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This chapter (The Inductively Coupled Plasma) is a contribution to the Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research Handbook of Rock and Mineral Analysis – an online textbook that is a fully revised and updated edition of A Handbook of Silicate Rock Analysis (P. J. Potts, 1987, Blackie, Glasgow).Chapter 5 (from Section 1 of the handbook dealing with fundamentals of measurement and instrument design) is a comprehensive treatment of the inductively coupled plasma – a significant cornerstone of modern geoanalytical spectrometry. The Chapter includes discussion of plasma formation and key components of the ICP source. This is followed by an examination of the challenges of sample introduction into the plasma, particularly focussed on the introduction of liquid samples. The physical structure of the plasma, its robustness and interference effects are fully examined prior to a section dealing with how the operation of plasma is optimised in practise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter (Sampling as Part of the Measurement Process) is a contribution to the Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research Handbook of Rock and Mineral Analysis – an online textbook that is a fully revised and updated edition of A Handbook of Silicate Rock Analysis (P. J. Potts, 1987, Blackie, Glasgow).Chapter 1 (Part 2) forms part of Section 1 of the handbook dealing with fundamentals of measurement and instrument design. The geochemical measurement process is considered to begin when the primary sample is taken from the sampling target, rather than when that sample arrives at the laboratory. This integration of sampling within the measurement procedure enables both sampling and chemical analysis to be optimised in order to achieve a measurement procedure that is fit for its intended geochemical purpose. The key metric in judging this fitness for purpose, and hence validating a measurement procedure, is the uncertainty of each measurement value. This measurement uncertainty is explained, together with methods to estimate and express it in a way that includes the contribution from sampling, with a worked example. The resultant more realistic estimates of measurement uncertainty are shown to improve the reliability of the geochemical interpretation of measurement values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This fourth edition of the Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer 2023 is compiled. It was revised under the leadership of the Japanese Urological Association, with members selected from multiple academic societies and related organizations (Japan Radiological Society, Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology, the Department of EBM and guidelines, Japan Council for Quality Health Care (Minds), Japanese Society of Pathology, and the patient group (NPO Prostate Cancer Patients Association)), in accordance with the Minds Manual for Guideline Development (2020 ver. 3.0). The most important feature of this revision is the adoption of systematic reviews (SRs) in determining recommendations for 14 clinical questions (CQs). Qualitative SRs for these questions were conducted, and the final recommendations were made based on the results through the votes of 24 members of the guideline development group. Five algorithms based on these results were also created. Contents not covered by the SRs, which are considered textbook material, have been described in the general statement. In the general statement, a literature search for 14 areas was conducted; then, based on the general statement and CQs of the Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer 2016, the findings revealed after the 2016 guidelines were mainly described. This article provides an overview of these guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

England's schooling landscape is being remodelled and the move from hierarchical to heterarchical modes of governance has implications for systemic change strategies. Balancing local and networked autonomy with centralising policies complexifies choices for schools, creating tensions that this article explores through the context of curriculum resourcing policies. In particular, we consider the contemporary case of mathematics textbook schemes in England's heterarchical school system, comparing them with an earlier resource‐driven systemic change programme—the National Numeracy Strategy—which was implemented in a more hierarchical governance system. Drawing on key ideas from implementation science and data from a Wellcome‐funded study of primary teacher professional learning in mathematics in England, we exemplify the challenges of implementing centralised improvement policies in a nominally schools‐led, self‐improving, heterarchical education system. Each of the 19 participating schools had evolved a bespoke curriculum, and these hybridised ‘mashups’ of different resources were enacted with varying degrees of fidelity by teachers. We discuss the implications of this comparative case for systemic improvement, both in the use of educational resources and for policy implementation more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This content analysis explored children's fictional storybooks and informational science books to determine their differences in high‐quality text features that support oral language (OL) development. We also explored the opportunities for OL development in curricular books compared to trade books. Using systematic coding procedures, we evaluated the genre, vocabulary, syntactic variety, supportive visuals and cultural sensitivity in books from three kindergarten and Grade 1 reading curricula (n = 521) as well as a sample of commercially‐available trade books (n = 48). Descriptive information was averaged to determine the percentage of high‐quality text features included in each book type and genre. Results indicated that informational science trade books offered more opportunities for rich language experiences than their curricular counterparts or any of the fictional books. Thus, there is reason to believe that informational science trade books with high‐quality text features may promote OL development and enhance the learning of young students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German government requires all migrants without sufficient German language proficiency to enroll in integration courses. Many of these migrants had few prior experiences with formal education, yet, regardless of degree of literacy in any language, they are placed in classes based on language proficiency. How well do government‐approved language textbooks for integration courses meet the needs of migrant learners with few prior experiences with formal education and emergent literacy skills? We present a qualitative exploration of approved German language textbooks to identify hidden challenges. Results indicate that the textbooks require literacy practices, assume sociocultural practices, and demand ways of thinking largely unfamiliar to these learners. Moreover, promotion of a/n (ideal) German culture and western views of knowledge fosters deficit perspectives while rendering invisible the knowledges, and strengths of these learners. Thus, providing effective language education for these migrants requires a mind shift. The findings, discussion, and suggestions have relevance to educators globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching a course on religions of the world is challenging, especially considering the cogent critiques of that paradigm and the history of its construction. In our courses and text, we have employed a strategy comparing different representations of a single religion to help students develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Within this approach, we employ a functionalist methodology that addresses how each representation of a religion empowers particular groups as well as how the practices and ideas within each religion function. Organizing a course and textbook in this fashion coordinates with assignments that ask students to compare the construction and functions of different representations of the same religion, thus reinforcing to students that no single description of a religion is complete or free from individual and group interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Textbook outcome (TO) is a composite quality measurement of outcomes for evaluating surgical procedures. We investigated whether TO can be used to predict outcomes after curative resection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in elderly patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 105 patients who underwent curative esophagectomy for ESCC from 2005 to 2020. In accordance with previous reports, TO consisted of 10 parameters. The patients were divided into two groups: those who achieved TO (TO) and those who failed to achieve TO (non‐TO). We evaluated the association between TO and long‐term survival. Results: TO was achieved in 28 (26%) patients. The patients in the TO group were significantly older (p = 0.02). The parameter with the lowest achievement rate was "No hospital stay ≥21 days". The patients in non‐TO group had significantly shorter overall survival than those in TO group (p = 0.03). Multivariable Cox regression analyses of overall survival revealed that lymph node metastasis (hazard ratio [HR], 3.