Faculty Feedback Research Articles

Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Student-centric learning in Physiology

Background: The quality of teaching and learning in health education determines the competency of doctors produced and ultimately the patient care. Realizing the necessity of active learning at the undergraduate level, curricular reforms are crucial to ensure that students play an active role in their learning process and absorb the prerequisite qualities of a competent health professional. The current study aimed to implement and evaluate case-based learning in a physiology curriculum. Methods: The study included 150 first-year MBBS students using a mixed methods research design. A short lecture on anemia was followed by two sessions of case-based learning with a gap of one week. A structured questionnaire usinga 5-point Likert scale was used to collect students’ perceptions. The internal consistency of the questionnaire had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.8. Faculty feedback was collected using a Focus Group Discussion. Results: Of 145 participants, 117 provided feedback. Students perceived that the case-based learning method promoted meaningful learning (83%); helped in the future application of knowledge (81%);helped to understand physiology concepts better (72%); improved studentteacher relationships (72%); was effective in understanding the anemia topic (71%); led to the development of problem-solving abilities (70%); encouraged teamwork (69%); motivated selfdirected learning (66%); and improved communication skills (65%). Faculty members suggested developing an assessment plan for future case-based learning sessions. Conclusion: According to student and faculty feedback, case-based learning is an effective, active teaching-learning tool that improves students’ understanding of basic concepts, clinical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, communication skills, student-teacher relationship, and self-directed learning.

Efficacy and benefits of mock residency interviews

IntroductionObtaining a residency has become more competitive as more pharmacy students seek postgraduate training. This is likely due to pharmacist positions increasing in clinical settings. To be fully prepared, students seeking residency positions should be trained for the interview process by their pharmacy school. MethodsMock residency interviews (MRI) were conducted at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy which included components of typical residency interviews. The primary outcome compared residency match rates for MRI participants vs. non-participants. Secondary outcomes evaluated student preparedness, student and faculty feedback, and satisfaction/benefit of the event along with comparison of school vs. national match rate and assessment of those matching compared to grade point average (GPA). ResultsMatch rates were similar between MRI participants vs. non-participants (75% vs. 73%) with significant difference in Phase I match rates between MRI participants vs. non-participants (75% vs. 51%, P = .007). MRI was significantly associated with Phase I matching in the multivariable analysis (odds ratio (OR) = 2.81, 95% CI 1.27–6.22). The overall school's match rate exceeded the national two out of three years in the quality improvement project period. GPA was the only other factor independently associated with Phase I matching (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.01–1.32). Students and faculty consistently reported positive feedback following participation. ConclusionsMRI are valuable and are making a difference as indicated by improved Phase I match rates for those that participated. Students and faculty reported an increase in preparedness and overall satisfaction after attending MRI.

Optical chaotic communication using correlation demodulation between two synchronized chaos lasers

This paper theoretically investigates the scheme of optical chaotic communication based on correlation demodulation between two synchronized semiconductor lasers. In the scheme, a semiconductor laser (SL) system, which is subject to phase conjugation and electro-optical phase modulation feedback, generates optical chaos with high-complexity, simultaneously, the time-delay (TD) signature can be well concealed. We use the digital signal “0” and “1” to control the chaotic signal’s switching between two arms of electro-optical (E-O) switch to indirectly achieve spreading spectrum. Concretely, for the “0” bit, at the cross arm the waveform of the optical chaotic signal is reversed by utilizing the cross gain modulation (XGM) effect of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA); for the “1” bit, the chaotic signal is exchanged from the cross arm into the through arm. Based on the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect of optical parameter amplifier (OPA), the optical chaotic signal is converted to the same center wavelength as SOA’s output, and then two chaotic sequences are coupled into a channel in turn, as a results, the power of the signal of 5 Gbit/s is uniformly distributed and expanded to about 23.45 GHz bandwidth, thus its power spectrum density (PSD) becomes very low. We numerically demonstrate that this chaotic dynamics between the transmitter and the receiver can be identically synchronized due to coupling. The results indicate that the novel correlation-demodulation-based optical chaotic communication scheme can tolerate a higher noise level, and it can achieve a high-quality communication under lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Compared with the scheme of synchronized error monitor, the correlation demodulation way has better ability for anti-noise interference.

