bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative effects of test‐enhanced learning and self‐explanation on long‐term retention
Authors: Larsen Douglas P , Butler Andrew C , Roediger III Henry L 
Published: June 2013

ContextEducators often encourage students to engage in active learning by generating explanations for the material being learned, a method called self‐explanation. Studies have also demonstrated that repeated testing improves retention. However, no studies have directly compared the two learning methods.MethodsForty‐seven Year 1 medical students completed the study. All students participated in a teaching session that covered four clinical topics and was followed by four weekly learning sessions. In the learning sessions, students were randomised to perform one of four learning activities for each topic: testing with self‐generated explanations (TE); testing without explanations (T); studying a review sheet with self‐generated explanations (SE), and studying a review sheet without explanations (S). Students repeated the same activity for each topic in all four sessions. Six months later, they took a free‐recall clinical application test on all four topics.ResultsRepeated testing led to better long‐term retention and application than repeatedly studying the material (p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.33). Repeated generation of self‐explanations also improved long‐term retention and application, but the effect was smaller (p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.08). When data were collapsed across topics, both testing conditions produced better final test performance than studying with self‐explanation (TE = 40% > SE = 29% [p = 0.001,d = 0.70]; T = 36% > SE = 29% [p = 0.02,d = 0.48]). Studying with self‐explanation led to better retention and application than studying without self‐explanation (SE = 29% > S = 20%; p = 0.001,d = 0.68). Our analyses showed significant interaction by topic (p = 0.001, η2 = 0.06), indicating some variation in the effectiveness of the interventions among topics.ConclusionsTesting and generating self‐explanations are both learning activities that can be used to produce superior long‐term retention and application of knowledge, but testing is generally more effective than self‐explanation alone.
Predictive validity of the Dundee multiple mini‐interview
Authors: Husbands Adrian , Dowell Jonathan 
Published: June 2013

ContextThe multiple mini‐interview (MMI) is the primary admissions tool used to assess non‐cognitive skills at Dundee Medical School. Although the MMI shows promise, more research is required to demonstrate its transferability and predictive validity, for instance, relative to other UK pre‐admissions measures.MethodsApplicants were selected for interview based on a combination of measures derived from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) form (academic achievement, medical experience, non‐academic achievement and references) and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) in 2009 and 2010. Candidates were selected into medical school according to a weighted combination of the UKCAT, the UCAS form and MMI scores. Examination scores were matched for 140 and 128 first‐ and second‐year students, respectively, who took the 2009 MMIs, and 150 first‐year students who took the 2010 MMIs. Pearson's correlations were used to test the relationships between pre‐admission variables, examination scores and demographic variables, namely gender and age. Statistically significant correlations were adjusted for range restrictions and were used to select variables for multiple linear regression analysis to predict examination scores.ResultsStatistically significant correlations ranged from 0.18 to 0.34 and 0.23 to 0.50 unrestricted. Multiple regression confirmed that MMIs remained the most consistent predictor of medical school assessments. No scores derived from the UCAS form correlated significantly with examination scores.ConclusionsThis study reports positive findings from the largest undergraduate sample to date. The MMI was the most consistent predictor of success in early years at medical school across two separate cohorts. UKCAT and UCAS forms showed minimal or no predictive ability. Further research in this area appears worthwhile, with longitudinal studies, replication of results from other medical schools and more detailed analysis of knowledge, skills and attitudinal outcome markers.
How students deal with inconsistencies in health knowledge
Authors: Bientzle Martina , Cress Ulrike , Kimmerle Joachim 
Published: June 2013