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.73–6.78; p < 0.0002) and non‐TO (HR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.05–5.65; p = 0.03) were significantly associated with poor overall survival. Conclusion: TO can be used to predict outcomes after curative esophagectomy in elderly patients with ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sound learning design should be based on the constructive alignment of intended learning outcomes (LOs), teaching and learning activities and formative and summative assessment. Assessment validity strongly relies on its alignment with LOs. Valid and reliable formative assessment can be analysed as a predictor of students' academic performance, but the question is how significant its predictive power is, and what other elements can affect predictions. Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the predictive power of formative assessment for summative assessment, measuring the acquisition of LOs. Methods: We analysed formative assessment results (quizzes, homework), together with log data (video and other material use, class attendance), to determine the most influential predictors and establish a reliable predictive learning analytics model. We used the Random Forest algorithm. The model is based on the data from two university mathematical courses, delivered at different years and levels of study, incorporating 813 students in two consecutive years. Results and Conclusions: Our results show that formative assessment, together with previous summative assessment, is a stronger predictor of summative assessment results than other data on students' engagement. The study pointed to the importance of completeness and quality of data, and clear links between assessment and LOs when making predictions of student results. It suggested that predictions are less reliable for the lowest and the highest performing students. It was noted that other factors can also affect predictions, like the level of LOs, or factors not easily extracted from digital data, like the learning environment and individual students' strategies. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic?: When educators design lessons, they aim for students to acquire intended learning outcomes.To know if students are making progress, educators use a mix of regular checks, like quizzes (formative assessment) and major exams (summative assessment).Predictive learning analytics may contribute to sound learning design (LD). What does this paper add?: In our study, we looked into whether these regular checks can predict how a student might perform on high‐stake exams.We collected data from students taking two university maths courses, including their scores on quizzes, their attendance, and their use of study materials.Using a machine learning technique called the Random Forest algorithm, we built a model to predict student exam scores.Our results indicate that formative assessment is the best predictor of the success in summative assessment. Implications for practice/or policy: We found that how a student performs on regular checks is a good sign of how they might do on the high‐stake exam and careful preparation of assessment and whole LD help student learning.Assessment, formative as well as summative, needs to be aligned with intended learning outcomes and only in this case results can inform quality assurance processes and the restructuring of LD.There are other personal factors that can influence a student's performance, which are not easy to spot just from the digital data we have.The complexity of what is being taught plays a role in predicting students' final scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross‐national European comparison examined gender representation and stereotypes in mathematics and language textbooks from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Romania. The results showed that female characters were numerically underrepresented. Female characters were also less often a main character or individually portrayed compared to male characters, but not proportionally to the overall lower number of female characters. Characters in occupational roles were less often female than male, whereas among characters with gender non‐conform characteristics, these were more often female than male in some textbooks. There was no sexual diversity among characters. The differences in gender representation are found within each country, but gender differences were smaller in more gender‐egalitarian countries. If textbooks are to offer the same learning benefits to both boys and girls, students should be equally represented in a diversity of roles and occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text of picture books is a fertile source through which young children learn about mental states. By focusing on English and Japanese books (N = 100; for children aged 3–5 years) as respective representatives of independent and interdependent cultures, the present study examined the cultural differences in the use of two types of mental state language: emotion and cognition. While our findings revealed no cultural differences in emotional word tokens or types, cognitive word tokens and types were higher in English picture books than in Japanese ones. Importantly, English picture books exhibited more self‐oriented mental state references, while Japanese picture books had more other‐oriented mental state references. Our study suggests that mental state references in picture books reflect culture‐specific characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late early modern period witnessed critical consumer transitions across Europe. Yet, while the explosion of the material world and the transition from an 'old luxury' material culture to a 'new luxury' model is well documented, our understanding of the underlying value systems of consumer goods is still under‐developed. Building on a database of eighteenth‐century advertisements for household auctions in the London‐based Daily Advertiser, this article maps the value systems that characterized elite secondary markets in London. We find the language of consumption growing in complexity and sophistication as the eighteenth century progressed, but historiographically, key concepts such as fashion and modernity played minor and sometimes unexpected roles. While silverware is traditionally perceived as a store of wealth and marker of status, and hence a textbook 'old luxury', in the auction advertisements it is often praised for its design value. Chinaware, often attributed a central role in forging an affordable yet fashion‐sensitive 'new luxury model', is paradoxically valued for its age and patina. In fact, the boundaries between 'new' and 'old' luxuries were never clear‐cut. The intrinsic value of material culture continued to matter, and the language of consumption continued to reproduce social inequalities, much as it did in previous centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the first Inupiaq person to earn a PhD in microbiology, I learned the hard way that groups of people have been excluded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the United States since the first University was built by Black and Indigenous slaves. Students