Individual Skills Research Articles

Evaluation of Bioprinted Autologous Cartilage Grafts in an Immunocompetent Rabbit Model

AbstractThe gold standard of auricular reconstruction involves manual graft assembly from autologous costal cartilage. The intervention may require multiple surgical procedures and lead to donor‐site morbidity, while the outcome is highly dependent on individual surgical skills. A tissue engineering approach provides the means to produce cartilage grafts of a defined shape from autologous chondrocytes. The use of autologous cells minimizes the risk of host immune response; however, factors such as biomaterial compatibility and in vitro maturation of the tissue‐engineered (TE) cartilage may influence the engraftment and shape‐stability of TE implants. Here, this work tests the biocompatibility of bioprinted autologous cartilage constructs in a rabbit model. The TE cartilage is produced by embedding autologous auricular chondrocytes into hyaluronan transglutaminase (HATG) based bioink, previously shown to support chondrogenesis in human auricular chondrocytes in vitro and in immunocompromised xenotransplantation models in vivo. A drastic softening and loss of cartilage markers, such as sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen type II are observed. Furthermore, fibrous encapsulation and partial degradation of the transplanted constructs are indicative of a strong host immune response to the autologous TE cartilage. The current study thus illustrates the crucial importance of immunocompetent autologous animal models for the evaluation of TE cartilage function and compatibility.

What matters the most, the assessment method or individual skills in marketing research learning?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about assessment methods in blended business education, which have become increasingly important to establish sustainable assessment practices that support knowledge acquisition for undergraduate students in business administration at a Colombian university.Design/methodology/approachFor the analysis, a two groups comparison was performed using a nonequivalent control group design with a sample of 420 students. As this study wants to find insights to improve the knowledge on assessment topics in marketing research (MR) education, it was focused on the students from the business administration program. This study also uses individual scores from the state test as prior cognitive scores and the high school classification provided by the National Ministry of Education in Colombia (2012).FindingsIt was found that the variables that best predict performance on the MR course examinations were the mathematics skills and reading comprehension scores on the state test. The study also showed a better performance of female students on both assessment methods. There were no significant differences between the assessment methods or among the high school levels.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations of this study is the limited number of items on the tests. Additionally, the authors recommend conducting an analysis of the differences between the testing items to provide a detailed explanation of students’ performance when comparing computer-based testing and paper-and-pencil testing.Practical implicationsFurther design of teaching material and assessments online and offline, based on local and regional marketing problems, is suggested. As the current text and readings are more oriented to the English-speaking contexts, most of the problems presented are oriented to multinational companies and brands.Social implicationsInsights into the skills required for future jobs provide valuable guidance (World Economic Forum, 2020). Essential skills for emerging roles, like data scientists, can find robust support within the MR course. To further enrich in-class and online exercises with Excel and SPSS, Colombian educators can leverage data sets obtained from sources like the national statistics office and international market intelligence databases available through the university’s library, including Passport and Statista. Engaging with authentic data sets provides students with a more profound understanding of practical applications in MR.Originality/valueThis approach facilitates the identification of key variables, such as assessment and cognitive abilities in math and reading, which predict students’ knowledge acquisition in MR. It not only offers insights into the relevant factors influencing learning in MR but also provides valuable feedback. Additionally, it suggests potential avenues for future research in this field.

Improving Skin Lesion Segmentation with Self-Training.

Skin lesion segmentation plays a key role in the diagnosis of skin cancer; it can be a component in both traditional algorithms and end-to-end approaches. The quality of segmentation directly impacts the accuracy of classification; however, attaining optimal segmentation necessitates a substantial amount of labeled data. Semi-supervised learning allows for employing unlabeled data to enhance the results of the machine learning model. In the case of medical image segmentation, acquiring detailed annotation is time-consuming and costly and requires skilled individuals so the utilization of unlabeled data allows for a significant mitigation of manual segmentation efforts. This study proposes a novel approach to semi-supervised skin lesion segmentation using self-training with a Noisy Student. This approach allows for utilizing large amounts of available unlabeled images. It consists of four steps-first, training the teacher model on labeled data only, then generating pseudo-labels with the teacher model, training the student model on both labeled and pseudo-labeled data, and lastly, training the student* model on pseudo-labels generated with the student model. In this work, we implemented DeepLabV3 architecture as both teacher and student models. As a final result, we achieved a mIoU of 88.0% on the ISIC 2018 dataset and a mIoU of 87.54% on the PH2 dataset. The evaluation of the proposed approach shows that Noisy Student training improves the segmentation performance of neural networks in a skin lesion segmentation task while using only small amounts of labeled data.

