Factors Associated with Medical Students’ Career Choices Regarding Internal Medicine in Uganda

Background There is an unmet need for internal medicine physicians in Uganda owing to the growing burden of diseases. This study aimed at evaluating the factors associated with career choices of undergraduate medical students regarding internal medicine in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in the first 3 weeks of October 2021 via WhatsApp messenger. Medical students in the 3rd to 5th year of study who had completed internal medicine clinical rotations and pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree at 7 Ugandan universities (4 public and 3 private) were enrolled. Multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to determine factors associated with a career choice in internal medicine. Results We enrolled 418 participants, median age 24 (interquartile range (IQR): 23 – 26) years, 67.7% were male, and 36.1% had a family member or relative who was a doctor. Most of the students (84.0%) were interested in research. The top three most preferred specialties were internal medicine (52.6%), surgery (51.2%), and obstetrics & gynaecology (51.0%). Overall, 186 (44.5%) participants reported plans to pursue a Master of Medicine degree in internal medicine. Interest in research was the only factor independently associated with 2.5-fold higher odds of pursuing a career in internal medicine (adjusted odds ratio: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4 — 4.6, p=0.003). About 73% of the participants strongly agreed that internal medicine requires wide reading. Conclusions There is strong interest to pursue a career in internal medicine among Ugandan medical students. We recommend increase in training opportunities in Internal Medicine especially in view of the growing disease burden and increasing population growth.

Broadband low-frequency acoustic absorber based on a metaporous composite

Broadband absorption of low-frequency sound waves via a deep subwavelength structure is of great and ongoing interest in research and engineering. Here, we numerically and experimentally present a design of a broadband low-frequency absorber based on an acoustic metaporous composite (AMC). The AMC absorber is constructed by embedding a single metamaterial resonator into a porous layer. The finite element simulations show that a high absorption (absorptance A > 0.8) can be achieved within a broad frequency range (from 290 Hz to 1074 Hz), while the thickness of AMC is 1/13 of the corresponding wavelength at 290 Hz. The broadband and high-efficiency performances of the absorber are attributed to the coupling between the two resonant absorptions and the trapped mode. A good agreement between the numerical simulation and experiment is obtained. Moreover, the high broadband absorption can be maintained under random incident acoustic waves. The proposed absorber provides potential applications in low-frequency noise reduction especially when limited space is demanded.

Exploring Non-Financial Information Research

The disclosure of non-financial information by companies in their annual reports is becoming increasingly important due to its interest for stakeholders' decision-making. This chapter aims to map research articles that have addressed the study of non-financial information in the last 20 years and have been published in journals indexed in the Web of Science (JCR) and Scopus (SJR) databases. The analyses carried out are described from a triple perspective: meta-perspective, content-based perspective, and methodological perspective. The main results obtained show the growing interest in research on non-financial information in terms of both quantity and quality of the publications. This study may be of interest to researchers, regulatory bodies, and other economic and social agents.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.): A systematic review

The crop of quinoa has gained relevance during the last decade in different parts of the world, due to its adaptability to difficult edaphic and climatic conditions and the great nutritional potential of its seeds. However, climate change scenarios are increasingly adverse, so the search for strategies that favor greater adaptability of quinoa to areas where other crops fail to adapt is a scientific priority. For this reason, a systematic review was carried out, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis methodology, with documents published on Scopus and Clarivate Web of Science databases. This methodology describes the diversity of fungi that favors symbiosis and the services offered by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the physiological activity of the quinoa plant, in addition to their interaction with the edaphic conditions, mainly related to nitrogen and phosphorus. The results identified a projection of interest in research related to the symbiosis between these two organisms, but a very limited advance in relation to the study that has been developed around the microbiological activity of quinoa in the soil.

How is information content distributed in RA introductions across disciplines? An entropy-based approach

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in research article (RA thereafter) introductions. Most previous studies focused on the macro structures, rhetorical functions and linguistic realizations of RA introductions, but few intended to investigate the information content distribution from the perspective of information theory. The current study conducted an entropy-based study on the distributional patterns of information content in RA introductions and their variations across disciplines (humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences). Three indices, that is, one-, two-, and three-gram entropies, were used to analyze 120 RA introductions (40 introductions from each disciplinary area). The results reveal that, first, in RA introductions, the information content is unevenly distributed, with the information content of Move 1 being the highest, followed in sequence by Move 3 and Move 2; second, the three entropy indices may reflect different linguistic features of RA introductions; and, third, disciplinary variations of information content were found. In Move 1, the RA introductions of natural sciences are more informative than those of the other two disciplines, and in Move 3 the RA introductions of social sciences are more informative as well. This study has implications for genre-based instruction in the pedagogy of academic writing, as well as the broadening of the applications of quantitative corpus linguistic methods into less touched fields.