from historically excluded and underrepresented (HEU) backgrounds typically do not see themselves in textbooks, conferences, or classrooms, especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields. Similarly, students from these backgrounds and non‐excluded backgrounds typically do not understand the history or consequences of exclusion. Here I describe the development and implementation of a class that teaches undergraduate students about the current state of diversity in STEMM jobs in the US, the history of exclusion that resulted in a deficit of people from various backgrounds, the consequences of excluding these people from research specifically, current leaders in research from HEU backgrounds, and how to implement changes. The students are taught how to communicate their findings in oral and written communication to various audiences. Based on decades of experiences, discussions, readings, and more, I teach students the reasons there are so few people from HEU backgrounds in academia and in STEMM specifically, and what can be done at the University level to ensure that people from all backgrounds are represented in STEMM. In this way, I teach students what I wish I had been taught decades ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an understanding of systemic racism as a defining and constitutive feature of the Eurocentric modern order. In contrast to this foundational insight, discussions in hegemonic social psychology tend to approach racism in a manner—specifically, as prejudice and individual bias—that abstracts the topic from social and historical context. We consider this proposition via an analysis of standard textbooks for undergraduate courses in social psychology. Our review reveals that standard textbooks do not include racism, per se, as a topic of investigation; instead, they tend to consider racism‐relevant topics as specific cases of supposedly more basic (and therefore more general) processes of cognition or affect. We conclude the article by drawing on textbooks from South African settings and perspectives of decolonial theory (i.e., examples of social psychologies Other‐wise) as resources to re‐think hegemonic social psychology in directions that resonate more clearly with a CRT emphasis on the systematicity of racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Textbooks are often considered the criterion standard in medical education, but there is a growing preference for free open‐access medical education (FOAM) content among learners. Despite FOAM's appeal, these resources often fall short in covering core content as comprehensively as the American Board of Emergency Medicine's 2019 Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine (MCPEM), thereby sustaining the recommendation for textbook use. However, textbooks have limitations, such as how quickly content can become outdated. Notably, there is no evaluation of the comprehensiveness of emergency medicine (EM) textbooks in the literature. Methods: This observational cross‐sectional study compared Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice 10th Edition (Rosen's) and Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide 9th Edition (Tintinalli's) with the MCPEM subtopics. Each textbook chapter was reviewed for content alignment with MCPEM subtopics. The primary outcome was the proportion of MCPEM subtopics covered by each textbook. Secondary outcomes included the count of chapters covering each topic and their distribution relative to the core content weighting in the ABEM National Qualifying Examination (NQE). Results: Rosen's covered 95.3% of MCPEM subtopics (837 unique subtopics), and Tintinalli's covered 94.5% (826 unique subtopics). Both textbooks overrepresented topics like toxicology and psychobehavioral disorders compared to their weighting in the NQE. Relatively underrepresented topics included environmental disorders, cardiovascular disorders, renal and urogenital disorders, and traumatic disorders in Rosen's and other core competencies and cardiovascular disorders in Tintinalli's. The textbooks varied significantly in coverage of certain topics. Conclusions: Both Rosen's and Tintinalli's comprehensively cover MCPEM subtopics, with some discrepancies in topic representation compared to the NQE. While textbooks offer depth and breadth, they may not fully align with the NQE content distribution. A diversified approach to EM education, combining traditional textbooks and FOAM resources may be required for comprehensive learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials development in TESOL has been gaining popularity as a field of study for the last few decades. TESOL materials research as an area of inquiry includes studies focusing on textbook content (e.g., grammar, cultural representation, and authenticity), consumption (use/adaptation of materials by learners and teachers), and production (design and publication) of materials (Harwood, 2014a,b). Materials production is the most neglected of these three areas of research, although it is considered vital to understand how materials are produced and shaped into textbooks that are used in almost every classroom around the world (Harwood, 2010, 2014b; Tomlinson & Masuhara, 2017:145). The present research draws upon interviews with six authors working for different international publishing houses who spoke about the various constraints associated with authoring global textbooks, which are sold around the world. The authors described constraints associated with publishers' preference for international rather than regional or local materials, tight deadlines, publisher‐led rather than author‐led models of production, the constraining influence of teacher and market representative feedback on draft materials, and constraints associated with taboo topics debarred from the materials. These formidable constraints reduce the role of authors in decision‐making, hindering attempts to create more carefully crafted products, and we suggest that textbook publishers need to reconsider their production processes as part of a drive to enhance the quality of the global textbook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Department of Education posits that higher education students' expenditures on course materials and supplies, including texts for language learning classes, were between $1,265 and $1,471 for the 2017–2018 academic year. For many students, the cost of these materials can jeopardize their studies. One potential solution to this issue is to use free educational materials like open educational resources (OERs). However, not all OERs are of the same quality or useful for language learning. Therefore, to explore the affordances of OERs for language learners, this study compares the traditional textbook and the OER web book in terms of the quality and task engagement (TE) at a university in the US Pacific Northwest. The outcomes shed some light on the possible influences of learners' perceived quality of the OER and its relationship with TE and language learning. The Challenge: Research has shown that open educational resources (OERs) might be a good alternative to the traditional textbook. A low‐cost or free OER can help students save money, but will students be able to engage and be successful in their language learning? Should teachers consider using OERs to teach foreign languages? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore how verb frames can potentially influence text difficulty and shed new light on text evaluation. Different from previous works focusing mostly on lexical frequencies, this paper explores semantic categories of verbs and their correlation with the difficulty levels (DLs) of textbooks. Based on a corpus of nine sets of primary school Chinese textbooks, verb‐frame diversity and distribution trends by difficulty levels were examined. The results show that the diversity of verb frames has a strong positive correlation with difficulty levels. The distribution trends of the frames largely correspond with the three cognitive tiers proposed in the skill theory for language development: the sensory–motor, representational, and abstract tiers. This study introduces verb frames as a salient semantic factor in text analysis and proposes that verb‐frame‐related features have the potential to be utilized in the evaluation of leveled instructional materials and readability assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of vital signs assessment in acute mental health settings, highlighting the prevalence of physical health issues and the risk of premature death among individuals with serious mental illness. Topics include the neglect of vital signs assessment in mental health nursing textbooks, the lack of emphasis on its importance, and the need for further research and education to address this critical issue.