Experiences with development and use of simulation-based module for teaching family study skills to undergraduate medical students in coronavirus disease epoch

Objectives: The objectives of the study were (1) to develop and validate a structured module for teaching family study skills through simulation to undergraduate medical students, (2) to train the undergraduate medical students using the module, (3) to obtain student’s perception regarding the module, (4) to obtain faculty perception regarding the module, and (5) to assess the students’ gain in knowledge and skills. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a participatory action research design with mixed-method approach in the Department of Community Medicine. A structured module was developed by the core committee and then internally validated. The teaching of family study skills was done using the structured module through online mode to 150 UG students (MBBS) of Phase 3. The perceptions and feedback of the students and faculty were collected and analyzed. The students were assessed for the gain in knowledge and skills. The thematic analysis was done for the feedback of students and faculty. Necessary changes and suggestions were incorporated at the end and the module is planned to be sent for external validation to subject experts. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis was done. For Likert scale data, median and IQR were used. Percentages were calculated for satisfaction reporting. Thematic analysis was done for open-ended questions. Results: The structured and internally validated module was created for training of UG students in Family study skills. The module was successfully pilot-tested for delivery through the online mode. The satisfaction of students was found to be >75% on all domains of the Likert questionnaire used for obtaining feedback. The faculty satisfaction was found to be >90%. Majority of the students scored satisfactory grades (88%) in the summative evaluation done at the end of the module. Both the faculty and students reported good experience with the new innovative TL methodology adopted, however, emphasized the non-replacement of real field learning experience. Nonetheless, it was acknowledged as the best solution in the era of social distancing. Conclusion: A structured validated module using simulation-based teaching-learning methods was successfully pilot tested to impart family study skills to undergraduate students through online mode. The simulation-based technology can be used for online teaching in the subject of community medicine during difficult times to supplement the physical teaching sessions.

Can training in diagnostic radiology be moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic? UK trainee perceptions of the Radiology-Integrated Training Initiative (R-ITI) e-learning platform

AIMTo assess trainee perceptions of the Radiology-Integrated Training Initiative (R-ITI)) e-learning modules.MATERIALS AND METHODSA mixed methodology approach was used, with triangulation between a thematic analysis of eight semi-structured interviews from radiology trainees and trainers, and a contextual analysis of 60 free-text feedback comments and module ratings from trainees after completion of R-ITI modules.RESULTSThree broad themes emerged: “learning the subject matter”, “learning the role,” and “e-learning preferences”. Superficial learning techniques were prevalent when “learning the subject matter” during early training, with e-learning resources providing a good pedagogical fit for this learning. Much of what was considered “learning the role” of the radiologist was learned at the workplace. This included topics with inherent subjectivity, which were difficult to convey with e-learning. Trainees' “e-learning preferences” favoured modules that incorporated many imaging cases with layer annotation, clinical relevance, and self-assessment.CONCLUSIONSThe ease of reproducing imaging studies using the R-ITI platform represents a huge potential for e-learning. Content tailored to the learning needs of the trainee, the appropriateness of the subject matter for an online platform, and the design of the e-learning modules are important considerations. Radiology training also involves important tacit learning and discussions around subjective topics, which are difficult to capture on this platform.

NPY Released From GABA Neurons of the Dentate Gyrus Specially Reduces Contextual Fear Without Affecting Cued or Trace Fear.

Disproportionate, maladapted, and generalized fear are essential hallmarks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which develops upon severe trauma in a subset of exposed individuals. Among the brain areas that are processing fear memories, the hippocampal formation exerts a central role linking emotional-affective with cognitive aspects. In the hippocampus, neuronal excitability is constrained by multiple GABAergic interneurons with highly specialized functions and an extensive repertoire of co-released neuromodulators. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of these co-transmitters that significantly affects hippocampal signaling, with ample evidence supporting its fundamental role in emotional, cognitive, and metabolic circuitries. Here we investigated the role of NPY in relation to GABA, both released from the same interneurons of the dorsal dentate gyrus (DG), in different aspects of fear conditioning. We demonstrated that activation of dentate GABA neurons specifically during fear recall reduced cue-related as well as trace-related freezing behavior, whereas inhibition of the same neurons had no significant effects. Interestingly, concomitant overexpression of NPY in these neurons did not further modify fear recall, neither under baseline conditions nor upon chemogenetic stimulation. However, potentially increased co-release of NPY substantially reduced contextual fear, promoted extinction learning, and long-term suppression of fear in a foreground context–conditioning paradigm. Importantly, NPY in the dorsal DG was not only expressed in somatostatin neurons, but also in parvalbumin-positive basket cells and axoaxonic cells, indicating intense feedback and feedforward modulation of hippocampal signaling and precise curtailing of neuronal engrams. Thus, these findings suggest that co-release of NPY from specific interneuron populations of the dorsal DG modifies dedicated aspects of hippocampal processing by sharpening the activation of neural engrams and the consecutive fear response. Since inappropriate and generalized fear is the major impediment in the treatment of PTSD patients, the dentate NPY system may be a suitable access point to ameliorate PTSD symptoms and improve the inherent disease course.