Flexible in Curriculum to Meet the Objectives of the Program of the Institution

The curriculum planning must be adaptable to the particular needs of an educational institution. It must also be responsive to social and technological changes and meet learner’s needs arising from that change process. In particular, it must encourage effective use of new technologies as tools of learning. While students must have a large amount of flexibility in choosing their individual curricula, certain subjects, skills, and capacities should be learned by all students to become good, successful, innovative, adaptable, and productive human beings in today’s rapidly changing world.Curriculum flexibility means adopting different designs for learning to help make learning more meaningful for 21st-century learners. Some practices in education have become outmoded, and learning experiences should be redesigned to be more relevant to student interests, abilities, and cultures. An additional challenge is that with a more diverse population of students who have a broad range of abilities, innovations must be linked to curriculum goals as well as being challenging and differentiated to provide for an array of learning experiences.

The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education and Sociological on Student's Entrepreneurial Intention : The Perspective of Entrepreneurial Skills Theory and Social Capital Theory

This study aims to analyze the effect of entrepreneurship education and sociological factors on the entrepreneurial intentions of students. Two theories integrated into this research were the Entrepreneurial Skills Theory and Social Capital Theory. The research adopts a quantitative approach, applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and Partial Least Square (PLS) for analysis. The non-probability sampling technique used was Purposive Sampling to determine the research sample. The study participants consisted of 68 college students in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, selected to complete an online questionnaire. The research findings indicated that entrepreneurship education and sociological factors significantly and positively influence students' entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, both the Entrepreneurial Skills Theory and Social Capital Theory not only have individual positive impacts but also complement each other in shaping students' entrepreneurial intentions. The integration of entrepreneurship education, combining the development of individual skills with the strengthening of social relationships and collaboration, was an effective foundation for motivating and preparing students to face challenges in the business world.

Fostering Economic Sustainability within Rural Families in South Africa through Visual Arts and Crafts

This paper investigated interventions that can restore the importance of visual arts and crafts in fostering economic sustainability within rural families, in particular, young rural community members. Prior to colonization, visual arts and crafts played a significant role in providing economic subsistence for many households in South Africa. During the inception of formal education, that practice was replaced by scholastic education, prioritizing theoretical knowledge over practical experiential learning, leading to a gradual decline in the subsistence lifestyle. Marxism Theory (1848), which underpins this study, posits that within a capitalist economic framework, workers are exploited whilst company owners amass additional money. Craft manufacturing has the potential to augment self-generated income, making a valuable contribution to economic growth whilst avoiding any form of exploitation. The qualitative convenient sample comprised fifteen school dropouts and graduates from both South Africans and foreign nationals and was studied through face-to-face and telephonically informal conversations. The findings revealed that insufficient application of traditional visual arts and crafts skills in elementary education; inadequate delivery of government services to promote visual arts and crafts entrepreneurship; and the divergent perspectives in defining the concept of “civilization and freedom” impede efforts to achieve economic sustainability. The study recommended that community members should not only rely on government support services but instead utilize government grants to acquire knowledge, develop skills, and adopt subsistence lifestyles that rely on natural resources for sustainable economic growth. The government should also support the establishment of training centres where skilled individuals can impart knowledge and skills to the younger generation and monitor the efficacy of non-governmental organizations. This study not only enhances the well-being of people and communities but also offers valuable material for academic research in several fields. It strengthens comprehension of cultural, economic, and social phenomena within the framework of sustainable development. Keywords: Visual Arts and Crafts, Economic Development, Skills Development, Rural Families

Does the freelance economy promote creative freedom?