Objective: To explore the impact of textbook outcome (TO) on long‐term survival in oral cancer surgery. Subjects and Methods: In total, 386 patients with tumor resection, neck dissection (ND), and reconstruction between 2011 and 2020 were included. TO was defined as negative margin; adequate ND; no 3‐day emergency room revisit; no 30‐day readmission; and length of stay ≤22 days. Multivariate Cox regression was used to evaluate the impact of TO and 5‐year overall survival (OS). Results: The TO rate was 35%. Younger age, subsite in buccal area, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score of 0, higher body mass index, higher hemoglobin, higher albumin, and unilateral ND were associated with TO. 5‐year OS was 70.5% in overall TO patients and 49.0% in non‐TO patients (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31–0.70; p < 0.001). Non‐TO was associated with an increased mortality rate (aHR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.14–2.63) after adjusting other factors and the result remained robust with inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis. The impact of TO on OS was more significant in age <60, advanced stage, and diagnosis year before 2018. Conclusion: Not achieving TO in oral cancer surgery was associated with worse long‐term outcome. TO could be used as a proxy for surgical quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of an effort to establish a national identity within the education sector, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) revised its 2018/2019 textbooks. This study seeks to understand the motivation behind the revisions, focusing on how the new content depict 'the self' and 'the other'. Through our analysis, it was discovered that the textbooks should be seen as an extension of the Palestinian struggle for nation‐building and self‐determination. The PNA's strategy to curricula development represents a departure from the previous Oslo framework with a focus on historical Palestine and defining 'the other' on their own terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital texts are progressively becoming the medium of learning for students, but research has indicated that students tend to process information more superficially while reading on screen. It is therefore relevant to examine what strategies can support digital text comprehension. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of highlighting—both learner generated and experimenter provided—when reading digitally. Methods: University students (N = 170) were randomly assigned to the condition of learner‐generated highlighting, experimenter‐provided highlighting, or control. Reading outcomes were measured as literal and inferential text comprehension, transfer of knowledge, and metacognitive calibration of comprehension performance at immediate and delayed post‐tests. Individual differences in prior knowledge, cognitive reflection, and reading self‐efficacy were taken into account. The quality of the information highlighted by students in the condition of active highlighting was also measured. Results: From linear mixed‐effects models, the main effect of condition did not emerge for any of the outcomes. However, an interactive effect of condition and cognitive reflection emerged for literal text comprehension that favoured readers in the condition of experimenter‐provided highlighting with higher ability to resist automatic thinking. Inferential text comprehension, transfer of knowledge, and calibration of performance were only predicted by cognitive reflection or reading self‐efficacy. Finally, the quality of information highlighted significantly contributed to students' literal text comprehension and transfer of knowledge in the learner‐generated highlighting condition. Takeaways: Active highlighting is not effective per se during digital reading. The "amplification" effect of already highlighted text and higher cognitive reflection suggests that readers who are more able to resist automatic thinking may also invest more effort in the task, taking more advantage of the provided support. Even if active highlighting may not be effective per se compared to other reading conditions, what students highlight contributes to literal text comprehension and their learning from text. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Reading on a screen to learn new content for academic assignments is a typical learning activity for todays' students.For digital reading students tend to adopt a more superficial approach compared to traditional reading.Reading strategies can help readers to comprehend complex digital texts.Highlighting is a technically simple strategy to use for digital reading, which can at least support the selection of relevant information for text comprehension. What this paper adds: When considering digital reading neither learner‐generated highlighting nor experimenter‐provided highlighting is effective by itself.Experimenter‐provided highlighting is more effective for literal text comprehension than learner‐generated highlighting when combined with readers' ability to cognitively reflect and resist more automatic responses.The individual differences of cognitive reflection and reading self‐efficacy predicted inferential text comprehension and transfer of knowledge.Reading self‐efficacy also predicted readers' metacognitive calibration of comprehension performance (accuracy of self‐judgements of comprehension performance). The implications of study findings for practitioners: The effective use of highlighting for text comprehension probably requires some explicit instruction and practice in learning devices.The potential benefits of either learner‐generated highlighting or experimenter‐provided highlighting should be considered in relation to cognitive and motivational individual differences.It is important to create or refine readers' awareness that the quality of the information they highlight matters as it is associated with their text literal text comprehension and transfer of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The definition of textbook outcome in biliary system cancers is a developing concept in need of expansion and investigation of its association with survival and quality of life. Methods: In this original research, we developed a novel "all or none" textbook outcome definition which addresses the rapid recovery of post‐surgical indexes, in addition to short‐term mortality, hospital re‐admission, prolonged stay, surgical margin and postoperative complications. Based on the fulfillment of relevant criteria, patients were divided into textbook outcome and non‐textbook outcome groups and their characteristics and survival data were analyzed. A customized "quality of life" questionnaire was developed to address short‐term recovery and post‐discharge life quality of patients. Association with quality of life improvement was then investigated. Results: A total of 129 patients were included. Textbook outcome was achieved in 25.58% of patients (37.04% of gallbladder cancer patients and 17.8% of cholangiocarcinoma patients). Compared to non‐textbook outcome group, patients with textbook outcome had lower rate of pre‐operative biliary drainage (p = 0.026), higher rate of normal preoperative liver function (p < 0.001) and tumor markers (p = 0.001), reduced perioperative bleeding (p = 0.006) and blood transfusion (p = 0.005), and higher rate of N0 stage cases (p = 0.008). Textbook outcome was also associated with enhanced survival, significantly in older patients (<65 years) (1‐year survival rate: 100% vs. 78.57% (p = 0.108), 2‐year survival rate: 87.5% vs. 44% (p = 0.046)). Finally, textbook outcome was significantly associated with enhanced basic daily performance (p < 0.001), social life performance (p = 0.033), and personal evaluation (p < 0.001), and thus improved