Key Challenges of On-Line Education in Multi-Cultural Context

In meeting the ever-growing educational needs of culturally diverse student populations, universities and colleges still seek to maintain high quality standards, both for in situ and on line education. Despite the latter's reportedly high effectiveness potential, online degree courses tend to have low students' persistence and satisfaction rates. In this pape, r we examine the role that students' and instructors' national cultures play in the way individuals learn at a distance. We argue that students' individual culture dimensions may prove influential in achieving overall learning outcomes. The key complexities for students involve understanding the instructor's role in a socio-constructivist approach, adapting online collaborative learning and acquiring academic skills. These can become crucial barriers to effective online learning. No less a challenge is presented by online distance education for instructors. Academic institutions' managements have high expectations in terms of utilizing up-to-date teaching techniques, enhancing competitive edge and maximizing cost-effectiveness. Thus, the teaching staff is expected to play an increasingly essential role in the new environment. We conclude that instructors have to develop strategies to motivate, support and counsel students with the aim of facilitating the students' on-line learning experience. This implies that teaching staff have to acquire new skills and competences vital for multicultural online education. Robert Kennedy College, whose experience is reflected in this paper, shares much of the issues of other institutions aiming to utilize distance online learning, but has the advantage that it was set up from the start as an online institution. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Russian military prose 1990–2000th

Становление новой военной прозы происходило в условиях необъявленной войны, сформировавшей устойчивое антимилитаристское общественное сознание, которое внесло существенные коррективы в современные исторические реконструкции. При всем разнообразии художественных подходов и стилевых воплощений современная проза о Великой Отечественной войне устремлена к решению главного вопроса — о цене Победы. Новая военная проза смыкается с литературой «потерянного поколения», усваивает опыт экзистенциалистской прозы, приемы модернистского письма, вступает на поле жанровых экспериментов.Formation of a new war prose occurred in the conditions of an undeclared war, to form a stable anti-militarist public consciousness, which has made significant adjustments in the modern historical reconstruction. Despite the diversity of artistic approaches and stylistic incarnations contemporary prose about the Great Patriotic War is oriented to solve the main issue — the price of Victory. New war prose literature merges with the “lost generation”, acquires experience existentialist prose, modernist techniques of writing, enters the field of genre experiments

Artistic Reconstruction of the Great Patriotic War in Modern Mass Literature

Variants of artistic reconstruction of the events of the Great Patriotic War in modern mass literature are considered. The material is multi-genre texts of the 2000s: an alternative version of the history of the Great Patriotic War, free-thinking fantasies in a mystical spirit, a postmodern historical melodrama, a fantasy novel, a military-fantasy action movie. Particular attention is paid to the national bestsellers of the 2000s: novels by A. Turgenev (V. Kuritsyn) “Sleep and Believe: Blockade novel” and I. Boyashov “Tanker, or “The White Tiger.” It is shown that A. Turgenev in his work combines the legends of the besieged time with the cliches of a spy novel and love melodrama, I. Boyashov is the author of the story of the duel of a Russian tanker and a German miracle tank in the form of modern fantasy. The article affirms the idea that with the leave of the generation of front-line soldiers, the war moves from living memory into a repository of plots and images for literature and art, and becomes fertile material for constructing a different reality. It is hypothesized that mass literature, reconstructing the facts and events of the recent past, is involved in modeling and rethinking the ideological and value orientations of society and the formation of a new identity

Prevalence of carbohydrate metabolism disorders in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis therapy

There are quite a lot of scientific works today dedicated to the role of disorders carbohydrate metabolism (DCM) in the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), at the same time, the influence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the development of carbohydrate disorders remains insufficiently studied, especially in patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT). The annual steady increase in the number of patients with ESRD without diabetes mellitus (DM) requiring dialysis therapy leads to increased interest and the need to study carbohydrate status in these patients. It is known that hyperglycemia in patients without DM on hemodialysis (HD) is a predisposing factor to the development of cardiovascular accidents that worsen the quality of life and also increase mortality. The peculiarities of glucose metabolism in patients receiving RRT do not always allow adequate assessment of carbohydrate status using glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The review provides up-to-date information on the prevalence of DCM in patients with ESRD without DM receiving HD RRT, touches upon the peculiarities of glucose metabolism, interpretation of HbA1c and glycated albumin values, and mortality risk in hemodialysis patients with various DCM

