Development of a Novel Simple Heat Mapping Method for Curriculum Mapping, Using Pathology Teaching as the Exemplar

Abstract Background The undergraduate five-year MBChB programme at the University of Glasgow has a high volume of pathology teaching integrated into the course. The ability to better understand what pathology is taught and when, so as to build a picture of the types and depth of pathology topics covered across the programme stages is crucial, especially in a spiral curriculum. A novel method of curriculum mapping, known as curriculum heat mapping, was developed as a way to visualise where and when topics are taught, in an easier to understand format.Methods This method involved comparing the Glasgow curriculum to a pre-determined standard of what should be taught. In this case, The Royal College of Pathologists’ ‘Pathology Undergraduate Curriculum’ was used as a comparison of what a graduating doctor should know about pathology. Results Following the developed template, heat maps showcasing the range of pathology topics covered, and where they are covered, were developed for local use. These heat maps provided a clear visual representation of where and when topics are taught, and how they cluster.Conclusions Heat mapping is a novel low-cost, high-input method of curriculum mapping. It requires a person to input the data which can take a long time for large curricula. There are no other upfront financial costs. It can be used in any area with a curriculum and an external or internal comparator. Examples of gold standard external comparators include validated national or international curricula.Heat mapping can help integrated, spiral curriculum programmes to identify where core topics are taught throughout their course. The heat maps themselves successfully demonstrate the required information and are easy to interpret. The process of mapping, as well as the final heat map, can yield important information. This includes information about trends within the curriculum, areas for potential improvement in sessional design and a clearer understanding of the depth to which each topic is covered in each lecture.Overall, it is a viable novel method, which has been successful locally and is easily transferable to other areas such as pharmacology.

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Creation of a novel simple heat mapping method for curriculum mapping, using pathology teaching as the exemplar

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02808-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ryan Clark ◽

Sarah Bell ◽

Jennifer Roccisana ◽

Karin A. Oien ◽

Sharon F. Sneddon

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

High Volume ◽

Undergraduate Curriculum ◽

Mapping Method ◽

Curriculum Mapping ◽

Heat Maps ◽

Spiral Curriculum ◽

Long Time ◽

Novel Method ◽

Pathology Teaching

Abstract Background The undergraduate five-year MBChB programme at the University of Glasgow has a high volume of pathology teaching integrated into the course. The ability to better understand what pathology is taught and when, so as to build a picture of the types and depth of pathology topics covered across the programme stages is crucial, especially in a spiral curriculum. A novel method of curriculum mapping, known as curriculum heat mapping, was developed as a way to visualise where and when topics are taught, in an easier to understand format. Methods This method involved comparing the Glasgow curriculum to a pre-determined standard of what should be taught. In this case, The Royal College of Pathologists’ ‘Pathology Undergraduate Curriculum’ was used as a comparison of what a graduating doctor should know about pathology. Results Following the developed template, heat maps showcasing the range of pathology topics covered, and where they are covered, were developed for local use. These heat maps provided a clear visual representation of where and when topics are taught, and how they cluster. Conclusions Heat mapping is a novel low-cost, high-input method of curriculum mapping. It requires a person to input the data which can take a long time for large curricula. There are no other upfront financial costs. It can be used in any area with a curriculum and an external or internal comparator. Examples of gold standard external comparators include validated national or international curricula. Heat mapping can help integrated, spiral curriculum programmes to identify where core topics are taught throughout their course. The heat maps themselves successfully demonstrate the required information and are easy to interpret. The process of mapping, as well as the final heat map, can yield important information. This includes information about trends within the curriculum, areas for potential improvement in sessional design and a clearer understanding of the depth to which each topic is covered in each lecture. Overall, it is a viable novel method, which has been successful locally and is easily transferable to other areas such as pharmacology.

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Robust Test Method of TSOP PEMs for Space Application

ISTFA 2019: Conference Proceedings from the 45th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2019p0513 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yasunobu Iwai ◽

Koichi Shinozaki ◽

Daiki Tanaka

Keyword(s):

Evaluation Method ◽

Low Cost ◽

Reliability Evaluation ◽

Test Method ◽

Thermal Shock Test ◽

Space Application ◽

Space Applications ◽

Limit Test ◽

Long Time ◽

Short Time

Abstract Compared with space parts, consumer parts are highly functional, low cost, compact and lightweight. Therefore, their increased usage in space applications is expected. Prior testing and evaluation on space applicability are necessary because consumer parts do not have quality guarantees for space application [1]. However, in the conventional reliability evaluation method, the test takes a long time, and the problem is that the robustness of the target sample can’t be evaluated in a short time. In this report, we apply to the latest TSOP PEM (Thin Small Outline Package Plastic Encapsulated Microcircuit) an evaluation method that combines preconditioning and HALT (Highly Accelerated Limit Test), which is a test method that causes failures in a short time under very severe environmental conditions. We show that this method can evaluate the robustness of TSOP PEMs including solder connections in a short time. In addition, the validity of this evaluation method for TSOP PEM is shown by comparing with the evaluation results of thermal shock test and life test, which are conventional reliability evaluation methods.

