Relocating empowerment as a management concept for Asia

Management theories, especially those in the area of human resource management, are predominantly Western-centric in origin and in the empirical testing that underpins them. The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions of one such theory, employee empowerment, in an Asian context. Information gathered from an open ended questionnaire and focus groups provide an in-depth examination of hotel managers' perceptions and practice of empowerment in the workplace. This study provides tentative indicators of significant culturally-driven differences in the understanding and application of employee empowerment (in terms of both research and practice) between Western and Asian contexts. The results of this study indicate that empowerment in Asian cultures relates much more to the individual and his/her merits, in contrast to organizationally-driven empowerment in Western countries. The findings also indicate that empowerment by hotel managers is related to the level of personal trust the manager has in an employee

A fully integrated paperfluidic molecular diagnostic chip for the extraction, amplification, and detection of nucleic acids from clinical samples

Paper diagnostics have successfully been employed to detect the presence of antigens or small molecules in clinical samples through immunoassays; however, the detection of many disease targets relies on the much higher sensitivity and specificity achieved via nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT). The steps involved in NAAT have recently begun to be explored in paper matrices, and our group, among others, has reported on paper-based extraction, amplification, and detection of DNA and RNA targets. Here, we integrate these paper-based NAAT steps into a single paperfluidic chip in a modular, foldable system that allows for fully integrated fluidic handling from sample to result. We showcase the functionality of the chip by combining nucleic acid isolation, isothermal amplification, and lateral flow detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA directly from crude cervical specimens in less than 1 hour for rapid, early detection of cervical cancer. The chip is made entirely of paper and adhesive sheets, making it low-cost, portable, and disposable, and offering the potential for a point-of-care molecular diagnostic platform even in remote and resource-limited settings.U54 EB015403 - NIBIB NIH HHS; U54 EB015408 - NIBIB NIH HHS; U54-EB015403-S1 - NIBIB NIH HH

If Engineers solve problems, why are there still so many problems to solve?: Getting beyond technical “solutions” in the classroom

This Evidence-Based Practice Paper describes implementation and assessment of an exercise bringing international perspectives, liberal arts, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into a first-year engineering program - challenging the arbitrary boundary between engineering and the liberal arts. First-year engineering students (Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical) participated in a role-playing game recreating the 2009 United Nations Climate Talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. The exercise is part of a series of published games called Reacting to the Past (RTTP), with the purpose of engaging students to enhance their understanding of a given event or topic, while improving their research and communication skills. In this case, the further goal was for students to broaden their understanding of the technical aspects of climate change, as well as the political and social reasons that technological solutions are not always implemented, despite the best intentions and technical knowledge. Students practiced researching a topic, selecting and evaluating resources, proper citation of works used, written and oral communication, and advancing a position in a professional manner. These skills, while crucial for practicing engineers, are often relatively weak in incoming students. Our initial success integrating international perspectives and traditional liberal arts concepts into a first-year engineering course was supported by several classroom innovations, including a classroom-embedded librarian and gamification. Benefits of this activity in the first-year classroom include: - Getting students to interact with each other in a substantive way, strengthening the cohort, and supporting retention. - Providing structure for learning library, writing, and presentation skills, etc. - Introducing how professionals handle concepts of politics, tact, and negotiating across boundaries. - Providing an experiential learning environment to understand how politics, both personal and professional, can interact with technical solutions, leading to improvement or disruption in the lives of all. - Starting a discussion about United Nations Sustainable Development Goals early in the careers of engineering students. Certainly, students will see these concepts again; there are multiple group projects and research projects in their time at our school, as well as courses on ethics and professionalism. However, introducing these concepts in their first semester prepares students for future courses, and helps them understand that engineering is not just problem sets and robotics

If Engineers solve problems, why are there still so many problems to solve?: Getting beyond technical “solutions” in the classroom