Abstract This paper builds on the creation of new ways of organizing work, where the freelance economy specifically targets the increasing number of skilled self-employed individuals collaborating for shared output. Through describing and discussing creativity within the freelance economy, this paper seeks to understand creativity in collaborations among these self-employed individuals. Drawing from a case study conducted in the advertising sector, the paper concludes that creativity within the freelance economy occurs between equal and inherently creative freelancers rather than being the product of individual traits, despite their respective skills. Creativity between individuals arises when processes are appropriately formalized, while the creative output is constrained by individual decisions and styles. The paper contributes to existing research by shedding light on the distinctive characteristics of the freelance economy and its paradoxical organizational nature. By doing so, it offers insights that contrast with prior studies on artistic creativity.

Decision Considerations in Labor Market Flexibility under the Phenomenon of “Valley Circle”

The “Valley Circle” refers to a group of enthusiasts passionate about derivative products related to characters from fiction, animation, and games. This phenomenon has, to some extent, reshaped the consumer market and also impacted the labor market. Under the influence of the “Valley Circle” phenomenon, individual decision-making considerations in the labor market have become more complex. The phenomenon has enhanced labor market flexibility. With the development of internet technology, many professions related to “Valley Circle” have emerged, such as character designers, illustrators, and game developers. These professions often emphasize individual creativity and skills rather than geographical location, offering more opportunities for remote work. This flexibility not only helps individuals better balance work and life but also provides a wider geographical choice when choosing a job. Therefore, in decision-making considerations, individuals should fully assess their interests, skills, and long-term career planning, weighing the pros and cons comprehensively to make the most suitable choice for themselves.

Rock music improvisation shows increased activity in Broca’s area and its right hemisphere homologue related to spontaneous creativity

ObjectiveThe neural correlates of creativity are not well understood. Using an improvised guitar task, we investigated the role of Broca's area during spontaneous creativity, regardless of individual skills, experience, or subjective feelings.ResultsTwenty guitarists performed improvised and formulaic blues rock sequences while hemodynamic responses were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. We identified a new significant response in Broca’s area (Brodmann area [BA] 45L) and its right hemisphere homologue during improvised playing but not during formulaic playing. Our results indicate that bilateral BA45 activity is common during creative processes that involve improvisation across all participants, regardless of subjective feelings, skill, age, difficulty, history, or amount of practice. While our previous results demonstrated that the modulation of the neural network according to the subjectively experienced level of creativity relied on the degree of deactivation in BA46L, our current results independently show a common concurrent activity in BA45 in all participants. We suggest that this is related to the sustained execution of improvisation in “motor control,” analogous to motor planning in speech control.

EFFECT OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT ON WORK ENGAGEMENT USING WORKPLACE SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AS MODERATION AND MEDIATION

Career development prioritizes the establishment and improvement of individual skills and talents, as well as a sense of self-actualization for the exploration of present and future potential. Although this phenomenon is a method to promote work engagement, people still mostly approach companies that are unable and unwilling to provide them with the opportunity to grow and develop. This shows that the absence of career development support promotes employees’ disengagement, as well as affects their team and the entire company. Therefore, this study aimed to propose a social exchange theory in establishing the effects of career development support on work engagement, using organizational commitment and workplace social capital as mediation and moderation, respectively. It was conducted at the Bank Muamalat Indonesia in Jakarta, using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model. The results showed that career development support was able to increase work engagement and strengthen the relationship between employees and the company through organizational commitment. In this case, the higher tendency for employees to want, need, and feel obligated to stay in the company subsequently promoted vigour, dedication, and absorption, regarding increased work engagement characteristics. Organizational commitment was also able to partially mediate the relationship between career development support and work engagement. Meanwhile, workplace social capital was unable to increase work engagement, although strengthened its relationship with career development support.

