Electronic Conferences Research Articles

Reflection Influence on the Thought Process of Students with Distance Learning

The issues of reflection and its relevance as a tool in the student education system for rethinking their activities and changing the direction of the students’ thought process, prerequisites and advantages of using reflection in the education system and its influence on the students’ thought process are given. The final result (product) of education (knowledge, skills, abilities, personal qualities) is created jointly by the teacher and the student, since the basis for the successful learning of the material is cooperation between them and a conclusion made by the student independently or with the teacher’s help. In the course of the learning process, there increases the information flow for educational purposes (the World Wide Web, databases and electronic libraries, forums, conferences, computer models, indicators and simulators, network applications that facilitate organization of «virtual» collaboration, etc.). A description of the «portfolio» technology is given, that plays an important role in organizing the educational process and establishing connections between the teacher and the student and is the most important assessment tool. In the course of studying, reflection was considered as a phenomenon in the student’s mind that arose after rethinking his activities and changing the direction of the thought process.

Direct comparisons of efficacy and safety between actinomycin-D and methotrexate in women with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a meta-analysis of randomized and high-quality non-randomized studies

BackgroundActinomycin-D (Act-D) and Methotrexate (MTX) are both effective first-line agents for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (LRGTN) with no consensus regarding which is more effective or less toxic. The primary objective of this meta-analysis is to compare Act-D with MTX in the treatment of LRGTN.MethodsWe systematically searched electronic databases, conferences abstracts and trial registries for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and high-quality non-randamized controlled trials (non-RCTs), comparing Act-D with MTX for patients with LRGTN. Studies were full-text screened for quality assessment and data extraction. Eligible studies must have reported complete remission rate. A fixed-effects meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the efficacy and safety of Act-D and MTX on odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs), respectively.ResultsA total of 8 RCTs and 9 non-RCTs (1674 patients) were included. In terms of efficacy, Act-D is superior to MTX in complete remission (80.2% [551/687] vs 65.1% [643/987]; OR 2.15, 95%CI 1.70 to 2.73). In the stratified analysis, patients from RCTs and non-RCTs both had a better complete remission from Act-D-based regimen (RCTs: 81.2% [259/319] vs 66.1% [199/301], OR 2.17, 95%CI 1.49 to 3.16; non-RCTs: 79.3% [292/368] vs 65.0% [444/686], OR 2.14, 95%CI 1.57 to 2.92). In terms of safety, patients receiving Act-D had higher risks of suffering nausea (OR 2.35, 95%CI 1.68 to 3.27), vomiting (OR 2.40, 95%CI 1.63 to 3.54), and alopecia (OR 2.76, 95%CI 1.60 to 4.75). Notably, liver toxicity (OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.19 to 0.76) was the only one that was conformed to have a higher risk for patients receiving MTX. In addition, the pooled results showed no significant difference of anaemia, leucocytopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopnia, constipation, diarrhea, anorexia, and fatigue between Act-D and MTX.ConclusionsOur meta-analysis suggests that Act-D had better efficacy profile in general, and MTX had less toxicities in LRGTN. Future clinical trials should be better orchestrated to provide more valid data on efficacy and toxicity.

IL CONCETTO DI STORIA LOCALE E L’INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER FOR LOCAL HISTORIES AND CULTURAL DIVERSITIES DELL’UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DELL’INSUBRIA

I. Some remarks on the methodology of local history, and on some of its possible definitions, mainly focused on the important contribution given to the subject by Lewis Mumford’s essai The value of local history (1927). II. Since 1999, the International Research Center for Local Histories and Cultural Diversities of the University of Insubria has had, among its goals, research about and promotion of local histories and cultures. Interest in its own territorial area (Insubria region) is central, but it has also wider targets, including historiography theories. In its twenty years of activity, the Center has deepened historical research through advanced courses, publications, editions of historical sources, online databases and electronic resources, exhibitions, conferences and meetings, a library and a photographic archive. Multidisciplinary involvement, methodological issues, critical study of sources are the main features of its approach.

Practice of adjunctive treatments in critically ill COVID-19 patients-rational for the multicenter observational PRoAcT-COVID study in The Netherlands.

BackgroundPatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may need hospitalization for supplemental oxygen, and some need intensive care unit (ICU) admission for escalation of care. Practice of adjunctive and supportive treatments remain uncertain and may vary widely between countries, within countries between hospitals, and possibly even within ICUs. We aim to investigate practice of adjunctive and supportive treatments, and their associations with outcome, in critically ill COVID-19 patients.MethodsThe ‘PRactice of Adjunctive Treatments in Intensive Care Unit Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (PRoAcT-COVID) study is a national, observational study to be undertaken in a large set of ICUs in The Netherlands. The PRoAcT-COVID includes consecutive ICU patients, admitted because of COVID-19 to one of the participating ICUs during a 3-month period. Daily follow-up lasts 28 days. The primary endpoint is a combination of adjunctive treatments, including types of oxygen support, ventilation, rescue therapies for hypoxemia refractory to supplementary oxygen or during invasive ventilation, other adjunctive and supportive treatments, and experimental therapies. We will also collect tracheostomy rate, duration of invasive ventilation and ventilator-free days and alive at day 28 (VFD-28), ICU and hospital length of stay, and the mortality rates in the ICU, hospital and at day 90.DiscussionThe PRoAcT-COVID study is an observational study combining high density treatment data with relevant clinical outcomes. Information on treatment practices, and their associations with outcomes in COVID-19 patients in highly and urgently needed. The results of the PRoAcT-COVID study will be rapidly available, and circulated through online presentations, such as webinars and electronic conferences, and publications in peer-reviewed journals—findings will also be presented at a dedicated website. At request, and after agreement of the PRoAcT-COVID steering committee, source data will be made available through local, regional and national anonymized datasets.Trial registrationThe PRoAcT-COVID study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (study identifier NCT04719182).

The influence of e-conferences and e-meetings on increasing communication skills among leaders in Jordanian mining and manufacturing industries

This study aims to examine the influence of e-communication (e-meetings and e-conferences) on the communication skills of managers and leaders (decision making, problem solving, consistency, productivity and better work flow). Quantitative approach was employed to achieve the aim; 150 managers and leaders responded to a self-administered questionnaire, which was tackled later using SPSS.The results of the study confirmed an undeniable influence of e-communications on communication skills of managers and leaders within Jordanian mining and manufacturing industries; the most influenced variable was decision-making process associated with the real-time data that e-communication means can provide to decision makers (data, information, figures and numbers), which facilitated a faster ability to take decisions and avoid risks among organizations. The study also demonstrated that electronic meetings and conferences are based on transmitting voice over internet protocol (VoIP), which allows voice to be transmitted over the Internet, which is key to facilitating real-time electronic meetings. The study recommended adopting more electronic means of communication as an approach to avoid loss of time and efforts in face-to-face communication.

Особливості суб’єкт-суб’єктної взаємодії учасників освітнього процесу засобами інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій

A feature of the modern competency-oriented paradigm of education is the subject-subject nature of the interaction of teachers and students. Building contact between teacher and student is identified by subject-subject relationships, where the former acts as an equal partner to the latter. Implementation of subject-subject interaction on the basis of cooperation and equal partnership, taking into account the socio-psychological characteristics of students involves improving the quality of teaching; formation of readiness of future teachers for dialogical activity; no age lock; adaptation to the communicative environment; creating conditions for students' self-realization, application of information and communication technologies in practice. Standards for the organization of the educational process introduce high requirements for the information component of training. The effectiveness of its implementation, as well as the organization of independent work of students can contribute to the use of information resources posted in open access to the Internet. A special role is played not only by the use of information technologies that allow one way or another to transfer existing knowledge, but the introduction of such technologies that provide communication between the subjects of the educational process. In order to successfully use ICT in scientific and methodological work, the teacher must be well informed about different types of information and communication technologies, be able to use them and apply them in their work. Necessary skills of the teacher are: the ability to find the necessary scientific and methodological and educational information on the Internet, to publish the results of scientific and methodological and educational work on pedagogical sites, in electronic journals, electronic conferences. It is important to be able to use all the available resources and tools provided by the Internet in teaching. Knowledge of the basics of ICT, vision of broad educational opportunities and prospects for the development of the Internet and telecommunications (e-mail, web-forums, e-conferences, etc.), use of educational sites, different approaches to building multimedia training programmes - all this allows to improve skills the work of both the teacher and the modern student, whose future will undoubtedly require the ability not only to master ICT, but also to be able to use them effectively. Modern educational process implies the use of different Internet resources, educational platforms that let working remotely and having flexible feedback with teachers at the same time. With such organization of the educational process a teacher turns into a consultant, an advisor, an assistant of a child – it makes communication of participants of educational process more democratic.

DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF VIRTUAL LOCAL AREA NETWORK USING CISCO PACKET TRACER

Modern local networks consist of several subscriber devices located inside the same building. Computers on the local network are interconnected using network equipment - switches. By default, all devices connected to the ports of the same switch can communicate by exchanging network packets. Computer networks of data transmission are the result of the information revolution and in the future will be able to form the main means of communication. The worldwide trend towards the integration of computers in the network is due to a number of important reasons, such as the acceleration of the transmission of information messages, the ability to quickly exchange information between users, receiving and transmitting messages (faxes, E-mail letters, electronic conferences, etc.) without leaving the workplace, the ability to instantly receive any information from anywhere in the world, as well as the exchange of information between computers of different manufacturers working under different software. A large number of broadcast packets sent by devices leads to a decrease in network performance, because instead of useful operations, the switches are busy processing data addressed to everyone at once. The situation forces us to divide such large networks into autonomous subnets; as a result, the logical structures of the network are different from the physical topologies. This article discusses VLAN technology (Virtual Local Area Network - VLAN), which allows you to divide one local network into separate segments.

Outcomes of managing healthcare services using the Theory of Constraints: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Despite ever-increasing resources devoted to healthcare, lack of capacity and timeliness are still chronic problems worldwide. This systematic review aims to present an overview of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) implementations in healthcare services and their outcomes. We analysed 42 TOC implementations (15 full-text articles, 12 video proceedings, and 2 theses/disserations) from major scientific electronic databases and TOC International Certification Organization Conferences. All implementations reported positive outcomes, both tangible and intangible. The two main improvements reported by authors were in productivity (98%; n = 41) – more patients treated – and in the timeliness of care (83%; n = 35). Furthermore, the selected studies reported dramatic improvements: 50% mean reductions in patient waiting time; 38% reduction in patient length of stay; 43% mean increase in operating room productivity and 34% mean increase in throughput. TOC implementations attained positive results in all levels of the health and social care chain. Most TOC recommendations and changes showed almost immediate results and required little or no additional cost to implement. Evidence supports TOC as a promising solution for the chronic healthcare problem, improving quality and timeliness, both necessary conditions for providing effective healthcare.

PRactice of VENTilation in Patients with Novel Coronavirus Disease (PRoVENT-COVID): rationale and protocol for a national multicenter observational study in The Netherlands.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly expanding across the world, with more than 100,000 new cases each day as of end-June 2020. Healthcare workers are struggling to provide the best care for COVID-19 patients. Approaches for invasive ventilation vary widely between and within countries and new insights are acquired rapidly. We aim to investigate invasive ventilation practices and outcome in COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands.MethodsPRoVENT-COVID (‘study of PRactice of VENTilation in COVID-19’) is an investigator-initiated national, multicenter observational study to be undertaken in intensive care units (ICUs) in The Netherlands. Consecutive COVID-19 patients aged 18 years or older, who are receiving invasive ventilation in the participating ICUs, are to be enrolled during a 10-week period, with a daily follow-up of 7 days. The primary outcome is ventilatory management (including tidal volume expressed as mL/kg predicted body weight and positive end-expiratory pressure expressed as cmH2O) during the first 3 days of ventilation. Secondary outcomes include other ventilatory variables, use of rescue therapies for refractory hypoxemia such as prone positioning and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, use of sedatives, vasopressors and inotropes; daily cumulative fluid balances; acute kidney injury; ventilator-free days and alive at day 28 (VFD-28), duration of ICU and hospital stay, and ICU, hospital and 90-day mortality.DiscussionPRoVENT-COVID will be the largest observational study to date, with high density ventilatory data and major outcomes. There is urgent need for a better understanding of ventilation practices, and the effects of ventilator settings on outcomes in COVID-19 patients. The results of PRoVENT-COVID will be rapidly disseminated through electronic presentations, such as webinars and electronic conferences, and publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Access to source data will be made available through local, regional and national anonymized datasets on request, and after agreement of the PRoVENT-COVID steering committee.Trial RegistrationPRoVENT-COVID is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (identifier NCT04346342).

