Mining of Keystroke and Mouse Dynamics to Increase the Engagement of Students with Programming Assignments

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is increasingly being used in the evaluation of pediatric musculoskeletal diseases. In order to provide objective assessments of arthritis, reliable MSUS scoring systems are needed. Recently, joint-specific scoring systems for arthritis of the pediatric elbow, wrist, and finger joints were proposed by the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) MSUS workgroup. This study aimed to assess the reliability of these scoring systems when used by sonographers with different levels of expertise. Members of the CARRA MSUS workgroup attended training sessions for scoring the elbow, wrist, and finger. Subsequently, scoring exercises of B mode and power Doppler (PD) mode still images for each joint were performed. Interreader reliability was determined using 2-way single-score intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for synovitis and Cohen [Formula: see text] for tenosynovitis. Seventeen pediatric rheumatologists with different levels of MSUS expertise (1-15 yrs) completed a 2-hour training session and calibration exercise for each joint. Excellent reliability (ICC > 0.75) was found after the first scoring exercise for all the finger and elbow views evaluated on B mode and PD mode, and for all of the wrist views on B mode. After a second training session and a scoring exercise, the wrist PD mode views reached excellent reliability as well. The preliminary CARRA MSUS scoring systems for assessing arthritis of the pediatric elbow, wrist, and finger joints demonstrate excellent reliability among pediatric MSUS sonographers with different levels of expertise. With further validation, this reliable joint-specific scoring system could serve as a clinical tool and scientific outcome measure.

The use of walking workstations in educational and work settings has been shown to improve cognitive abilities. At the same time, it has been repeatedly shown that medical residents around the world do not meet exercise guidelines, mainly due to a scarcity of available free time. Our study investigates the boundaries of the previously observed phenomenon of improved cognitive performance with physical activity using materials that represent real life tasks. Participants had different level of expertise and involvedsecond year psychology students, medical students, and family medicine residents. We examined the effect of being physically inactive (i.e., sitting) or active (i.e., walking) while diagnosing multiple complex presentations of four skin conditions. We assumed that being physically active, irrespective of the level of expertise, will bolster diagnostic performance. Our findings show, however, that being physically active does not change the performance level of participants with different levels of medical expertise. Implications for medical education and suggestions for further research will be discussed.

Mapping the competency of personnel with different level of expertise, skill set, and experience in professional fields is a tough, complex but essential task. In this work, we have considered an Engineering College with moderate number of faculties with different level of experience, expertise and research exposure. Here we have considered the load assignment to the faculties at the beginning of a semester as the competency mapping task. Each faculty having capabilities of teaching different subjects out of the total set of papers needs to take about two theory papers with or without laboratory component. The decisive factors for subject assignment may be depth of knowledge, sincerity, class management, contribution towards research, text book publication. Further preference of the faculty member should be considered with top priority unless there are some valid constraints. Again the teaching personnel in a department hold different designations and different administrative responsibility, therefore each of them cannot be assigned equal hours of teaching load. The decisive factors are considered as objectives to be optimized and multi-objective particle Swarm optimization (MOPSO) is employed to perform the competency mapping task. The simulation results show the effectiveness of this approach.

Laparoscopic training demands practice. The transfer of laparoscopic skills from training models to real surgical procedures has been proven. The global operative assessment of laparoscopic skills (GOALS) score is a 5-item global rating scale developed to evaluate laparoscopic skills by direct observation. This scale has been used to demonstrate construct validity of several laparoscopic training models. Here, we present a low-cost model of laparoscopic Heller-Dor for advanced laparoscopic training. The aim of this study was to determine the capability of a training model for laparoscopic Heller-Dor to discriminate between different levels of laparoscopic expertise. The performance of two groups with different levels of expertise, novices (<30 laparoscopic procedures PGY1-2) and experts (>300 laparoscopic procedures PGY4-5) was assessed. All participants were instructed to perform two tasks (esophageal myotomy and fundoplication). All the performances were recorded in a digital format. A laparoscopic expert who was blinded to subject's identity evaluated the recordings using the GOALS score. Autonomy, one of the five items of GOALS, was removed since the evaluator and the trainee did not have interaction. The time required to finish each task was also recorded. Performance was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test (p<0.05 was significant). Twenty subjects were evaluated: ten in each group, using the GOALS score. The mean total GOALS score for novices was 7.5 points (SD: 1.64) and 13.9 points (SD: 1.66) for experts (p<0.05).The expert group was superior in each domain of the GOALS score compared to novices: depth perception (mean: 3.3 vs 2 p<0.05), bimanual dexterity (mean 3.4 vs 2.1 p<0.05), efficiency (mean 3.4 vs 1.7 p<0.05) and tissue handling (mean 3.6 vs 1.7 p<0.05). With regard to time, experts were superior in task 1 (mean 9.7 vs 14.9min p<0.05) and task 2 (mean 24 vs 47.1min p<0.05) compared to novices. The laparoscopic Heller-Dor training model has construct validity. The model may be used as a tool for training of the surgical resident.