Adaptation of Employee Development with Artificial Intelligence Virual Reality in a Power Generation Company

Human resource development and training are essential to improve the quality and skill level of employees. The field of artificial intelligence focuses on developing the ability of computers to accomplish tasks that can currently be completed faster than humans can. To meet higher standards, Power Generation Companies are improving the quality of Virtual Reality (VR) images. VR can be used as a training medium. In addition, it can improve student understanding, information retention, and skills, and provide an immersive and deep learning experience. The purpose of this study is to determine the process of adaptation or application of AI VR in human resource development in the workplace, the contribution of development, and its utilization for work productivity, especially in the power plant company PT PLN Indonesia Power Suralaya banten province.. The method used is descriptive qualitative with a phenomenological approach to the adaptation of AI VR application by explaining the utilization, including the use of design, and AI VR procedures so that it can be adapted in the application of HR development effectively. Reputable national and international journals are used as references for the foundation of the development of this article. The adaptation results in different training modules for employees based on individual skills, job levels, job titles, and desired competencies. The AI tool can then match new projects with employees who have completed training together

The Relationship between Theory of Mind and Pragmatic Language Skills in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Typical Development

Introduction: An outstanding research question is whether the interaction between theory of mind (ToM) and pragmatic language skills differs in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typical development. This study investigated the relationship between ToM and pragmatics in individuals with ASD and children with typical development (CTD) and between these skills and Test of Language Development (TOLD-TR) scores which were determined as a participant criterion. Method: Sixteen individuals with ASD with TOLD-TR test equivalent age 7;0-8;11 and 46 CTD aged 6;0-8;11 were included. Child Form of Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), Strange Stories Test, and Pragmatic Language Skills Inventory (PLSI) were used. Findings: PLSI and RMET scores as well as PLSI and Strange Stories scores did not significantly correlate in the ASD group. Nevertheless, in CTD, there were many weak-to-moderate level significant relationships between Strange Stories and PLSI subtest scores. In both groups, there were significant relationships between all TOLD-TR subtest scores and Strange Stories scores, except for TOLD-TR Syntactic Understanding in the ASD group. Numerous weak-to-strong correlations between TOLD-TR and PLSI scores as well as between TOLD-TR and ToM scores were found in the CTD group. In the ASD group, however, moderate-to-strong relationships between Strange Stories and the TODIL composite, between Sentence Comprehension and Morpheme Completion, and between RMET and Morpheme Completion. Discussion: It emerged that groups could have different patterns of interaction between these variables. The lack of correlation between ToM and pragmatics in ASD may be explained by the relatively small sample size and the fact that the norm group of the PLSI was largely composed of CTD. Additionally, the importance of sentence and syntax comprehension in ToM was revealed.

Learning Phonology with Data in the Classroom: Engaging Students in the Creolistic Research Process

Phonology is a linguistic discipline that is naturally computational. However, as many researchers are not familiar with the use of digital methods, most of the computation required is still performed by humans. This article presents a training experiment of master’s students of the phonology seminar at the University of Porto, bringing the research process directly to the classroom. The experiment was designed to raise students’ awareness of the potentialities of combining human and machine computation in phonology. The Centre for Digital Culture and Innovation (CODA) readily embraced this project to showcase the application of digital humanities as humanities in both research and training activities. During this experiment, students were trained to collect and process phonological data using various open-source and free web-based resources. By combining a strict protocol with some individual research freedom, the students were able to make valuable contributions towards Creolistic Studies, while enriching their individual skills. Finally, the interdisciplinary nature of the approach has demonstrated its potential within and beyond the humanities and social sciences fields (e.g., linguistics, archaeology, history, geography, ethnology, sociology, and genetics), by also introducing the students to basic concepts and practices of Open Science and FAIR principles, including Linked Open Data.

