Search results for "Competence"
showing 10 items of 1367 documents
Interpreting immunological indices: the importance of taking parasite community into account. An example in blackbirds Turdus merula.
2015
13 pages; International audience; Despite the intensive use of immune indices in immunoecology, whether to interpret the results of immune indices in terms of actual immune competence (i.e. ability to control and clear parasite infections as indicated by high values of immune indices associated with low parasite loads) or current immune activation (pathogenic infection being associated with high parasite load and high values of immune indices) is still an open question. Most studies to date have produced contrasting results focused on the effect of a single parasite species despite the fact that hosts usually harbour a community of parasites that influences one another's impact on host immu…
Costs and Benefits of Experimentally Induced Changes in the Allocation of Growth versus Immune Function under Differential Exposure to Ectoparasites
2010
Background Ecological immunology has focused on the costs of investment in immunocompetence. However, understanding optimal resource allocation to immune defence requires also identification of its benefits, which are likely to occur only when parasites are abundant. Methodology We manipulated the abundance of parasitic hen fleas in blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nests, and supplemented their hosts, the nestlings, with methionine (a sulphur amino acid enhancing cell-mediated immunity) during day 3–6. We found a significant interaction between these two experimental factors on the development of immune defences and growth rates. Only in parasitized nests did methionine supplementation boost …
Catalogue of Interactive Learning Objectives to improve an Integrated Medical and Dental Curriculum.
2016
ABSTRACT Introduction Online learning media are increasingly being incorporated into medical and dental education. However, the coordination between obligatory and facultative teaching domains still remains unsatisfying. The Catalogue of Interactive Learning Objectives of the University Clinic of Mainz (ILKUM), aims to offer knowledge transfer for students while being mindful of their individual qualifications. Its hierarchical structure is designed according to the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) levels of competence. Materials and methods The ILKUM was designed to establish a stronger interconnection between already existing and prospective learning strategies. All conte…
Teaching clinical reasoning and decision-making skills to nursing students: Design, development, and usability evaluation of a serious game
2016
Background\ud \ud Serious games (SGs) are a type of simulation technology that may provide nursing students with the opportunity to practice their clinical reasoning and decision-making skills in a safe and authentic environment. Despite the growing number of SGs developed for healthcare professionals, few SGs are video based or address the domain of home health care.\ud \ud Aims\ud \ud This paper aims to describe the design, development, and usability evaluation of a video based SG for teaching clinical reasoning and decision-making skills to nursing students who care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in home healthcare settings.\ud \ud Methods\ud \ud A prototy…
Developing a Serious Game for Nurse Education.
2018
Future nursing education is challenged to develop innovative and effective programs that align with current changes in health care and to educate nurses with a high level of clinical reasoning skills, evidence-based knowledge, and professional autonomy. Serious games (SGs) are computer-based simulations that combine knowledge and skills development with video game–playing aspects to enable active, experiential, situated, and problem-based learning. In a PhD project, a video-based SG was developed to teach nursing students nursing care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in home health care and hospital settings. The current article summarizes the process of the SG devel…
English Language Policy in Relation to Teachers and Teacher Educators in Latvia: Insights from Activity Systems Analysis
2020
The ambitious objectives of European language policy and the strive for competitiveness have led to an increasing emphasis on foreign language competence at the level of national education systems. Using Spolsky’s onion model of language policy (2004) and Engeström’s Expansive Learning theory (1987, 2008), the study attempts to determine the formative influence of the existing multilayered language policy on the professional development of Latvian educators with the aim to compare the situation for teachers and teacher educators in respect of their English language proficiency.Given the prioritisation of English and strategic differences in foreign language management in relation to teacher…
Towards a Security Competence of Software Developers
2020
Software growth has been explosive as people depend heavily on software on daily basis. Software development is a human-intensive effort, and developers' competence in software security is essential for secure software development. In addition, ubiquitous computing provides an added complexity to software security. Studies have treated security competences of software developers as a subsidiary of security engineers' competence instead of software engineers' competence, limiting the full knowledge of the security competences of software developers. This presents a crucial challenge for developers, educators, and users to maintain developers' competences in security. As a first step in pushi…
Dynamics of Torque Teno virus plasma DNAemia in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients
2017
Abstract Background Torque Teno virus (TTV) plasma DNA load directly correlate with the level of immunosuppresion in different clinical settings. It is uncertain whether this may be the case in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (allo-HSCT). Objectives We characterized the dynamics of TTV DNAemia in patients undergoing T-cell replete allo-SCT. Study design Retrospective single-center observational study including 72 allo-HSCT patients. Plasma TTV DNA loads were quantified before initiating the conditioning regimen and at different time-points after transplant by real-time PCR. White blood cells (WBC) and absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) were measured by flow cytometry.…
Adverse Social Experiences in Adolescent Rats Result in Enduring Effects on Social Competence, Pain Sensitivity and Endocannabinoid Signaling
2016
Abstract: Social affiliation is essential for many species and gains significant importance during adolescence. Disturbances in social affiliation, in particular social rejection experiences during adolescence, affect an individual's well-being and are involved in the emergence of psychiatric disorders. The underlying mechanisms are still unknown, partly because of a lack of valid animal models. By using a novel animal model for social peer rejection, which compromises adolescent rats in their ability to appropriately engage in playful activities, here we report on persistent impairments in social behavior and dysregulations in the endocannabinoid (eCB) system. From postnatal day (pd) 21 to…
Compliance, practices, and attitudes towards VTIs (Vehicle Technical Inspections) in Spain: What prevents Spanish drivers from checking up their cars?
2021
Objective Mechanical conditions of vehicles may play a determinant role in driving safety, the reason why vehicle periodical technical inspections (VTIs) are mandatory in many countries. However, the high number of drivers sanctioned for not complying with this regulation is surprisingly high, and there is not much evidence on what kind(s) of motives may explain this concerning panorama. This study aimed to identify the aspects that modulate the relationship between complying (or not) with VTI’s standards in a nationwide sample of Spanish drivers. The study design also addressed the drivers’ awareness regarding different risky behaviors while driving, depending on their sex and their crash…