Multi-featured collective perception with Evidence Theory: tackling spatial correlations

Collective perception allows sparsely distributed agents to form a global view on a common spatially distributed problem without any direct access to global knowledge and only based on a combination of locally perceived information. However, the evidence gathered from the environment is often subject to spatial correlations and depends on the movements of the agents. The latter is not always easy to control and the main question is how to share and to combine the estimated information to achieve the most precise global estimate in the least possible time. The current article aims at answering this question with the help of evidence theory, also known as Dempster–Shafer theory, applied to the collective perception scenario as a collective decision-making problem. We study eight most common belief combination operators to address the arising conflict between different sources of evidence in a highly dynamic multi-agent setting, driven by modulation of positive feedback. In comparison with existing approaches, such as voter models, the presented framework operates on quantitative belief assignments of the agents based on the observation time of the options according to the agents’ opinions. The evaluated results on an extended benchmark set for multiple options (n>2) indicate that the proportional conflict redistribution (PCR) principle allows a collective of small size (N=20), occupying 3.5% of the surface, to successfully resolve the conflict between clustered areas of features and reach a consensus with almost 100% certainty up to n=5.

Amodal completion instead of predictive coding can explain activity suppression of early visual cortex during illusory shape perception

A set of recent neuroimaging studies observed that the perception of an illusory shape can elicit both positive and negative feedback modulations in different parts of the early visual cortex. When three Pac-Men shapes were aligned in such a way that they created an illusory triangle (i.e., the Kanizsa illusion), neural activity in early visual cortex was enhanced in those neurons that had receptive fields that overlapped with the illusory shape but suppressed in neurons whose receptive field overlapped with the Pac-Men inducers. These results were interpreted as congruent with the predictive coding framework, in which neurons in early visual cortex enhance or suppress their activity depending on whether the top-down predictions match the bottom-up sensory inputs. However, there are several plausible alternative explanations for the activity modulations. Here we tested a recent proposal (Moors, 2015) that the activity suppression in early visual cortex during illusory shape perception reflects neural adaptation to perceptually stable input. Namely, the inducers appear perceptually stable during the illusory shape condition (discs on which a triangle is superimposed), but not during the control condition (discs that change into Pac-Men). We examined this hypothesis by manipulating the perceptual stability of inducers. When the inducers could be perceptually interpreted as persistent circles, we replicated the up- and downregulation pattern shown in previous studies. However, when the inducers could not be perceived as persistent circles, we still observed enhanced activity in neurons representing the illusory shape but the suppression of activity in neurons representing the inducers was absent. Thus our results support the hypothesis that the activity suppression in neurons representing the inducers during the Kanizsa illusion is better explained by neural adaptation to perceptually stable input than by reduced prediction error.

Development of a Novel Mentorship Platform to Foster Relational Mentoring, Empowered Vulnerability, and Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Mentorship is valuable to medical students undergoing professional identity formation. Many institutions lack infrastructure to facilitate the personalized mentoring that supports students' integration of new professional identities with their personal identities and values. The authors developed a novel mentorship platform called Weave via a multistep, iterative design process, incorporating in-person and survey-based student and faculty feedback. Features of Weave include clear communication of mentorship offerings and expectations, plus opportunities to engage mentors based on professional and personal (identity-based) attributes. Faculty at Harvard Medical School who created a mentor profile within the first 3 months of launch and students who visited the website within the same period were invited to complete usability surveys in February 2019; students were invited to complete impact surveys in August 2020. Fifty-two of 132 invited faculty members (39.4%) and 80 of 185 students (43.2%) completed the usability surveys. Most of these faculty (86.5%) and students (73.8%) reported navigating the website was easy/very easy; 36 faculty (69.2%) created a mentor profile within 10 minutes. Key innovations highlighted by faculty and students were the listing of personal attributes and identities of diverse faculty; centralized, increased access to faculty mentors; ease of use; and provision of clear expectations. Nearly all students who completed the impact surveys agreed that Weave allowed them to connect with a faculty mentor whom they would not have found through other sources and to learn about the dimensions of diverse faculty. Weave is a customizable online mentorship platform that fosters empowered vulnerability and increases dialogue between medical students and faculty based on professional and personal interests and identities. Weave may be expanded to other mentoring contexts and adapted for implementation at other institutions to help cultivate an institutional culture that values mentoring and to strengthen broader diversity and inclusion efforts.

