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Assessment for Employability: Is synoptic assessment the answer?
Get PDFThe production of job ready graduates remains one of the key requests of the business community. The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the importance of assessment in developing employability skills and in making graduates more employable. One criticism often levied at higher education institutions, is that students understand ideas in subject context, but cannot transfer that knowledge into a holistic business context. As such, they have silo ‘mentality’, when to be successful in the modern complex working and business environment they need to understand and command multiplicity. As a conceptual paper, this article seeks to discuss the importance and relevance of assessment and its links to employability. The paper provides a case for the inclusion of synoptic assessment as a tool for developing and demonstrating employability skills. The article emphasises the importance of employability and surrounding issues. The paper provides originality through linking the concepts of education and assessment with the end goals of job-readiness and employability. This paper argues for a new approach to assessment which is employability driven
Contrasting approaches to managing the debate on same-sex blessing and same-sex marriage in New Zealand and Australia: Applying insights from Jungian psychological type theory
Get PDFIn October 2022 the Church of England commissioned an examination of the impact of allowing the blessing or marriage of same-sex couples within the seven Anglican Provinces that had taken this step. The examination involved a literature search, an original survey among key informers, and a general internet search. This paper draws on the general internet search to contrast the impacts in New Zealand and Australia. Drawing on Jungian psychological type theory, this analysis employs the contrasting decision-making functions of feeling (concerned with subjective interpersonal values) and thinking (concerned with objective logical analysis). The data suggest that the feeling approach dominant in New Zealand that gave priority to offering space and time for those of differing opinions to meet together reported more positive outcomes than the thinking approach dominant in Australia that gave greater priority to adversarial debate
Caring for our graduate academy
No full textThis article examines the neglected hardships faced by graduate students and advocates for a paradigm shift towards care and empathy. Drawing upon a feminist ethic of care theoretical framework, four scholars from tourism and hospitality programs in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom engaged in a dialogical and introspective inquiry. The authors present four vignettes reflecting on their own doctoral experiences, revealing experiences of exploitation, pain, unworthiness, and loneliness endured during their graduate studies. The authors conclude by calling for a reevaluation of academic norms, advocating for a more humane, caring, and supportive environment for future scholars
AI-Based Solution for Sustainability Tracing for Companies
Get PDFMany companies look for novel ways to trace their operational sustainability. The application of AI to analyze and make sense of the big data the company holds represents one promising approach for this aim. The authors study how one can set and design an AI-based solution for improving the sustainability of complex business processes and decision-making in companies of different types. First, they provide a general analysis of current frameworks for measuring adherence to sustainability goals for companies, then they present a conceptual framework and architecture design for an AI-enabled sustainability service for companies. The implications of our research suggest that AI can provide distinct functions: (a) automation: taking big data from different departments and analyzing them with the aim of tracing the sustainability of the company; (b) support: to help decision-making and create relevant insights for stakeholders that are coherent with defined sustainability decision criteria. To the authors' knowledge, no previous research has provided analysis and design of such AI solution for companies
Building Customized Chatbots for Document Summarization and Question Answering using Large Language Models using a Framework with OpenAI, Lang chain, and Streamlit
Get PDFThis research presents a comprehensive framework for building customized chatbots empowered by large language models (LLMs) to summarize documents and answer user questions. Leveraging technologies such as OpenAI, LangChain, and Streamlit, the framework enables users to combat information overload by efficiently extracting insights from lengthy documents. This study discussed the framework's architecture, implementation, and practical applications, emphasizing its role in enhancing productivity and facilitating information retrieval. Through a step-by-step guide, this research has demonstrated how developers can utilize the framework to create end-to-end document summarization and question-answering application
P064 Investigating the genotoxic effect of reduced glutathione, n-acetylcysteine, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell exosomes and let-7 miRNA mimics in human lymphocytes and EpiIntestinal cells