Effect of Coriolis Interaction on the Decay of Isotones with N = 149 and N = 153

© 2018, Allerton Press, Inc. The quasi-neutron structure of nuclei in two chains of odd isotones with N = 149 and N = 153:243,247Pu,245,249Cm,247,251Cf,249,253Fm,251,255No, and is considered. Single-particle energy spectra are calculated using the two center shell model (TCSM). Minimizing the potential energy with respect to the collective coordinates gives the ground state of the studied nucleos, which is subsequently used to describe low-lying quasi-neutron states. The K-mixing of the basis TCSM wave functions is considered by including the Coriolis correction in the total Hamiltonian of the system. The effect of level blocking is also considered in the calculations. The probabilities of the E2 transitions to the ground states and the corresponding lifetimes of the quasi-neutron levels are estimated

Cardioprotective mechanisms of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors

The findings of large-scale cardiovascular outcome trials have been demonstrated that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 ­inhibitors (iSGLT-2) have shown beneficial cardiovascular effects. In this review proposed mechanisms underlying iSGLT-2-associated cardiovascular benefits have been discussed: haemodynamic and intracellular effects, including metabolic effects and electrolyte changes; and also, the effect on markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The hemodynamic effects of SGLT-2 are characterized by reduction of cardiac preload and afterload as a result of osmotic diuresis, a decrease in blood pressure and arterial stiffness. The metabolic effects of this medicine are accompanied by an increase the production of ketone bodies, followed by improving ATP production and myocardial energetics. Also, iSGLT-2 modulate ion transporters (NHE1 and NHE3). A reduction of cytoplasmic sodium and calcium levels and increasing mitochondrial calcium levels in the cardiomyocytes enhances the synthesis of ATP and increases cell viability. Effect of iSGLT-2 on CVD markers showed a decrease in the levels of the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and highly sensitive troponin I in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Thus, this class of agents has a multifactorial effect on the functioning of cardiovascular system. Further studies will help to explain the all possible cardioprotective effects of iSGLT-2 in individuals with and without T2DM

Importance of right communication with healthcare providers and patients about the new levothyroxine formulation: an expert opinion from Asia Pacific Thyroid Advisory Board

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Levothyroxine (LT4), being “narrow therapeutic index” drug, may lead to significant fluctuations in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Such fluctuations can result in clinically noteworthy disruptions in thyroid function and give rise to adverse clinical consequences. Consequently, regulatory standards for LT4 potency have been tightened, with the most stringent specifications requiring maintenance of potency within the range of 95–105% of the labeled dose throughout the entire shelf-life of the product. The LT4 new formulation with tightened specification adheres to these rigorous standards, demonstrating established bioequivalence to its older formulation while upholding an equivalent standard of safety and efficacy. Furthermore, the novel formulation exhibits enhanced stability and an extended shelf-life. Of paramount significance is its capacity to provide patients with accurate and consistent dosing, thereby effectively catering to their medical requirements. The primary objective of the Asia-Pacific advisory board meeting (held in June 2022 with endocrinologists, experts from India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore) was to establish the importance of appropriate communication to HCPs, patients and other stakeholders regarding the LT4 new formulation. The aim of this brief review is to highlight the importance of communication with healthcare professionals that should focus on providing accurate information on the LT4 new formulation, emphasizing efficacy, safety, and bioequivalence with clear guidance and ensure that patients and clinicians are fully informed about any changes to medications such as LT4 to reduce the risk of unrelated adverse events being incorrectly attributed to the newer formulation

Binary phase diagrams based on elements VIIIA and IB periods of the D. I. Mendeleev's table and features of crystallographic parameters

The data obtained as a result of the analysis of crystallogeometric parameters and the structure of state diagrams of binary systems from elements VIIIA and IB periods of the D. I. Mendeleev's table are presented. It is shown that the classification of the evolution of phase diagrams of binary systems by types, proposed by T. A. Lebedev, correlates with features of concentration dependences of the deviation of atomic volumes in solid solutions from Zen law

Instrument ofthe work breakdown accounting in the high-tech production

At present, in mechanical engineering there is a tendency of small-scale production due to the peculiarities and requirements of the market. At the same time, machine-building enterprises have to account the costs of produced products accurately (both for the state defense order and for the open market). The problem of the product labor intensity calculation becomes urgent, as it is used as a basis for of the product full cost calculation. Taking into account the technology changes, equipment, peculiarities of production program formation (small or medium series), using the existing approaches, work norms manuals becomes impossible. The investigation presents an improved algorithm for the work norm calculating using for the main workers in the high-tech production. A feature of the proposed approach is taking into account the share of passive observation during the technological operations in conditions of small-scale production in the conditions of the high-tech production. The article presents the results of the proposed method testing. The approbation was realized at the industrial enterprise in the conditions of the small-scale production. Proposed algorithm for work norms calculation can be used in automation of labor rationing at the industrial enterprise. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd