Ranking workplace competencies: Student and graduate perceptions

Students and graduates from a variety of business studies programs at a New Zealand tertiary institution completed a questionnaire in which they ranked the relative importance of a list of 24 competencies for graduates entering the workforce using a 7-point Likert scale. These competencies were identified from literature reports of the characteristics of superior performers in the workplace. The results show a close similarity between students and graduates’ ranking of competencies with computer literacy, customer service orientation, teamwork and co-operation, self-confidence, and willingness to learn ranked most important. There was little difference between the two groups in their rankings of cognitive or ‘hard’ skills and behavioral or ‘soft’ skills. However, the graduates placed greater importance on most of the competencies, resulting in a statistically significant difference between the graduates and students’ ranking of both hard and soft skills. The findings from this study suggest that cooperative education programs may help develop business students’ awareness of the importance of graduate competencies in the workplace

New & Noteworthy, February 2018

Contents include: Q & A: Elizabeth Bojsza and Lydia Franco-Hodges; VP Publications Kristin Leahey LMDA Review - Updates; Regional Updates.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1017/thumbnail.jp

Lung Cancer: The Breathtaking Battle of TKIs and EGFR Mutants

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death involving excessive cell growth in epithelial tissues lining the lungs. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent form of lung cancer. Genome-wide association studies provide insight into NSCLC. Single nucleotide polymorphism variations on chromosomes 15q24 and 15q25 lead to increased risk of NSCLC. Also, two tyrosine kinase receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 / ERBB2), have mutated kinase domains associated with NSCLC. Proteins with Src homology 2 (SH2) and phosphotyrosine domains interact with EGFR and ERBB2, allowing proteins to bind to phosphotyrosine residues. Two of these proteins containing phosphotyrosine residues are vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor- ß (PDGFR-ß). These are present in the PI3K/Akt pathway involving angiogenic proteins p85 and p110. There are several drugs that inhibit these signaling pathways. Gefitinib inhibits the phosphorylation of mutant EGFR and ERBB2 receptors. Multiple mutations on kinase domains of EGFR and ERBB2 lead to higher Gefitinib sensitivity. Imatinib decreases phosphorylation of PDGFR-ß and VEGF-A, reducing tumor cell proliferation and cisplatin activates a signal-transduction pathway causing apoptosis of tumor cells involving p53 and p73 signaling pathways

Genetic Variation at Nuclear Loci Fails to Distinguish Two Morphologically Distinct Species of Aquilegia

Aquilegia formosa and pubescens are two closely related species belonging to the columbine genus. Despite their morphological and ecological differences, previous studies have revealed a large degree of intercompatibility, as well as little sequence divergence between these two taxa [1], [2]. We compared the inter- and intraspecific patterns of variation for 9 nuclear loci, and found that the two species were practically indistinguishable at the level of DNA sequence polymorphism, indicating either very recent speciation or continued gene flow. As a comparison, we also analyzed variation at two loci across 30 other Aquilegia taxa; this revealed slightly more differentiation among taxa, which seemed best explained by geographic distance. By contrast, we found no evidence for isolation by distance on a more local geographic scale. We conclude that the extremely low levels of genetic differentiation between A. formosa and A.pubescens at neutral loci will facilitate future genome-wide scans for speciation genes

Effects of Oxygen Partial Pressure on the Surface Tension of Liquid Aerospace Alloys

No abstract availabl

Examining the Reasons for Student Responses to Threatening Behaviors on a College Campus

Underreporting criminal activity to authorities can pose significant challenges, particularly within college campuses. Crime prevention teams have recognized the importance of reporting potentially concerning behaviors that may precede violent acts. However, reasons for reporting preincident behaviors have been understudied among college samples and failed to account for informal responses, such as talking to third parties or changing personal security features. The present study surveyed 1,075 students from a midwestern state university and evaluated their awareness of threatening or concerning behaviors on campus, response behaviors, and reasons for either acting on or failing to report preincident behaviors. Findings reflected reporting rates (12.3%) consistent with the scientific literature but revealed informal responding as the most common reaction to preincident behaviors (44.6%). Reasons for not taking action included a desire to be uninvolved and perceiving the situation as unlikely to be immediately dangerous. By contrast, those who reported preincident behaviors appraised the situation as immediately dangerous and likely to result in harm. Their most influential reason for notifying police or university authorities involved an awareness Underreporting criminal activity to authorities can pose significant challenges, particularly within college campuses. Crime prevention teams have recognized the importance of reporting potentially concerning behaviors that may precede violent acts. However, reasons for reporting preincident behaviors have been understudied among college samples and failed to account for informal responses, such as talking to third parties or changing personal security features. The present study surveyed 1,075 students from a midwestern state university and evaluated their awareness of threatening or concerning behaviors on campus, response behaviors, and reasons for either acting on or failing to report preincident behaviors. Findings reflected reporting rates (12.3%) consistent with the scientific literature but revealed informal responding as the most common reaction to preincident behaviors (44.6%). Reasons for not taking action included a desire to be uninvolved and perceiving the situation as unlikely to be immediately dangerous. By contrast, those who reported preincident behaviors appraised the situation as immediately dangerous and likely to result in harm. Their most influential reason for notifying police or university authorities involved an awarenes