quality of life (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The novel definition of textbook outcome was able to address the specific nature of recovery after resection of biliary system cancers. Expanding the scope of textbook outcome and addressing the influence on survival and quality of life provides a comprehensive concept able to reflect physical, psychological and functioning enhancements in patients recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines pre‐service language teachers' perceptions of learning and teaching and how differentiation manifests itself in them. The 67 participants visualised 'an ideal language learning situation' and complemented a number of teaching‐related metaphors, for instance, 'A teacher is like...' and 'A learner is like...' in the first session of their pedagogical studies. Seven participants returned to reflect on these outputs in group discussions held at the end of their studies. The data were analysed qualitatively following thematic analysis. We identified some themes of differentiation already in the initial outputs, that is, visualisations and metaphors, such as teaching methods and learning environment. In particular, the metaphors contained references to the individuality and uniqueness of the pupils. In the group discussions, the participants further highlighted the importance of differentiation for instance through the themes of differentiation for high‐achieving pupils and the contradiction between ideal and practice. Based on the group discussions, the participants' understanding of differentiation expanded at least to some extent during their studies. Overall, the results suggest that the ideal of differentiation is present at some level when students enter their studies and that they are able to embrace it even more during their studies. Despite this, some participants still reflected rather limited views of differentiation, for instance, the focus on ability levels and textbook‐based learning. This implies that differentiation should be addressed more profoundly in pre‐service teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple racial issues in America have been brought to the forefront by the recent deaths of African Americans, yet many teachers feel unprepared to engage with students around issues of race. Their discomfort is likely because traditional textbooks omitted the experiences of non‐dominant, marginalized groups, thereby denying readers an opportunity for a rich, multifaceted understanding of historical events. Education has also become politicized, resulting in educational gag orders and book bans. This article recommends using read‐alouds with children's literature to begin the complex conversations and learning around America's racial history and how it has led to contemporary situations. Using the book Let the Children March, we provide examples of how to prepare for discussion and instruction that recognizes the varied experiences of diverse Americans and honors their contributions to our democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because dual‐language books (DLBs) print the entire text in two languages nearby on the page, they have great potential for supporting children's biliteracy development by providing contexts to compare/contrast languages. However, little is known about how children read DLBs independently and how they may/may not use such characteristics to support learning. This article reports on a study of the think‐alouds/verbal protocols of 63 Spanish‐English bilingual third and fifth graders and the strategies they used to translate words and retell pages as they read DLBs. Children often took up their identities as language learners and chose to read the language with which they were less familiar. They were also strategic readers, but their strategies were not always accurate. Findings indicate that children would benefit from using DLBs in bi‐/multilingual classrooms and participating in activities such as strategic, analytic translation to build their linguistic knowledge and their biliteracy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been more than 50 years since Clay (1966) first introduced the concepts about print (CAP). Emergent readers, aged 4–5, must acquire an understanding of basic and hierarchical concepts of letters, words, and sentences; they must also learn basic knowledge about texts and books; they must develop an awareness of book orientation, directionality, and positions. CAP examines emergent readers' ability to recognize and understand the ways in which written language functions for the purpose of reading. However, we lovingly critique the elements of CAP (e.g., book orientation, directionality and print conventions) from the perspective of culturally sustaining pedagogies. Clay (1989) posited that "CAP as a test may be culturally inappropriate" (p. 71). We further argue that using this element marginalizes early young children of color who are learning ways of literacy practices that do not mirror the white monolingual middle‐class approach to learning foundational reading. In some cultures, readers turn pages left to right, read pages right to left, and decode logographic words. Does it matter if young children do not fully understand directionality and orientation at that age? What we think matters in the practice of CAP is the sense‐making process. Using social justice‐oriented texts, we offer a pedagogical framework that centers on the concepts of text and book. Using literature that features characters of color in non‐stereotype roles, we describe four principles for teaching CAP that advance social justice literacy: Relationship between written and oral language, print or pictures carry meaning, book orientation and directionality and conventions of print. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate how different varieties of English are represented in a selection of materials used in upper‐secondary schools in Sweden. A 2011 policy reform of the curriculum for the teaching and learning of English at upper‐secondary level underscored the global dimension of the language, taking a distance from the traditional focus on British English. Findings from our content analysis of two selected textbooks suggest that despite this policy change, emphasis is still placed on standard varieties of Inner Circle countries. When other varieties are represented, the characters that utilise them are often portrayed in a more negative light than their Inner Circle counterparts. We suggest that this is indicative of a policy–practice disconnect. We discuss the pedagogical implications for the students of the limited exposure to linguistic variation in English that emerges from the textbooks and point at different ways to continue investigating this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Manual of dietetic practice ('Manual') is the core textbook for qualified and student dietitians. A survey was conducted to explore views on the scope, content and presentation of the Manual to inform the forthcoming edition. Methods: The survey comprised of questions on demographics, structure, content, access (print/digital), missing topics, strengths and weaknesses. It was distributed to members of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and other relevant groups in August 2022. Responses are presented as frequencies and free text as themes. Results: Of 1179 responses, 91% were from professionals, of whom 72% were registered dietitians with a mean of 12.7 years (range: 1–44) in practice: 60% worked in the United Kingdom with 52% based in a clinical setting. The printed version was preferred: 59% professionals, 60% students, 94% professionals and 88% students were satisfied with the structure; however, 26% professionals and 22% students identified content that was lacking or outdated, including mental health and sustainability. The strengths were its comprehensive coverage and respected contributing authors. Weaknesses included the cost, size, lack of visual aids and currency. Professionals indicated the seventh edition should focus on more practical information required for clinical practice, whereas students wanted more emphasis on summarised information and visual formats. Conclusions: The survey proved a valuable method to engage with the readership to ensure the next