scholarly journals Responding to a new generation of proprietary study resources in medical education

Author(s):  
Robin O’Hanlon ◽  
Gregory Laynor

Traditionally, health sciences libraries have supported patrons who are preparing for medical licensure examinations by collecting and making accessible board exam preparation resources, such as questions banks and study guides. However, when online board exam preparation resources are not available for licensing, providing equitable access to all library users can be a challenge. In recent years, a new generation of online study resources has emerged. Sites such as SketchyMedical and Picmonic use visual learning mnemonics, while resources such as Quizlet leverage crowd-sourcing to generate study content. While some of the content from these resources is made freely available, these resources are often limited to paid individual subscribers. This new generation of study resources, thus, presents a conundrum for health sciences librarians. On the one hand, these innovative resources offer new insights into how students learn and study, reflecting pedagogical trends in self-directed learning. On the other hand, the proprietary individual subscription-based model of these resources can widen the achievement gap between students who can afford to pay subscription costs and those who cannot. This commentary provides an overview of some of the most popular medical board examination preparation resources that have emerged in recent years. The authors suggest that health sciences librarians collaborate with medical students and educators to better understand and evaluate these resources.

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
EJ Udokang

Many well-meaning parents and teachers are hamstrung in their attempts at moral education of their children and wards. Hence they are caught in some dilemma. On the one hand, if they incline toward the code of conception, they tend to be authoritarian in their approach; if, on the other hand, they favour some variant of the romantic reaction, they may expect that children will go it alone and decide it all for themselves. To overcome this dilemma, there is need for a synthesis of both alternatives. It is precisely the synthesis of these two positions (principles and creativity) that we propose to explore in this paper as a preliminary to any discussion on moral education. With analytic method as a tool, the paper concludes that until a more adequate view of morality which embroils the proper place for both authority and self-directed learning is synthesized, a discourse on moral education will be of no good.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aylin Mentiş Köksoy ◽  
İskender Daşdemir

The 21st-century skills are considered to be needed by individuals in a changing world. The aim of this research study is to determine whether or not the self-efficacy perceptions of students enrolled in the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Literature, and the Faculty of Nursing (health) pertaining to the 21st-century skills cause any difference among the faculties. The population of the research is comprise of 1,056 students, 841 females and 215 males, at Ege University during the fall semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. “21st Century Skills Self-efficacy Perception” scale, which has 3 subdimensions such as “Learning and Renewal (LR) Skills,” “Life and Career (LC) Skills,” and “Information, Media and Technology (IMT) Skills,” is utilized in the study. The research study is designed in accordance with the causal-comparative model. In the data analysis, independent groups t-test is performed to detect differences in terms of gender, whereas the one-way analysis of variance) techniques are conducted to detect differences in terms of faculties. The margin of error is determined as .05 in the study. No significant difference is detected in the LR skills of university students in terms of the gender variable. It is found that a significant difference exists according to gender in the subdimension of LC skills. No significant difference is observed according to gender variable in the subdimension of IMT skills of university students. According to this result, the LC skills of female students are detected to be higher than that of male students. It is observed that the LR skills of the students in the faculty of education are higher than that of the students in the faculty of health sciences. It is determined that a significant difference exists in the LC skills of university students according to the faculty of education variable. It is determined that the LC skills of the students in both the faculties of education and literature are higher than that of the students in the faculty of health sciences. Furthermore, it is determined that the IMT skills of the students in the faculty of education and the faculty of literature are higher than that of the students in the faculty of health sciences.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 6691-6737 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Massart ◽  
C. Clerbaux ◽  
D. Cariolle ◽  
A. Piacentini ◽  
S. Turquety ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) is one of the five European new generation instruments carried by the polar-orbiting MetOp-A satellite. Data assimilation is a powerful tool to combine these data with a numerical model. This paper presents the first steps made towards the assimilation of the total ozone columns from the IASI measurements into a chemistry transport model. The IASI ozone data used are provided by an inversion of radiances performed at the LATMOS (Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales). As a contribution to the validation of this dataset, the LATMOS-IASI data are compared to a four dimensional ozone field, with low systematic and random errors compared to ozonesondes and OMI-DOAS data. This field results from the combined assimilation of ozone profiles from the MLS instrument and of total ozone columns from the SCIAMACHY instrument. It is found that on average, the LATMOS-IASI data tends to overestimate the total ozone columns by 2% to 8%. The random observation error of the LATMOS-IASI data is estimated to about 6%, except over polar regions and deserts where it is higher. Using this information, the LATMOS-IASI data are then assimilated, combined with the MLS data. This first LATMOS-IASI data assimilation experiment shows that the resulting analysis is quite similar to the one obtained from the combined MLS and SCIAMACHY data assimilation.


Author(s):  
Ralf Bruns ◽  
Jürgen Dunkel

We propose the software architecture of a new generation of advisory systems using Intelligent Agent and Semantic Web technologies. Multi-agent systems provide a well-suited paradigm to implement negotiation processes in consultancy situations. Intelligent software agents act as clients and advisors using their knowledge in order to assist human users. In the proposed architecture the domain knowledge is semantically modeled by means of XML-based ontology languages such as OWL. Using an inference engine the agents reason on base of their knowledge to make decisions or proposals. The agent knowledge consists of different types of data: on the one hand private data, which has to be protected against unauthorized access, and on the other hand publicly accessible data spread over different web sites. Comparable to a real consultancy situation, an agent only reveals sensitive private data if it is indispensable for finding a solution. In addition, depending on the actual consultancy situation each agent dynamically expands its knowledge base by accessing OWL knowledge sources from the Internet. The usefulness of our approach is proved by the implementation of an advisory system whose objective is to develop virtual student advisers that render support to university students in order to successfully organize und perform their studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-198
Author(s):  
Yann Giraud

Historians of economics rarely consider textbooks as more than passive receptacles of previously validated knowledge. Therefore, their active role in shaping the discipline and its image is seldom addressed. In this paper, I study the making of Paul Samuelson’s successive editions of Economics from 1967 to 1973 as an instance of how textbooks stand at the crossroads between disciplinary knowledge, pedagogy, and larger political and societal concerns. In the mid-1960s, Economics, now at its sixth edition, was at the height of its success. Considered one cornerstone of modern economics, it was also at the center of a number of criticisms dealing with the current state of the economic discipline and its teaching in the universities. While the profession expressed its concern over the lack of relevance of economics to address the pressing issues of the day and pleaded for a new “problem-solving” approach to economic education, the late 1960s witnessed the emergence of a new generation of “radical” economists criticizing the economics orthodoxy. Their contention that mainstream theory had neglected the issues of class struggle and capitalist exploitation found a favorable echo among an increasingly politicized population. Using archival materials, I show how Samuelson, helped by his editorial team at McGraw-Hill, attempted to take into account these changes in order to ensure the continuing success of subsequent editions of his text in an increasingly competitive market. This study emphasizes Samuelson’s ambiguous attitude toward his contenders, revealing, on the one hand, his apparent openness to discussion and outsiders’ suggestions, and, on the other hand, his firm attachment to mildly liberal politics and aversion to Marxism, unchanged through revisions. It also helps refine a notion that is often invoked but never fully expounded in textbook studies: that of the audience.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luidmila S. Yakimova ◽  
Aigul R. Nugmanova ◽  
Olga A. Mostovaya ◽  
Alena A. Vavilova ◽  
Dmitriy N. Shurpik ◽  
...  

Controlling the self-assembly of polyfunctional compounds in interpolyelectrolyte aggregates is an extremely challenging task. The use of macrocyclic compounds offers new opportunities in design of a new generation of mixed nanoparticles. This approach allows creating aggregates with multivalent molecular recognition, improved binding efficiency and selectivity. In this paper, we reported a straightforward approach to the synthesis of interpolyelectrolytes by co-assembling of the thiacalix[4]arene with four negatively charged functional groups on the one side of macrocycle, and pillar[5]arene with 10 ammonium groups located on both sides. Nanostructured polyelectrolyte complexes show effective packaging of high-molecular DNA from calf thymus. The interaction of co-interpolyelectrolytes with the DNA is completely different from the interaction of the pillar[5]arene with the DNA. Two different complexes with DNA, i.e., micelleplex- and polyplex-type, were formed. The DNA in both cases preserved its secondary structure in native B form without distorting helicity. The presented approach provides important advantage for the design of effective biomolecular gene delivery systems.