Teaching Sexual Abuse Prevention Skills to Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Introduction: When individuals are not aware of the nature and scope of behaviors related to sexual abuse, they may face the risk of abuse. Individuals with intellectual disabilities may also experience abuse, just like other individuals. Raising awareness through education is the most important measure to prevent sexual abuse. The skills individuals use to prevent sexual abuse are very important and functional especially for individuals with special needs so that they can spend their lives independently and safely. Method: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the curriculum developed in line with the cognitive process approach in helping people with intellectual disabilities to acquire the skill of sexual abuse prevention. The study was designed with the multiple probe model across participants, one of the single-subject research methods, and baseline, instruction, probe, and generalization phases were used. Three 12–14-year-old female students with intellectual disability were included in the study. An instructional program based on the social decoding, social decision making/deciding, social performance, and social evaluation stages of the cognitive process approach was prepared to teach the target skill to the participants. The program made use of stories about sexual abuse situations and how to avoid these situations, as well as pictures depicting these stories. Participants were taught three prevention skills to avoid sexual abuse: "saying no", "getting out of the environment", and "telling what occurred to someone they trusted”. Findings: At the end of the study, it was concluded that the developed instructional program was effective in helping three female students in acquiring the sexual abuse prevention skills. This effect can be explained both by the increase in the data collected during the teaching process and by the fact that the probe data collected at the end of the instruction were higher than the probe data collected before the instruction. Discussion: The findings obtained from the research were discussed in the light of the studies in the literature and suggestions were made for further studies.

Lifelong Sports through the Lens of Physical Literacy: Understanding Definitions, Benefits, and Challenges

The participation in lifelong sports often encounters obstacles such as lack of individual motivation, inadequate knowledge and skills, as well as unsupportive environment. This article aims to address these issues by discussing the concept of physical literacy as a tool to promote participation in lifelong sports. library research method was used to understand the definition and importance of physical literacy, motor skills development, and the influence of self-confidence, motivation, and competence on participation in physical activities. The results of the library research show that physical literacy is an essential element that encourages individuals to participate in lifelong sports. This includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to lead an active lifestyle. Understanding the long-term health benefits of physical activity can also be a strong driver for individuals to lead an active lifestyle. The conclusion is that effective educational strategies or interventions need to be developed and implemented to promote physical literacy and lifelong sports participation. Collaboration with the government and other health organizations is crucial to create an environment that supports everyone to participate in physical activities.

Core academic language skills as a predictor of academic success in Grade 6 South African learners

With this article I explore the relationship between core academic language skills (CALS) – a construct representing a set of high-utility language skills needed to manage the linguistic features prevalent in academic texts across content areas – and schooling outcomes. There has long been an understanding that there is a distinction between academic language and colloquial language, originally described by Jim Cummins (1976) as cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) and basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS). The construct has only recently been operationalised (Uccelli, Phillips Galloway, Barr, Meneses & Dobbs, 2015) as the individual skills and competencies that underlie CALP. The CALS construct describes an empirically testable set of competencies that address this need. This has been used in the development of an assessment instrument aimed at South African learners – the CALS-I-ZA (MacFarlane, Barr & Uccelli, 2022) – and I investigate whether a measurable link exists between this assessment and schooling outcomes for a sample of Grade 6 learners in 2 public schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Schooling outcomes have been measured using the Gauteng Provincial Common Assessments – a provincial examination intended to measure schooling outcomes on a comparable assessment instrument. The study reported on here shows a moderately strong correlation between the CALS I ZA and the provincial common examinations (r = 0.64 and r = 0.65). This predictive relationship between CALS and schooling outcomes leads to an argument for direct instruction in CALS as an embedded feature of pedagogy in South Africa.

Bridging the Gender-Based Financial Literacy Gap: An In-Depth Examination of Contributing Factors and Policy Recommendations for Equitable Financial Empowerment

Financial literacy is a critical life skill for individuals to make informed decisions about their investments or personal finances. However, studies have revealed a gender-based financial literacy gap, with women having lower levels of financial knowledge than men. While there is a general consensus that women have lower rates of financial literacy, there is less literature discussing the possible causes of this gap. Through interviews with experts and researchers in the financial literacy field, I seek to uncover the factors that influence financial literacy outcomes for men and women in America, and what can be done to counter the gender-based disparities in financial literacy rates. I concluded that a major factor of financial literacy is confidence in their ability to learn and handle personal finance. The best way to resolve this is by mandating financial education.

