Search

Writing is a critical skill for graduate students, but few studies in the literature describe how it is supported in the training of biomedical graduate students. The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program at Loma Linda University aims to develop this important skill in its students through an integrated, structured writing intervention. Specifically, the program hired a writing specialist who taught writing seminars, facilitated writing and publishing workshops, and mentored students in one-on-one writing conferences. Doctoral students in the program, primarily underrepresented minority students with some not having English as a first language, all exhibited writing apprehension and blocking behaviors. The percentage of students graduating, publishing, and entering science careers, all of which require writing, is high. To yield insight into how this intervention worked, we conducted in-depth interviews of six of the earliest graduates, derived themes, analyzed data from pre- and post-assessments, and described their publication records. Participating students increased their writing confidence, adopted productive writing strategies, decreased writing anxiety and blocking behaviors, and published successfully.

Brazil has by far the largest higher education system in Latin America, with a sizable share of students enrolled in private-sector institutions. Its recently established and fast-growing for-profit sector is one of the largest worldwide. The for-profit sector already surpasses the public sector in student enrollment, and its role is growing. Public policy has supported for-profit growth, ostensibly for tax revenue reasons, but the federal government has recently launched social initiatives that include tax exemption policies for the for-profit sector in exchange for need-based scholarships. Through exploratory data analysis, this study explores the role, function, and form of the for-profit sector compared with its nonprofit and public counterparts. The findings reveal that the for-profit sector shares some important characteristics with the nonprofit sector but contrasts sharply with the public sector. The study concludes that countries such as Brazil are moving toward public funding for private higher education to meet enrollment targets. These findings may be able to address issues in other countries by considering similar public policies toward private higher education.

A large number of countries worldwide have established quality assurance mechanisms in Higher Education, ranging from the long-engrained system (United States) to more recent developments in Europe, Latin America and other regions. This study explores the way Higher Education institutions, as examples of autonomous organisations, respond to a new set of regulatory policies. The analysis of the regulatees shows that university-wide administration has gone beyond the letter of required regulations, toward over-compliance. Far from a stereotype of a main external regulator (accreditation agency) trying to impose the stated regulations and the regulatee simply resisting, the latter adds a kind of self-regulation. Below the university-wide administration, at the programme level--the primary regulatee target of external regulators--matters take more typical, anticipated form. Mixed compliance characterises programme-level responses, including resistance strategies. Findings illuminate not only the Argentine case but also other countries that have established quality assurance agencies.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, and its prevalence is growing with time. Since the introduction of catheter ablation procedures for the treatment of AF, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has had an increasingly important role for the treatment of this pathology both in clinical practice and as a research tool to provide insight into the arrhythmic substrate. The most common applications of CMR for AF catheter ablation are the angiographic study of the pulmonary veins, the sizing of the left atrium (LA), and the evaluation of the left atrial appendage (LAA) for stroke risk assessment. Moreover, CMR may provide useful information about esophageal anatomical relationship to LA to prevent thermal injuries during ablation procedures. The use of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging allows to evaluate the burden of atrial fibrosis before the ablation procedure and to assess procedural induced scarring. Recently, the possibility to assess atrial function, strain, and the burden of cardiac adipose tissue with CMR has provided more elements for risk stratification and clinical decision making in the setting of catheter ablation planning of AF. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential applications of CMR in the workup of ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation.

Background Infective endocarditis is associated with higher mortality in elderly patients, but the role of surgery in this group has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of left‐sided infective endocarditis in elderly patients and to determine the influence of surgery on mortality in the elderly. Methods and Results A nationwide retrospective study was performed of 2186 patients with left‐sided infective endocarditis recorded in the SRIE (Swedish Registry of Infective Endocarditis), divided into patients aged

Los veinticinco volúmenes de Anclajes convocan reflexiones sobre los avances producidos en la crítica y la edición universitaria en las últimas décadas. Un grupo notable de especialistas analiza los aportes de la publicación en temáticas como memorias y violencias, post-humanismos, escrituras del yo, cuerpos y subjetividades disidentes, revisiones del archivo y del canon, de lenguas y culturas imaginadas.

Abstract Whilst adequate for most existing pathological tests, formalin is generally considered a poor DNA preservative and use of alternative fixatives may prove advantageous for molecular testing of tumour material; an increasingly common approach to identify targetable driver mutations in lung cancer patients. We collected paired PAXgene® tissue‐fixed and formalin‐fixed samples of block‐sized tumour and lung parenchyma, Temno‐needle core tumour biopsies and fine needle tumour aspirates (FNAs) from non‐small cell lung cancer resection specimens. Traditionally processed formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded (FFPE) samples were compared to paired PAXgene® tissue fixed paraffin‐embedded (PFPE) samples. We evaluated suitability for common laboratory tests (H&E staining and immunohistochemistry) and performance for downstream molecular investigations relevant to lung cancer, including RT‐PCR and next generation DNA sequencing (NGS). Adequate and comparable H&E staining was seen in all sample types and nuclear staining was preferable in PAXgene® fixed Temno tumour biopsies and tumour FNA samples. Immunohistochemical staining was broadly comparable. PFPE samples enabled greater yields of less‐fragmented DNA than FFPE comparators. PFPE samples were also superior for PCR and NGS performance, both in terms of quality control metrics and for variant calling. Critically we identified a greater number of genetic variants in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene when using PFPE samples and the Ingenuity® Variant Analysis pipeline. In summary, PFPE samples are adequate for histopathological diagnosis and suitable for the majority of existing laboratory tests. PAXgene® fixation is superior for DNA and RNA integrity, particularly in low‐yield samples and facilitates improved NGS performance, including the detection of actionable lung cancer mutations for precision medicine in lung cancer samples.

