IT skills in vocational training curricula and labour market outcomes

We use vocational training curricula to investigate how IT skills are trained within broader skills packages and how these relate to labour market outcomes. Skills packages are the typical combinations of IT skills (e.g., CNC) and technical or nontechnical skills (e.g., material sciences or work safety) that are jointly required in the real world and occur in training curricula. This broadened perspective of teaching IT skills offers new insights into how digital skills can be successfully integrated into future education and training programmes. We use legally binding vocational education and training (VET) curricula of dual apprenticeship training in Switzerland. We apply natural language processing methods to analyse the extensive curriculum texts, which meticulously define the skills that have to be taught. We identify four typical skills packages, each of which are centred around one of four different types of IT skill (CNC/CAD, control technologies, system technologies, IT-applications). Our empirical analyses show that VET graduates trained in these skills packages receive positive labour market outcomes compared to VET graduates without these skills packages. Moreover, we find that the positive outcomes are not just driven by differences in cognitive skill requirements of the respective occupations

Impact of temperature and hydrogen on the nanomechanical properties of a highly deformed high entropy alloy

Due to their quite attractive properties, high-entropy alloys have emerged to an intensely studied class of alloys within the past years. Besides their high strength and maintained ductility, literature reports modest sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement for conventional microstructures. Utilizing severe plastic deformation methods, for example high-pressure torsion, it is possible to further tailor the mechanical properties by microstructure refinement to the nanometer regime, which in turn increases the hydrogen storage capability at internal defects and boundaries. Furthermore, the nanocrystalline grain size provides markedly enhanced strength values, while the high fraction of grain boundaries influences the hydrogen diffusion and storage kinetics. Within this study, the micromechanical characteristics of pure Ni and a single phase face-centered cubic CrMnFeCoNi alloy in fine and ultra-fine grained microstructural conditions, fabricated by high pressure torsion, will be investigated in detail. Moreover, electrochemical in-situ nanoindentation will be employed to determine the impact of hydrogen charging on the mechanical performance of this high-entropy alloy class and will be set into context to result found for pure Ni

CD90 is dispensable for white and beige/brown adipocyte differentiation

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenic organ in rodents and humans. In mice, the transplantation of BAT has been successfully used to combat obesity and its comorbidities. While such beneficial properties of BAT are now evident, the developmental and cellular origins of brown, beige, and white adipocytes have remained only poorly understood, especially in humans. We recently discovered that CD90 is highly expressed in stromal cells isolated from human white adipose tissue (WAT) compared to BAT. Here, we studied whether CD90 interferes with brown or white adipogenesis or white adipocyte beiging. We applied flow cytometric sorting of human adipose tissue stromal cells (ASCs), a CRISPR/Cas9 knockout strategy in the human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) adipocyte model system, as well as a siRNA approach in human approaches supports the hypothesis that CD90 affects brown or white adipogenesis or white adipocyte beiging in humans. Taken together, our findings call the conclusions drawn from previous studies, which claimed a central role of CD90 in adipocyte differentiation, into question

Noncognitive skills in training curricula and nonlinear wage returns

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate self-competence—the ability to act responsibly on one's own—and likely nonlinear wage returns across different levels of self-competence as part of training curricula. Design/methodology/approach: The authors identify the teaching of self-competence at the occupational level by applying machine-learning methods to the texts of occupational training curricula. Defining three levels of self-competence (high, medium, and low) and using individual labor market data, the authors examine nonlinearities in wage returns to different levels of self-competence. Findings: The authors find nonlinear returns to teaching self-competence: a medium level of self-competence taught in an occupation has the largest wage returns compared to low or high levels. However, in occupations with a high cognitive requirement profile, a high level of self-competence generates positive wage returns. Originality/value: This paper first adds to research on the importance of teaching noncognitive skills for economic outcomes, which recently—in addition to personality traits research—has primarily focused on social skills by introducing self-competence as another largely unexplored but important noncognitive skill. Second, the paper studies not only average but also nonlinear wage returns, showing that the right level of self-competence is crucial, i.e. neither teaching too little nor too much self-competence provides favorable returns because of trade-offs with other skills (e.g. technical or professional skills). Third, the paper also examines complementarities between cognitive skills and noncognitive skills, again pointing toward nonlinear returns, i.e. only in occupations with a high cognitive requirement profile, high levels of self-competence generate positive wage returns

A Modified Electrochemical Nanoindentation Setup for Probing Hydrogen-Material Interaction Demonstrated on a Nickel-Based Alloy

An electrochemical charging setup was implemented in a nanoindentation system to evaluate the sensitivity of technically relevant materials to hydrogen embrittlement. Corresponding changes in the nanomechanical properties such as the hardness, Young’s modulus and pop-in load can be measured and interpreted. A nickel-based alloy was examined in solution-annealed and aged condition. A hydrogen-induced hardness increase of 15% was measured for the solution-annealed sample. Aging the alloy leads to a reduced influence of hydrogen, lowering the hardness increase to 5%. For the solution-annealed sample, hydrogen charging-induced surface steps were observed and characterized with laser confocal microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction to reveal plastic deformation

Can micro-compression testing provide stress−strain data for thin films?: A comparative study using Cu, VN, TiN and W coatings

International audienc

Advanced nanomechanics in the TEM: effects of thermal annealing on FIB prepared Cu samples

International audienc

Annealing Effects on the Structural Properties of FIB Prepared Cu Nanopillars-an in situ TEM study

International audienc

Parental and provider vaccine hesitancy and non-timely childhood vaccination in Switzerland

OBJECTIVE: Although medical providers are a trusted vaccination information source for parents, they do not universally support vaccination. Complementary medicine (CM) providers are particularly likely to hold vaccine hesitant (VH) views, and VH parents often consult with them. Little research compares VH of parents and providers, and if and how each is associated with uptake of recommended childhood vaccines. METHODS: We defined non-timely receipt as recommended vaccines given > 1 month later than officially recommended, based on vaccination records. We administered versions of the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) 5-item survey instrument to 1256 parents and their children's pediatricians (N = 112, 40 CM-oriented, 72 biomedical [not CM-oriented]) to identify moderately (PACV-score 5-6) and highly (PACV-score 7+) hesitant providers/parents. We obtained multivariable adjusted odds ratios to test relationships between parental VH and provider type/VH, and between non-timely receipt of selected childhood vaccines and parental VH and provider type/VH. RESULTS: No biomedical providers were VH, 9 CM providers were moderately VH, and 17 were highly VH. Parents seeing moderately and highly hesitant providers had adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for being VH = 6.6 (95% confidence interval (CI), 3.1-14.0) and AOR = 31.3 (95% CI 16.8-58.3), respectively. Across all vaccine uptake endpoints, children of moderately and highly hesitant parents had 1.9-3.8 and 7.1-12.3 higher odds of non-timely vaccination, and children seeing highly hesitant CM providers had 4.9-9.4 higher odds. Children seeing moderately hesitant CM providers had 3.3 higher odds of non-timely vaccination for the 1st dose of measles and 3.5 higher odds for 1st dose of polio/pertussis/tetanus. CONCLUSION: VH by both parents and providers each is associated with non-timely childhood vaccination. As VH parents are more likely to consult with VH providers, interventions aimed at increasing timely vaccination need to primarily target VH providers and their clients