bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of educational games on knowledge acquisition in physiology
Authors: Marcondes Fernanda Klein , Gavião Kelly Cristina , Cardozo Lais Tono , Moraes Antonio Bento Alves 
Published: November 2023

Educational games may be used to have students participate actively in the teaching‐learning process, making them learn more effectively and readily. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two educational games on students’ knowledge acquisition. The games were applied to dental students attending physiology classes during the first (game 1: membrane resting potential) and second (game 2: cardiac cycle) semesters. The students were assigned to two groups: control (n=33); and games (n=30). Concerning the membrane resting potential class, all the students attended a lecture on such topic and were instructed to read a book for an assessment they would participate in the subsequent class. On the day of the assessment, the control students did an exam before the game was applied and the game students took the exam after doing the game activity on membrane resting potential. Regarding the cardiac cycle, the game group attended a 50‐min lecture on the special characteristics of cardiac cells; however, no information on the sequence and details of the events of cardiac cycle was provided. The control students attended a 100‐min lecture involving the content of class given to the game group plus detailed information about the events of cardiac cycle. All the students were told to go over the lessons provided in class and read the textbook. They were informed that an assessment would be applied in the subsequent class. At the beginning of the second class, the control students performed the evaluation before the activity with the educational game. Students of the game group performed an activity with the puzzle of cardiac cycle before the evaluation. Data concerning the score and number of incorrect answers of the control and game group were submitted to paired Student t test. The score of the game group concerning action potential was higher (7.9 ± 0.3) and the number of wrong answers was lower (1.6 ± 0.3) in comparison with those of the control (6.4 ± 0.3; 2.7 ± 0.3, respectively). With regard to the cardiac cycle, the game group showed a higher score (7.2 ± 0.2) and a lower number of incorrect answers (2.7 ± 0.4) when compared to the control (5.5 ± 0.3; 5.6 ± 0.7). According to these results, the educational games seemed to improve the students’ knowledge acquisition in both situations: when used as a practice activity to improve the comprehension of a subject already assessed in a lecture (game 1) and when used as a teaching activity without previous lecture on the subject (game 2).Support or Funding InformationFAEPEX ‐ UNICAMP, FAPESP.
“Fact‐Ways”: Teaching Cellular Signaling Using The Nobel Archives
Authors: Seidlitz Eric P , Nastos Stash , Rangachari P K 
Published: November 2023

Freshmen biology courses often present facts as given rather than constructed. Rarely then do students recognize the time, effort, and investment that have produced those facts and sense the excitement and fascination of scientific research. In a large‐enrolment first‐year course (>180 students), we used active learning strategies to give health sciences students an appreciation of the process of scientific discovery by focusing on Nobel Prizes given to seminal discoveries in cellular signaling. Groups of students were asked to explore the works of a specific Nobel Laureate and their learning was assessed in one or more different formats that ranged from an individual written examination to different group activities (simulated interviews, generation of an open‐ended problem‐solving exercise, or a take home project). On a 10‐point scale, 619 students, over a period of 6 years, rated the learning value of the projects as follows: mean 7.2, median 7, mode 8, and range 1–10. The group projects received slightly higher rating than the individual exams. Deconstructing facts, rather than simply memorizing them, makes learning richer.Support or Funding InformationNone
The Formation of Student Learning Communities in a Life Science First‐Year Course
Authors: Parks Lisa , Lubischer Jane 
Published: November 2023

First‐year programs, increasingly common in undergraduate institutions, have been shown to have positive consequences both for students and for institutions. At NC State, our Life Sciences First Year Program (LSFY) includes a new course entitled Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences (LSC 101). This course uses a variety of approaches, with case studies and extensive group work incorporated into each class. Students are required to solve problems, design experiments, interpret data, and report as a cooperative team. The learning outcomes for this course relate to four areas: (1) critical and creative thinking, (2) rhetoric of science, (3) nature and conduct of science, and (4) science of learning. Almost all LSC 101 course activities and some of the formative assessments require interactions within small groups of students. There are also explicit acknowledgements of the potential value of group work – for example, the intellectual standards of critical thinking discussed in class include a definition of “breadth” that emphasizes the value of different points of view. LSC 101 sections are also smaller in size than most other courses (e.g., Biology, Chemistry) taken by Life Science First Year students.At the end of their first semester, students in LSC 101 completed a survey to provide an assessment of their interactions with other LSC 101 students. Students reported a high rate (94.1%) of making new friends in LSC 101, and 64.7% reported that they formed study groups with LSC 101 colleagues to study for other courses ‐‐ including their introductory biology and chemistry courses. Early measures of academic success on this first cohort of LSFY students are positive: 97% were in good standing at the end of the first semester (compared to 92–93% in cohorts that predated the LSFY and LSC 101), 66% of underrepresented students in LSFY earned a 3.0 GPA or better in their first semester (better than 8 of the 9 academic colleges at NC State), and retention of LSFY students after one year was 95% (compared to 93% campus‐wide). We will continue to follow these students (and collect data on additional LSFY cohorts) to determine if the formation of student learning communities fostered by LSC 101 correlates with student success in upper‐level courses and graduation rates.
In Final Examinations, Quality of Essay Plan Correlates with The Essay Mark
Authors: Langton Phil 
Published: November 2023