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal 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 this paper, we analyze the neighborhood effect in the selection of parents on an evolutionary algorithm. In this line, we compare a cellular genetic algorithm (cGA), which intrinsically uses the neighbor notion in the mating process, with a modified genetic algorithm including the concept of neighborhood in the selection of parents. Additionally, we analyze the neighborhood size considered for the selection of parent, trying to discover if a quasi-optimal size exists. All the analysis is carried out from a traditional analytic sense to a theoretical point of view regarding evolvability measures. The experimental results suggest that the neighbor effect is important in the performance of an evolutionary algorithm and could provide the cGA with higher chances of success in well-known optimization problems. Regarding the neighborhood size, there is an evidence that a range of neighbors of six, plus/minus two, individuals leads to the cGA to perform more efficiently than other considered sizes.

Recibido: 10 de mayo del 2019 Aprobado: 01 de junio del 2019 Las universidades son actores clave en el tejido social por su desempeño en actividades de formación y docencia, investigación y vinculación con el entorno socio-económico. Estas tres misiones han estado presentes desde el origen mismo de las universidades, aunque la presencia relativa de dichas misiones haya variado a lo largo del tiempo y según el tipo de universidades, han introducido el emprendimiento para la incubadora de empresas, en pro de sus estudiantes. Con base en esta posición, se siguio una metodologia de proyecto factible, con un enfoque de campo y documental, con un diseño no experimental. La técnica utilizada fue la entrevista y la población de tipo intencional. El análisis hermenéutico, permitió generar como resultado un manual didáctico de emprendimiento para la incubadora de empresas, dirigido a estudiantes universitarios.

El problema de flowshop flexible híbrido con secuencias dependientes del tiempo de puesta a punto es un problema que se puede encontrar en muchos ambientes industriales En este trabajo proponemos algoritmos metaheurísticos basados en trayectoria para resolver dicha variante. Las dos primeras propuestas son algoritmos de enfriamiento simulado que utilizan diferentes operadores de movimiento: intercambio e inserción. La tercera y última propuesta modifica un algoritmo de búsqueda local iterada propuesto en la literatura al reemplazar el operador de inserción por el de intercambio. Los experimentos numéricos comparan el rendimiento de las distintas propuestas, utilizando un amplio conjunto de datos de prueba de uso actual en la literatura. Los resultados muestran que las variantes algorítmicas que aplican el operador de intercambio son más eficientes que las que usan el de inserción para solucionar el problema en estudio.

Abstract Clinical trials rely on multidisciplinary teams for successful delivery. Pathologists should be involved in clinical trial design from the outset to ensure that protocols are optimised to deliver maximum data collection and translational research opportunities. Clinical trials must be performed according to the principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the trial sponsor has an obligation to ensure that all of the personnel involved in the trial have undergone training relevant to their role. Pathologists who are involved in the delivery of clinical trials are often required to undergo formal GCP training and may additionally undergo Good Clinical Laboratory Practice training if they are involved in the laboratory analysis of trials samples. Further training can be provided via trial‐specific investigator meetings, which may be either multidisciplinary or discipline‐specific events. Pathologists should also ensure that they undertake External Quality Assurance schemes relevant to the area of diagnostic practice required in the trial. The level of engagement of pathologists in academia and clinical trials research has declined in the United Kingdom over recent years. This paper recommends the optimal training and accreditation for pathologists undertaking clinical trials activities with the aim of facilitating increased engagement. Clinical trials training should ideally be provided to all pathologists through centrally organised educational events, with additional training provided to pathologists in training through local postgraduate teaching. Pathologists in training should also be strongly encouraged to undertake GCP training. It is hoped that these recommendations will increase the number of pathologists who take part in clinical trials research in order to ensure a high level and standard of data collection and to maximise the translational research opportunities.

Background: Thalamic volume measures have been linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents. However, it is unclear if alterations in thalamic volumes occur before or after symptom onset and if there is a relation to the presence of sub-clinical obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). Here, we explore the relationship between OCS and the rate of thalamic volume change in a cohort of children and youth at high risk to develop a mental disorder. A secondary aim was to determine if there is a relationship between OCS and the individual's OCD polygenic risk score (OCD-PRS) and between the rate of thalamic volume change and the OCD-PRS.Methods: The sample included 378 children enrolled in the longitudinal Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Mental Conditions. Participants were assessed for OCS and the symmetrized percent change (SPC) of thalamic volume across two time-points separated by 3 years, along with the OCD-PRS. Zero-altered negative binomial models were used to analyze the relationship between OCS and thalamic SPC. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between thalamic SPC and OCD-PRS.Results: A significant relationship between OCS and the right thalamus SPC (p = 0.042) was found. There was no significant relationship between changes in thalamic volume SPC and OCD-PRS.Conclusions: The findings suggest that changes in the right thalamic volume over the course of 3 years in children may be associated to OCS. Future studies are needed to confirm these results and further characterize the specific nature of OCS symptoms associated with thalamic volumes.