Rapid Curricular Innovations During COVID-19 Clinical Suspension: Maintaining Student Engagement with Simulation Experiences.

Health care education programs were faced with the need to quickly adapt to a new reality during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Students were temporarily suspended from campus and clinical sites, requiring prompt changes in structure to their didactic and clinical learning. This article describes the rapid adjustments that one midwifery and women's health nurse practitioner education program created using both synchronous and asynchronous simulation experiences to promote student learning and ongoing engagement. Flexibility and reflexivity were needed by faculty and students alike in the face of the multiple changes wrought by the pandemic. Curricular changes were made simultaneously in many courses. Objective structured clinical examinations simulate telehealth experiences that assess knowledge, clinical reasoning, and professional behaviors via a scripted scenario and an actor patient. On-call simulations mimic telephone triage and provide students the opportunity to build listening, assessment, and management skills for prenatal and intrapartum scenarios. Students are provided equipment and virtual instruction in an intrauterine device insertion session, which promotes skill acquisition and self-confidence. Trigger films are used to visualize real-life or scripted clinical encounters, leading to discussion and decision-making, particularly in the affective domain. Bilateral learning tools, similar to case studies, provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and critical thinking with a mechanism for faculty feedback. Web-based virtual clinical encounter learning tools using patient avatars prompt additional student learning. Suturing skills introduced in live remote group sessions are augmented with video-guided individual practice. This article describes each of these adapted and innovative simulation methods and shares lessons learned during their development and implementation.

Extreme climate events and economic impacts in China: A CGE analysis with a new damage function in IAM

• A new integrated assessment model (IAM) named EMRICES-2020 was constructed to realize the close connection of the complicated climate change information in ESMs and the social economic growth model. • The coupling technology of the damage function in the climate feedback module for China was then reconstructed and improved by adding the economic impact mechanism of precipitation and extreme climate events. • The improved mode damage function was embedded into the production function of a multi-sector dynamic CGE economic model. • The new damage function has better simulated the sudden economic impact of extreme climate events and the volatility of climatic losses, compared with the Nordhaus damage function. • The long-term forecasting of climatic economic losses under the RCP carbon emission scenarios were simulated and calculated, especially the climatic economic losses of the extreme climate events on the economic activities of industrial sectors. Integrated assessment models (IAMs) have been widely used to assess the effect of climatic policy. They are used to combine economic activity with simple climatic systems. Coupling earth system models (ESMs) to a socioeconomic framework for scientific research on climate change impacts is a challenging task. The coupling mechanism for complicated climate information in ESMs and economic activities, particularly the effects of extreme climate events on economic activities of industrial sectors, needs to be further explored. Therefore, we constructed a new IAM named EMRICES-2021 and improved the key coupling technology of damage function by adding an economic impact mechanism of precipitation, and extreme climate events. Considering the dynamic persistence features of climatic impacts on industrial sectors, we embedded the new damage function into the Cobb-Douglas production function of a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and simulated future climatic losses on industrial economic system. Results show that the new damage function could better simulate the sudden economic impacts of extreme climate events and volatilities of climatic losses than Nordhaus mode. The cumulative indirect losses caused by extreme weather far exceeded direct losses in RCP scenarios. Climatic economic losses on real estate, finance, wholesale and retail trade increased fastest. Figure 10. Climatic losses to the economic system in various RCP scenarios

Design of an Intelligent Inspection Robot for Underwater Pipelines

This paper will introduce the design of an intelligent inspection robot for underwater pipelines. The whole device is divided into detection module, control module, drive module and housing. Among them, the detection module is the camera and the head, the control module is mainly the Raspberry Pi motherboard, the drive module includes the battery, motor, motor driver. The device through the camera module feedback to the Raspberry Pi to make decisions, and this decision through the IO port output, and then through the motor drive module to drive the motor, the motor to make speed and direction of adjustment. This device is proposed to use stepper motor for robot movement method.

