Employers’ language requirements towards international students in the pre-recruitment stage: The case of Aalto University in Finland

In Finland, inadequate knowledge of Finnish language has been reported as one of the prominent hurdles to international graduates’ qualification-matched employment. To better understand the employment issues through a lens of language, this research aims to analyze the language requirements specified by employers in the pre-recruitment stage and discuss whether the required language could be considered as a form of discrimination on the local labour market. Online job advertisement is regarded as an appropriate data source for analyzing the needed qualifications. The data sample was mainly collected from an online job portal named Aalto JobTeaser where employers in Finland regularly advertise positions. During the observation period, 2,355 entry-level job advertisements were gathered and coded, of which 705 vacancies were posted in English descriptions. The frequency of the requisite language skills is measured after parsing and extracting the relevant keywords from the English-writing job descriptions. Content and statistical analysis was carried out based on the data samples, findings show that ads on Aalto job portal favour students with fluent Finnish skills. There are significant variations of the explicit language requirements across different job categories, occupational groups, and organizational types. International talents from the study field of technology have more employment opportunities than those from the field of business and design. Start-ups are showing more positive attitudes to hire international talents than large corporations, SMEs and public institutions. Based on the data findings, no definitive conclusion could be made concerning whether the language requirements could be seen as a direct and overt form of discrimination. The reasons behind the language preference, on the other hand, could be linked to implicit discrimination, or the unconscious linkage of immigrants with negative performance labels. Furthermore, it is concerning that the requisite Finnish skills extensively listed on the job vacancies will discourage highly qualified international graduates from applying. This study contributes to the current language issues in international human resource management research. It also adds understanding to the issues of language barriers in the early recruitment stage and employers’ linguistic attitudes in country-specific setting. Research findings could shed light on skilled immigrant’s employment and inform language-related policy choices in Finland, especially for envisioning how to attract and retain highly educated international professionals at both organizational and national levels

Generation of novel high quality HMW-GS genes in two introgression lines of Triticum aestivum/Agropyron elongatum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) have been proved to be mostly correlated with the processing quality of common wheat (<it>Triticum aestivum</it>). But wheat cultivars have limited number of high quality HMW-GS. However, novel HMW-GS were found to be present in many wheat asymmetric somatic hybrid introgression lines of common wheat/<it>Agropyron elongatum</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To exploit how these new subunits were generated, we isolated HMW-GS genes from two sib hybrid lines (II-12 and 11-4-6) and compared them with those from their parents. The result shows that two genes of hybrid (<it>H11-3-3 </it>and <it>H11-4-3</it>) are directly introgressed from the donor parent <it>Agropyron elongatum</it>; one hybrid gene (<it>H1Dx5</it>) comes from point mutation of a parental wheat gene (<it>1Dx2.1</it>); two other hybrid genes (<it>H1By8 </it>and <it>H1By16</it>) are likely resulting from unequal crossover or slippage of a parental wheat gene (<it>1By9.1</it>); and the sixth novel hybrid gene (<it>H1Dy12</it>) may come from recombination between two parental genes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Therefore, we demonstrate that novel HMW-GS genes can be rapidly created through asymmetric somatic hybridization in a manner similar with the evolution mechanism of these genes supposed before. We also described gene shuffling as a new mechanism of novel HMW-GS gene formation in hybrids. The results suggest that asymmetric somatic hybridization is an important approach for widening HMW-GS genebank of wheat quality improvement.</p

The effective on intradermal acupuncture based on changes in biological specificity of acupoints for major depressive disorder: study protocol of a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial

BackgroundAntidepressants still have some side effects in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), and acupuncture therapy is a complementary therapy of research interest for MDD. Acupoints are sensitive sites for disease response and stimulation points for acupuncture treatment. Prior studies suggest that the biological specificity of acupoints is altered in physiological and pathological situations. Therefore, we hypothesize that the biological specificity of acupoints is associated with the diagnosis of MDD and that stimulating acupoints with significant biological specificity can achieve a better therapeutic effect than clinical common acupoints. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of intradermal acupuncture (IA) treatment for MDD based on changes in the biological specificity of acupoints.MethodsThe first part of the study will enroll 30 MDD patients and 30 healthy control (HC) participants to assess pain sensitivity and thermal specificity of MDD-related acupoints using a pressure pain threshold gauge (PTG) and infrared thermography (IRT). The potentially superior acupoints for treating MDD will be selected based on the results of PTG and IRT tests and referred to as pressure pain threshold strong response acupoints (PSA) and temperature strong response acupoints (TSA).The second part of the study will enroll 120 eligible MDD patients randomly assigned to waiting list (WL) group, clinical common acupoint (CCA) group, TSA group, and PSA group in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. The change in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Items (PHQ-9), the MOS item short-form health survey (SF-36), pressure pain threshold, temperature of acupoints, and adverse effects will be observed. The outcomes of PHQ-9 and SF-36 measures will be assessed before intervention, at 3 and 6 weeks after intervention, and at a 4-week follow-up. The biological specificity of acupoint measures will be assessed before intervention and at 6 weeks after intervention. All adverse effects will be assessed.DiscussionThis study will evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of IA for MDD based on changes in the biological specificity of acupoints. It will investigate whether there is a correlation between the biological specificity of MDD-related acupoints and the diagnosis of MDD and whether stimulating strong response acupoints is superior to clinical common acupoints in the treatment of MDD. The study’s results may provide insights into the biological mechanisms of acupuncture and its potential as a complementary therapy for MDD.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT05524519

The applicability and efficacy of Micro-Video Psychological Training Camp in groups with mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety: A prospective and randomized controlled trial protocol

