Search

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented transformation of the delivery of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) course to online distance learning (ODL). This study aimed to explore the challenges and preferred features on ODL among the students during the Year 3 O&G course. Methods: This study was a qualitative component of a cross-sectional survey on 'Students' Readiness and Perception on Online Distance Learning for Obstetrics & Gynaecology Course during COVID-19 Pandemic' among Year 3 medical students. It included 193 students post-theory block and 200 students post-clinical block. We described the changes made to the O&G course structure in adopting the ODL. Two open-ended questions were given at the end of each block to explore the research questions. Demographic data was analysed and thematic analysis of the responses was performed. Results: Eight themes of challenges were identified and the top four were poor internet connection, difficulty to understand clinical or practical subjects, difficulty to focus during learning and distraction from the surroundings. On the other hand, seven themes for students' preferred features on ODL were found which includes enthusiastic tutors, beneficial learning activities, accessible learning material, adequate learning material, interesting topics, flexible learning, and organised teaching structure. Conclusion: Teaching clinical courses such as O&G through ODL can be effective, however, the challenges faced by the students must be addressed and the preferred features on ODL should be further strengthened to maintain the high quality of clinical education. Hence, ODL may continue to supplement the traditional teaching method, despite after pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guaranteed admission programs are a type of college access program that provide students who meet certain criteria (e.g., a minimum GPA) with guaranteed admission to one or more colleges. This paper studies guaranteed admission agreements between California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and its local school districts to evaluate if smaller-scale, local guaranteed admission programs have comparable impacts on college enrollment rates to previously studied state-wide programs. Employing a regression discontinuity (RD) design around the program's GPA cutoff conditional on students satisfying other program requirements, this paper finds that the program significantly increased enrollment at CSUSM and at any California State University (CSU) and increased (not significantly) the likelihood of students enrolling at four-year institutions compared to two-year alternatives. In addition, the program disproportionally affected students from underrepresented backgrounds (e.g., first-generations, nonwhite, and low-income back-grounds), suggesting that local guaranteed admission programs also have the potential to increase representation at four-year public institutions and encourage underrepresented students to enroll at high-quality postsecondary institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen: Introducción: la parada cardiaca en la gestante es un reto en la atención extrahospitalaria, y en España disponemos en ese entorno de médicos que podrían hacer cesáreas perimorten. Material y método: inicialmente se evaluaron las lagunas de conocimiento en el manejo de la parada cardiaca (PCR) en gestantes por parte del personal de urgencias extrahospitalarias, para crear un curso semipresencial de simulación de soporte vital avanzado en gestantes (SVA-G). En una segunda fase realizamos un curso para determinar el grado de aprendizaje de conocimientos y habilidades adquirido en soporte vital en el gestante Resultados: previo a la creación del curso, se analizó que el porcentaje de aciertos sobre el manejo de la PCR en las embarazadas era del 54,48%, y el 67,12% de los alumnos manifestó que no estaba lo suficientemente capacitado para hacerlo. En función de esas lagunas creamos el curso de SVA-G. Un total de 88 estudiantes participaron en 5 ediciones del curso. Los conocimientos aumentaron significativamente después del curso, independientemente de la profesión del alumno. Según informaron los alumnos, la satisfacción con el curso, los conocimientos adquiridos y la aplicabilidad de los contenidos a su actividad, fue muy positiva. Conclusión: el curso SVA-G mejora los conocimientos del manejo de la RCP en una embarazada y es un curso útil para el personal que trabaja en urgencias extrahospitalarias. Por ello, tras la creación del curso SVA-G, se incluyó en el catálogo de cursos del Plan Nacional de RCP. Abstract: Introduction: Cardiac arrest in pregnant women is a challenge in out-of-hospital care and in Spain we have doctors in this setting who could perform perimortem caesarean sections. Material and method: Initially, we evaluated the gaps in knowledge in the management of cardiac arrest (CRA) in pregnant women by out-of-hospital emergency personnel in order to create a blended learning course in advanced life support simulation in pregnant women (ALS-G). In a second phase, we conducted a course to determine the degree of learning of knowledge and skills acquired in life support in pregnant women. Results: Prior to the creation of the course, it was analysed that the percentage of success in the management of CPR in pregnant women was 54.48% and 67.12% of the students stated that they were not sufficiently trained to do so. Based on these gaps, we created the VAS-G course. A total of 88 students participated in five editions of the course. Knowledge increased significantly after the course, regardless of the learner's profession. Satisfaction with the course, the knowledge acquired and the applicability of the contents to their activity was reported by the students to be very positive. Conclusion: The SVA-G course improves the knowledge of CPR management in a pregnant woman and is a useful course for personnel working in out-of-hospital emergencies. For this reason, after the creation of the SVA-G course, it was included in the catalogue of courses of the National CPR Plan.