No full textBackground The current treatments for IBD frequently do not provide sufficient control over the disease, warranting the investigation of alternative therapeutic options with minimal risk of side effects. In IBD, the overgeneration and insufficient removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress. Reduced glutathione (GSH) and n-acetylcysteine (NAC) are antioxidants which may possess therapeutic potential in IBD, by modulating endogenous mechanisms that decrease ROS production or increase antioxidant enzymes. Additonally, exosomes from human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs-exo) may be used to treat IBD. These are a subset of extracellular nanosized membrane vesicles which participate in intercellular communication by delivering their contents, such as functional miRNAs to recipient cells, thereby influencing the physiological and pathological processes in various diseases. The therapeutic potential of exosomes can be enhanced through the overexpression of the let-7 family of miRNAs. Methods The EpiIntestinal tissue model is a physiologically relevant predictor of drug-induced GI toxicity. EpiIntestinal cells and lymphocytes from 3 IBD patients were transfected with 50 μL miRNA mimics and inhibitors, and treated with 50μL hucMSC-exo, and 50 μL 1mM GSH and NAC. Next, in comparison to negative controls, single-stranded DNA damage was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from IBD patients using the fast microplate DNA damage assay, and double-stranded DNA damage was assessed in EpiIntestinal cells using the alkaline Comet assay. In addition, the viability of healthy and IBD lymphocytes was assessed following treatment with selected concentrations of hucMSC-exo, GSH and NAC. Results Double-stranded DNA damage was significantly reduced in EpiIntestinal cells compared to the negative control following treatment with hucMSC-exo, GSH, NAC, and miRNA mimics for let-7a-5p, -7b-5p, -7c-3p, -7d-3p and -7d-5p. In addition, single-stranded DNA damage was reduced in IBD PBMCs compared to the negative control following treatment with hucMSC-exo, and let-7b-5p and -7c-3p mimics, but was increased following treatment with inhibitors for let-7b-5p, -7c-5p and two novel miRNAs. Additionally, GSH, NAC and hucMSC-exo increased cell viability in treated versus untreated lymphocytes from healthy individuals and IBD patients. Conclusion Selected concentrations of HucMSC-exo, GSH, NAC and/or let-7 miRNA mimics reduced DNA damage and increased cell viability in treated versus untreated cells which may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in IBD patients. Acknowledgements Our gratitude goes to the MatTek Team for generously granting us a SMI-100-FT EpiIntestinal kit in support of this research
Thinking community music
No full textThinking Community Music explores critical questions concerning community music practice and theory with emphasis on intervention, hospitality, pedagogy, social justice, inclusion, cultural democracy, music, research, and future possibilities. The book encourages questioning, reflection, and dialogue. Shaped as provocations and presented as eight stand-alone essays, each 'think piece' comprises of critical questions, concrete illustrations of practice, theoretical explorations, and reflective discussion. Flanked by a historical map and a closing statement, the book provides a springboard for conceptual interrogation about participatory music-making. Supported by the lineage of poststructural philosophy, ideas emulating from Derrida and Deleuze frames conceptual interrogation about community music practices and the broader parameters of social-cultural music-making and music teaching and learning. As a vital part of the music ecology, community music is a distinctive field and a critical lens to view other musical practices and the various political and cultural policies that frame them
Atmospheric Justice: Visualizing Atmospheric Harm by the Global Space Exploration Industry using Treadmill of Production Theory
No full textA major problem for climate change is the anthropogenic damage caused to Earth’s climate, atmosphere and ozone. While green criminologists have focussed heavily on activities that contribute toward climate change - such as fossil fuel use and illegal logging and deforestation - few have considered the direct release of fossil fuels at the atmospheric location. Launching rockets into outer space causes direct atmospheric emissions pollutions. Even more worryingly these practices, whilst extremely damaging, are perfectly legal. The space sector is also growing exponentially. This chapter will focus exclusively on space exploration and the damage caused to Earth’s atmosphere through direct atmospheric pollution practices. Treadmill of Production theory will be utilised as a theoretical framework to analyse contemporary expansion of the space industry and its subsequent impact on air pollution and Earth’s atmospheric layers
Industry briefing: Environmental sustainability in the UK film and TV industries
Get PDFThe UK film and television industries are becoming increasingly aware of their large environmental footprint. Recent initiatives (such as albert’s Screen New Deal report) have acknowledged the need for increased sustainability in film and TV. Yet, sustainability initiatives remain predominantly focused on the production phase of film-making. Shifting to adopt circular economy thinking and practices could ensure environmental sustainability is embedded at all stages of the film and TV supply chain. Examples of circular economy initiatives exist in the film and TV ecosystem, but at present there is limited research into the potentials of widespread adoption of circular economy thinking and practices into the UK film and TV industries