edition reflected their requirements. Although nearly all respondents were satisfied with the scope and content, the results highlighted those topics lacking and/or outdated. Results also showed that the next edition should focus on practical information required for clinical practice, with more summarised and visual formats. Key points: This article presents the results of an online survey to explore views on the scope, content and presentation of the UK Dietetic profession's core text, Manual of dietetic practice.The survey was initiated by the editorial team who felt it important to explore ways in which the new edition of the Manual could be updated to meet the emerging needs of readers, namely qualified dietitians and students of dietetics.Over 1100 respondents completed the survey comprising 91% professionals, 72% of whom were registered dietitians who had been practicing in the UK healthcare system for an average 12 years.Thematic analysis revealed readers felt the Manual to be a highly respected text, regarded as the 'go‐to' source for guidance on the practice of clinical dietetics with comprehensive coverage and extremely knowledgeable contributing authors.However, despite its positive qualities, the Manual suffered from cumbersome updating processes meaning that its content lagged behind real‐life clinical practice.The survey proved a valuable method to engage with the readership to ensure the next edition reflected readers' requirements for updated Manual content, style and format.The editors will ensure the forthcoming seventh edition focuses on practical information required for clinical practice, with more summarised form and visual formats.Further, moving forward it is hoped that there will be more aggressive promotion of the online version of the Manual as it is a format which facilitates content update and is likely to become more widely accessed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores calculus students' opportunities to learn the concepts of integral by examining one mathematician's videotaped lessons and the textbook. Results show that both lessons and the textbook introduce important cognitive resources briefly and focus on other units of knowledge. Implications to these results are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civic education has long been viewed as a political tool to construct identity in nation‐states. This view, however, is complicated by the cases of Hong Kong and Macau. As former colonies and current autonomous regions of China, the two cities went through decolonisation without becoming nation‐states. Does this status affect Hong Kong's and Macau's identity discourses? Are civic textbooks tools to construct or deconstruct a Chinese/national identity? What explains the two cities' different identity discourses? Going beyond the civic–ethnic binary, this article argues that identities in 'postcolonial territorial autonomies', such as Hong Kong and Macau, should be analysed through a multilevel framework of identity/state–society interactions, reflecting the local, national and global forces at play. The interactions of these forces shape Hong Kong's layered identity, Macau's ambiguous identity and the two cities' contradictory attitudes towards colonial legacies. This study contributes to a relational and interactional rethinking of national identity and decolonisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human sexuality textbooks, like most social and health sciences products, are notoriously limited in their inclusion of queer, trans, and intersex people. While well‐intentioned faculty (like the first author) do their best to address these limitations, sometimes it isn't enough. Sometimes our texts, and we, cause harm. This paper describes two phases of a participatory action research (PAR) project involving queer, trans, and intersex students and a queer, nonbinary faculty member that intended to address harm tied to a course text, support student empowerment, and move toward action to improve unjust textbook representation. Through first‐person reflective storytelling, we, the faculty member and one student member of the research team, share our approach to "working with poison," including strategies for infusing trauma‐informed practices into our PAR approach. We reflect on the pain of doing this work, and the ways our approach succeeded and failed. We end with recommendations for individuals, publishers, and institutions looking to minimize harm and promote justice in higher education curriculum. Highlights: Process‐focused reflection by undergraduate student‐ and faculty‐activist‐researchers.Tensions and accountability when pursuing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual+ justice through trauma‐informed participatory action research (PAR).Addressing unjust inclusion in textbooks, in this case, intersex/trans inclusion in sexuality texts.Positive, care‐focused practices in PAR for minoritized facilitators and participant‐researchers.Call to support ongoing, participatory curricular review by educators, publishers, and universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Textbook outcome (TO) is an objective, composite measure of clinical outcomes in surgery. TO in liver surgery has been used in previous international studies to define and compare performance across centres. This study aimed to review TO rates following liver resection at a single institution. The secondary aim was to use a CuSum analysis to evaluate monitoring of performance quality over time for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). Methods: All patients undergoing liver resection for benign and malignant causes from Christchurch Hospital hepatobiliary unit between 2005 and 2022 were included. Textbook outcomes measures were the absence of; intraoperative incidents, Clavien‐Dindo >3 complication, 90 day re‐admission, 90 day mortality, R1 resection, and post‐operative bile leak/liver failure. Sequential CuSum analysis was performed to review achievement of TO in liver resections for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). Results: Four hundred and seventy‐eight patients were included in this study, 54 had resection for benign pathology, 290 for CRCLM and 134 for other malignancies. TO was achieved in 74% of cases overall, with rates for benign, CRCLM and other malignancy being 82%, 73% and 74% respectively (P = 0.405). CuSum analysis documented a deterioration in performance after patient 60, with return to baseline by end of study period. Conclusions: TO for liver resection in a medium sized centre in New Zealand are comparable to published rates. It is possible to use process control techniques like CuSum with the binary result of TO to monitor performance, providing opportunity for continuous improvement in surgical units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the evolution in the presentation of statistical science in English‐language textbooks, focusing on the period 1900–1970 as the field became increasingly influenced by research contributions of R. A. Fisher and Jerzy Neyman. George Udny Yule authored an early popular book that had 14 editions. Methods books authored by Fisher and George Snedecor guided scientists in implementing modern statistical methods. In the World War 2 era, textbooks authored by Maurice Kendall, Samuel Wilks, and Harald Cramér presented a dramatically different "mathematical statistics" portrayal that centered on theoretical foundations. The textbook emergence of the Bayesian approach occurred later, influenced by books by Harold Jeffreys and Leonard J. Savage. The quarter century after World War 2 saw an explosion of books in mathematical statistics and in particular topic areas. In addition to his highly cited research contributions, Sir David Cox was a prolific author of books on a great variety of topics. Most were published after the 1900–1970 period considered in this article, but we also summarize them as part of this special issue to honor his memory. We conclude by discussing the future of textbooks on the foundations of statistical science in the emerging, ever‐broader, era of data science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring adequate inclusivity in educational materials is a matter of ethics and fairness, as well as a means to maximize learning processes. Yet, over the