Aim. To study the efficacy and safety of exogenous phosphocreatine (EF) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Materials and methods. The all-Russian prospective observational study BYHEART included 842 patients who were treated with EF. Before and after the course of EF therapy, the following studies were conducted: a questionnaire on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and a clinical condition assessment scale (SHOCK), transthoracic echocardiography with an assessment of the left ventricular ejection fraction, a 6-minute walk test, determination of the level of pro-natriuretic N-terminal peptide (NT-proBNP), glomerular filtration rate. All patients before the course of EF received long-term optimal drug therapy of CHF. Results. Statistical analysis was carried out in the general group of patients (n=842), as well as in groups of patients A (n=418, the course of treatment of EF is less than 20 g /course) and group B (n=424, the course of treatment of EF is greater than or equal to 20 g/course). The results obtained demonstrate a positive effect of the use of the course of therapy of EF in patients with CHF on the quality of life (QOL), reverse left ventricular remodeling, functional class of CHF, as well as the concentration of NT-pro-BNP, especially in the group of patients who received more than 20 grams of the medication. Conclusion. The use of EF is a promising pharmacological method of treatment in addition to optimal drug therapy in patients with CHF.

Increasing retention rates in STEM disciplines has been a primary goal among universities in recent years. Special attention has been given to increase STEM retention among underrepresented populations in those fields. However, one group of students that remains understudied but faces specific challenges is the transfer (TR) student population. TR students, and especially those who transfer from community colleges (CC-TR) in the US, often face academic and mental hurdles, loss of a sense of academic belonging, and adjustment challenges, sometime described as the "transfer shock." Undergraduate research, an experience that has been shown to promote student success, is often not pursued by STEM TR students due to a heavy load in their new 4-year university. We hypothesized that combining summer undergraduate research in STEM labs with intense group activities that focused on group support, development of research-related skills, and promotion of a sense of belonging, would increase rates of research participation after the summer among transfer students. Moreover, we hypothesized that such an intervention would promote student retention and academic success. Our research demonstrates that this intervention, through a summer program in an R1 university, served as a validating experience that increased participation in STEM research after the program, provided the students with academic skills, and improved graduation and STEM retention of TR and URM students. We believe that this intervention may serve as a model to promote student success among transfer and URM students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the development of a bat-ray-inspired underwater vehicle is presented; although the propulsion of the vehicle is based on traditional thrusters, the shape of the ray's fins was used as a model to design the body of the vehicle; this architecture allows the independent control of the forward velocity and the full attitude of the vehicle using only two thrusters and two articulated fins. The compact design of the robot, along with the high dexterity of the architecture, allows the vehicle to submerge and emerge vertically as well as navigate horizontally. The mathematical model of the proposed vehicle, including dynamics and propulsion system, is presented and validated using numerical simulations. Finally, experimental tests are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mythology of liberal anti/racism endures in U.S. mainstream educational discourse as the rational approach to address white supremacy, with college-going positioned as the pathway to a better life. Liberal logics suppose that once racialized peoples enter positions of power, society will improve. Drawing upon pláticas and interviews from an ethnographic study of a college preparation program for Latinx youth at a public high school in the liberal, racially diverse San Francisco Bay Area, this work examines how liberal teaching practices shaped Mexican-origin youths' responses to right-wing terror. Instead of preparing youth to dismantle white supremacy, these practices undermined youths' readings of their sociopolitical worlds. Engaging language socialization approaches, this work argues that liberal teaching practices socialized college-going youth to (white) neutral rationality, wherein accommodating white supremacy signals rationality and college readiness. This research illustrates why college-going can be no more than one tactic towards collective wellbeing for racialized people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Launching a successful new online learning initiative or expanding existing online learning offerings takes careful planning and preparation. Online learning is an institution-wide endeavor, involving multiple departments, functions, and personnel, many of which require modifications or rethinking to meet the needs of fully online learners. Leaders tasked with heading up institutional online initiatives may be unaware of everything that needs to be done to initiate or examine online learning. This article offers a systematic framework to guide strategic planning that is based upon the unique needs and circumstances of online learning and online learners and the institutions who recruit, educate, and graduate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have identified a recurring trend that speech-language pathologists (S-LPs) in countries such as the United States (Caesar & Kitila, 2020), South Africa (Singh et al., 2015), and Malaysia (Kamal et al., 2012) report lower levels of confidence in dysphagia management, whether in comparison to other practice areas or in certain skill areas within the specialty of dysphagia. No data currently exists exploring self-perceptions of Canadian S-LP graduates with regards to clinical management of adults with