USING SCIENTIFIC E-CONFERENCES FOR THE RESEARCH COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT: STUDENTS’ POINT OF VIEW

The article discusses the methodology of using a scientific electronic conference for the development of research competence of university students. A model of the use of a scientific electronic conference for the development of students' research competence was developed. It includes the following components: purpose, procedural, content-technological, diagnostic. It is proposed to use a process approach for the development of research competence through electronic scientific conferences. The purpose, activities, means, forms, methods and research skills that will be formed as a result of each process were determined. The system of indicators was developed to determine the level of research competence for such constituents as: methodology, information search, problem solving, quantitative analysis and communication. The types of activities occurring at each stage of the process are determined, in particular, the means and electronic content used for their implementation, the forms and methods of efficient use of electronic means, competences that are formed during the implementation of the model. Stages of students’ preparation for and participation in an electronic conference in cooperation with lecturers and experts (reviewers) that will form not only the research competence of students, but also their digital competence (digital literacy) are presented. The efficiency of using scientific electronic conferences as an instrument for the development of students' research competence has been proved. In particular, the results of the student survey on the development of constituents of research competence are presented. The students of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University who have an intermediate and high level of research competence have noted the positive impact of lead-up and participation in scientific e-conferences on the development of students’ research competence.

Algunas posibilidades de incorporación de la web 2.0 en la educación

This reflective paper aims to contribute to the discussion on integrating web 2.0 tools into education. To this effect, it begins by presenting the characteristics of web 2.0, including interactivity, content management system and indexing. Then, the relationship between web 2.0 and the user is addressed, which allows the idea of social learning to be developed. To specify the concept of web 2.0 within the perspective of a didactic use, a brief description of some tools and their possibilities of use in the school is made: podcasts, blogs, wikis, web quests, social networks, electronic conferences. One of the conclusions reached by the research study is that it is appropriate for schools to pedagogically and didactically integrate web 2.0 resources into its institutional dynamics.

ПРОБЛЕМА РОЗВИТКУ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-ДОСЛІДНИЦЬКОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ НАУКОВИХ І НАУКОВО-ПЕДАГОГІЧНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ З ВИКОРИСТАННЯМ ВІДКРИТИХ ЕЛЕКТРОННИХ НАУКОВО-ОСВІТНІХ СИСТЕМ

The article is devoted to the development of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency with the aim to promote the process of improving their work quality results, to create and use open electronic systems for support scientific, educational, theoretical and methodological and practical bases. It can provide modernization of the national education and science in according with world trends. The concept of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency is defined in, such as the ability to use ICT for search, compile, analyze and present scientific materials according with the methodology of the scientific research, communication, cooperation and training other educators, to use the services of scientific and educational systems for informational and analytical support of scientific and pedagogical researches, monitoring and evaluation scientific results, to product new socially significant knowledge with the aim to promote the implementation its to their research and education practice. The main foreign experience in implementing educational programs of informometry for the scientific and pedagogical professionals' informational and research competency development is described in the article. The open electronic educational and scientific s systems’ impact on the development of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency is determined in. It has been found out, that selection of open electronic scientific and educational systems becomes important for the development of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency. The platforms for the electronic libraries creation, open electronic conferences, services for the management of scientific bibliography, monitoring of scientific research activities of scientific and scientific and pedagogical workers, etc., are particular importance for the development of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency. The development of a methodology for the use open scientific and educational systems in accordance with the open science principles is the prospects for research on the development of scientific and pedagogical professionals' information and research competency.

Effects of Long-Term Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin on Fractures and Bone Density in Non-Pregnant Adults: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.

Adults who require long-term anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) such as cancer patients or the elderly may be at increased risk of fractures. To determine the effects of LMWH therapy of at least 3months' duration on fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) in non-pregnant adult populations. We systematically reviewed electronic databases (e.g., MEDLINE, EMBASE), conferences and bibliographies until June 2015 and included comparative studies in non-pregnant adult populations that examined the effects of LMWH (≥3months) on fractures and BMD. We synthesized evidence qualitatively and used random-effects meta-analysis to quantify the effect of LMWH on fractures. Sixteen articles reporting 14 studies were included: 10 clinical trials (n = 4865 participants) and four observational cohort studies (3 prospective, n = 221; 1 retrospective, n = 30). BMD and fractures were secondary outcomes in the majority of trials, while they were primary outcomes in the majority of observational studies. In participants with venous thromboembolism and underlying cardiovascular disease or cancer (5 RCTs, n = 2280), LMWH for 3-6 months did not increase the relative risk of all fractures at 6-12 months compared to unfractionated heparin, oral vitamin K antagonists or placebo [pooled risk ratio (RR) = 0.58, 95 % CI: 0.23-1.43; I(2) = 12.5%]. No statistically significant increase in the risk of fractures at 6-12 months was found for cancer patients (RR = 1.08, 95 % CI: 0.31-3.75; I(2) = 4.4%). Based on the data from two prospective cohort studies (n = 166), LMWH for 3-24 months decreased mean BMD by 2.8-4.8% (depending on the BMD site) compared to mean BMD decreases of 1.2-2.5% with oral vitamin K antagonists. LMWH for 3-6 months may not increase the risk of fractures, but longer exposure for up to 24months may adversely affect BMD. Clinicians should consider monitoring BMD in adults on long-term LMWH who are at increased risk of bone loss or fracture.

