was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the hypothesis was tested using Spearman's correlation. Results: The analysis yielded a significance value of 0.000 (p &lt; 0.05), indicating a significant correlation between the shape of the arcus pedis and running speed. The Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.691, showing a positive and strong correlation. Conclusion: Greater deviations in the arch shape are associated with lower running speed, demonstrating a significant and strong correlation. This suggests a clear relationship between the shape of the arcus pedis and running speed.

STEM Teacher Candidates’ Preparation for Online Teaching: Promoting Technological and Pedagogical Knowledge

Emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on pedagogical challenges that require the immediate attention of teacher education programs. This paper focuses on teacher candidates’ preparation to teach online in a STEM curriculum and pedagogy course in a teacher education program at a Canadian university. The authors present a two-phase study of two cohorts of teacher candidates enrolled in this course and explore 1) their perceptions of the dynamics and effectiveness of online teaching as a teaching modality, and 2) the impact of the course on their technological and pedagogical skills necessary for online teaching. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys administered online at the beginning and end of the course. Findings suggest that teacher candidates’ engagement with course content resulted in a notable improvement in their views toward online teaching as a teaching modality, pedagogical approaches, and personal abilities utilizing innovative online teaching strategies. This research emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive training programs that enhance teacher candidates’ technological competencies while simultaneously refining their pedagogical methodologies for online settings. Implications for teacher education research and practice are discussed.

Students Perception on Soft Skills in Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati, Cirebon, Indonesia

Background: Soft skills is important attributes of professionalism in the practice of medicine. Soft skills to be known as person's ability beyond knowledge, intelligence, or competence. Faculty of Medicine in Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati, Cirebon, Indonesia, has used various learning methods to support students' skills, allowing students to have different perspectives in understanding soft skills. Aims: To identify the perception of medical students at Faculty of Medicine, Swadaya Gunung Jati University, in the pre-clinical stage towards soft skills. Methods: This was an observational descriptive study. Respondents were selected using Stratified Random Sampling techniques, sample size was 262 respondents were obtained from semester 2, 4, 6 and 8. This study used primary data with 42 statement items with univariate analysis. Results: From 262 respondents, of 93.1% students (244) have a good perception of the definition of soft skills. As many as 50.4% (123) of 262 respondents have a good perception of time management. As many as 81.3% (213) of 262 respondents have a good perception of critical thinking. 73.7% (193) of 262 respondents have a good perception of teamwork. As many as 87.4% (229) of 262 respondents have a good perception of public speaking. Conclusion: This study showed medical student perception of soft skills regarding definition, time management skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking had a good perception. In the future, Faculty needs to provide space for students to develop these soft skills through training or interprofessional education and other programs. Received: 10 September 2024 | Reviewed: 16 October 2024 | Revised: 23 October 2024 | Accepted: 31 October 2024.

The Impact of Anemia on Adolescent Girls in the Future

This community service activity aims to increase teenagers' knowledge about anemia when teenagers are at risk of becoming pregnant and giving birth to stunted children in Banjarbaru City. This activity needs to be done because development during adolescence, greatly determines a person's ability to become an adult. Nutritional problems that occur during adolescence will increase vulnerability to disease in adulthood and risk giving birth to a generation with nutritional problems. For this reason, the community service team is expected to be able to carry out outreach activities to teenagers about anemia when teenagers are at risk of becoming pregnant and giving birth to stunted children. This activity uses the method of counseling and asking and answering teenagers' knowledge about anemia when teenagers are at risk of becoming pregnant and giving birth to stunted children. After carrying out this community service activity, the conclusion that can be drawn is that there is an increase in teenagers' knowledge about anemia when teenagers are at risk of becoming pregnant and giving birth to stunted children. The hope is that after gaining knowledge about anemia, teenagers can avoid it.

Assessment of Acoustic and Nasalance Improvement in Maxillary Obturator Patients Using PRAAT Software: An In Vivo Study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the improvement in acoustic and nasalance in patients with maxillary obturators, using PRAAT software. The current study comprised a total of 16 patients who had acquired maxillary defects. Regardless of gender, the age range of these patients was 40-75 years old. The total number of patients were randomly divided into two groups (8 participants in each group) namely (A) Interim obturator group and (B) Definitive obturator group. Analysis was done using PRAAT software for two speech parameters namely nasalance and acoustic value. The first stage of speech analysis was completed without the use of an obturator, whereas the second stage involved inserting the obturator on the same day. The third stage occurred 2 months after the usage of the obturator. The data were recorded and statistically analyzed. In definitive obturator group, mean value for relative nasalance increases from before prosthesis (60.93 ± 3.34 db) to after 2 months of prosthesis (70.53 ± 2.24 db) while in interim group increased from 57.55 ± 4.31 db (before prosthesis) to 63.77 ± 3.66 db (after 2 months of prosthesis). This improvement was more marked with definitive obturator than interim obturator. The F2-F1 comparative mean value changed from before prosthesis to immediate after prosthesis in definitive group for /a/, /e/, and /u/ vowels was 9.77, 22, and 24.38, respectively. F2-F1 comparative mean changes from before prosthesis to after 2 months of prosthesis was 102, 75.75, and 87 for three vowels /a/, /e/, and /u/, respectively. Similarly, F2-F1 mean value in interim prosthesis group changes from before to after 2 months of prosthesis was 62.25, 27.62, and 1.75 for /a/, /e/, and /u/, respectively. On conclusion, the definitive obturators were well-tolerated by patients with major defects and the results show that maxillary resection significantly impairs speech and definitive obturator rehabilitation is effective in regaining nasalance and acoustic speech components. Speech disorders in maxillectomy patients are a significant clinical issue since the surgery results in hypernasality, which impairs a person's ability to understand their own speech. Either surgical techniques or prosthetic rehabilitation are used to correct these abnormalities. Certain people require prosthetics to fix their speech even after surgery. How to cite this article: Bhushan P, Thenumkal E, Khosla E, et al. Assessment of Acoustic and Nasalance Improvement in Maxillary Obturator Patients Using PRAAT Software: An In Vivo Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(7):656-660.

