Teaching qualities in piano works by Henryk Pachulski in the context of the development of piano technique in children and youth. Part 1

Henryk Pachulski (1852-1921) – a Polish composer, pianist, and teacher. He graduated from the Warsaw Institute of Music, having studied piano with Rudolf Strobl. His harmony and counterpoint teachers were Stanisław Moniuszko and Władysław Żeleński. After that, he studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Nicolai Rubinstein and then Pawel Pabst. He learnt harmony from E. L. Langer, then Anton Arensky with whom he also had a special course in counterpoint. In 1886 he started his teaching career at the Moscow Conservatory, which lasted over 30 years. He also performed as a pianist in Moscow, Petersburg, and Warsaw. Pachulski was acknowledged for his technical aptitude, but he gained the greatest recognition as a teacher and a composer. He created over a hundred piano works, including three sonatas, two cycles of variations, two polonaises, two mazurkas, three waltzes, preludes, studies, impromptus, and more. He also wrote chamber, vocal and orchestra compositions, as well as piano transcriptions for orchestra and chamber pieces. This article presents the composer’s music and teaching activity, it also touches on teaching qualities of his piano works. It pays special attention to technical aspects, and the analysis also covers the formal side of these compositions. While preparing the text, the author used information included in the Polish music press from the turn of the 20th century, music collection of the National Library in Warsaw, archive documents, and foreign sources.

O-204 Is mosaicism affected by an embryologist’s experience in biopsy?

Study question Are there any correlations between blastocyst mosaicism rate and biopsy experience among embryologists? Summary answer Blastocysts biopsied by embryologists with ≥1 year of biopsy experience have significantly lower mosaicism rate compared to those with <1 year of biopsy experience. What is known already It has been reported that the incidence of blastocyst mosaicism is highly variable between centres (PGDIS, 2019). It is also suggested that the technical aptitude of the embryologist performing blastocyst biopsy may give rise to mosaicism. Thus, a retrospective study was conducted to investigate the relationship between blastocyst mosaicism rate and biopsy experience among embryologists in Alpha IVF. Study design, size, duration Thirteen competent embryologists who were trained in blastocyst biopsy were included in this study: 5 have ≥1 year of biopsy experience (Group A; Embryologist A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5); 8 have <1 year of biopsy experience (Group B; Embryologist B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-8). Embryologists from Group A biopsied a total of 4795 blastocysts while those from Group B biopsied 4869 blastocysts from January 2018 to December 2019. Participants/materials, setting, methods TE biopsy was performed either on Day 5, 6 or 7 using the laser or flicking method. The biopsied cells had Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) analysed using Next Generation Sequencing (Ion Torrent, USA) and chromosomal mosaicism analysis was done using ReproSeq Mosaic PGS w1.1 workflow. Mosaic blastocysts were reported when 20% - 80% of aneuploid cells are tested in the biopsied samples. Only successfully amplified biopsy samples were included in this study. Main results and the role of chance The mosaicism rate of blastocysts biopsied by embryologists from Group A and B were 17.8% and 19.8% respectively. Blastocysts from Group A showed significantly lower mosaicism rate compared to Group B (p = 0.01). The mosaicism rates of blastocyst biopsied by Embryologist A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4 and A-5 were 17.3%, 19.1%, 16.8%, 15.2%, and 18.9% respectively. The mosaicism rates of blastocyst biopsied by Embryologist B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, and B-8 were 17.5%, 18.6%, 22.5%, 20.4%, 27.8%, 20.6%, 20.1% and 20.3% respectively. There were no significant differences in blastocyst mosaicism rate between embryologists within Group A (p > 0.05). Contrarily, in Group B, Embryologist B-5 had a significantly higher blastocyst mosaicism rate compared to the other embryologists within the same group (p < 0.05). Limitations, reasons for caution Since this study is retrospective in nature, the biopsy technique (either the laser or flicking method) was not controlled. Hence, further studies to analyse the differences between these 2 biopsy techniques should be carried out to confirm its effect on the occurrence of blastocyst mosaicism. Wider implications of the findings Our study demonstrates that blastocysts biopsied by embryologists with ≥1 year of biopsy experience have significantly lower mosaicism rate compared to those with <1 year of biopsy experience. This indicates that the skill and experience of an embryologist in biopsy may have an impact on the mosaicism rate. Trial registration number Not applicable

The need for empathetic healthcare systems

Medicine is not merely a job that requires technical expertise, but a profession concerned with making the best decisions and recommendations with reference to, and in consultation with, the patient. This means that the skill set required for healthcare professionals in order to provide good care is a combination of scientific knowledge, technical aptitude, and affective qualities or virtues such as compassion and empathy.