Prognostic Relevance of Objective Response According to EASL Criteria and mRECIST Criteria in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Loco-Regional Therapies: A Literature-Based Meta-Analysis.

BackgroundThe European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria and the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) are currently adopted to evaluate radiological response in patients affected by HCC and treated with loco-regional procedures. Several studies explored the validity of these measurements in predicting survival but definitive data are still lacking.AimTo conduct a systematic review of studies exploring mRECIST and EASL criteria usefulness in predictive radiological response in HCC undergoing loco-regional therapies and their validity in predicting survival.MethodsA comprehensive search of the literature was performed in electronic databases EMBASE, MEDLINE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, ASCO conferences and EASL conferences up to June 10, 2014. Our overall search strategy included terms for HCC, mRECIST, and EASL. Loco-regional procedures included transarterial embolization (TAE), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and cryoablation. Inter-method agreement between EASL and mRECIST was assessed using the k coefficient. For each criteria, overall survival was described in responders vs. non-responders patients, considering all target lesions response.ResultsAmong 18 initially found publications, 7 reports including 1357 patients were considered eligible. All studies were published as full-text articles. Proportion of responders according to mRECIST and EASL criteria was 62.4% and 61.3%, respectively. In the pooled population, 1286 agreements were observed between the two methods (kappa statistics 0.928, 95% confidence interval 0.912–0.944). HR for overall survival (responders versus non responders) according to mRECIST and EASL was 0.39 (95% confidence interval 0.26–0.61, p<0.0001) and 0.38 (95% confidence interval 0.24–0.61, p<0.0001), respectively.ConclusionIn this literature-based meta-analysis, mRECIST and EASL criteria showed very good concordance in HCC patients undergoing loco-regional treatments. Objective response according to both criteria confirms a strong prognostic value in terms of overall survival. This prognostic value appears to be very similar between the two criteria.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ СУЧАСНИХ ФАХІВЦІВ У ПРОЦЕСІ ПРОВЕДЕННЯ ЕЛЕКТРОННИХ КОНФЕРЕНЦІЙ

Статтю присвячено висвітленню формування професійної компетентності сучасних фахівців в аспекті використання в навчальному процесі такої інтернет-технології, як електронна конференція. Попри це, визначено переваги використання електронних конференцій у навчальному процесі. Також наведено типологію електронних конференцій, залежно від технології їх поширення в Інтернеті. Водночас описано особливості кожного з виокремлених типів електронних конференцій. Охарактеризовано спосіб організації електронних конференцій. Наведено перелік розроблених спеціальних програм для керування електронними конференціями, котрі проводяться в межах освітнього процесу. Також виокремлено низку дій ведучих електронних конференцій, які детермінують успіх проведення таких конференцій. Визначено сферу використання електронних конференцій у навчальному процесі.

Ситуационные центры перспективы цифровых технологий: площадка для апробации цифровых технологий

Передовые технологии Ситуационных центров, в том числе использование виртуальных переговорных, поддерживающих естественный характер общения лицом к лицу, и визионариумов в качестве инновационного мультимедиа&lt;br /&gt;инструментария отображения информации в стереоскопическом режиме, обеспечивающего коллективную работу с пространственными объектами, позволяют комплексно повысить эргономику общего информационно-коммуникационного пространства и эффективность групповых&lt;br /&gt;действий по анализу сложных ситуаций. Применению данных технологий нет границ: образование, наука, государственное управление, бизнес, социальная сфера. Благодаря &lt;br /&gt;их использованию создаётся возможность проведения на&lt;br /&gt;принципиально новом уровне совещаний, семинаров, электронных конференций, когда участники, с одной стороны, взаимодействуют в привычном, естественном режиме «живого общения», а с другой – могут активно включаться в совместную работу над документами, пространственными моделями, иным сложным контентом.

Formal selection of measures for a composite index of NICU quality of care: Baby-MONITOR.