Crab or lobster? Mental principles underlying the categorization of crustaceans by biology experts and non-experts

To compare the accuracy of dentists with different levels of expertise in computer-aided design (CAD) and prosthodontics to digitally design single crowns. This in vitro study was conducted on 12 prepared teeth in 2 reference dental study models. The models were scanned using an intraoral scanner. Four dentists with different levels of clinical and CAD expertise (PROS: clinicians experienced in prosthodontics [n = 2]; CAD: experts in CAD [n = 2]) performed digital waxing on all prepared teeth using the same CAD software program. The resulting digital crown designs were compared to STL files of the original teeth to assess 3D deviations. The total cervical, distal, mesial, and occlusal surface deviations of the crowns from both groups were compared using paired t and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (α = .05). The total median 3D deviation was 0.10 mm (range: 0.03 to 0.61 mm) for the PROS group and 0.14 mm (range: 0.07 to 0.58 mm) for the CAD group. The PROS group presented significantly smaller total 3D (P = .021) and cervical margin (P = .001) deviations. There were no significant differences between groups on the distal, mesial, or occlusal surfaces (P > .05). The CAD group performed digital waxing significantly faster (P = .001). Within the limitations of this study, the present findings suggest that clinical experience has a higher impact on the accuracy of digital wax patterns of single crowns than CAD experience.

BackgroundVisual expertise refers to advanced visual skills demonstrated when performing domain-specific visual tasks. Prior research has emphasized the fact that medical experts rely on such perceptual pattern-recognition skills when interpreting medical images, particularly in the field of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. Analyzing and modeling cardiology practitioners’ visual behavior across different levels of expertise in the health care sector is crucial. Namely, understanding such acquirable visual skills may help train less experienced clinicians to interpret ECGs accurately.ObjectiveThis study aims to quantify and analyze through the use of eye-tracking technology differences in the visual behavior and methodological practices for different expertise levels of cardiology practitioners such as medical students, cardiology nurses, technicians, fellows, and consultants when interpreting several types of ECGs.MethodsA total of 63 participants with different levels of clinical expertise took part in an eye-tracking study that consisted of interpreting 10 ECGs with different cardiac abnormalities. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was used with one independent variable consisting of the expertise level of the cardiology practitioners and two dependent variables of eye-tracking metrics (fixations count and fixation revisitations). The eye movements data revealed by specific visual behaviors were analyzed according to the accuracy of interpretation and the frequency with which interpreters visited different parts/leads on a standard 12-lead ECG. In addition, the median and SD in the IQR for the fixations count and the mean and SD for the ECG lead revisitations were calculated.ResultsAccuracy of interpretation ranged between 98% among consultants, 87% among fellows, 70% among technicians, 63% among nurses, and finally 52% among medical students. The results of the eye fixations count, and eye fixation revisitations indicate that the less experienced cardiology practitioners need to interpret several ECG leads more carefully before making any decision. However, more experienced cardiology practitioners rely on their skills to recognize the visual signal patterns of different cardiac abnormalities, providing an accurate ECG interpretation.ConclusionsThe results show that visual expertise for ECG interpretation is linked to the practitioner’s role within the health care system and the number of years of practical experience interpreting ECGs. Cardiology practitioners focus on different ECG leads and different waveform abnormalities according to their role in the health care sector and their expertise levels.