Process Optimizations of Direct Metal Laser Melting Using Digital Twin

Over the past decades, air traffic has increased to such an extent that it has highly impacted (anthropogenic) climate change due to heat, noise, particulates, and gas emissions. With airplane turbines being a pivotal contributor to such adverse developments, there has been an increasing interest in research regarding the optimization of airplane turbines. In line with these efforts, this chapter adopts an innovative approach that bridges the digital and physical through the application of digital twin technology to direct metal laser melting to optimize product development. Specifically, it encompasses a guideline towards how digital twin solutions are created based on all the latest research. A manual approach devises a digital twin interface where the prototype is manufactured used additive manufacturing. This manual can then be applied to optimize airplane turbines regarding their safety, environmental impact, fuel efficiency, and cost.

Mentor-Mentee Program with Medical Students: A Successful Program with Ethical Considerations

Background: Mentoring is the relationship of a guide or a teacher with another person/student augmenting his/her carrier growth, knowledge, skills, and experiences implemented by caring, sharing and helping hands. The aim of this paper is to highlight the mentoring, type of mentoring, how important of matching and consideration of ethical issue in mentoring program. Not missing these significant points, mentoring program could be successful in universities including medical faculty. Methods: The SMART principles of specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound are essential to structure the matching between mentor and mentee. The rule of etiquette and ethical issues are crucial and beneficial for mentor mentee relationship. Clinical mentoring programs help to develop students’ clinical skills and can increase interest in under-subscribed specialties. Positive mentoring plays a part in reversing the decline of academic medicine, by sparking interest through early research experiences. Results: There is the short term goal which is to introduce an immediate support network for incoming students and the long term goal is to cultivate a mentoring culture to engage all strata of medical students and every faculty member. Medical students expressed that mentoring program is to provide counselling, develop professionalism, increase students' interest in research, and support them in their personal growth. Conclusion: The goal of mentorship is to provide additional support to student or mentee by steering of the academic needs or social prerequisites to accelerate the personal and professional development of mentee with advice, guide and feed backs from the mentor.

Rewiring Linked Fate: Bringing Back History, Agency, and Power

Linked fate, the concept introduced by Dawson almost three decades ago, reoriented the study of racism and political behavior in the United States. The scholarship traditionally had focused on the racial psychology of whites and how racism seeps into their political views and actions. Dawson proposed the Black utility heuristic theory and linked fate, its associated measure, to investigate the political behavior of Blacks, the minority group most harmed by racism. Since then, linked fate has become a ubiquitous variable of interest in research on minority group politics. Yet the research program around linked fate is due for some extension. Most studies gloss over the fact that the Black utility heuristic theory is historically and socially conditional. We call for bringing elite-level agency and group-level social practices back into the literature to clarify the macro- and meso-level conditions under which a group’s racial status translates into linked fate at the individual level. Greater inquiry into these dynamics is not only warranted but also has broad implications for the research on racial and ethnic politics.

Recent advances (2016 - 2020) in green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles: An overview

The development of products and processes which are more ecological has been a source of interest in research in recent decades. Thus, researchers have developed several methods to improve the synthesis of oxides and metals in a more ecological way. Green synthesis has become a method that is being widely used for presenting low temperature, low cost and great availability of raw material. Some biological sources such as fungi, bacteria and plants are used in this route, but plant extracts are the most used in the literature. Various parts of the plant such as the roots, bark, flowers, fruits, stem, seeds, and leaves are rich in secondary metabolites such as: flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins and phenolic compounds, which play an essential role in the complexation, polymerization, capping and stabilization processes that generate oxides. The methodology used in the synthesis process significantly interferes in some properties and characteristics of the same oxide as its morphology. In this sense, this paper presents a review on green synthesis in obtaining oxides and their morphologies.