Reflection, Reflexivity, Learning and the Influence of Formalised and Experiential Piano Training

This autoethnographic study examines how music learning is influenced by teachers and socio-cultural environments and how this influences not only our musical journeys but the way we view our lives, of the progress we have made, the goals in which we hope to achieve, and the way we perceive we will achieve them. This study explores how my musical background, understanding, learning, music-making abilities, and skills have shaped my present beliefs, attitudes and identity as a musician, educator, and researcher. Focusing on teacher pedagogy and practice, the study reveals how prevailing teacher-centred and didactic approaches to teaching impact the perspectives and experiences of learning, and how music teachers have the ability to motivate, and encourage, but also demoralise and dissuade the musical learner. This study highlights understanding of reflective and reflexive teacher practice and how this can unlock impactful pedagogical and relational attributes, articulating teacher development in becoming the better musician and teacher. This study revealed important insights into the way in which I now experience and understand music through a more insightful and deeper awareness of the influences and contexts that impact the way learners engage in music instruction

The Validation of a Quantitative Measure of Self-authorship among Chinese University Students

This paper presents the preliminary evidence for validating the Self-authorship Section of the Career Decision Making Survey (SA-CDMS; Creamer, Baxter Magolda, & Yue, 2010) among Chinese university students. Two samples of undergraduate students (Stage One, N= 263; Stage Two, N= 663) from three universities in the People’s Republic of China participated in this study. In the first stage, the SA-CDMS was translated from English to Chinese, with the psychometric properties preliminarily examined by exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency test. The original 18-item SA-CDMS model failed to identify the theoretical structures as expected, however, several modifications could be identified from the results of Stage One. In the second stage, the modified SA-CDMS showed acceptable reliability and validity based on the results of confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. In addition, Pearson’s correlation analysis was employed by Stage Two to examine the correlations among the demographic factors, three phases, and three dimensions of self-authorship framework. In general, the current study provided evidence for utilizing SA-CDMS in the Chinese higher education context. This study added to the literature of the research on self-authorship and offered practical implications to educators and policymakers in promoting self-authorship development among Chinese university students.Li, DT. (2020). The Validation of a Quantitative Measure of Self-authorship among Chinese University Students. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):893-901. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11171OCS89390130-05-202

The 1992 Employment Service Act and the Influx of Foreign Workers in Taiwan and Translation of the 1994 Implentary Provisions

The 1992 Employment Service Act, the first major law in Taiwan to legalize the hiring of blue-collar foreign workers, was adopted to stem the tide of illegal aliens while alleviating Taiwan\u27s labor shortage. The Act and its Implementary Provisions, however, have not resolved the problems caused by the influx of foreign labor. Taiwan\u27s foreign labor policy has not curtailed the influx of illegal aliens, and in an effort to resolve the labor shortage without recognizing the consequences of importing foreign labor, Taiwan has encouraged the continuation of labor-intensive industries and has indirectly perpetuated the continuation of employer abuses against foreign workers

Predictors of breastfeeding initiation in Hong Kong and Mainland China born mothers

© 2015 Lok et al.Background: In recent years there has been a steady influx of immigrants into Hong Kong from Mainland China, where breastfeeding patterns differ. Studies in other regions have found substantial differences in breastfeeding rates between native-born and immigrant mothers. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with breastfeeding initiation in Hong Kong born and Mainland China born mothers living in Hong Kong. Methods: We used a multi-center cross-sectional study design and recruited 2761 new mothers from the postnatal wards of all eight public hospitals in Hong Kong that offer obstetric services. We assessed breastfeeding status as well as various socio-demographic, maternal and birth characteristics. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify the predictors of breastfeeding initiation in Hong Kong born and Mainland China born participants. Results: 80.3% of Hong Kong and 81.1% of Mainland Chinese born women initiated breastfeeding. In the fully adjusted models, multiparity (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.43-0.66) and maternal smoking (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.18-0.45) were strongly associated with failure to initiate breastfeeding in both Hong Kong and Mainland China born participants. In Hong Kong born mothers, participants with lower maternal education and those who had a cesarean section were significantly less likely to breastfeed. For Mainland China born mothers, paternal smoking (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49-0.99) and having a pregnancy-related health problem (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.38-0.94) were both additional risk factors for not breastfeeding. Conclusion: This study has identified predictors of breastfeeding initiation in Hong Kong and Mainland China born mothers. Given the current high breastfeeding initiation rates among both groups, antenatal breastfeeding education and promotion programmes need to specifically intervene with sub-groups of pregnant women at risk for not breastfeeding so that their efforts are more strategic and cost-effective.published_or_final_versio

