Assessing the impact of a journal club elective on literature evaluation performance

Introduction: The study assessed the impact of a journal club (JC) elective on literature evaluation performance during the first three advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE). Methods: Students who took a JC elective were compared to students who did not take the JC elective in regards to scores on APPE JC and overall APPE literature evaluation. Results: Of 186 eligible participants, 22 participants completed the JC elective. APPE JC and APPE literature evaluation scores were similar between groups. First semester APPE JC scores were positively correlated with scores earned in the JC elective (r=0.452, p=0.045). Conclusions: Students in the elective did not have significantly different APPE JC scores compared to students who did not take the elective; however, there was a correlation and potential predictive association to APPE JC scores. The JC elective may identify students at risk of lower performance during APPEs so that they may receive additional support.

Analisis Sikap Multiatribut Fishbein Dalam Pengambilan Keputusan Mahasiswa Memilih Kampus IBI Kesatuan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis keputusan calon mahasiswa dalam memutuskan pemilihan Perguruan Tinggi di Institut Bisnis dan Informatika Kesatuan, Model analisis yang digunakan adalah Analisis sikap Multiatribut Fishbein. Terdapat 10 aribut yang dianalisis, yakni (1) kualitas akreditasi, (2) fasilitas, (3) kualitas dosen, (4) biaya kuliah, (5) lokasi, (6) faktor teman/keluarga, (7) suasana kampus, (8) beasiswa, (9) pelayanan dan (10) mudah bekerja. Analisis sikap mahasiswa dilihat dari dua variabel yakni tingkat kepercayaan (belief) mahasiswa atas atribut Perguruan Tinggi dan evaluasi mahasiswa atas atribut tersebut dan sekaligus mengukur score kinerjanya. Teknisk pengambilan sampel adalah proportional random sampling, dengan sampel 288 responden dari populasi 1025 orang mahasiswa. Berdasarkan nilai kepercayaan sikap mahasiswa terhadap pemilihan perguruan tinggi di Kota Bogor diperoleh rata-rata score dengan nilai 3.841, dan berada pada kategori baik, sedangkan nilai evaluasi sikap mahasiswa terhadap perguruan tinggi IBI Kesatuan diperoleh rata-rata score 4.009 berada pada kategori baik. Terdapat dua atribut yang paling tinggi dan masuk dalam kategori sangat penting, yakni Mudah bekerja (4.316) dan Kualitas Akreditasi (4.313), dan Akreditasi yang mencerminkan kualitas IBI Kesatuan. Nilai sikap dengan model Fishbein dalam pemilihan Perguruan Tinggi IBI Kesatuan didapat score sikap sebesar 159,94 berada pada interval “baik”. Kata Kunci : Fishbein, belief, evaluation, performance, importance.

Performance Evaluation of Dorsal Vein Network of Hand Imaging Using Relative Total Variation-Based Regularization for Smoothing Technique in a Miniaturized Vein Imaging System: A Pilot Study

Vein puncture is commonly used for blood sampling, and accurately locating the blood vessel is an important challenge in the field of diagnostic tests. Imaging systems based on near-infrared (NIR) light are widely used for accurate human vein puncture. In particular, segmentation of a region of interest using the obtained NIR image is an important field, and research for improving the image quality by removing noise and enhancing the image contrast is being widely conducted. In this paper, we propose an effective model in which the relative total variation (RTV) regularization algorithm and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) are combined, whereby some major edge information can be better preserved. In our previous study, we developed a miniaturized NIR imaging system using light with a wavelength of 720–1100 nm. We evaluated the usefulness of the proposed algorithm by applying it to images acquired by the developed NIR imaging system. Compared with the conventional algorithm, when the proposed method was applied to the NIR image, the visual evaluation performance and quantitative evaluation performance were enhanced. In particular, when the proposed algorithm was applied, the coefficient of variation was improved by a factor of 15.77 compared with the basic image. The main advantages of our algorithm are the high noise reduction efficiency, which is beneficial for reducing the amount of undesirable information, and better contrast. In conclusion, the applicability and usefulness of the algorithm combining the RTV approach and CLAHE for NIR images were demonstrated, and the proposed model can achieve a high image quality.