Competency-Based Learning and the Future of Nigerian Colleges of Education: A Recipe Vocational and Technical Aptitude

The importance of competency based learning cannot be ignored, considering the role it plays for effective learning and development of skills necessary for successful performance in a job. This paper attempts to review some conceptual issues on competency base learning, such as competency assessment and stages of its implementation. The paper further explained the applicability of the competency based learning in Nigerias colleges. The paper concludes by offering some recommendations, such as provision of legislative frame work for competency based learning to have the legal backing it deserves and equally to redefined institutional frame work in order to accommodate the system.

A Theory of Sex Differences in Technical Aptitude and Some Supporting Evidence

In this article, I present a theory that explains the origin of sex differences in technical aptitudes. The theory takes as proven that there are no sex differences in general mental ability (GMA), and it postulates that sex differences in technical aptitude (TA) stem from differences in experience in technical areas, which is in turn based on sex differences in technical interests. Using a large data set, I tested and found support for four predictions made by this theory: (a) the construct level correlation between technical aptitude and GMA is larger for females than males, (b) the observed and true score variability of technical aptitude is greater among males than females, (c) at every level of GMA females have lower levels of technical aptitude, and (d) technical aptitude measures used as estimates of GMA for decision purposes would result in underestimation of GMA levels for girls and women. Given that GMA carries the weight of prediction of job performance, the support found for this last prediction suggests that, for many jobs, technical aptitude tests may underpredict the job performance of female applicants and employees. Future research should examine this question.

Esso Highlands Limited—committed to world's best practice assessment processes for the PNG LNG Project

The PNG LNG Project is a major resource project in Papua New Guinea that should double the GDP of PNG and provide significant benefits to numerous remote, regional and metropolitan communities. Through a commitment to providing optimal training and employment opportunities for PNG nationals, Esso Highlands Limited is recruiting candidates from all over PNG to take up training and employment opportunities. One opportunity for PNG candidates is the Operations and Maintenance Technician Traineeship Program. This involves 18 months of preparatory training in Port Moresby and 12 months at advanced technical training facilities overseas followed by up to 24 months on the job training at the actual facility; either the Hides gas conditioning plant in the Southern Highlands or at the LNG plant outside Port Moresby in PNG. This program is structured to establish a highly-trained workforce of more than 150 technicians for key operational roles in the PNG LNG Project. A nationwide recruitment drive attracted more than 8,000 applicants. Although the scale of this response—in a country with poor socio-economic conditions and limited paid employment opportunities—was anticipated, the linguistic and cultural diversity of the candidates provided a major challenge for Esso Highlands. The challenge involved how to appropriately and fairly assess and select the required number of trainees from this massive pool of candidates. To address some of the assessment and selection needs, Esso Highlands Limited commissioned ValueEdge Consulting in light of their experience and expertise in delivering similar culturally appropriate assessment programs throughout Australia and southeast Asia. This presentation will provide an overview of the staged assessment model used to select the 76 most suitable candidates from the original 8,000 applicants for the first traineeship program, which commenced in Port Moresby in July 2010. The success of this recruitment program in a culturally, linguistically and educationally diverse country is highlighted by the fact that another significant-sized group of the candidates were retained by Esso Highlands Limited in internship positions—this is in addition to the 76 candidates selected for trainee positions. Due to the high-calibre talent pool attracted by this opportunity and assessed through this program, the extended pool of retained candidates enabled Esso Highlands Limited to meet their needs for the traineeships and also to identify suitable candidates to fulfill a range of their other training and employment opportunities. This presentation will outline details of the selection methods and tools used for the assessment of: training potential, technical aptitude, interpersonal skills, technical knowledge, team work, and individual competencies. The presentation also outlines a model for other green-field sites in countries where traditional recruitment methodologies are ineffective or culturally and linguistically biased against the local population.