ObjectivesIn their work, health care professionals have to deal daily with inconsistent health information and are confronted with differing therapeutic health concepts. Medical education should prepare students to handle these challenges adequately. The aim of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of how students deal with inconsistencies in health knowledge when they are presented with either a therapeutic concept they accept or one they reject.MethodsSeventy‐six students of physiotherapy participated in this 2 × 2 experiment with health information (consistent versus inconsistent information) and therapeutic concept (congruent versus contradictory therapeutic concept) as between‐group factors. The participants' task was to improve the quality of a text about the effectiveness of stretching; participants were randomly assigned to one of four texts. Knowledge acquisition and text modification were measured as dependent variables.ResultsStudents acquired more knowledge when they worked with a text containing inconsistent information. Medical information that was presented in agreement with a student's therapeutic concept was also more readily acquired than the same information presented posing a contradictory therapeutic concept. Participants modified the contradictory text in order to adapt it to their own point of view. Disagreement resulted in a disregard or devaluation of the information itself, which in turn was detrimental to learning.ConclusionsIt is a problem when prospective health care professionals turn a blind eye to discrepancies that do not fit their view of the world. It may be useful for educational purposes to include a knowledge conflict caused by a combination of conviction and inconsistent information to facilitate learning processes.
Evaluating the quality of medical multiple‐choice items created with automated processes
Authors: Gierl Mark J , Lai Hollis 
Published: June 2013

ObjectivesComputerised assessment raises formidable challenges because it requires large numbers of test items. Automatic item generation (AIG) can help address this test development problem because it yields large numbers of new items both quickly and efficiently. To date, however, the quality of the items produced using a generative approach has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether automatic processes yield items that meet standards of quality that are appropriate for medical testing. Quality was evaluated firstly by subjecting items created using both AIG and traditional processes to rating by a four‐member expert medical panel using indicators of multiple‐choice item quality, and secondly by asking the panellists to identify which items were developed using AIG in a blind review.MethodsFifteen items from the domain of therapeutics were created in three different experimental test development conditions. The first 15 items were created by content specialists using traditional test development methods (Group 1 Traditional). The second 15 items were created by the same content specialists using AIG methods (Group 1 AIG). The third 15 items were created by a new group of content specialists using traditional methods (Group 2 Traditional). These 45 items were then evaluated for quality by a four‐member panel of medical experts and were subsequently categorised as either Traditional or AIG items.ResultsThree outcomes were reported: (i) the items produced using traditional and AIG processes were comparable on seven of eight indicators of multiple‐choice item quality; (ii) AIG items can be differentiated from Traditional items by the quality of their distractors, and (iii) the overall predictive accuracy of the four expert medical panellists was 42%.ConclusionsItems generated by AIG methods are, for the most part, equivalent to traditionally developed items from the perspective of expert medical reviewers. While the AIG method produced comparatively fewer plausible distractors than the traditional method, medical experts cannot consistently distinguish AIG items from traditionally developed items in a blind review.
Genetic and structural validation of Aspergillus fumigatus UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase as an antifungal target
Authors: Fang Wenxia , Du Ting , Raimi Olawale G. , Hurtado‐Guerrero Ramon , Urbaniak Michael D. , Ibrahim Adel F. M. , Ferguson Michael A. J. , Jin Cheng , van Aalten Daan M. F. 
Published: June 2013

SummaryThe sugar nucleotide UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine (UDP‐GlcNAc) is an essential metabolite in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In fungi, it is the precursor for the synthesis of chitin, an essential component of the fungal cell wall. UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) is the final enzyme in eukaryotic UDP‐GlcNAc biosynthesis, converting UTP and N‐acetylglucosamine‐1‐phosphate (GlcNAc‐1P) to UDP‐GlcNAc. As such, this enzyme may provide an attractive target against pathogenic fungi. Here, we demonstrate that the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus possesses an active UAP (AfUAP1) that shows selectivity for GlcNAc‐1P as the phosphosugar substrate. A conditional mutant, constructed by replacing the native promoter of the A. fumigatus uap1 gene with the Aspergillus nidulans alcA promoter, revealed that uap1 is essential for cell survival and important for cell wall synthesis and morphogenesis. The crystal structure of AfUAP1 was determined and revealed exploitable differences in the active site compared with the human enzyme. Thus AfUAP1 could represent a novel antifungal target and this work will assist the future discovery of small molecule inhibitors against this enzyme.
Role of the transcription factor ChAP1 in cytoplasmic redox homeostasis: imaging with a genetically encoded sensor in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus
Authors: Ronen Mordechai , Shalaby Samer , Horwitz Benjamin A. 
Published: June 2013