dysphagia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported readiness of recently graduated Canadian S-LPs who manage dysphagia. Our survey was derived from a modified version of the Dysphagia Competency Verification Tool and distributed to graduates (Classes of 2018-2022) via four Canadian speech-language pathology program offices and direct emailing of graduates in select provinces. Of the 135 individuals who signed up to receive the survey, 92 eligible participants completed the survey. Median scores revealed that respondents perceived themselves to be comfortable with clinical skills related to general knowledge (i.e., educating patients), direct patient care, videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS), and basic flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing studies (FEES) skills. However, many graduates felt uncomfortable with select skills relating to dysphagia rehabilitation (i.e., providing a prognostic statement) and advanced FEES skills. Correlational analyses showed some associations between province of education and reported comfort levels in five of the survey items. Posthoc comparisons were made between those who graduated pre-COVID and those who graduated post-COVID, the latter group scoring higher on select VFSS skills. Results emphasize the need for further research into S-LPs' preparedness following graduation and highlight potential areas for further development in Canadian graduate programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous techniques, including problem-solving, seeking clarification, and creating questions, have been employed to utilize generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. This study investigates the possibility of using Generate AI (GenAI) to grade Structured Query Language (SQL) queries automatically. Three models were used which are ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. The study uses an experimental approach to assess how well the models perform in evaluating student responses by comparing the models' accuracy with those of human experts. The results showed that despite some inconsistencies, GenAI holds great promise for streamlining. Thus, further research is required in light of inconsistent GenAI performance. If these issues were resolved, GenAI can be utilized in education. However, human oversight and ethical issues must always come first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensorimotor disturbances such as disturbed cervical joint position sense (JPS) and reduced reaction time and velocity in fast cervical movements have been demonstrated in people with neck pain. While these sensorimotor functions have been assessed mainly in movement science laboratories, new sensor technology enables objective assessments in the clinic. The aim was to investigate concurrent validity of a VR-based JPS test and a new cervical reaction acuity (CRA) test. Twenty participants, thirteen asymptomatic and seven with neck pain, participated in this cross-sectional study. The JPS test, including outcome measures of absolute error (AE), constant error (CE), and variable error (VE), and the CRA test, including outcome measures of reaction time and maximum velocity, were performed using a VR headset and compared to a gold standard optical motion capture system. The mean bias (assessed with the Bland–Altman method) between VR and the gold standard system ranged from 0.0° to 2.4° for the JPS test variables. For the CRA test, reaction times demonstrated a mean bias of −19.9 milliseconds (ms), and maximum velocity a mean bias of −6.5 degrees per seconds (°/s). The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between VR and gold standard were good to excellent (ICC 0.835–0.998) for the JPS test, and excellent (ICC 0.931–0.954) for reaction time and maximum velocity for the CRA test. The results show acceptable concurrent validity for the VR technology for assessment of JPS and CRA. A slightly larger bias was observed in JPS left rotation which should be considered in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely adopted digital cameras and smartphones have generated a large number of videos, which have brought a tremendous workload to video editors. Recently, a variety of automatic/semi-automatic video editing methods have been proposed to tackle these issues in some specific areas. However, for the production of meeting recordings, the existing studies highly depend on extra equipment in the conference venues, such as the infrared camera or special microphone, which are not practical. In this article, we design and implement Meetor, a human-centered automatic video editing system for meeting recordings. The Meetor mainly contains three parts: an audio-based video synchronization algorithm, human-centered video content flaw detection algorithms, and an automatic video editing algorithm. Two main experiments are conducted from both objective and subjective aspects to evaluate the performance of the Meetor. The experimental results on a testbed illustrate that the proposed algorithms could achieve state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance in video content flaw detection. However, the conducted user study demonstrates that Meetor could generate meeting recordings with a satisfactory quality compared with professional video editors. Moreover, we also present a practical application of the Meetor in a university campus prototype, in which the Meetor is applied in the automatic editing of lecture recordings. All in all, the proposed Meetor can be utilized in practical applications to release the workload of professional video editors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of German International Journal of Modern Science / Deutsche Internationale Zeitschrift für Zeitgenössische Wissenschaft is the property of Artmedia24 and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim. To study the effectiveness of exogenous phosphocreatine (EPCr) therapy in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced and mildly reduce dejection fraction (EF).Material and methods. The all-Russian prospective observational study BYHEART included 842 patients who underwent aEPCr therapy course. Before and after the course of EPCr therapy, the following studies were carried out: a questionnaire