To systematically rate measures of care quality for very low birth weight infants for inclusion into Baby-MONITOR, a composite indicator of quality. Modified Delphi expert panelist process including electronic surveys and telephone conferences. Panelists considered 28 standard neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) quality measures and rated each on a 9-point scale taking into account pre-defined measure characteristics. In addition, panelists grouped measures into six domains of quality. We selected measures by testing for rater agreement using an accepted method. Of 28 measures considered, 13 had median ratings in the high range (7 to 9). Of these, 9 met the criteria for inclusion in the composite: antenatal steroids (median (interquartile range)) 9(0), timely retinopathy of prematurity exam 9(0), late onset sepsis 9(1), hypothermia on admission 8(1), pneumothorax 8(2), growth velocity 8(2), oxygen at 36 weeks postmenstrual age 7(2), any human milk feeding at discharge 7(2) and in-hospital mortality 7(2). Among the measures selected for the composite, the domains of quality most frequently represented included effectiveness (40%) and safety (30%). A panel of experts selected 9 of 28 routinely reported quality measures for inclusion in a composite indicator. Panelists also set an agenda for future research to close knowledge gaps for quality measures not selected for the Baby-MONITOR.

A systematic review of treating Helicobacter pylori infection with Traditional Chinese Medicine

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. We electronically and manually searched electronic databases, references lists and conferences compilations, and included all randomized clinical trials comparing the treatment of H. pylori using TCM with proton pump inhibitor or colloidal bismuth subcitrate-based triple therapy as controls. The Jadad score was used to assess trial quality, H. pylori eradication rate and the incidence of side effects were taken as outcome measurements, and heterogeneity analysis, meta-analysis and funnel plot analysis were conducted. Sixteen trials were included. The Jadad scores of all the trials were not more than 2. Clinical heterogeneity and substantial statistical heterogeneity existed among the trials (P = 0.001, I(2) = 59%) and meta-analysis was not conducted. The average eradication rates following TCM and triple therapy were 72% and 78% and the incidence of side effects were 2% and 29%, respectively. The funnel plot was obviously asymmetric. Available evidence is not convincing enough to show that TCM has the same efficacy as triple therapy in H. pylori treatment. TCM may be safer than triple therapy. TCM should not be recommended as monotherapy in H. pylori infection.

A resource-constrained group key agreement protocol for imbalanced wireless networks

Secure group communication is an important research issue for network security because of the popularity of group-oriented applications such as electronic conferences and collaborative works. The secure group key agreement protocol design is crucial for achieving secure group communications. As we all know, most security technologies are currently deployed in wired networks and are not fully applicable to wireless networks involving mobile devices with limited computing capability. In 2005, Nam et al. proposed a group key agreement protocol for a wireless environment. Unfortunately, in this paper we present that their protocol has a security weakness in which participants cannot confirm that their contributions were actually involved in the group key establishment. This is an important property of group key agreement. Therefore, we propose a new group key agreement protocol for an imbalanced wireless network consisting of many mobile nodes with limited computing capability and a powerful node with less restriction. We show that the proposed protocol produces contributory group key agreement. We demonstrate that the proposed protocol is provably secure against passive attacks under the decisional Diffie–Hellman problem assumption. A simulation result on a personal digital assistant (PDA) shows that the proposed protocol is well suited for mobile devices with limited computing capability.

Screen-based assessment

Inexorably and across several fronts, screen-based assessment is becoming a major part of the experience of university students, particularly but not exclusively in the sciences. This movement reflects the emphasis the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is giving to the development of screen-based assessment at secondary level, where the universal availability of an -assessment option in high stakes exams is an adopted goal.The drivers for this change are economic, pedagogic and opportunistic. Rapid technological progress is facilitating the wider availability of computer based tasks that reflect authentically the learning outcomes of science courses. There is growing experience in the design of such tasks, with increasing commercial involvement, particularly in the USA. An examination of theories of assessment demonstrates that there are sound pedagogic reasons to pursue these developments.The main focus of this review will be assessment for which a computer acts as a means of delivery, grading and feedback. I will outline the capabilities of contemporary systems, illustrate some good practice, and identify areas where the use of the technology is moving forward rapidly. There are exciting developments in the grading of free format responses, in diagram or text form, which are now emerging on a pilot basis. Of particular interest is the assessment of higher order cognitive and subject skills. Alsoimportant is the potential for item banks that can allow the sharing of the costs of authorship. Several of these issues are reviewed more fully in Conole and Warbuton.Finally, I will comment briefly on assessment that is facilitated by computers without the computer acting as a grading tool. At a mundane level, this might involve the electronic submission of traditional assignments. Of more interest are electronically mediated peer assessment, the generation of e-portfolios, the grading of screen based experimentation and the evaluation of the student’s performance in contributing to computer based group activities, e.g. Wikis, electronic conferences, etc.