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Adjustable wetting of Liquid Flame Spray (LFS) TiO2-nanoparticle coated board: Batch-type versus roll-to-roll stimulation methods

Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal ◽

10.3183/npprj-2014-29-02-p271-279 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 271-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mikko Tuominen ◽

Hannu Teisala ◽

Janne Haapanen ◽

Mikko Aromaa ◽

Jyrki M. Mäkelä ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Argon Plasma ◽

Ultra Violet ◽

High Volume ◽

Point Of View ◽

Flame Spray ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Batch Type ◽

Roll To Roll ◽

Long Time ◽

Liquid Flame Spray

Abstract Superhydrophobic nanoparticle coating was created on the surface of board using liquid flame spray (LFS). The LFS coating was carried out continuously in ambient conditions without any additional hydrophobization steps. The contact angle of water (CAW) of ZrO2, Al2O3 and TiO2 coating was adjusted reversibly from >150° down to ~10−20° using different stimulation methods. From industrial point of view, the controlled surface wetting has been in focus for a long time because it defines the liquid-solid contact area, and furthermore can enhance the mechanical and chemical bonding on the interface between the liquid and the solid. The used stimulation methods included batch-type methods: artificial daylight illumination and heat treatment and roll-to-roll methods: corona, argon plasma, IR (infra red)- and UV (ultra violet)-treatments. On the contrary to batch-type methods, the adjustment and switching of wetting was done only in seconds or fraction of seconds using roll-to-roll stimulation methods. This is significant in the converting processes of board since they are usually continuous, high volume operations. In addition, the creation of microfluidic patterns on the surface of TiO2 coated board using simple photomasking and surface stimulation was demonstrated. This provides new advantages and possibilities, especially in the field of intelligent printing. Limited durability and poor repellency against low surface tension liquids are presently the main limitations of LFS coatings.

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A rapid, accurate, scalable, and portable testing system for COVID-19 diagnosis

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-23185-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Guanhua Xun ◽

Stephan Thomas Lane ◽

Vassily Andrew Petrov ◽

Brandon Elliott Pepa ◽

Huimin Zhao

Keyword(s):

Limit Of Detection ◽

Low Cost ◽

High Volume ◽

N Gene ◽

Testing System ◽

Target Sequence ◽

One Pot ◽

Sequence Detection ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Speed Accuracy

AbstractThe need for rapid, accurate, and scalable testing systems for COVID-19 diagnosis is clear and urgent. Here, we report a rapid Scalable and Portable Testing (SPOT) system consisting of a rapid, highly sensitive, and accurate assay and a battery-powered portable device for COVID-19 diagnosis. The SPOT assay comprises a one-pot reverse transcriptase-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) followed by PfAgo-based target sequence detection. It is capable of detecting the N gene and E gene in a multiplexed reaction with the limit of detection (LoD) of 0.44 copies/μL and 1.09 copies/μL, respectively, in SARS-CoV-2 virus-spiked saliva samples within 30 min. Moreover, the SPOT system is used to analyze 104 clinical saliva samples and identified 28/30 (93.3% sensitivity) SARS-CoV-2 positive samples (100% sensitivity if LoD is considered) and 73/74 (98.6% specificity) SARS-CoV-2 negative samples. This combination of speed, accuracy, sensitivity, and portability will enable high-volume, low-cost access to areas in need of urgent COVID-19 testing capabilities.