on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and the clinical assessment scale (CAS), transthoracic echocardiography with an assessment of the left ventricular EF, a 6-minute walk test, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). All patients before the EPCr course received long-term optimal therapy for HF.Results. Data analysis was carried out for patients in groups with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) within the group depending on the course of EPCr treatment: subgroup A — patients who received EPCr therapy less than 20 g/course and subgroup B — patients who received EPCr therapy ≥20 g/course. The results obtained demonstrate an increase in the quality of life and exercise tolerance, an improvement according to the CAS, a decrease in NT-proBNP levels, and an improvement in left ventricular systolic function in patients with both HFrEF and HFmrEF during the course of intravenous EPCr therapy.Conclusion. The use of EPCr is a promising tool in addition to optimal therapy in patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the link between 25-hydroxy vitamin D and serum asprosin in individuals with type 2 diabetes within the community. The goal was to provide a foundation for clinical interventions. Methods: Between November 2019 and July 2021, data from 463 patients with type 2 diabetes were consistently gathered at a community health service station in Southeast Shanxi Province. General information and laboratory metrics were compiled, including serum asprosin levels. The participants were categorized based on three serum asprosin quantiles, allowing for a comparison of various factors among the groups. The correlation between serum asprosin levels and other factors was analyzed. Employing a general linear model, the connection between 25-hydroxy vitamin D and serum asprosin levels was studied. Utilizing three quantiles of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, serum asprosin was treated as the dependent variable, while 25-hydroxy vitamin D served as the independent variable for linear regression analysis. Results: As serum asprosin increased, there were gradual increments in age, disease duration, SBP, BMI, WC, creatinine, and SUA levels (P<0.05). Conversely, HbA1c, HDL-C, GFR, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels exhibited gradual declines (P<0.05). Age, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, SUA, creatinine, and LDL-C emerged as independent influencing factors for serum asprosin. Across the 1st to 3rd 25- hydroxy vitamin D quantiles, elevated 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels correlated with a gradual reduction in mean serum asprosin (P<0.05). Conclusion: Serum asprosin levels demonstrate an inverse correlation with 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels in community-dwelling individuals with type 2 diabetes. Serum asprosin levels might independently contribute to 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aligner therapy offers a valuable alternative to fixed appliance treatment in young and adult patients, making it possible to reduce potential side effects and providing an aesthetic therapeutic option. In some patients, abrasions, changes of tooth shape or loss of tooth substance require an additional tooth restoration to obtain an optimal outcome that satisfies the patient. Instead of reducing healthy tooth substance for the preparation of a crown or veneer, the development of composite in the past few years has led to improved results in terms of both longevity and aesthetics. The present article outlines different patient examples of interdisciplinary treatment with aligner orthodontics followed by minimally invasive restorations with composites on anterior teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Opuntia Brava is the property of Universidad de Ciencias Pedagogicas de Las Tunas, Centro de Documentacion e Informacion Pedagogica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In early 2020, the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the wide use of online classes in China. Drawing on Foucault’s disciplinary power and De Certeau’s strategy-tactic dialectic, this paper explores the online learning practice of students in a rural junior middle school at Yu Town in Central China during the pandemic, through interviewing the students, teachers, and parents. The findings show that the teachers and the students engaged in a power game in online education and employed a series of strategies and tactics to realize the control and resistance through the creative use of media technologies. The study reveals the paradox that the rural students’ agency and resistance, enabled by the media technologies, may result in negative consequences for their learning and further broaden the gap between rural and urban students, thus reproducing the system that they are dissatisfied with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In alignment with European policies regarding intergenerational sports, this study seeks to integrate existing evidence- (i.e., umbrella review) and eminence- (i.e., international validated educational courses for coaches) based knowledge on judo training across the lifespan. For evidence knowledge, searches of the Google Scholar, ISI-WoS, PubMed, and Scopus databases (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024535420) for studies focused on training youth and older judo practitioners, with no time restriction up to April 2024, were conducted. This resulted in 16 systematic reviews meeting the inclusion criteria, with an "excellent" (n = 6), "good" (n = 7), and "fair" (n = 3) quality according to the NIH tool. With a large sample size (n = 372,655), the reviews focused on wellbeing (n = 9; bone status, injuries, and psychophysical effects) and performance (n = 7; athlete success, combat time, rapid weight loss, and the Special Judo Fitness Test), examining athletic levels (novices to Olympics), sex, and age (children to older adults). For eminence knowledge, the International Judo Federation Academy courses encompassed the "Undergraduate Certificate as Judo Instructor" (UCJI), which provides a comprehensive structure for teaching judo, including techniques, moral code, roles, responsibilities, refereeing, safety, and age-specific belt examination requirements and progression, and