SummaryThe redox‐sensitive transcription factor ChAP1 [Cochliobolus heterostrophus YAP1 (Yeast Activator Protein 1) orthologue] of C. heterostrophus is required for oxidative stress tolerance. It is not known, however, to what extent the intracellular redox state changes on exposure of the fungus to oxidants, and whether ChAP1 is involved in the return of the cell to redox homeostasis. In order to answer these questions, we expressed a ratiometric redox‐sensitive fluorescent protein sensor, pHyper, in C. heterostrophus. The fluorescence ratio was sensitive to extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations that had been shown previously to inhibit the germination of conidia and growth of the pathogen in culture. chap1 mutants showed a slower return to redox homeostasis than the wild‐type on exposure to H2O2. Plant extracts that mimic oxidants in their ability to promote nuclear retention of ChAP1 reduced, rather than oxidized, the fungal cells. This result is consistent with other data suggesting that ChAP1 responds to plant‐derived signals other than oxidants. pHyper should be a useful reporter of the intracellular redox state in filamentous fungi.
Intracuticular wax fixes and restricts strain in leaf and fruit cuticles
Authors: Khanal Bishnu Prasad , Grimm Eckhard , Finger Sebastian , Blume Alfred , Knoche Moritz 
Published: June 2013

Summary

This paper investigates the effects of cuticular wax on the release of strain and on the tensile properties of enzymatically isolated cuticular membranes (CMs) taken from leaves of agave (Agave americana), bush lily (Clivia miniata), holly (Ilex aquifolium), and ivy (Hedera helix) and from fruit of apple (Malus × domestica), pear (Pyrus communis), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum).

Biaxial strain release was quantified as the decrease in CM disc area following wax extraction. Stiffness, maximum strain and maximum force were determined in uniaxial tensile tests using strips of CM and dewaxed CMs (DCMs).

Biaxial strain release, stiffness, and maximum strain, but not maximum force, were linearly related to the amount of wax extracted. Apple CM has the most wax and here the effect of wax extraction was substantially accounted for by the embedded cuticular wax. Heating apple CM to 80°C melted some wax constituents and produced an effect similar to, but smaller than, that resulting from wax extraction.

Our results indicate that wax ‘fixes’ strain, effectively converting reversible elastic into irreversible plastic strain. A consequence of ‘fixation’ is increased cuticular stiffness.
Nursing as ‘disobedient’ practice: care of the nurse's self, parrhesia, and the dismantling of a baseless paradox
Authors: Perron Amélie 
Published: June 2013

