American K-12 CFL Teachers’ Expected Competence, Actual Qualifications, and Needs for Professional Training: A Concurrent Mixed-method Study

In recent years, there has been a growing demand in the global labor market for proficiency in Chinese as a foreign or second language. Yet not much is known regarding how Chinese language education is provided by the U.S. schools in order to meet this demand. The present study investigated the competence that a Chinese teacher is expected to have as well as the qualification that currently in-service K-12 teachers of Chinese are actually possess. In addition, this research explored teaching philosophies, attitudes, pedagogy, challenges and needs for professional training among the Chinese teachers who are currently hired by U.S. K-12 schools. A concurrent mixed method design was employed in this study to collect both quantitative and qualitative data with a questionnaire from a sample of 45 Chinese teachers. Result showed that most U.S. K-12 schools have minimum and preferred qualifications specified for a long-term Chinese teaching position, however there is a gap between the preferred qualification from the perspective of employers and the actual qualifications that current K-12 Chinese teachers possess. Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about Chinese teaching competency are consistent with the expectations of their employers to some extent. Main finding suggests that K-12 Chinese teachers’ teaching philosophies are influence by both traditional Chinese culture and modern western culture. Lastly but not least, the majority of the participants rated classroom management and pedagogy as the two areas where professional training is needed the most

American K-12 CFL Teachers’ Expected Competence, Actual Qualifications, and Needs for Professional Training: A Concurrent Mixed-method Study

In recent years, there has been a growing demand in the global labor market for proficiency in Chinese as a foreign or second language. Yet not much is known regarding how Chinese language education is provided by the U.S. schools in order to meet this demand. The present study investigated the competence that a Chinese teacher is expected to have as well as the qualification that currently in-service K-12 teachers of Chinese are actually possess. In addition, this research explored teaching philosophies, attitudes, pedagogy, challenges and needs for professional training among the Chinese teachers who are currently hired by U.S. K-12 schools. A concurrent mixed method design was employed in this study to collect both quantitative and qualitative data with a questionnaire from a sample of 45 Chinese teachers. Result showed that most U.S. K-12 schools have minimum and preferred qualifications specified for a long-term Chinese teaching position, however there is a gap between the preferred qualification from the perspective of employers and the actual qualifications that current K-12 Chinese teachers possess. Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about Chinese teaching competency are consistent with the expectations of their employers to some extent. Main finding suggests that K-12 Chinese teachers’ teaching philosophies are influence by both traditional Chinese culture and modern western culture. Lastly but not least, the majority of the participants rated classroom management and pedagogy as the two areas where professional training is needed the most

A Study of CFL Teacher Competency in the U.S.: An Overview of Professional Guidelines, Resources, and Standards

Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) is a critical language in the United States, and the importance to have competent CFL teachers has been more and more realized. However, the literature does not show sufficient research on CFL teacher competency. To fill the gap, a series of exploratory research studies are initiated. As a part of the initiation, this study overviews the professional guidelines, resources, standards and requirements for CFL education in the U.S. at the national and state level. The findings will be useful for designing teacher education program and teacher training program. In addition, students teachers, pre-service teachers, and in-service teachers can also use them as great references for their academic and/or professional development

Conditional Stability for an Inverse Problem of Determining a Space-Dependent Source Coefficient in the Advection-Dispersion Equation with Robin’s Boundary Condition

This paper deals with an inverse problem of determining the space-dependent source coefficient in one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation with Robin’s boundary condition. Data compatibility for the inverse problem is analyzed by which an admissible set for the unknown is set forth. Furthermore, with the help of an integral identity, a conditional Lipschitz stability is established by suitably controlling the solution of an adjoint problem

Quantitative evaluation of gut microbiota composition in pancreatic cancer: a pooled study

Background: Prior research has demonstrated a positive association between the composition of gut microbiota and the incidence of pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, a thorough quantitative and systematic evaluation of the distinct properties of gut microbiota in individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has yet to be conducted. The objective of this study is to examine alterations in the diversity of intestinal microbiota in individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Methods: Search for relevant literature published before July 2023 in 4 databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, without any language restrictions. Results: A total of 12 studies were included, including 535 patients with pancreatic cancer and 677 healthy controls. Analysis was conducted on 6 phyla, 16 genera, and 6 species. The study found significant and distinctive changes in the α-diversity of gut microbiota, as well as in the relative abundance of multiple gut bacterial groups at the phylum, genus, and species levels in pancreatic cancer patients. Conclusion: Overall, there are certain characteristic changes in the gut microbiota of pancreatic cancer patients. However, further research is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanism of action and the potential for treatment

Regional variation in NAFLD prevalence and risk factors among people living with HIV in Europe: a meta-analysis

Background and Aim: Europe faces an elevated risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among people living with HIV (PLWH), contributing to the region’s highest global burden of NAFLD. However, the prevalence of NAFLD across various European countries and regions remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with NAFLD among PLWH across European countries. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across four databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Data on the prevalence of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and fibrosis, as well as the associated risk factors, were collected among PLWH in Europe. Results: Thirty-six studies from 13 European nations were included. The prevalence of NAFLD, NASH, and fibrosis were 42% (95%CI 37–48), 35% (95%CI 21–50) and 13% (95%CI 10–15), respectively. Male gender, BMI, waist circumference, Diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, ALT, AST, and years on antiretroviral therapy (ART) were found to be risk factors for NAFLD. High BMI and triglycerides were associated with NASH. Patients with high BMI and triglycerides are at increased risk of significant liver fibrosis. Conclusion: The high prevalence of NAFLD, NASH, and fibrosis among PLWH in Europe highlights the need for early screening, intervention, and increased research focus on adolescents living with HIV. Furthermore, the significant variations observed between countries and regions underscore the influence of related risk factors

Comparison of efficacy of anti-diabetics on non-diabetic NAFLD: a network meta-analysis

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of currently used anti-diabetic medications in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) without diabetes. DESIGN: The efficacy of various anti-diabetic medicines on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the absence of diabetes was evaluated by searching Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials (RCT) only. The methodological quality was evaluated using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB2), and the data were analyzed using Stata software (version 15.1). Results: All papers published between the time of the pooling and September 2022 were searched. There were a total of 18 randomized controlled studies with a total sample size of 1141 cases. The outcomes of interest included variations in alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). Rosiglitazone (SUCRA: 100%) and vildagliptin (SUCRA: 99.9%) were the best anti-diabetic medicines to improve ALT and AST, respectively, in patients with NAFLD without diabetes, according to the findings of this network meta-analysis. Conclusion: In accordance with the Network Ranking plot, Rosiglitazone was the best anti-diabetic medicine for improving ALT, and vildagliptin was the best for improving AST in patients with non-diabetic NAFLD

CFL Teachers’ Intercultural Communication Competence through Case Analysis

The demand for Chinese learning in the world puts forward higher needs for the competence of a CFL (Chinese as a Foreign Language) teacher. A CFL teacher’s intercultural communication competence (ICC), as a unique and critical part, needs to be concerned more. Inductive and descriptive approaches were used to analyze 86 ICC cases identified from Cases and Analysis of Cross-cultural Communication and Detailed Explanation of Classic Cases of International Chinese Teachers. The cases were categorized into seven cross-cultural communication elements: environmental adaptation, cross-cultural integration, cross-cultural communication, self-regulation, communication, foreign language, and team spirit. Typical cases of each category were selected to analyze and clarify how to improve a CFL teacher’s ICC. Based on the results, we made suggestions on improving the CFL Teacher’s ICC to universities, talent selection and training institutions, and teachers