Despite issues over the assigning definitive marks to essays (Bloxham et al., 2015), they remain a key assessment tool in many programmes (Scouller et al., 2008). Course work is often constructed using word processors but, essays written in end of year examinations are traditionally hand written and time limited, despite evidence that different skills are required (Mogey & Fluck, 2014). We investigated whether planning, that has been suggested to positively contribute to essay quality (Hounsell, 1984), correlated with the mark awarded to the essay. The method was a post‐hoc examination of a complete set of recent final examination scripts for the three Units of the Physiological Sciences programme. Ignoring the mark sheet, so as to remain blind to the mark awarded, each essay booklet was examined to establish if there was an essay plan. Plans were graded according to a four point criteria with a maximum total of 10 marks:

Title present = 0 to 1 mark
Structure evident = 0 to 2 marks
Scope of theplan= 0 to 4 marks
Reference works listed = 0 to 3 marksAfter the plans were evaluated, the mark awarded for each essay (the mean of two marks) were taken from the official records of the examination. The essays that did not have a plan were excluded from the analysis.Overall there were 104 essays that qualified. The marks for plan and essay were both normally distributed. The marks for the plan had an average of 4.1 (range 1 to 10) and for the essay the average was 63.8% (range 42 to 94%). Evidence of an association between the mark given for the essay and the plan was determined by a Pearson correlation analysis. A statistically significant non‐zero correlation was found to exist (p<0.001). The Pearson correlation coefficient (r2), which indicates the degree of correlation, was 0.57.In summary, there is a statistically robust correlation between the mark awarded to the essay plan and the mark independently awarded to the essay. The mark awarded to the plan and the mark awarded to the essay were normally distributed and showed a positive correlation with an r2 value greater than 0.5, which is a large effect. The data support the assertion that students who plan their structure of their essay achieve higher marks despite the loss of writing time. Ongoing work will test the hypothesis that planning improves performance in written argument.
Exploring Ecogeography, Drift, and Selection on the Macaque Cranium
Authors: Williams Samuel Joseph , Auerbach Benjamin Miller 
Published: November 2023

The human cranium is one of the most studied osteological complexes among primates due to its size, good preservation in the paleontological record, and its wide morphological diversity. As H. sapiens is the last extant member of its genus, we must turn to related genera to answer questions regarding variation among species and the evolutionary forces that produce it. This pilot study uses morphometric data collected from skeletons of three species of macaques (M. fascicularis, M. nemestrina, M. radiata) housed at UC Davis. Following the work of Lande, Ackermann and Cheverud the data are used to 1) examine the phenotypic variation present in the cranium of each species by cranial region, 2) to test for deviation from a null model of neutral microevolution (i.e. genetic drift), and 3) to quantify the selection gradients for each trait by species.For the analysis, 15 linear distances were extracted from a series of 16 ectocranial landmarks that were collected using MicroScribe 3DX digitizer. In order to analyze how variance was apportioned within the cranium, a series of PCAs were performed 1) on all measurements combined and 2) by cranial module (basicranium, neurocranium and splanchnocranium). The selection analysis was performed using a linear regression incorporating both between‐species and within‐species variance/covariance matrices following the method outlined in work by Ackermann and Cheverud. Then, using the between‐species phenotypic variance/covariance matrix, pairwise selection gradients were calculated for each macaque species. To assess whether directional selection in these traits was different from zero, a sample distribution of selection gradient values was generated by bootstrapping values for the within‐species phenotypic variance/covariance matrix as well as the between‐species variance/covariance matrix at 1000 iterations each, from which 95% confidence intervals were generated.The results from this study indicate that phenotypic variance in the Macaca cranium has been driven largely by selection since the divergence of the genus from the last common ancestor (LCA) of Papionini some 9–10 million years ago. This preliminary analysis indicates that all three groups have been subject to strong selection in the upper and lower face (including the maxilla). Increases in body size drove a higher degree of flexion of the cranial base in facscicularis and radiata. It is unclear if selection is directly acting on body size, in turn affecting facial morphology, or on aspects of craniofacial variation. In nemestrina, the driver of variation is still unclear, although hybridization is suspected at present. In all cases, a departure from the ancestral pattern of trait covariation is plausible, although how and which traits covary requires further analysis. These results warrant further investigation via process modeling in order to rule out other complicating factors such as hybridization and heterochrony.
The Effects on Subtalar Neutral Angle in Non‐Weight Bearing Position on Postural Stability
Authors: Gan Quan Fu , Dalayi Navajyothi , Simon Christopher , Chinnavan Elanchezhian , Rajagopal Naidu Sawri Rajan 
Published: November 2023

