Promoting and Assessing Students' Intercultural Competence Development : the Role of Self-Reflection, Peer-Learning, and Multi-Method Assessment

This doctoral dissertation describes a mixed methods, longitudinal research project seeking to add to our understanding of how higher education institutions can foster students' intercultural competence development more systematically. The focus of this project was on promoting intercultural competence as part of the formal curriculum for all students (i.e. domestic and international) using an evidence-based approach to course design. Evidence-based design is responsive to the target group and learning objectives, selects content and activities within the framework of relevant theories, and includes an evaluation stage (Stephan & Stephan, 2013). The evidence-based course design did not only draw upon existing theory and research, but also upon empirical data gathered from the target group in two studies (i.e. a mixed methods survey study, including a qualitative content analysis of studentsa subjective understanding of intercultural competence, and a focus group study). The resulting course design complemented faculty-led instruction with peer-led experiential workshops and reflective assignments which serve as both, a learning and an assessment tool. The course has been pilot-tested with a group of n=34 students at Jacobs University Bremen in spring 2016. The evaluation stage consisted of a formative evaluation, exploring benefits and challenges of the course design, as well as a summative evaluation, assessing students' intercultural competence development and to which extent the learning objectives of the course have been met. The formative evaluation has offered insights into the benefits and challenges of combining faculty- and peer-led instruction and the use of reflective papers as a learning and assessment tool. The summative evaluation has added to this and contributed to our understanding of how to assess intercultural competence as a learning outcome using a mixed methods approach that integrates direct and indirect evidence of students' intercultural learning

Chemical composition of soil and vegetation of large petrochemical complex of Tobolsk

For the study, sites were selected that were located in the immediate vicinity of the construction site of a large petrochemical complex. The chemical composition of the total phytomass of monitoring sites was determined. The accumulation range, the most accumulated heavy metals and trace elements, varied within the limits: Zn (0,88-5,45); Cd (0.10-0.13); Co (0.20-0.18); Pb (0.42-0.52); Cr (0.14-1.48); Ni (1.72-5.19) mg / kg. The biogenic and salt compositions of the soil were studied. It was revealed that the soils of the plots are nonsaline, slightly acidic, biogenic elements are concentrated in the upper horizons

Cardiac troponin I elevation in acute pulmonary embolism is associated with right ventricular dysfunction

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and diagnostic utility of cardiac troponin I to identify patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in pulmonary embolism.BACKGROUNDRight ventricular overload resulting from elevated pulmonary resistance is a common finding in major pulmonary embolism. However, biochemical markers to assess the degree of RV dysfunction have not been evaluated so far.METHODSIn this prospective, double-blind study we included 36 study patients diagnosed as having acute pulmonary embolism.RESULTSAmong the whole study population, 14 patients (39%) had positive troponin I tests. Ten of 16 patients (62.5%) with RV dilatation had increased serum troponin I levels, while only 4 of 14 patients (28.6%) with elevated troponin I values had a normal RV diameter as assessed by echocardiography, indicating that positive troponin I tests were significantly associated with RV dilatation (p = 0.009). Patients with positive troponin I tests had significantly more segmental defects in ventilation/perfusion lung scans than patients with normal serum troponin I (p = 0.0002).CONCLUSIONSOur data demonstrate that more than one-third of patients clinically diagnosed as having pulmonary embolism presented with elevated serum troponin I concentrations. Troponin I tests helped to identify patients with RV dilatation who had significantly more segmental defects in lung scans. Thus, troponin I assays are useful to detect minor myocardial damage in pulmonary embolism

Definition of Intercultural Competence (IC) in Undergraduate Students at a Private University in the USA: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Introduction Intercultural competence (IC) is an important skill to be gained from higher education. However, it remains unclear what IC means to students and what factors might influence their definitions of IC. The aim of the current study was to qualitatively assess how students at one higher education institution in the USA define IC and to quantitatively test for relationships among IC components and various demographic characteristics, including intercultural experience and study context. A further aim was to descriptively compare the IC definitions from the US sample with the definitions obtained from another sample of university students in Germany. Materials and methods A purposive sample of n = 93 undergraduate, second semester students at Dickinson College, USA, participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire. The qualitative data were content-analyzed to define the dimensions of IC. The quantitative data were cluster-analyzed to assess the multivariate relationships among the IC components and the demographic characteristics of the sample. Results The most important dimensions of IC were Knowledge, External Outcomes (interaction, communication), and Attitudes (respect, tolerance) according to the US sample. The most frequently chosen dimensions of IC differed between both samples: Knowledge was chosen by the sample in the USA while External Outcomes was chosen by the sample in Germany. Relative to the US sample, significantly more students chose Attitudes, External Outcomes, and Intrapersonal Skills in the sample in Germany. The relationships among IC components and demographic characteristics were only weak in the US sample. A person with IC was rated as Open-minded and Respectful by students who lived predominantly in the USA or Tolerant and Curious by those who lived outside the USA for at least six months. Discussion The current results suggest that students residing in two countries (USA or Germany) define IC using similar dimensions. However, IC definitions may depend on the intercultural experience and the current global discourse. Longitudinal studies with representative samples are required to assess how IC definitions change over time