AbstractIn this paper, I discuss nurses' ongoing difficulty in engaging with politics and address the persistent belief that political positioning is antithetical to quality nursing care. I suggest that nurses are not faced with choosing either caring for their patients or engaging with politics. I base my discussion on the assumption that such dichotomy is meaningless and that engaging with issues of relationships firmly grounds nursing in the realm of politics. I argue that the ethical merit of nursing care relies instead on positioning nurses squarely at the centre of care activities, experiences, and functions. Such positioning makes possible what Foucault called ‘practices of self‐formation’, that is, micro‐level processes that balance out the ubiquitous economic, cultural, legal, and scientific technologies that steadily constitute subjects in this era of modernity. Nurses, then, become not a group that needs to be controlled and governed, but individuals who must care for their self before they may care for anyone else.
Does the Macroeconomy Predict UK Asset Returns in a Nonlinear Fashion? Comprehensive Out‐of‐Sample Evidence
Authors: Guidolin Massimo , Hyde Stuart , McMillan David , Ono Sadayuki 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWe perform a comprehensive examination of the recursive, comparative predictive performance of linear and nonlinear models for UK stock and bond returns. We estimate Markov switching, threshold autoregressive (TAR) and smooth transition autoregressive (STR) regime switching models and a range of linear specifications including models with GARCH type specifications. Results demonstrate UK asset returns require nonlinear dynamics to be modelled with strong evidence in favour of Markov switching frameworks. Our results appear robust to the choice of sample period, changes in loss functions and to the methodology employed to test for equal predictive accuracy. The key findings extend to a similar sample of US data.
Neuropathic Pain and Pharmacological Treatment
Authors: Jongen Joost L. M. , Hans Guy , Benzon Honorio T. , Huygen Frank , Hartrick Craig T. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractNeuropathic pain is a serious chronic condition strongly affecting quality of life, which can be relieved but cannot be cured. Apart from symptomatic management, treatment should focus on the underlying disorder. The estimated prevalence is at least 1% to 5% of the general population. Neuropathic pain is characterized both by spontaneous and evoked pain. A diagnosis of neuropathic pain can usually be established based solely on history and neurological examination. Ancillary investigations may include EMG and computerized tomography/magnetic resonance imaging scans, depending on the localization of the suspected lesion. A limited number of agents, primarily directed at symptom control, are currently approved for use in neuropathic pain. A mechanism‐based approach to pharmacological intervention supports the use of polypharmacy in neuropathic pain.
Transgenic banana plants overexpressing a native plasma membrane aquaporin MusaPIP1;2 display high tolerance levels to different abiotic stresses
Authors: Sreedharan Shareena , Shekhawat Upendra K. S. , Ganapathi Thumballi R. 
Published: June 2013

SummaryWater transport across cellular membranes is regulated by a family of water channel proteins known as aquaporins (AQPs). As most abiotic stresses like suboptimal temperatures, drought or salinity result in cellular dehydration, it is imperative to study the cause–effect relationship between AQPs and the cellular consequences of abiotic stress stimuli. Although plant cells have a high isoform diversity of AQPs, the individual and integrated roles of individual AQPs in optimal and suboptimal physiological conditions remain unclear. Herein, we have identified a plasma membrane intrinsic protein gene (MusaPIP1;2) from banana and characterized it by overexpression in transgenic banana plants. Cellular localization assay performed using MusaPIP1;2::GFP fusion protein indicated that MusaPIP1;2 translocated to plasma membrane in transformed banana cells. Transgenic banana plants overexpressing MusaPIP1;2 constitutively displayed better abiotic stress survival characteristics. The transgenic lines had lower malondialdehyde levels, elevated proline and relative water content and higher photosynthetic efficiency as compared to equivalent controls under different abiotic stress conditions. Greenhouse‐maintained hardened transgenic plants showed faster recovery towards normal growth and development after cessation of abiotic stress stimuli, thereby underlining the importance of these plants in actual environmental conditions wherein the stress stimuli is often transient but severe. Further, transgenic plants where the overexpression of MusaPIP1;2 was made conditional by tagging it with a stress‐inducible native dehydrin promoter also showed similar stress tolerance characteristics in in vitro and in vivo assays. Plants developed in this study could potentially enable banana cultivation in areas where adverse environmental conditions hitherto preclude commercial banana cultivation.
Perinatal risk factors for adverse long‐term pulmonary outcome in premature infants: Comparison of different definitions of bronchopulmonary dysplasia/chronic lung disease
Authors: Shima Yoshio , Kumasaka Sakae , Migita Makoto 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of the study was to determine factors that affect adverse long‐term pulmonary outcome in premature infants.MethodsThis retrospective analysis was done using 306 clinical records of preterm singleton neonates at <32 weeks of gestation. Two definitions of adverse pulmonary outcome were used: chronic lung disease (CLD), defined as a need for supplemental oxygen for at least 28 days after birth; and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), defined as oxygen dependency for at least 28 days after birth plus at 36 weeks postmenstrual age and/or a need for positive‐pressure ventilatory support. Selected perinatal variables were compared between these definitions, and factors related to disease development were identified on multivariate analysis.ResultsThe incidence of CLD and of BPD were 42% and 17%, respectively. Regardless of the definitions, the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus and of neonatal infection were significantly higher in the patients who met the disease criteria, but that of chorioamnionitis and of small for gestational age (SGA) were significantly higher in the patients only when the BPD definition was applied. Multivariate analysis identified SGA as an independent risk factor for the development of BPD after controlling for gestational age.ConclusionsAmong selected perinatal variables, prenatal risk factors, particularly SGA, contributed to prolonged dependency on oxygen and/or positive‐pressure ventilatory support, in combination with neonatal risk factors.
Habitat Restoration and Climate Change: Dealing with Climate Variability, Incomplete Data, and Management Decisions with Tree Translocations
Authors: Benito‐Garzón Marta , Ha‐Duong Minh , Frascaria‐Lacoste Nathalie , Fernández‐Manjarrés Juan 
Published: June 2013