Study ObjectivePS can be classified into static and dynamic balance which is affected by muscle strength as well as the body alignment. The skeletal structure serve as leavers and joints serve as fulcrums of the body which affect the mechanical advantage of the skeletal muscles in order to maintain PS. Apart from that, the foot is the most distal segment of the body which may influence the individual's ability to balance. Hence, this study is done to study the subtalar neutral angle in non‐weight bearing position and its relationship to PS.Methodology216 healthy participants age between 15 to 24 years were recruited for this study using convenience sampling methods. Their subtalar neutral angle were measured in non‐weight bearing position using the technique proposed by Everu and colleagues. Their static and dynamic stability were measured using Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) and Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) respectively. The results will be recorded and interpreted using correlation methods with SPSS version 22 software.ResultsThere is a strong negative correlation between the subtalar neutral angle in non‐weight bearing position and dynamic balance in medial direction (P < 0.01) and posterior direction (P = 0.01). There are negative correlation between subtalar neutral angle in non‐weight bearing position and dynamic balance in lateral direction and anterolateral direction (P < 0.05) and posteromedial direction (P = 0.05). There are no correlation between subtalar joint neutral angle in non‐weight bearing position and static balance and dynamic balance in anterior, anterior medial and posterolateral (P > 0.05).ConclusionIndividuals with more valgus subtalar neutral angle in non‐weight bearing position have better dynamic postural stability in medial, posterior, lateral, anterolateral, and posteromedial direction. However, this angle does not affect the static balance and dynamic balance in anterior, anterior medial and posterolateral direction.Support or Funding InformationNo funding
Ontogeny of Enamel Thickness in the Teeth of Alligator and its Significance for Crocodyliform Dental Evolution
Authors: Schmiegelow Amy Brianne , Sellers Kaleb C , Holliday Casey M 
Published: November 2023

Enamel is a key dental tissue responsible for mediating forces that are incurred through biting and feeding. Thus, disparity in enamel thickness among individual teeth as well as among species should provide important information on diet and feeding behavior. Crocodylians, including Alligator mississippiensis, evolved the highest bite forces among vertebrates, and thus their teeth likely also have adaptions to accommodate these extreme behaviors and loads. However, little is known about the ontogenetic and phylogenetic patterns of enamel thicknesses in the teeth of alligators, crocodyliforms and other sauropsids. Positional and ontogenetic changes in enamel thickness in alligators may reflect feeding ecology, as thicker enamel may be needed to resist higher bite forces. Moreover, craniodental diversity among extinct crocodyliforms suggests that enamel thickness may offer key ecomorphological insights into their evolution. Teeth and alveoli from three mandibular positions were sampled from an ontogenetic series of alligators and microCT scanned. Slice data and 3D models were used to measure the enamel thickness, enamel and dentin volume, and surface area of the enamel‐dentin junction. These data were complemented by a sample of molariform teeth from fossil crocodyliforms including the durophagous, Late Cretaceous alligatoroid Brachychampsa, its early Cenozoic relative Allognathosuchus, the herbivorous, Late Cretaceous Iharkutosuchus and several early Jurassic protosuchian taxa in order to assess variation and potential for ecological signal in the clade. We found that the most anterior teeth maintain the thinnest enamel compared to middle and posterior (molariform) positions throughout alligator ontogeny. Enamel thickness in all teeth scaled with isometry throughout alligator ontogeny. Comparisons of the molars of fossil crocodyliforms with those from alligators reveal a diversity of enamel thickness and complexity, suggesting phylogenetic as well as ecological signals may be impacting tooth structure, function, and evolution, warranting further investigation into the system.Support or Funding InformationThis work was funded by the Missouri Research Board, Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and the Biology Honors Program.
Differential Lectin Binding and Coronary Angiography in a Danio and non‐Model Fish Species
Authors: He Wei , Manalo Trina , May Adam , Quinn Joshua , Lafontant Pascal J 
Published: November 2023