the "Educating Judo Coaches for Older Practitioners" (EdJCO) curricula, which provide theoretical and applied modules (e.g., ageing, health, and organisation) to train older judo practitioners. The findings were summarised in a framework, highlighting the most relevant aspects of intergenerational judo programmes (i.e., aims, key characteristics, coaches' roles, barriers, and facilitators). To develop a comprehensive educational intergenerational judo methodology, future research should examine coaches' and practitioners' opinions on intergenerational judo activities carried out in different national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Given the research gaps identified in a literature review, this study aims to uncover how the intensity of learners' motivational behavior and its predictors vary with grade level. Methodology - A large-scale survey was conducted to examine motivational behavior and its predictors among EFL learners across three education levels and ten grades in Taiwan: primary school (Grades 3 to 6), junior high school (Grades 7 to 9), and senior high school (Grades 10 to 12). A total of 12,441 valid cases were collected from both rural and urban areas in Taiwan. ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings - The results showed a significant effect of grade level on the intensity of motivational behavior. Specifically, learners' intensity of motivational behavior tended to decline with grade level (years of study). The significant predictors of motivational behavior also differed with grade level. Significance - In addition to theoretical and methodological contributions to L2 motivation research, this study can enhance understanding of factors that could enhance learners' motivational behavior and offer implications to assist EFL teachers in developing motivational teaching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching presence is the core role of teachers in online education and is the most promising mechanism for developing online learning communities. Drawing on the theoretical framework of teaching presence, and based on data from an online survey of university students from 334 Chinese universities, this study constructs a framework for teaching presence and compares the differences in teaching presence among different student groups, and further explores the impact of teaching presence on students' online learning experience and its heterogeneity in terms of gender and discipline. The study finds that teaching presence includes three dimensions: instructional design and organization, facilitating interaction, and direct instruction, and there are differences among different groups. Teaching presence has a significant impact on the online learning experience, among which facilitating interaction is the most important influencing factor. Heterogeneity examination reveals that the direct instruction dimension has a greater impact on the online learning experience of female students and students in science and engineering, while the facilitating interaction dimension has a greater impact on the experience of male students and students in science and engineering. For the development of online teaching, it is necessary to help online teachers comprehensively improve teaching presence, adopt different teaching strategies and improvement measures for different student groups, and pay attention to collecting and analyzing student behavioral data for teachers to reflect on and improve teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the occurrence of preservice literacy coursework in a sample of graduate speech-language pathology programs in the United States and to investigate the relationship between the likelihood that programs offered literacy coursework and (a) geographical region, (b) Carnegie Classification of research activity, and (c) U.S. News & World Report ranking. Method: Course offerings were analyzed from a sample of 50 accredited speech-language pathology graduate programs that were selected through stratified random sampling using the strata of U.S. geographical regions and the Carnegie Classification of research activity. Results: Only 28% (n = 14) of the programs in the sample offered a course dedicated to literacy, 42% (n = 22) offered a course that embedded literacy content, and 14% (n = 7) offered both a course dedicated to literacy and a course that embedded literacy content. Descriptions of courses dedicated to literacy were at least 60% more likely to specifically reference training in literacy assessment or intervention than the descriptions of courses that embedded literacy content. Region, Carnegie Classification, and U.S. News & World Report ranking did not significantly predict the likelihood of programs offering literacy courses. Conclusion: This study corroborates surveys of speech-language pathologists regarding their preservice literacy training and reveals the continued need to increase preservice coursework focused on literacy in speech-language pathology graduate programs, ideally through courses that are dedicated to literacy and address both literacy assessment and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and accreditors challenge business schools to extend their impact beyond academia and into the real world. Many management academics have responded by becoming involved in business training programs that seek to improve the well-being of marginalized individuals. However, work that conceptualizes and measures the efficacy of these activities has not been systematically analyzed. In this article, we provide the first review. We find that the research is dominated by examinations of short-term, individual-level outcomes, such as securing employment. Yet little is written about the impact of business training programs (especially over time) at either a collective or system level. We use our review to argue for theoretically informed approaches to redress this gap, highlighting underemphasized directions for future research. We also provide recommendations to assist program design, noting that good practice involves hybrid models of education that build capacity within marginalized communities. Further, program designs ought to support broader social goals, such as helping these communities to thrive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]