BackgroundMental health is a global issue requiring global attention. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental disorders (CMDs) and are characterized by high incidence and high comorbidity. In recent years, the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated social instability have posed significant challenges to the mental resilience and mental health outcomes of the global population. Now more than ever, with an increase in mental health needs, it has become even more crucial to find an effective solution to provide universal mental healthcare. Psychotherapy is of vital importance for those coping with symptoms of depression and anxiety and is used to enhance mental resilience. However, such therapy can be difficult to access in reality. In this context, the Micro-Video Psychological Training Camp (MVPTC) platform will be developed.ObjectivesAs an online self-help platform for psychological intervention, the MVPTC platform was developed for those who suffer from mild to moderate symptoms of depression and/or anxiety and is tasked with the goal of reducing depressive and anxious symptoms while improving mental resilience. Thus, this study will be carried out to verify its efficacy and applicability.MethodsIn this parallel-group, randomized controlled trial, a total of 200 mild to moderately depressed and/or anxious adults seeking self-help will be randomly recruited and assigned to either the micro-video psychological intervention group or the wait list control group. Online measurements by self-assessment will be taken at baseline, post-intervention, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up.ResultsThe primary results will involve symptoms of depression and anxiety. The secondary results will involve mental resilience. An analysis will be conducted based on the intention-to-treat principle.DiscussionThis trial will examine whether the MVPTC platform for the relief of symptoms and the enhancement of resilience in a population screened for depression and anxiety symptoms proves effective and applicable. Large-scale resilience enhancement may benefit public mental health in terms of preventive interventions, managing depressive and anxiety symptoms, and promoting mental health. With the MVPTC-based method being applied, a brief, efficient, and structured intervention model can potentially be established, having the potential to provide necessary and accessible mental support for an extensive target group.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR2100043725

Patterns of Oncogene Coexpression at Single-Cell Resolution Influence Survival in Lymphoma

Cancers often overexpress multiple clinically relevant oncogenes, but it is not known if combinations of oncogenes in cellular subpopulations within a cancer influence clinical outcomes. Using quantitative multispectral imaging of the prognostically relevant oncogenes MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), we show that the percentage of cells with a unique combination MYC+BCL2+BCL6- (M+2+6-) consistently predicts survival across four independent cohorts (n = 449), an effect not observed with other combinations including M+2+6+. We show that the M+2+6- percentage can be mathematically derived from quantitative measurements of the individual oncogenes and correlates with survival in IHC (n = 316) and gene expression (n = 2,521) datasets. Comparative bulk/single-cell transcriptomic analyses of DLBCL samples and MYC/BCL2/BCL6-transformed primary B cells identify molecular features, including cyclin D2 and PI3K/AKT as candidate regulators of M+2+6- unfavorable biology. Similar analyses evaluating oncogenic combinations at single-cell resolution in other cancers may facilitate an understanding of cancer evolution and therapy resistance

Benzyl isothiocyanate inhibits invasion and induces apoptosis via reducing S100A4 expression and increases PUMA expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) has been shown to inhibit invasion and induce apoptosis of various types of cancer. However, its role on human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is still not well elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of BITC on apoptosis and invasion of SCC9 cells, and its underlying mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. SCC9 cells were exposed to BITC (5 and 25 μM) for 24 and 48 h. Cell growth, apoptosis, invasion, and migration were detected in vitro by MTT, FITC-conjugated annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometry, Matrigel-coated semi-permeable modified Boyden, and wound-healing assay. S100A4, PUMA, and MMP-9 expressions were detected to investigate its mechanisms. Xenotransplantation experiments were used to investigate the role of BITC on tumor growth and lung metastasis. BITC inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner through upregulation of PUMA signals. BITC inhibited cell invasion and migration by downregulation of S100A4 dependent MMP-9 signals. The ip administration of BITC reduced tumor growth but not lung metastasis of SCC9 cells subcutaneously implanted in nude mice. BITC treatment activated pro-apoptotic PUMA and inhibited S100A4-dependent MMP-9 signals, resulting in the inhibition of cell growth and invasion in cultured and xenografted SCC9 cells. Thereby, BITC is a potential therapeutic approach for OSCC

Quadratic Functional Encryption for Secure Training in Vertical Federated Learning

Vertical federated learning (VFL) enables the collaborative training of machine learning (ML) models in settings where the data is distributed amongst multiple parties who wish to protect the privacy of their individual data. Notably, in VFL, the labels are available to a single party and the complete feature set is formed only when data from all parties is combined. Recently, Xu et al. proposed a new framework called FedV for secure gradient computation for VFL using multi-input functional encryption. In this work, we explain how some of the information leakage in Xu et al. can be avoided by using Quadratic functional encryption when training generalized linear models for vertical federated learning.Comment: Accepted by ISIT 202

A Robust Diffusion Minimum Kernel Risk-Sensitive Loss Algorithm over Multitask Sensor Networks

Distributed estimation over sensor networks has attracted much attention due to its various applications. The mean-square error (MSE) criterion is one of the most popular cost functions used in distributed estimation, which achieves its optimality only under Gaussian noise. However, impulsive noise also widely exists in real-world sensor networks. Thus, the distributed estimation algorithm based on the minimum kernel risk-sensitive loss (MKRSL) criterion is proposed in this paper to deal with non-Gaussian noise, particularly for impulsive noise. Furthermore, multiple tasks estimation problems in sensor networks are considered. Differing from a conventional single-task, the unknown parameters (tasks) can be different for different nodes in the multitask problem. Another important issue we focus on is the impact of the task similarity among nodes on multitask estimation performance. Besides, the performance of mean and mean square are analyzed theoretically. Simulation results verify a superior performance of the proposed algorithm compared with other related algorithms