The Development of Interactive Multimedia using Adobe Animate to Increase Student’s Learning Interest in Electrolyte and Non-Electrolyte Solution Material

Education is a process of developing a person's strengths and abilities, in a conscious and planned way to create a learning process and atmosphere that allows students to actively develop their potential. Education provides everyone with the knowledge, abilities, and values they need to face difficulties and challenges in life. In the modern technological era, education and technology are two elements that are increasingly integrated and have an extraordinary impact on human life. The purpose of this study is to find out how effective the use of interactive multimedia using Adobe Animate is to increase students' interest in learning electrolyte and non-electrolyte solution materials. The method used in this study is Literature Review to compare data from several journals relevant to the research topic. This research relies on literacy data search websites, such as Jurnal Sinta, Google Scholar, and Mendeley. The results of the study show that using interactive multimedia using Adobe Animate as a fun learning medium can increase students' interest in learning.

Evaluating functional ability in older adults’ object retrieval behavior from kitchen furniture using OpenPose and REBA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate, through analysis, the ability of older persons to retrieve items from kitchen cabinets. To achieve this goal, data were collected from 128 valid questionnaires and supplemented with field research and user interviews. The study revealed that the elderly’s behavior in retrieving items from kitchen spaces is characterized by both high frequency and difficulty. For this experiment, a total of 42 participants, comprising 21 males and 21 females from the self-care elderly population in the Yangtze River Delta region, were recruited. Two different experimental settings were arranged: one with kitchen utensils arranged in a straight line and another with a purpose-made chest of drawers with varying heights. Video recordings using the Logitech C930C were utilized to capture the gestures and behaviors of the elderly while retrieving objects from the kitchen cupboards (cabinets). By employing a combination of the OpenPose model and the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method, which involves calculating human posture angles, REBA scores, and determining the risk level of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), a risk assessment framework for manual operations associated with WMSDs was developed. Using the angle data acquired from the user operation experiment as parameters, a gradient model of the elderly user’s operational capability was established. The findings indicated a significant impact of neck, trunk, and knee movements on the subjects (P < 0.001). The participants were able to distinguish between different levels of exertion, categorizing movements as ‘easy’, ‘moderate,’ or ‘strenuous.’ These results form the basis for a comfort gradient model for leaning over and retrieving items. Given the prevalent conditions of bone and joint degeneration and osteoporosis among the elderly population, it is evident that they face challenges when accessing items in the kitchen. Therefore, investigating the elderly’s execution abilities during the retrieval process becomes crucial. Understanding how different cabinet heights impact the joint angles of the elderly can be instrumental in optimizing cabinet designs for elderly users, thereby reducing their physical exertion in the kitchen and enhancing their comfort levels. This research holds significant value in improving the quality of life for the elderly population at home and fostering the advancement of elderly-friendly design principles.

Internationalisation for higher education: International coordinators’ perspectives on challenges and virtual exchange

International outlook constitutes, together with teaching, research, and knowledge transfer, one of the university core missions. Spain remains as a preferred destination for outbound mobilities, which constitutes an opportunity in terms of international rankings. Vice-Rectorates are designing strategies to retain this flow of international students, as well as to promote outbound mobilities. The present piece of research is a qualitative study based on Deyo’s Qualitative Social Constructionist Inquiry (2018), a semi-structured interview. Such design was supervised by experts and approved by the Ethics Committee of Social Studies. Results address the viewpoints of 17 international coordinators of the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, based on four different campuses. The sample was made in terms of convenience, as it is the authors’ institution. Questions concentrate on coordinators’ understanding of the goals and needs of study abroad programmes, together with the needs of international students, their main challenges, and the role of the three communicative subcompetences of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages on these programmes, and more specifically their connection with the Theory of Identity Development (Chickering and Reisser, 1993), to help determine the strengths and weaknesses of such mobilities. Results reveal important information in relation to both the role of international coordinator and the effects these exchanges have on the students. Considering the former aspect, the answers evinced that this job post requires more attention in terms of training, tasks specification, recognition, and assistance. Regarding the latter, the responses highlight multiple benefits derived from these exchanges; in particular, the development of personal and social abilities to be more independent to solve problems, to collaborate with other people from different backgrounds, to communicate in a foreign language, and to expand their worldview. Nonetheless, the answers also show that this experience could be further enriched by academic, social, and emotional support for the students. In this line, the study suggests a set of recommendations and seeks for alternative instances to reach the goals of international exchange, such as excellence, equity, or education innovation (European Commission, 2021) by means of virtual exchange in COIL programmes such as eTwinning.

İBTİDAİ SİNİFLƏRDƏ RİYAZİYYAT DƏRSLƏRİNDƏ DİDAKTİK OYUNLARIN ROLU

Didactic games play a big role in education and upbringing of primary school students. Thanks to such games, it is possible to focus students' attention and attract their interest. Gradually, children become interested in the mathematics lesson itself, which is a necessary condition for successful learning. Game activity ensures the development of children's personal qualities, abilities and skills.