Pandemic within workplaces. Address the recovery post Covid-19 by training

This paper concerns the effects of the pandemic in the Italian working context. The Covid-19 crisis has forced transformations in working methods, has involved changes of working spaces and times, has generated new social and professional needs and different training demands. The aim is to understand how Covid-19 has changed the way people work and stay at work, exploring the effects of the pandemic in new skills and training needs of adults at work. Through a quantitative approach, an organization in the North-East of Italy is studied as a case study in order to offer theoretical perspectives and practical advice useful to broaden the discussion on the topic. Pandemia e mondo del lavoro: sostenere la ripresa attraverso la formazione. Questo contributo riguarda gli effetti della pandemia nel contesto lavorativo italiano. Il Covid-19 ha imposto trasformazioni nelle modalità lavorative, ha implicato ristrutturazioni degli spazi e dei tempi di lavoro, ha generato nuovi bisogni sociali e professionali e nuove domande formative. L’obiettivo di questo articolo è quello di comprendere come e in che modo il Covid-19 abbia cambiato il modo di fare e di stare al lavoro, facendo emergere nuove competenze e differenti bisogni formativi presso gli adulti al lavoro. Attraverso un approccio di tipo quantitativo, verrà studiato come caso di ricerca una azienda del Nord Est, al fine di offrire prospettive teoriche e indicazioni pratiche utili per una più ampia discussione sul tema.

Investigation of Teacher Support and Teacher Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tools and Skills Moving the Classroom Forward

Teaching remotely from home is now compulsory for lecturers as schools across the globe have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A marriage of technology and teacher training is required to help educators deliver lessons effectively online. This research aimed to 1) investigate the type of technological support teachers need to teach online during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) identify the type of teacher training needed during and after the pandemic; and 3) assess teachers’ satisfaction towards their training in relation to their needs. This study utilized a mixed methods research design and included a sample of 59 teachers studying for a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, majoring in English language at an open university in Thailand. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to compute means and standard deviations. In addition, qualitative data derived from a questionnaire were analyzed using typological analysis. The research findings showed: 1) the “fundamental technologies” teachers need for online teaching include computers or other computing devices, a reliable and stable-as-possible internet connection, a microphone, and a headset and camera; and 2) the task of implementing engaging lessons online and supporting students to use ICTs for projects or class work placed particular training demands on teachers. Specifically, they required: (1) training to build knowledge of the basic functions for undertaking virtual teaching and learning; (2) access to meaningful and relevant content to create lessons for students, and (3) online worksheets and projects for students.   

Local Integral Regression Network for Cell Nuclei Detection

Nuclei detection is a fundamental task in the field of histopathology image analysis and remains challenging due to cellular heterogeneity. Recent studies explore convolutional neural networks to either isolate them with sophisticated boundaries (segmentation-based methods) or locate the centroids of the nuclei (counting-based approaches). Although these two methods have demonstrated superior success, their fully supervised training demands considerable and laborious pixel-wise annotations manually labeled by pathology experts. To alleviate such tedious effort and reduce the annotation cost, we propose a novel local integral regression network (LIRNet) that allows both fully and weakly supervised learning (FSL/WSL) frameworks for nuclei detection. Furthermore, the LIRNet can output an exquisite density map of nuclei, in which the localization of each nucleus is barely affected by the post-processing algorithms. The quantitative experimental results demonstrate that the FSL version of the LIRNet achieves a state-of-the-art performance compared to other counterparts. In addition, the WSL version has exhibited a competitive detection performance and an effortless data annotation that requires only 17.5% of the annotation effort.

Racing and Training Demands of off-Road Triathlon: A Case Study of a National Champion Masters Triathlete

(1) Background: This report examines the unique demands of off-road triathlon (XT) by presenting physiological, field, and race data from a national champion off-road triathlete using several years of laboratory and field data to detail training and race intensity. (2) Methods: Laboratory and field data were collected when the athlete was at near peak fitness and included oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), power output (W), and blood lactate (BLC) during cycling and running, while HR, cycling W, and running metrics were obtained from training and race data files over a period of seven years. Intensity was described using % HR max zones (Z) 1 < 75%, 2 = 75 - 87%, and Zone 3 > 87%, and W. An ordinary least squares analysis was used to model differences between event types. (3) Results: Weather conditions were not different across events. XT events had twice the elevation change (p<0.01) and two-three times greater W’ (p< 0.001) than road triathlon (ROAD), but similar HR intensity profiles (max, avg, and zones); both events are predominately performed at > Z2 or higher intensity. Championship XT events were longer (p<0.01) , with higher kJ expenditure (p<0.001). OLS modelling suggested three variables were strongly related (R2 = 0.84; p < 0.0001) to cycling performance: event type (XT vs ROAD), total meters climbed, and total bike duration. Championship XT runs were slower than either regional (p<0.05) or ROAD (p<0.01) runs, but HR intensity profiles similar. OLS modelling indicates that slower running is linked to either greater total bike kJ expenditure (R2 = 0.57; p<0.001), or total meters gained (R2 = 0.52; p<0.001). Race simulation data support these findings but failed to produce meaningful differences in running. Conclusions: XT race demands are unique and mirror MTB and trail running demands. XT athletes must be mindful of developing anaerobic fitness, technical ability, and aerobic fitness, all of which contribute to off-road cycling economy. It is unclear whether XT cycling affects subsequent running performance different from ROAD cycling.