1988 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
W. Schmutz

Advances in theoretical modeling of rapidly expanding atmospheres in the past few years made it possible to determine the stellar parameters of the Wolf-Rayet stars. This progress is mainly due to the improvement of the models with respect to their spatial extension: The new generation of models treat spherically-symmetric expanding atmospheres, i.e. the models are one-dimensional. Older models describe the wind by only one representative point. The older models are in fact ‘core-halo’ approximations. They have been introduced by Castor and van Blerkom (1970), and were extensively employed in the past (cf. e.g. Willis and Wilson, 1978; Smith and Willis, 1982). First results from new one-dimensional model calculations are published by Hillier (1984), Schmutz (1984), Hamann (1985), Hillier (1986), and Schmutz et al. (1987a); more detailed results are presented by Schmutz and Hamann (1986), Hamann and Schmutz (1987), Hillier (1987a,b), Wessolowski et al. (1987), Hillier (1987c) and Hamann et al. (1987). These results demonstrate that the step from zero- to one-dimensional calculations is essential. The important point is that the complicated interrelation between NLTE-level populations and radiation field is treated adequately (Schmutz and Hamann, 1986; Hillier, 1987). For this interrelation it is crucial to model consistently not only the line-formation region, but also the layers where the continuum is emitted. In fact, it is the core-halo approximation that causes the one-point models to fail in certain aspects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 14015
Author(s):  
Indriana Kartini

Solar cells have been the queen of alternative renewable energy for the earth. From silicon-based solar cells to the new generation of perovskite-based solar cells, the choice and performance of the materials of the corresponding cells are still the focus of research interest. Amongst, photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells trigger the use and exploration of nanomaterials to boost their cell’s performance. This short review focus on the development of nanomaterials used for PEC, from nanoparticles to the one-dimensional titanium dioxide (titania) such as nanofibers and nanotubes, as well as the hybrid system with the perovskite halide. The search for light-harvesting materials is also included especially natural dyes. The review ends with a strategy to marry the natural dyes' potential with the sophisticated structure of nanomaterials to result in an efficient natural dyes PEC solar cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 6206
Author(s):  
Edurne Avellanal-Zaballa ◽  
Leire Gartzia-Rivero ◽  
Jorge Bañuelos ◽  
Inmaculada García-Moreno ◽  
Antonia R. Agarrabeitia ◽  
...  

The disposal of long-wavelength-emitting sources is of paramount relevance in technology and biophotonics due to the low interference with the surroundings that these kinds of far-red and near-infrared radiations hold. As a result of the continued efforts carried out during the last few years by our research group to design new boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes with improved photonic performance, two approaches were tested to develop a new generation of organic dyes able to display efficient and long-lasting laser emission in both target spectral regions. On the one hand, the annulation of aromatic benzofuran at the dipyrrin backbone leads to conformationally restricted dyes yielding photostable and bright laser emission beyond 600 nm at the far-red spectral region. On the other hand, a more pronounced shift to longer wavelengths reaching 725 nm at the near-infrared region is feasible, while keeping a reasonably high laser efficiency and tolerance to prolonged and intense pumping, based on aza-BODIPYs bearing peripheral aryl rings. These two complementary strategies yield a library of laser-emitting compounds comprising the 600–725 nm spectral region. Moreover, their laser performance is better than the commercially available dye lasers active in this spectral window.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio J. Jara ◽  
David Fernandez ◽  
Pablo Lopez ◽  
Miguel A. Zamora ◽  
Antonio F. Skarmeta

Mobility management is a desired feature for the emerging Internet of Things (IoT). Mobility aware solutions increase the connectivity and enhance adaptability to changes of the location and infrastructure. IoT is enabling a new generation of dynamic ecosystems in environments such as smart cities and hospitals. Dynamic ecosystems require ubiquitous access to Internet, seamless handover, flexible roaming policies, and an interoperable mobility protocol with existing Internet infrastructure. These features are challenges for IoT devices, which are usually constrained devices with low memory, processing, communication and energy capabilities. This work presents an analysis of the requirements and desirable features for the mobility support in the IoT, and proposes an efficient solution for constrained environments based on Mobile IPv6 and IPSec. Compatibility with IPv6-existing protocols has been considered a major requirement in order to offer scalable and inter-domain solutions that were not limited to specific application domains in order to enable a new generation of application and services over Internet-enabled dynamic ecosystems, and security support based on IPSec has been also considered, since dynamic ecosystems present several challenges in terms of security and privacy. This work has, on the one hand, analysed suitability of Mobile IPv6 and IPSec for constrained devices, and on the other hand, analysed, designed, developed and evaluated a lightweight version of Mobile IPv6 and IPSec. The proposed solution of lightweight Mobile IPv6 with IPSec is aware of the requirements of the IoT and presents the best solution for dynamic ecosystems in terms of efficiency and security adapted to IoT-devices capabilities. This presents concerns in terms of higher overhead and memory requirements. But, it is proofed and concluded that even when higher memory is required and major overhead is presented, the integration of Mobile IPv6 and IPSec for constrained devices is feasible.


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