Lectins are carbohydrate‐binding proteins commonly used in the study of mammalian cells and tissues. However lectins have received little use in fish models and non‐models species. Here, we determine the binding patterns of commonly used lectins, including wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA lectin), Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin (BS lectin), Concanavalin A (Con A), Ricinus communis (RCA), and Lycopersicon esculentum lectin (tomato lectin) in zebrafish and giant danio hearts. Our results show that WGA stained fish cardiac myocyte borders in patterns similar to that seen in mammalian hearts, with staining markedly stronger in the fish compact hearts. Con A showed broad and strong staining in fish ventricles. Interestingly, BS lectin reacted poorly to a number of fish species including zebrafish, pearl danio, common koi, goldfish, and Buenos Aires tetra. By contrast BS lectin strongly stained coronary vessels of giant danio, and several pleco and gourami species. Importantly, enhanced BS lectin binding to vascular endothelium compared to endocardium allowed for 3D coronary angiography in the giant danio by confocal and lightsheet microscopy, and for quantitation of vascular reconstruction during regeneration. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that lectins are simple but important tools for studies in models and non‐models fish species, and in adult and regenerating giant danio heart.Support or Funding InformationR15 HD084262‐01, FDC‐PDF‐DePauw University
DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CLINICAL CADAVER PROGRAM
Authors: Sandeski Robert Eric , Kovacs George 
Published: November 2023

The traditional fixation techniques used in many university bequeathal programs has enabled students to learn the intricacies of the human form for decades. This process has served as a hands‐on means of learning human anatomy primarily used by undergraduate learners. Postgraduate and practicing clinicians however rarely accessed this resource until the development of the Clinical Cadaver Program at Dalhousie University. Their training and skill acquisition primarily occurs at the bedside of live patients and while important, may pose a patient safety risk. To address this issue, a proportion of the donated human cadaveric specimens within the established Human Donation Program are now being prepared using a modified light‐embalming technique developed by Dalhousie University. The Department of Medical Neuroscience is now able to prepare specimens that maintain their natural tissue integrity without the normal hardening and rigidity of tissues that occur with traditional cadaveric fixation techniques. The result is a safe, very realistic high fidelity form of simulation that allows clinical practice and research in performing medical procedures using the human body.The program continues to grow as demand for access to specimens increases. It is now a recognized and critical component of an integrated provincial simulation program. Competency based learning is now a mandated educational movement in postgraduate medicine. This move requires learning opportunity exposure that in many instances are simply not available with enough frequency to ensure skill competence. The clinical cadaver program provides for safe practice in a controlled environment that will allow clinicians to attain and maintain procedural competence.
SUCCESSFUL SOFT CURE EMBALMING OF A WHOLE BODY CADAVER AFTER THREE YEARS IN A CRYOGENIC STATE
Authors: Heltzel Sara , Sochor Mark , Sikon Dana , Sikon Richard 
Published: November 2023

INTRODUCTIONStep‐wise medical education has resulted in an increased demand for cadaveric tissue with extended retention times. Soft cure‐embalming, an alternative anatomical preservation technique, has been designed to meet the research and medical training needs of today's students. The soft cure‐embalming (SCE) technique accomplishes a realistic tissue feel without rapid biological breakdown, thus maximizing retention and educational use. The SCE technique proved successful for preserving and restoring cadaveric components (i.e., cephalus, upper and lower extremities) obtained from fresh frozen whole body cadavers.HYPOTHESISCan the SCE technique be used to successfully preserve and restore an intact fresh frozen whole body cadaver that has been cryogenically suspended for 3+ years?METHODSA fresh tissue whole body cadaver received in January 2012 was maintained in a cryogenic state (0 – 10°F) for 3.25 years. In March 2015, the cadaver was thawed to room temperature and preserved using SCE fluid and standard embalming techniques (i.e., injection via the right common carotid artery). The cadaver was cured for ~4 weeks, after which time the stratum corneum epidermal layer was shed/removed.RESULTSThe soft‐cure embalmed whole body cadaver had exceptional results for tissue penetration and soft cure‐fixation despite the prolonged time spent in a deep freeze. Ample tissue perfusion was noted upon external examination in both the distal upper and lower extremities and in the cephalus. Internal anatomical structures were also examined and proved to be remarkably preserved and revived by the SCE fluid. The cadaver was utilized for anatomical dissection and teaching of medical procedures. External and internal structures were deemed by course participants to have an extremely realistic tissue feel. The ability to “reanimate” a whole body cryogenically suspended for 3+ years via this process is unprecedented.DISCUSSIONSoft cure‐embalming is extremely successful in preserving and restoring cadaveric tissue that has been previously frozen. The SCE technique significantly extends tissue retention time and educational utilization. The SCE tissue in this study was particularly well received by educators. Multiple educational sessions can be given utilizing same tissue, and it is possible to perform medical training in step‐wise fashion over several weeks utilizing the same cadaveric specimen.FUTURE WORKVarying cryogenic intervals preceding SCE technique implementation will be explored. Techniques for simulating blood flow and perfusion in soft‐cure embalmed tissues will be investigated.