Higher Education Teachers’ Training in Attention to SEN Students: Testing a Mediation Model

There is growing interest in analyzing the evolution of inclusive education in universities, highlighting the training of teachers as the main barrier to this evolution. The purpose of this study was to analyze, through a mediation model, to what extent the accessibility and inclusion of university campuses affect, both directly and indirectly, the continuous training of teachers in attention to diversity and training demands by teachers in this same area. Participants were 580 teachers from the Faculty of Education of eight Andalusian universities (Spain). The results revealed that the continuous training of teachers in attention to diversity mediates the negative effect that accessibility and inclusion of university campuses have on the training demanded by teachers; this means that the more accessible and inclusive the universities are, the more continuous training teachers have and therefore the more interest they have in continuing training. There is no empirical evidence in the literature that this mediation model is used in the field of educational inclusion as a methodological technique, so it is a very innovative contribution.

Effect of Player Role and Competition Level on Player Demands in Basketball

This study compared basketball training and match demands between player roles (starters, in-rotation bench players, out-rotation bench players) and between competition levels (semi-professional, professional). Thirty-seven players from one professional women’s team, one semi-professional women’s team, and one semi-professional men’s team wore accelerometers during training and matches throughout a competitive season. All teams were used for player role comparisons and the women’s teams were used to compare competition levels. Match and training session average intensity and volume, and durations of relative exercise intensities (inactive, light, moderate-vigorous, maximal, supramaximal) were calculated. Compared to out-rotation bench players, starters experienced twice the average match intensity and volume, spent 50% less match time being inactive, and spent 1.7–4.2× more match time in all other activity categories (p < 0.01). Compared to in-rotation bench players, starters experienced 1.2× greater average match intensity and volume, spent 17% less match time being inactive, and spent 1.4–1.5× more match time performing moderate-vigorous and maximal activity (p < 0.01). No differences in match demands were found between women’s competition levels, however the professional team experienced double the cumulative weekly training volume of the semi-professional team and spent 1.6–2.1× more cumulative weekly time in all activity categories (p < 0.01). To improve performance and reduce injury risk, players should prepare for the greatest match demands they could encounter during a season while considering potential changes to their role. Additionally, players might need their training volume managed when transitioning from a semi-professional to a professional season to reduce the injury risk from sharp increases in training demands.

Ready for the future? Employability skills and competencies in the twenty-first century: The view of international experts

BACKGROUND: Today’s uncertain economic and social dynamics are leading companies to seek the sort of human talent that will help them to survive and thrive. Training demands are thus arising for specific skills and competencies that would make current students and employment seekers more employable. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the twenty-first century’s major employability skills and competencies as well as the main demand trends for skills and competencies. METHODS: An international panel of experts (from Spain, Thailand and Poland), from both, academic and professional business backgrounds, were asked to quantitatively project the importance of different generic and specific skills and competencies over the next five years. They were asked to do so twice, once before and once after a four-year interval (in 2016 and in 2019). Each time, they were interviewed to discuss the results. RESULTS: The most valued employability skills were of a generic nature, in all three countries. Regarding specific skills, those of a social and managerial nature were the most highly valued. Work experience and formal education became less relevant for employability. CONCLUSIONS: The study’s results can lead to recommendations on how to design a more employability-oriented curriculum in educational institutions.

Presence and Perceptions of Menstrual Dysfunction and Associated Quality of Life Measures Among High School Female Athletes

Context: Adolescent female athletes are at risk for menstrual dysfunction in the setting of exercise and low energy availability. Education regarding menstrual dysfunction and its associated consequences is important to promote athlete well-being. Objectives: The primary aim was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of female athletes who believe that losing their period is a normal response to high training demands. The secondary aim was to explore the relationship between menstrual dysfunction and patient-reported quality of life measures. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Pre-participation evaluations for a local high school district. Participants: Female athletes,13–18 years old. Independent Variables: Presence of menstrual dysfunction, and response (yes/no) to the question, “Do you think it is normal to lose your period during high levels of athletic training?” Main Outcome Measures: Health history, family affluence, and patient-reported quality of life measures. Results: Forty four percent (n=40) of 90 adolescent athletes answered that losing their period was a normal response to a high level of training, and this group had lower BMI, were less likely to report being worried about current weight, and had a higher family affluence level than those who answered losing their period was not a normal response to training. The overall prevalence of menstrual dysfunction was 28%. After adjusting for age and BMI, menstrual dysfunction was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety, fatigue, and pain interference. Conclusion: Nearly half of our sample of adolescent female athletes perceive losing their period as a normal response to high training demands. Females with menstrual dysfunction reported higher levels of anxiety, fatigue, and pain interference than those without. Understanding adolescent perceptions of menstrual dysfunction and the characteristics of those with menstrual dysfunction can guide future educational interventions aimed at athletes at risk for the female athlete triad.