last thirty years, research has continually shown that English language teaching/learning textbooks present material that favors the representation of Whites over other races. To investigate if this is still the case, we explore inclusivity of race with regard to 1648 image participants found in five popular textbooks. We investigate frequency of occurrence, physical presence (size on page), and projected social relationship between viewer and image participant, drawing on a social semiotic framework for the latter. Results show that the presence of race is (still) heavily skewed toward Whites, both in terms of overall numbers and spatial affordance. Results also show considerable variation across the textbooks quantitatively and qualitatively with regard to racial representation. Nevertheless, there is some regularity with regard to certain image types, which appear to reflect the books' pedagogical foci. Based on these findings and others, we argue for a change in thinking—from the ideal to the practical—and for textbook producers to finally stand up and make substantive changes to how they represent race in imagery, both quantitatively and qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since little is known about the effects of free textbooks on compulsory school students in China, this paper examines the effects of free textbooks on the academic performance of Chinese middle school students. It combines propensity score matching and difference‐in‐difference estimation to control for both observable and unobservable factors that affect the probability of obtaining free textbooks as well as students' academic performance. Results indicate that free textbooks significantly improve the midterm scores of girls and rural students, and the effects vary across different subjects. Moreover, the impact mechanisms of free textbooks are different for different groups and different subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship science is a dynamic, flourishing enterprise, with numerous discoveries and new lines of inquiry evident in recent changes in its textbooks and the teaching activities invented by its instructors. To survey changes and challenges in the teaching of courses that introduce students to relationship science—and to pursue "news instructors can use"—we surveyed 135 instructors of relationships courses regarding their teaching tactics and experiences. Guided by their responses and suggestions for further inquiry, we also examined the changes in textbooks on which they rely and reviewed teaching activities created to assist them with their teaching over the last 20 years. At present, some topics are nearly universal components of relationships courses but idiosyncrasy exists, particularly with regard to new topics—such as coverage of technology, intersectionality, or consensual nonmonogamy—that instructors plan to include in revisions of their courses. Suggestions for both new and experienced instructors are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by an integrated critical social semiotic approach, the present critical discourse study investigates the semiotic relations of image–text and the cultural meanings encapsulated in two German language textbooks: Studio d A1 and Netzwerk A1 widely used in Indonesia. Adopting Xiong and Peng's semiotic relation model, the findings demonstrate that Netzwerk A1 provides learners with opportunities to learn, think, and reflect critically on German culture through pedagogical questions regarding image–text‐pedagogy discussion. However, the image–text in Studio d A1 emphasizes the acquisition of linguistic knowledge and does not engage learners in exploring and negotiating their cultural repertoire. This empirical evidence suggests that language textbook writers should consider designing culturally responsive language learning tasks to engage learners in the active construction of cultural knowledge in practice. The Challenge: Any language textbook is always culturally laden, but does it? To which extent can language textbooks convey cultural messages? How do they teach learners cultural knowledge and values? This article presents a critical discourse analysis of cultural representation in German as a foreign language textbooks used in Indonesia from an integrated critical social semiotic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benjamin Martin was an itinerant lecturer, instrument maker, and the author of a substantial number of textbooks mainly in the sciences. His biggest project, however, was The General Magazine of Arts and Sciences (1755–64), dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge to a broad audience. Rather than study Martin's works with regard to the history of science, this article examines his publications in terms of their highly self‐conscious engagement with form and format. While his textbooks are concerned with economic compression, his periodical General Magazine experiments with a special, unwieldy mode of seriality that brings to the fore the role of format as well as the precarious status of seriality for the purposes of knowledge dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sampling the five tallest young aspen in a stand is useful for detecting the occurrence of any aspen recruitment, this technique overestimates the population response of aspen to wolf reintroduction. Our original conclusion that random sampling described a trophic cascade that was weaker than the one described by non‐random sampling is unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although a clinician's ability to employ high‐value decision‐making is influenced by training, many undergraduate medical education programmes lack a formal curriculum in high‐value, cost‐conscious care. We present a curriculum developed through a cross‐institutional collaboration that was used to teach students at two institutions about this topic and can serve as a framework for other institutions to develop similar curricula. Approach: The faculty from the University of Virginia and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine created a 2‐week‐long online course to teach medical students the fundamentals of high‐value care. The course consisted of learning modules, clinical cases, textbook studies, journal clubs and a competitive 'Shark Tank' final project where students proposed a realistic intervention to promote high‐value clinical care. Evaluation: Over two‐thirds of students rated the course's quality as excellent or very good. Most found the online modules (92%), assigned textbook readings (89%) and 'Shark Tank' competition (83%) useful. To evaluate the student's ability to apply the concepts learned during the course in clinical contexts, we developed a scoring rubric based on the New World Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate students' proposals. Groups chosen as finalists (as determined by faculty judges) were more likely to be fourth‐year students (56%), achieved higher overall scores (p = 0.03), better incorporated cost impact at several levels (patient, hospital and national) (p = 0.001) and discussed both positive and negative impacts on patient safety (p = 0.04). Implications: This course provides a framework for medical schools to use in their teaching of high‐value care. Cross‐institutional collaboration and online content overcame local barriers such as contextual factors and lack of faculty expertise, allowed for greater flexibility, and enabled focused curricular time to be spent on a capstone project competition. Prior clinical experience amongst medical students may be an enabling factor in promoting application of learning related to high‐value care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature on Stalnaker's Thesis, which seeks to vindicate it from Lewis (1976)'s triviality results, has featured linguistic data that is prima facie incompatible with Conditionalization in iterated cases (McGee 1989, 2000; Kaufmann 2015; Khoo & Santorio, 2018). In a recent paper (2021), Goldstein & Santorio make a bold claim: they hold that these departures light the way to a new, non‐conditionalizing theory of rational update. Here, I consider whether this new form of update is subject to a Dutch book. On the official, invariantist version of the theory, I show that the answer is "yes". On a competing, contextualist