In an Organization, mapping the competency of personnel with different level of expertise, skill set, and experience in professional fields is a tough, complex but essential task. In this work, we have considered an Engineering College with moderate number of faculties with different level of experience, expertise and research exposure. Here we have considered the load assignment to the faculties at the beginning of a semester as the competency mapping task. Each faculty having capabilities of teaching different subjects out of the total set of papers needs to take about two theory papers with or without laboratory component. The decisive factors for subject assignment may be depth of knowledge, sincerity, class management, contribution towards research, text book publication. Further preference of the faculty member should be considered with top priority unless there are some valid constraints. Again the teaching personnel in a department hold different designations and different administrative responsibility, therefore each of them cannot be assigned equal hours of teaching load. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines is considered as a baseline for assignment of teaching load. The decisive factors are considered as objectives to be optimized and multi-objective particle Swarm optimization (MOPSO) is employed to perform the competency mapping task. The simulation results show the effectiveness of this approach.

Objectives: To develop a simplified MRI-based shorthand assessment method, referred to as the Sagittal Tibial Epi-Physis (STEP) Shorthand, for skeletal age assessment in skeletally immature patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study aimed to elaborate a single-plane MRI-based skeletal age estimation tool and to explore its feasibility and inter-rater reliability in comparison with existing MRI-based shorthands. Methods: This prospective study included 130 knee MRIs (79% males) from 97 skeletally immature patients (overall average age of 14.0 ± 2.1 years) with ACL injuries treated between February 2022 and January 2025. A new shorthand assessment method was developed based on sagittal T1-weighted MRI evaluation of the proximal tibial epiphysis. A validation cohort of 74 MRIs was independently evaluated by four raters with different levels of expertise using the STEP, Meza, and Politzer shorthand atlases. Inter-rater reliability (ICC), intra-rater agreement (Cohen’s kappa), and association with chronological age (Spearman rho) were calculated. Results: The STEP Shorthand tool demonstrated a strong association with chronological age (rho = 0.890, p < 0.001) with consistent associations across sex subgroups. Inter-rater reliability was high and comparable to established MRI-based shorthands. The use of a focused sagittal T1-weighted evaluation allowed for a simplified and reproducible assessment across raters with varying experience levels. Conclusions: The STEP Shorthand represents a pragmatic and reliable tool for MRI-based skeletal age assessment in pediatric and adolescent patients with ACL injuries. The STEP Shorthand can support timely decision-making in surgical planning and enhance standardization across different levels of clinical expertise.

The number of microsurgical clippings of cerebral aneurysms is continuously decreasing. This will lead to fewer possibilities for practical training in aneurysm surgery, especially for the younger generation. Accordingly, realistic models for microsurgical training are mandatory. We present a microsurgical setup for training on a PVC rat and on a lifelike vascular training model with specific plastic vessels (PVA), and an anatomical head as well as an experimental animal model (rabbit carotid artery bifurcation model). End-to-end and end-to-side anastomoses were performed with three different levels of difficulty and three different levels of expertise on the PVC rat model. The results of the animal bifurcation aneurysm model are also described. With increasing surgical complexity, the duration of surgery and rate of incorrect sutures of the vessel wall rise significantly. The overall patency rate of anastomosis is clearly reduced in the setup with increasing complexity grades. The PVC rat model as well as the PVA vascular kit with realistic skull and craniotomy sites is a perfect tool for advanced microvascular anastomosis training. The experimental animal model represents a higher level of vascular surgery expertise and additionally is a perfect model for practicing appropriate clip application and clip occlusion of aneurysms.

Resident Cataract Surgery

In this paper, we describe an algorithmic procedure for transforming traditional road map data into a novel topographical road graph for generating customized multi-day bicycle routes. To that end, we are using polyline data from the OpenStreetMap (OSM), 1/3-arc second resolution elevation data from a Digital Elevation Model provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, and a model of perceived exertion (PE) for bicyclists of different levels of expertise. Our topographical road graph allows for the calculation of the PE over any sequence of road segments (a path) for bicyclists of different levels of expertise and serves as input for generating paths of minimal PE. Our objective is to enable generation of multi-day bicycle tours of minimal PE for cyclists of different levels of expertise.

