Evaluation of Long-term Practical Training of Graduate Students at an Off-campus Hospital—Questionnaire Survey of Graduate Students and Pharmacists—

Introduction: this study aimed to investigate the long-term clinical efficacy and satisfaction degree of integrative Korean medicine (KM) treatment for patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Methods: we performed a follow-up questionnaire survey and retrospective analysis of medical records for patients with FBSS who underwent inpatient treatment for ≥ 1 week. The primary evaluation indices were numeric rating scale (NRS) scores for low back pain (LBP) and leg pain at admission and discharge. Sub-evaluation indices included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) score. The follow-up questionnaire survey obtained information regarding previous surgeries; reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction with surgical and KM treatment; and current status. Results: compared with at admission, there was a significant post-treatment decrease in the NRS scores for LBP and leg pain, as well as the ODI score. Further, there was a significant post-treatment increase in the EQ-5D score. Regarding the patients’ global impression of change for KM treatment administered during admission and at the follow-up questionnaire survey, 101 (95.3%) patients selected “minimally improved” or better. Conclusion: integrative KM treatment could effectively reduce pain, as well as improve function and health-related quality of life, in patients with FBSS.

Download Full-text

Hygrothermal Microclimate of Reconstructed Residential Building

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1041.307 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1041 ◽

pp. 307-310

Author(s):

Mária Budiaková

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Questionnaire Survey ◽

Respiratory Diseases ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Residential Building ◽

Experimental Measurements ◽

Air Humidity ◽

Respiratory Problems ◽

Almost All

The paper is oriented on the hygrothermal microclimate of residential interiors in reconstructed building. The questionnaire survey has showed significant increase in number of allergies, respiratory diseases and occurrence of fungi after reconstruction. In order to find causes, experimental measurements of hygrothermal microclimate were carried out. The long term high values of relative humidity were found out and the link with number of efficient natural ventilation was searched for. Ventilation once a day was usual, what was proved as insufficient. Dwellers were informed about right way and number of ventilation. Furthermore, measurements proved decrease of air humidity, but not sufficiently. It was proved that nobody was able to achieve recommended number of ventilation and almost all of them considered it annoying and unreal to sustain. The biggest problem was proved night 7 hour interval. Therefore allergic and respiratory problems were significant in the morning. In conclusions of paper is suggestion for solution of researched problem.

Download Full-text

Monitoring the compliance of the academic enterprise with the Fair Labor Standards Act

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.10086.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 2690 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adriana Bankston ◽

Gary S. McDowell

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Labor Standards ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Science And Engineering ◽

Department Of Labor ◽

Fair Labor Standards Act ◽

The U.S ◽

Postdoctoral Researcher ◽

Fair Labor

Background: On December 1 2016, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will be updated by the U.S. Department of Labor. The key changes are an increase in the salary threshold for exemption from overtime for working more than 40 hours per week, and indexing the salary level so that it is updated automatically every 3 years. This update is predicted to have a profound effect on the academic enterprise as a large proportion of the postdoctoral researcher population is currently paid at a salary below the new threshold for exemption. Here we review the key changes to the FLSA, how they came about, and how the postdoctoral population is affected by the ruling. Methods: We describe recent data collection efforts (checking university websites and contacting HR departments) to uncover what institutions in the 2014 NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering are doing to comply with the FLSA ruling for postdocs. Results: Our data show that 41% of the estimated postdoctoral workforce in STEM and 57% of institutions checked have not decided or have no public decision yet available one month prior to implementation, and only 35.5% of institutions are planning to raise salaries to the new minimum. Conclusions: Our data show the uncertainty of postdoc salaries in the U.S. one month prior to implementation of the FLSA ruling. This implementation also gives rise to various issues that have arisen in an already strained research enterprise, including short-, medium- and long-term effects on academe.

Download Full-text

IMPACT OF LONG-TERM PRACTICAL TRAINING ON SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE AND THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD CREATING A BETTER SCIENCE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT

EDULEARN17 Proceedings ◽

10.21125/edulearn.2017.2626 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed Abu-Dieyeh ◽

Ziad Said ◽

Halla Marouf ◽

Azzam Abu Hanieh ◽

Mohammad Al-Anwari

Keyword(s):

Science Education ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Practical Training ◽

Education Environment

Download Full-text

Born and Bred in the Long-Term Ecological Research Network: Perspectives on Network Science and Global Collaborations

Long-Term Ecological Research ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199380213.003.0037 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Melinda D. Smith

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Research Network ◽

Data Sets ◽

Ecological Research ◽

State University ◽

Multidisciplinary Research ◽

Long Term Ecological Research ◽

Kansas State University

I am a plant community and ecosystem ecologist who has conducted research within the context of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network from the beginning of my scientific career, now almost two decades ago. My research has benefited greatly from site-based research at the Konza Prairie (KNZ) LTER site, as well as from network-level syntheses utilizing data sets and knowledge produced by the collective of LTER sites. My involvement in the KNZ LTER site, in particular, has shown me the strength of conducting site-based research, yet my involvement in synthesis activities within the LTER network and beyond has illuminated the limitations of site-based research for addressing cross-site comparative research. To this end, I have been and continue to be a strong proponent of highly coordinated, multisite experiments, and much of my research is comparative in nature. Being involved in the LTER network from the start of my research career has made me a scientist who is well aware of the benefits and power of collaborative, multidisciplinary research. Because of the benefits and breadth of experiences that I have received from such research endeavors, I encourage my graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to also become involved in such research, and I recognize the positive impact collaborative, multidisciplinary research can have on beginning investigators. I believe that individuals outside of the LTER network (ranging from established principal investigators, to young investigators, to graduate students) are often not fully aware of the benefits of being involved in the LTER network or of the advances in ecological understanding that it has made possible. Thus, there is a need for the LTER network to be more proactive and creative in the ways that it attracts new researchers to get involved in the site-based or network-level research. Ultimately, the LTER network will only benefit from increased involvement by new investigators, who also could serve the role of leading the LTER network in the future. I have been affiliated with the LTER program since beginning as a graduate student at Kansas State University.

Download Full-text

Exploring the Impact of Formal Internships on Biomedical Graduate and Postgraduate Careers: An Interview Study

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.18-09-0199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. ar20 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Deepshikha Chatterjee ◽

J. Kevin Ford ◽

Julie Rojewski ◽

Stephanie W. Watts

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Career Exploration ◽

Interview Study ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Career Management ◽

Management Skills ◽

Wide Range ◽

Self Development ◽

The Impact

Graduate students and postdocs in science, technology, engineering, and math fields are faced with a wide range of career paths to employment, but they are often not trained to effectively pursue these opportunities. The lack of career management skills implies long tenures in graduate school for many students, especially as tenure-track positions in academia dwindle. At our university, we used a cohort model in which graduate students and postdocs were encouraged to apply to the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training program (BEST under the aegis of the National Institutes of Health) that provided opportunities to gain career management skills, engage in career exploration, and complete at least one formal internship. In this interview study of the BEST trainees, we investigated the efficacy of internships as career exploration tools and associated outcomes. Our findings show that internships were seen as effective career exploration and self-development vehicles that influenced participants’ long-term career goals. Graduate students and postdocs reported gaining transferable knowledge and skills, in addition to receiving valuable industry mentoring and networking opportunities.

Download Full-text