theory of indicative conditionals (Bacon, 2015), the answer is "no", for reasons that have familiar connections to the limits of textbook Bayesianism. After presenting a concrete case, I explore the dialectical ramifications. The upshot is some hard choices for theories that seek to save the linguistic phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the place of history education in state‐sponsored nation‐building in war‐torn South Sudan, the world's youngest country. It examines discourses around nationhood transmitted via the first history curricula, textbooks and teacher guides issued in the midst of civil war, after the country's secession from Sudan to its north. The analysis uncovers a central memory of violence and an ostensibly unifying narrative of the South's historical victimisation and struggle. An emerging emotionally charged discourse of "unity in resistance" illustrates the construction of a "usable past" through silencing and othering. Its offshoot is an unsettled narrative whose key focus on unity undergoes repeated rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactive digital technologies provide a mechanism to capture big data for higher education faculty to monitor student progress in real‐time. By measuring both performance and perseverance using auto‐graded problems, this learning analytics research examines several tenets of deliberate practice. Specifically, online homework problems integrated into an interactive textbook for chemical engineering titled Material and Energy Balances zyBook were examined. Across three cohorts totaling over 250 students and 84,000 questions, the fraction correct, attempts before correct, and attempts after correct provided metrics to examine question type and order. Fraction correct and attempts before correct varied with statistical significance as a function of question type and order, including many differences having medium and large effect sizes. Multiple choice questions led to the highest fraction correct and the least number of attempts before correct, while questions requiring multiple numeric responses led to the lowest success and the largest number of attempts before correct. Next, multiple metrics were aggregated into a deliberate practice score, to broadly quantify problem difficulty. Fraction correct, modified correct, first quartile attempts before correct, and median attempts before correct were combined at different thresholds leading to a deliberate practice score between 0 and 8. Questions with higher deliberate practice scores were disproportionality used for practice (61% of attempts on 13% of questions); practice attempts do not receive course credit. Overall, combining metrics in a deliberate practice score exhibits the potential to optimize the length of homework assignments and give students more credit for solving more challenging auto‐graded problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textbooks are one of the areas in which gender inequality is institutionalized effortlessly. The study investigated the representation of gender in primary and secondary English textbooks. A total of 14 categories of underrepresentation and misrepresentation were used to examine gender portrayal. The results show that women are significantly underrepresented whilst men are overrepresented in text and illustrations. Female names account for only 30.4% of names in textbooks. Male characters precede female characters in most coordinated phrases, and most of the dialogues are initiated by men. Masculine generic forms are used to refer to women and men including in the English translation of the Afghanistan National Anthem. Men are more frequently portrayed in a myriad of social roles than women are. Surprisingly, this pattern also holds true for domestic roles. Furthermore, little space is dedicated to female famous persons (e.g., scientists), and women constitute a tiny fraction of the main characters of articles and stories, most of which were about trivial matters (e.g., cooking). They are portrayed in a small number of activities, almost a quarter of which are house‐related tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immersion into fiction is associated with many educational and social benefits. The current study compared read‐alouds of a historical fiction novel and a nonfiction textbook to determine whether differences were observed in student's transportation, content learning, and socio‐emotional development. In all, 41 students between the ages of 9 and 12 years old listened to either a fiction novel or nonfiction textbook as it was read‐aloud. The participants were then assessed on their content knowledge of the Great Depression, and their self‐reports of transportation, perspective taking, fantasy, empathic concern, and helping behaviors. Results showed that both fiction and nonfiction groups learned the same amount of content; however, positive correlations between transportation and several aspects of socio‐emotional development were unique to the group exposed to fiction. Thus, fiction novels can provide opportunities for the learning of historical information while enabling a child's growth in socio‐emotional development. Classroom‐based implications, strategies, and novel suggestions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing research examining the use of visual diagrams in scientific explanations. However, current research in this area is mostly based on case studies involving a few explanations from one or two topics in science. There are few systematic studies that examine more broadly how diagrams are used in relation to scientific explanations across a range of scientific texts. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of diagrams in scientific explanations found in Grade 7–10 science textbooks covering many topics in biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and physics. The study is informed by the theories of systemic functional linguistics and social semiotics and applies a mixed methods approach to textbook analysis. A content analysis was first carried out to systematically identify the image functions (e.g., narrative, analytical, classificational) in all the diagrams (N = 749) and compare their distributions across different genres (e.g., explanation, information, experiment). This is followed by a multimodal discourse analysis to understand how the various image functions are combined with the linguistic features of the written text in the construction of scientific explanations. Quantitative results reveal explanation diagrams are characteristically different from diagrams used in other genres in terms of a higher usage of narrative function, temporal function, and annotated caption. Qualitative results further show how these image functions are typically used to support the reasoning of the explanation focusing on dynamic processes and time‐bounded sequences. This study has implications to our understanding of how diagrams are used to support the construction of scientific explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ethnic gap in education is prevalent around the world. This remains the case in Vietnam, a country that has achieved phenomenal economic growth and raised the educational attainment of the public. This paper examines the impact of language policy reorientation represented by the textbook supply program in Vietnam on the ethnic gap in children's learning measured by a vocabulary test. Applying difference‐in‐differences estimation to the Young Lives data between 2006 and 2015, we show that the program became more effective in narrowing the ethnic gap as the education policy became reoriented toward ethnic minority children. A causal mediation analysis reveals that increased study time is possibly a moderate mediator through which the language policy reorientation helped narrow the ethnic gap for the young cohort over and above the direct impact, but this was not the case for the old cohort. This paper, therefore, alludes to the importance of delivering learning materials carefully designed for the target group to bring about meaningful behavioral changes. It also underscores the importance of teaching in the right context, corroborating the findings from recent studies on teaching at the right level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]