AbstractRestoration programs need to increasingly address both the restitution of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the preparation of habitats for future climate change. One option to adapt habitats to climate change in the temperate zone is the translocation of southern populations to compensate for climate change effects—an option known as assisted migration (AM). Although AM is widely criticized for endangered species, forest managers are more confident that tree populations can be translocated with success because of previous experiences within native ranges. Here, we contend that translocations of tree populations are also subject to uncertainties, and we extract lessons for future programs of AM within species ranges from a well‐documented failed case of population translocation of Pinus pinaster Ait. in Europe. The failure of these translocations originated from the unawareness of several unpredictable ecological and social events: cryptic maladaptation of the introduced populations, underestimation of climate variability differences between the source and target sites, and complexity in the management schemes, postponing decisions that could have been undertaken earlier. Under the no‐analog conditions that are expected with climate change, management decisions need to be made with incomplete data, implying that a certain degree of maladaptation should always be expected when restoring plant populations from local or external seed sources.
PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC FIRMS AND URBAN UNEMPLOYMENT IN AN INTEGRATED ECONOMY
Authors: Naito Tohru 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis paper presents analysis of the effect on urban employment of public firm privatization in separate countries. We consider an economy consisting of two goods and two countries, and take account of a mixed duopoly in the manufacturing goods sector in the urban area of each country. We extend the Harris and Todaro model by introducing a mixed oligopoly model. Results of this analysis show that the privatization of public firms in the home country engenders improvement of urban unemployment in the home country. However, the progressive privatization of public firms in the foreign country can worsen urban unemployment in the home country.
Tendinopathies Around the Elbow Part 2: Medial Elbow, Distal Biceps and Triceps Tendinopathies
Authors: Donaldson Oliver , Vannet Nicola , Gosens Taco , Kulkarni Rohit 
Published: June 2013

In the second part of this review article the management of medial elbow tendinopathy, distal biceps and distal triceps tendinopathy will be discussed. There is a scarcity of publications concerning any of these tendinopathies. This review will summarise the current best available evidence in their management. Medial elbow tendinopathy, also known as Golfer's elbow, is up to 6 times less common than lateral elbow tendinopathy. The tendinopathy occurs in the insertion of pronator teres and flexor carpi radialis. Diagnosis is usually apparent through a detailed history and examination but care must be made to exclude other conditions affecting the ulnar nerve or less commonly the ulnar collateral ligament complex. If doubt exists then MRI/US and electrophysiology can be used. Treatment follows a similar pattern to that of lateral elbow tendinopathy. Acute management is with activity modification and topical NSAIDs. Injection therapy and surgical excision are utilised for recalcitrant cases. Distal biceps and triceps tendinopathies are very rare and there is limited evidence published. Sequelae of tendinopathy include tendon rupture and so it is vital to manage these tendinopathies appropriately in order to minimise this significant complication. Their management and that of partial tears will be considered.