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Process Emulation System for High-Power Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Actuators

Energy Harvesting and Systems ◽

10.1515/ehs-2014-0036 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (3-4) ◽

pp. 201-205

Author(s):

Igor Ille ◽

Sebastian Mojrzisch ◽

Jens Twiefel

Keyword(s):

Feedback Control ◽

Low Cost ◽

Stable Process ◽

Present System ◽

Wide Field ◽

Hardware In The Loop ◽

Ultrasonic Assisted ◽

Long Time ◽

Number Of Cycles ◽

High Flexibility

Abstract Ultrasonic actuators are used for a wide field of applications. The vibration energy can be used to realize many processes like ultrasonic welding or bonding. Furthermore there are many processes which run more efficient and faster combined with ultrasonic vibration like ultrasonic-assisted turning or drilling. Piezoelectric transducers are the main part of those applications. Most of the applications have a time-variant load behavior and need an amplitude feedback control to guarantee a stable process. To ensure correct function tests of the feedback control systems have to be done. In this case the processes have to be executed in association with a high number of cycles. To emulate the behavior of the environment the automotive and aerospace industries use hardware in the loop systems since a long time but there is no such a method for ultrasonic systems. This paper presents a method to realize high dynamic load emulation for different ultrasonic applications. Using a piezoelectric transformer it is possible to reproduce load curves by active damping on the secondary side of the transformer using a current proportional digital feedback circuit. A theoretical and experimental study of hardware in the loop system for ultrasonic applications is given by this paper. The present system allows testing a wide field of feedback control algorithms with high flexibility and a high number of cycles by utilization of low-cost components. This proceeding decreases design periods in association with feedback control.

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Human-interactive Mapping Method for Indoor Magnetic Based on Low-cost MARG Sensors

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement ◽

10.1109/tim.2021.3052026 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

Gongxu Liu ◽

Baoguo Yu ◽

Lu Huang ◽

Lingfeng Shi ◽

Xinbo Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Mapping Method ◽

Interactive Mapping

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Preparation and Antimicrobial Activity of Chitosan and Its Derivatives: A Concise Review

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26123694 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (12) ◽

pp. 3694

Author(s):

Luminita Georgeta Confederat ◽

Cristina Gabriela Tuchilus ◽

Maria Dragan ◽

Mousa Sha’at ◽

Oana Maria Dragostin

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Activity ◽

Low Cost ◽

Hydroxyl Groups ◽

Pharmacological Properties ◽

Natural Polymers ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Long Time ◽

Resistant Strains ◽

Strength And Durability

Despite the advantages presented by synthetic polymers such as strength and durability, the lack of biodegradability associated with the persistence in the environment for a long time turned the attention of researchers to natural polymers. Being biodegradable, biopolymers proved to be extremely beneficial to the environment. At present, they represent an important class of materials with applications in all economic sectors, but also in medicine. They find applications as absorbers, cosmetics, controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, etc. Chitosan is one of the natural polymers which raised a strong interest for researchers due to some exceptional properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, non-antigenicity, low-cost and numerous pharmacological properties as antimicrobial, antitumor, antioxidant, antidiabetic, immunoenhancing. In addition to this, the free amino and hydroxyl groups make it susceptible to a series of structural modulations, obtaining some derivatives with different biomedical applications. This review approaches the physico-chemical and pharmacological properties of chitosan and its derivatives, focusing on the antimicrobial potential including mechanism of action, factors that influence the antimicrobial activity and the activity against resistant strains, topics of great interest in the context of the concern raised by the available therapeutic options for infections, especially with resistant strains.

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Clustering-Based Component Fraction Estimation in Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Dredging Engineering

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20195697 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (19) ◽

pp. 5697

Author(s):

Chang Sun ◽

Shihong Yue ◽

Qi Li ◽

Huaxiang Wang

Keyword(s):

Clustering Algorithm ◽

Two Phase Flow ◽

Low Cost ◽

Fast Response ◽

New Method ◽

Phase Flow ◽

Reference Distribution ◽

Two Phase ◽

Long Time ◽

Solid Liquid

Component fraction (CF) is one of the most important parameters in multiple-phase flow. Due to the complexity of the solid–liquid two-phase flow, the CF estimation remains unsolved both in scientific research and industrial application for a long time. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is an advanced type of conductivity detection technique due to its low-cost, fast-response, non-invasive, and non-radiation characteristics. However, when the existing ERT method is used to measure the CF value in solid–liquid two-phase flow in dredging engineering, there are at least three problems: (1) the dependence of reference distribution whose CF value is zero; (2) the size of the detected objects may be too small to be found by ERT; and (3) there is no efficient way to estimate the effect of artifacts in ERT. In this paper, we proposed a method based on the clustering technique, where a fast-fuzzy clustering algorithm is used to partition the ERT image to three clusters that respond to liquid, solid phases, and their mixtures and artifacts, respectively. The clustering algorithm does not need any reference distribution in the CF estimation. In the case of small solid objects or artifacts, the CF value remains effectively computed by prior information. To validate the new method, a group of typical CF estimations in dredging engineering were implemented. Results show that the new method can effectively overcome the limitations of the existing method, and can provide a practical and more accurate way for CF estimation.

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