Integrating International Students into Tertiary Education Using Intercultural Peer-to-peer Training at Jacobs University Bremen, Germany

Increasing internationalization of higher education raises the question of how well institutions prepare their students to integrate into and benefit from cultural diversity on any university campus. The aim of this study was to assess an intercultural peer-to-peer training at Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, that aims to facilitate the integration of incoming students into the multicultural environment of this international university. The individual experience of eight undergraduate students was explored using qualitative in-depth interviews. The results suggest that motivation to participate and satisfaction with the training were highest among students with some intercultural experience compared to students with extensive or little intercultural experience. All students supported the overall training format and the peer-trainer scheme. It seems that the training has adequately addressed the issues related to the general social life on the multicultural campus. However, it should focus more specifically on the learning model used and learning-related expectations at Jacobs University Bremen. In conclusion, the current study provides the first qualitative evaluation of an intercultural peer-to-peer training that could be utilized at other educational institutions in Germany and beyond as a method of linking culture-related issues to academic and social life of new students

The Lantern Vol. 9, No. 2, March 1941

• Writing for Americanism • Garden by Guarantee • The Sporting Way • Holding it Pliz! • I Collect Ghost Towns • Song of Sorrow • Beauty is Like a Sword of Fire • The Little Man Who Was Always There • Let Me Wear White • A Monkey\u27s Business • Spring Love Song • There\u27s One Born Every Minute • To Joe, The Happy Extroverthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1023/thumbnail.jp

The role of leptomeningeal collaterals in redistributing blood flow during stroke

Leptomeningeal collaterals (LMCs) connect the main cerebral arteries and provide alternative pathways for blood flow during ischaemic stroke. This is beneficial for reducing infarct size and reperfusion success after treatment. However, a better understanding of how LMCs affect blood flow distribution is indispensable to improve therapeutic strategies. Here, we present a novel in silico approach that incorporates case-specific in vivo data into a computational model to simulate blood flow in large semi-realistic microvascular networks from two different mouse strains, characterised by having many and almost no LMCs between middle and anterior cerebral artery (MCA, ACA) territories. This framework is unique because our simulations are directly aligned with in vivo data. Moreover, it allows us to analyse perfusion characteristics quantitatively across all vessel types and for networks with no, few and many LMCs. We show that the occlusion of the MCA directly caused a redistribution of blood that was characterised by increased flow in LMCs. Interestingly, the improved perfusion of MCA-sided microvessels after dilating LMCs came at the cost of a reduced blood supply in other brain areas. This effect was enhanced in regions close to the watershed line and when the number of LMCs was increased. Additional dilations of surface and penetrating arteries after stroke improved perfusion across the entire vasculature and partially recovered flow in the obstructed region, especially in networks with many LMCs, which further underlines the role of LMCs during stroke

The role of leptomeningeal collaterals in redistributing blood flow during stroke.

Leptomeningeal collaterals (LMCs) connect the main cerebral arteries and provide alternative pathways for blood flow during ischaemic stroke. This is beneficial for reducing infarct size and reperfusion success after treatment. However, a better understanding of how LMCs affect blood flow distribution is indispensable to improve therapeutic strategies. Here, we present a novel in silico approach that incorporates case-specific in vivo data into a computational model to simulate blood flow in large semi-realistic microvascular networks from two different mouse strains, characterised by having many and almost no LMCs between middle and anterior cerebral artery (MCA, ACA) territories. This framework is unique because our simulations are directly aligned with in vivo data. Moreover, it allows us to analyse perfusion characteristics quantitatively across all vessel types and for networks with no, few and many LMCs. We show that the occlusion of the MCA directly caused a redistribution of blood that was characterised by increased flow in LMCs. Interestingly, the improved perfusion of MCA-sided microvessels after dilating LMCs came at the cost of a reduced blood supply in other brain areas. This effect was enhanced in regions close to the watershed line and when the number of LMCs was increased. Additional dilations of surface and penetrating arteries after stroke improved perfusion across the entire vasculature and partially recovered flow in the obstructed region, especially in networks with many LMCs, which further underlines the role of LMCs during stroke

Исследование высокотемпературной проницаемости водорода в циркониевом сплаве Э110 с нанесенным слоем никеля

Объектом исследований являлся циркониевый сплав Э110 с нанесенным слоем никеля. С помощью автоматизированного комплекса Gas Reaction Controller LP было определено накопление и распределение водорода в циркониевом сплаве Э110 с нанесенным слоем никеля.The research object is a zirconium alloy E110 with a nickel deposit. Using an automatic complex gas reaction controller LP, the accumulation and distribution of hydrogen in the E110 zirconium alloy with a deposited nickel layer was determined