This Evidence-Based Practice Paper describes implementation and assessment of an exercise bringing international perspectives, liberal arts, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into a first-year engineering program - challenging the arbitrary boundary between engineering and the liberal arts. First-year engineering students (Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical) participated in a role-playing game recreating the 2009 United Nations Climate Talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. The exercise is part of a series of published games called Reacting to the Past (RTTP), with the purpose of engaging students to enhance their understanding of a given event or topic, while improving their research and communication skills. In this case, the further goal was for students to broaden their understanding of the technical aspects of climate change, as well as the political and social reasons that technological solutions are not always implemented, despite the best intentions and technical knowledge. Students practiced researching a topic, selecting and evaluating resources, proper citation of works used, written and oral communication, and advancing a position in a professional manner. These skills, while crucial for practicing engineers, are often relatively weak in incoming students. Our initial success integrating international perspectives and traditional liberal arts concepts into a first-year engineering course was supported by several classroom innovations, including a classroom-embedded librarian and gamification. Benefits of this activity in the first-year classroom include: - Getting students to interact with each other in a substantive way, strengthening the cohort, and supporting retention. - Providing structure for learning library, writing, and presentation skills, etc. - Introducing how professionals handle concepts of politics, tact, and negotiating across boundaries. - Providing an experiential learning environment to understand how politics, both personal and professional, can interact with technical solutions, leading to improvement or disruption in the lives of all. - Starting a discussion about United Nations Sustainable Development Goals early in the careers of engineering students. Certainly, students will see these concepts again; there are multiple group projects and research projects in their time at our school, as well as courses on ethics and professionalism. However, introducing these concepts in their first semester prepares students for future courses, and helps them understand that engineering is not just problem sets and robotics

Resilience Within and Resilience Without: Mindfulness and Sustainability Programming Using an Embedded Engineering Librarian Approach

Students are facing an increasingly chaotic world in part due to global climate change and environmental degradation, causing rising levels of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness and sustainability programs were initiated over three years by a faculty-librarian collaborative team to assist first-year engineering students in building environmental literacy and personal resilience skills. The faculty-librarian team established in class and out of class themes, games, assignments, and programming using an embedded librarian approach. Sustainability programming included environmental movie nights with curricular links and conversations about climate change using the World Café methodology. These activities allowed students time outside of class to engage with topics in an interdisciplinary manner as they were open to students in all departments and the public. Mindfulness interventions were introduced in the fall 2019 semester and included thought awareness, breathing techniques, a Biodot® activity, and an introduction to meditation. Overall, 98% of the 58 students completing a survey in the fall 2019 semester felt the mindfulness techniques were at least a little bit helpful, and 64% felt the techniques would help them fairly well to a tremendous amount. Introducing first-year engineering students to mindfulness techniques and strategies along with sustainability topics, may help students cope with stress and anxiety about environmental challenges and their early college transition, in addition to providing strategies for resilience. These are skills that engineers can benefit from for the rest of their lives

Accent in digital humanities and language studies: the case in Hong Kong

This paper argues for the importance of the awareness of “DH accent” and demonstrates with examples in English studies how a localised variation of the curriculum facilitates students’ learning in the classroom and at the curriculum level. This study identifies the problem that studies in digital humanities have focused on the Anglo-American world. We demonstrate with an example in the Hong Kong context that even a curriculum of English language studies requires adaptation for the local needs, such as focus on second language learning and knowledge of contrastive grammar with the local language. To achieve these goals, instructors integrate materials that are tailored for students of language studies, who are typically proficient in humanistic argumentation and concepts but less fluent in digital skills. Use cases in teaching and examples of student projects are shown to illustrate the outcome of learning. The study presents important educational implication and direction for future research and education of the digital humanities

Australian uranium deal could make Indian nuclear power safer

[Extract] Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott is set to sign a deal with India that will allow the export of uranium to the country. There are concerns that some of the uranium will be used to produce nuclear weapons in India. It's not likely, though the possibility remains. Critics have also pointed to poor regulation and the lack of transparency in India's nuclear industry. But Australia can play a bigger role in improving India's nuclear industry than just exporting uranium. It can also provide expertise in risk governance and communication