In the current literature, instrumental practice dealing with elementary levels of expertise tends to be underestimated compared to that of professional musicians. Therefore, the purpose of the present research was to investigate actions and behaviors in piano practice carried out by pianists belonging of different levels of expertise. In a case-study approach guided by phenomenological principles, four participants were selected according to their potential representativeness at different levels of expertise, their received formal piano instruction, and accumulated practice time. The participants were asked to record one practice session of two piano pieces from their current repertoire. They were instructed to select one piece that they considered more challenging (piece 1) and another piece that they considered less challenging (piece 2). Semi-structured interviews provided information about their strategies. Nine categories were proposed as characteristic actions and behaviors of piano practice within the scope of the classical Western music tradition, namely, testing, repeating, isolating, alternating, exploring, adjusting, pausing, straggling, and slipping. Such categories proved to be common for all participants, exemplified by the practices of four participants (precollege, undergraduate, graduate students and professional pianists), and provided evidence of the nuances of deliberation, such as the procedures to approach and improve the repertoire (and their effectiveness), the effort to stay engaged and on task, and some of the limits in attention to practice.

ObjectiveTo analyze the reproducibility of ultrasonographic (US) findings of rectosigmoid endometriosis among examiners with different level of expertise using stored three‐dimensional (3D) volumes of the posterior compartment of the pelvis as a part of SANABA (Sardinia‐Navarra‐Barcelona) collaborative study.Materials and methodsSix examiners in 3 academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with different levels of experience and blinded to each other, evaluated 60 stored 3D volumes from the posterior compartment of the pelvis and looked for the presence or absence of features of rectosigmoid endometriotic lesions defined as an irregular hypoechoic nodule with or without hypoechoic foci at the level of the muscularis propria of the anterior wall rectum sigma. Multiplanar view and virtual navigation were used. All examiners had to assess the 3D volume of posterior compartment of the pelvis and classify it as present or absent disease. To analyze intra‐observer and the inter‐observer agreements, each examiner performed the assessment twice with a 2‐week interval between the first and second assessments. Reproducibility was assessed by calculating the weighted Kappa index.ResultsIntra‐observer reproducibility was moderate to very good for all observers (Kappa index ranging from 0.49 to 0.96) associated with a good diagnostic accuracy of each reader. Inter‐observer reproducibility was fair to very good (Kappa index range: 0.21–0.87).ConclusionsThe typical US sign of rectosigmoid endometriosis is reasonably recognizable to observers with different level of expertise when assessed in stored 3D volumes.

The assessment of programming assignments is a costly task. Several tools have been proposed and developed in order to automate the repetitive tasks performed by instructors in the assessment of programming assignments and provide a faster and more adequate feedback to students. However, adding a new tool increases the overload of new information and environments that students have to deal with. Similarly, the assessment tool is one more resource that the instructor has to configure, maintain and teach students to use, spending time and effort that could be used in other pedagogical activities. For this reason, several works have been conducted to integrate assessment tools for programming assignments in learning management systems (LMSs). The integration of assessment tools into LMSs promotes their adoption in computing courses, since they will be in agreement with the LMS already familiar to students and instructors, without the need to adopt, learn and manage the submission and correction of assignments in another environment. However, these works consist only of abstract conceptual models, do not propose integration with several LMSs, or do not address certain specific difficulties faced when integrating assessment tools. In this perspective, this work aims at the proposition of the IMPACTLE architecture, a solution that allows the integration of different assessment tools for programming assignments in LMSs. The idea is that students and teachers can access the features of the tools through the LMSs they are already used to, without the need to learn how to use and adopt a new tool. Architecture prototypes were instantiated and experiments were carried out involving the use of different assessment tools through LMSs. In general, we noticed that the use of IMPACTLE enables instructors and students perform tasks related to programming activities in a more efficient, efficacious and effective way through the LMSs.