Personalized Estimate of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Development and External Validation of a Nomogram in Cancer Patients Receiving Highly/Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is presented in over 30% of cancer patients receiving highly/moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC/MEC). The currently recommended antiemetic therapy is merely based on the emetogenic level of chemotherapy, regardless of patient's individual risk factors. It is, therefore, critical to develop an approach for personalized management of CINV in the era of precision medicine.A number of variables were involved in the development of CINV. In the present study, we pooled the data from 2 multi-institutional investigations of CINV due to HEC/MEC treatment in Asian countries. Demographic and clinical variables of 881 patients were prospectively collected as defined previously, and 862 of them had full documentation of variables of interest. The data of 548 patients from Chinese institutions were used to identify variables associated with CINV using multivariate logistic regression model, and then construct a personalized prediction model of nomogram; while the remaining 314 patients out of China (Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan) entered the external validation set. C-index was used to measure the discrimination ability of the model.The predictors in the final model included sex, age, alcohol consumption, history of vomiting pregnancy, history of motion sickness, body surface area, emetogenicity of chemotherapy, and antiemetic regimens. The C-index was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.62-0.72) for the training set and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.58-0.72) for the validation set. The C-index was higher than that of any single predictor, including the emetogenic level of chemotherapy according to current antiemetic guidelines. Calibration curves showed good agreement between prediction and actual occurrence of CINV.This easy-to-use prediction model was based on chemotherapeutic regimens as well as patient's individual risk factors. The prediction accuracy of CINV occurrence in this nomogram was well validated by an independent data set. It could facilitate the assessment of individual risk, and thus improve the personalized management of CINV

What Do NCI Data Tell Us About the Characteristics and Outcomes of Older Adults with IDD?

The number of older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is growing and will continue to expand as the baby boom generation moves into older adulthood. This descriptive analysis provides information on the characteristics and outcomes of a subsample of individuals with IDD aged 55 and over in the 2018-2019 National Core Indicators In Person Survey. Selected findings are compared to characteristics of the general population as measured by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Findings suggest the older adults with IDD are more isolated, have smaller social networks than their younger peers, and have less access to transportation to get where they want to go. Further, the NCI data show that those over 55 are more likely to have vision and hearing challenges than the general public, have a greater need for mobility supports, and are more likely than the general population to have a mood and/or anxiety disorder. The analysis concludes with recommendations for policy and practice that anticipate the supports necessary as people with IDD enter their later years including targeted assessments, accessible housing, and the use of “smart” technology

LiDAR Buoy Detection for Autonomous Marine Vessel Using Pointnet Classification

Maritime autonomy, specifically the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous maritime vessels, is a key enabling technology supporting a set of diverse and critical research areas, including coastal and environmental resilience, assessment of waterway health, ecosystem/asset monitoring and maritime port security. Critical to the safe, efficient and reliable operation of an autonomous maritime vessel is its ability to perceive on-the-fly the external environment through onboard sensors. In this paper, buoy detection for LiDAR images is explored by using several tools and techniques: machine learning methods, Unity Game Engine (herein referred to as Unity) simulation, and traditional image processing. The Unity Game Engine (herein referred to as Unity) simulation data was used for the training and testing of a Pointnet neural network model while the labeled real-world maritime environment point cloud data was used for the model validation. Fitting the Pointnet model on the simulation data, after some data alignment with the LiDAR images allowed for accurate classification of buoys on the real-world data with the 93% of accuracy. A traditional image processing approach using 2D occupancy maps to detect the buoys by shape was used as well and is outlined in the paper

Practices following the death of a loved one reported by adults from 14 countries or cultural/ethnic group

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the reported ritual practices (dealing with the deceased\u27s remains, wake, funeral, burial and celebration) of White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic/Latino adults in their country of origin or ethnic or cultural group in the United States following the death of a loved one. Design: This descriptive study is a secondary analysis from a longitudinal mixed-methods study that examined parents\u27 health and functioning following the death of a child. Methods: Adult parents whose child died in neonatal intensive care units or paediatric intensive care units were recruited from four hospitals and from death records. Data were collected from 61 adult parents at 7 and 13 months postinfant/child death using semi-structured interviews about the child\u27s death. Only those parents who responded to questions about usual death practices in their country of origin or cultural group were included in the data analysis. Results: Thirty-two adults from 14 countries reported practices in their country or cultural group after a loved one\u27s death including keeping the front door closed, walking funeral processions with a band playing, the deceased in a car accompanied by family and friends, fireworks, making home altars for deceased spirits with food and water for adults, toys and candy for children and no TV or radio for sometime. Relevance to clinical practice: For community health nurses, understanding these practices is important in being sensitive and appropriate around the death. Asking the family about specific practices they hope to carry out and noting this in the family\u27s record will help alert providers to the family\u27s wishes at this challenging time

Visualizing the Path of DNA through Proteins Using DREEM Imaging

Many cellular functions require the assembly of multiprotein-DNA complexes. A growing area of structural biology aims to characterize these dynamic structures by combining atomic-resolution crystal structures with lower-resolution data from techniques that provide distributions of species, such as small-angle X-ray scattering, electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A significant limitation in these combinatorial methods is localization of the DNA within the multiprotein complex. Here, we combine AFM with an electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) method to develop an exquisitely sensitive dual-resonance-frequency-enhanced EFM (DREEM) capable of resolving DNA within protein-DNA complexes. Imaging of nucleosomes and DNA mismatch repair complexes demonstrates that DREEM can reveal both the path of the DNA wrapping around histones and the path of DNA as it passes through both single proteins and multiprotein complexes. Finally, DREEM imaging requires only minor modifications of many existing commercial AFMs, making the technique readily available