ACHILLES RUPTURES AND RETURN TO SPORT IN GYMNASTICS: AN OVERVIEW

Achilles tendon ruptures in collegiate gymnastics have significantly increased in the past few years, with 20 ruptures in the first three weeks of competition alone in 2020 according to Bonanno et al., 2022. Female gymnasts are ten times more likely to tear their Achilles than any other college athletes, with an incidence of 16.73/100,000. Men’s basketball has the next highest incidence at 4.26/100,000 (Bonanno et al., 2022). Contributing factors for the increase in ruptures are not well researched or understood. This paper will explore the relevant literature on the risk factors of tears and return to sport protocols. It will touch on early rehab but mainly focus on return to sport testing and progression for gymnastics from a physical therapy perspective. It will explore topics discussed in interviews with numerous sports physical therapists with extensive gymnastics or collegiate athletics experience. Gymnastics is a very technical sport where each athlete has individual skills with different biomechanical requirements; therefore, needs vary between athletes. This paper aims to address the transition phase between the time when surgical protocols allow a return to sport and the actual return to performance during recovery. In this specific domain, there is an ongoing need for prospective, longitudinal studies to investigate testing and outcome measures tailored to gymnastics. These studies can play a crucial role in guiding athletes, trainers, coaches, and therapists in facilitating a safe and effective return to performance after surgery.

Work Commitment and School Climate on Productive Pedagogical Teaching Practices

Teachers are vital members of the community who devote their lives to developing skilled and productive individuals. Nonetheless, there are still arguments over teachers who do not use proper teaching techniques. It is also asserted that adverse school settings make it more difficult for them to carry out their jobs in an efficient manner. This study's objective was to assess the work commitment, school climate and productive pedagogical teaching practices of Islamic Education teachers (IETs). It also examined how work commitment and school climate relate to and affect IETs' instructional strategies. The study was quantitative in nature and employed a survey research design. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to select 454 IETs employed in Malaysian national secondary schools as the study sample. The study data was analysed using descriptive statistics along with inferential tools like Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The study's conclusions demonstrate that there is a high degree of work commitment, school climate, and IET teaching practices. Pearson's correlation test indicated that IET teaching practices positively influence both school climate and work commitment. The study's results also indicate that the teaching practices of IET are influenced by seven predictive elements. These results are important for the Malaysian Ministry of Education, in emphasising the necessity of in-service training to enhance commitment and proficiency among IETs and to create the supportive learning environment that is crucial to ensure that IETs can effectively fulfil their duties. Some suggestions for further research are also presented in this study.

Eğitsel Süreçlerde Mesleki Yeterlik ve Yeterlik Elementlerinin Entegrasyonu

The most important of the methods used in training and development is to shape the knowledge, skills and competencies of the employees of the organization. Education is essentially the internalization of knowledge, while skills and attitude/behavior are related to each other and successive roles. The development is that this trio quickly becomes an observable action in practice as competence. In modern business discourses, the concept of skill has turned into the concept of competence. Competence is a difference in performance that distinguishes effective managers from ineffective managers in a particular organization. since the 1970s, competencies have been the main starting point for evaluating personnel performance in human resources management; competence has been defined as the successful fulfillment of critical tasks and tasks, the potential to apply and use the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary for a specific role or position. According to a different view, competencies are an output of continuous learning adaptation, the creation of new skills and the sustainability of achievements. Education is an activity of acquiring or producing competencies that are potentially produced in the process of professional development of a person. Since the earliest historical times, the integration of learning activities of knowledge, skills and procedures, the practice, rules and impact of education have been part of the sustainability of society. In social/cultural theories, the knowledge and skills of individuals are seen as inseparable from the social world in which they think and act. Knowledge and skills are the elements that make up competence. When attitude/behavior is developed after knowledge and skills are acquired, declarative and procedural knowledge turns into implicit knowledge, and functional competence emerges, and this triple integration process is completed, the entire process turns into professional competence. The professional competencies that they must acquire by completing the knowledge-skill-attitude integration process have been defined as basic and professional (professional) competencies as a functional competence. Key Words: Educational Processes, Professional Competence, Integration of Competence Elements