Using visual feedback to support online faculty mentoring

Variances are observed in grading practices between full-time and part-time faculty and these variances may be increased when faculty are teaching online. A project focused on providing visual feedback for part-time faculty on grading practices was implemented in an online nursing program. An electronic survey link was emailed to all faculty teaching an identical course asking them to note the total number of each letter grade recorded as a final grade. Graphically displayed, de-identified data was shared with faculty. Faculty responses were positive. Outcomes fostered open dialogue and mentoring and led to other program improvement activities. The project appeared to be an effective way to support faculty and promote continued professional development. Faculty feedback and unexpected benefits are shared.

Dual Role for Astroglial Copper-Assisted Polyamine Metabolism during Intense Network Activity.

Astrocytes serve essential roles in human brain function and diseases. Growing evidence indicates that astrocytes are central players of the feedback modulation of excitatory Glu signalling during epileptiform activity via Glu-GABA exchange. The underlying mechanism results in the increase of tonic inhibition by reverse operation of the astroglial GABA transporter, induced by Glu-Na+ symport. GABA, released from astrocytes, is synthesized from the polyamine (PA) putrescine and this process involves copper amino oxidase. Through this pathway, putrescine can be considered as an important source of inhibitory signaling that counterbalances epileptic discharges. Putrescine, however, is also a precursor for spermine that is known to enhance gap junction channel communication and, consequently, supports long-range Ca2+ signaling and contributes to spreading of excitatory activity through the astrocytic syncytium. Recently, we presented the possibility of neuron-glia redox coupling through copper (Cu+/Cu2+) signaling and oxidative putrescine catabolism. In the current work, we explore whether the Cu+/Cu2+ homeostasis is involved in astrocytic control on neuronal excitability by regulating PA catabolism. We provide supporting experimental data underlying this hypothesis. We show that the blockade of copper transporter (CTR1) by AgNO3 (3.6 µM) prevents GABA transporter-mediated tonic inhibitory currents, indicating causal relationship between copper (Cu+/Cu2+) uptake and the catabolism of putrescine to GABA in astrocytes. In addition, we show that MnCl2 (20 μM), an inhibitor of the divalent metal transporter DMT1, also prevents the astrocytic Glu-GABA exchange. Furthermore, we observed that facilitation of copper uptake by added CuCl2 (2 µM) boosts tonic inhibitory currents. These findings corroborate the hypothesis that modulation of neuron-glia coupling by copper uptake drives putrescine → GABA transformation, which leads to subsequent Glu-GABA exchange and tonic inhibition. Findings may in turn highlight the potential role of copper signaling in fine-tuning the activity of the tripartite synapse.

How to create a faculty-centered curriculum support system: Launching the Academic Support Center (ASC) to inspire excellence in curriculum change.

To define faculty needs and services requested for the implementation of a faculty-centered curriculum support system (i.e., Academic Support Center [ASC]) to assist curriculum redesign. Faculty and students were invited to participate in 60-min, one-on-one interviews to describe pain points in teaching and identify possible support services needed. Benchmarking through surveys of academic deans was also conducted to determine what services other institutions offer. Qualitative memos from interviews and survey data were analyzed to identify salient challenges and outline possible services that could benefit the school. This information was used to create a strategic plan for the ASC. Full-time faculty were requested to evaluate the ASC 6 and 12 months following the launch of the center in 2019. Fifty interviews were conducted with department chairs (n=10), full-time faculty (n=36), and students (n=4). Six pain points identified by participants were time, resources, knowledge, confidence, organizational structure, and organizational culture. Participants generated solutions related to supporting teaching and learning, enhancing faculty experience, and assisting educational evaluation. Twenty-two schools responded to the benchmarking survey-approximately half acknowledged a centralized curriculum support service (n=12, 54.5% of respondents). Services often focused on instructional design, education technology, and faculty onboarding to education. Faculty feedback following the ASC launch was generally positive and demonstrating progress toward the three priorities. Needs assessment and benchmarking data can inform the design and implementation of centers that offer faculty-centered support structures around teaching, educational scholarship, and curriculum change.

Investigation of The Web-based Self-Assessment System Based on Assessment Analytics in Terms of Perceived Self-intervention

The self-assessment system was developed based on the assessment as learning (AaL) approach, in which learners take responsibility for their own learning and use feedback for self-intervention. The feedback as the system’s principal component was produced using assessment data in the system. It is essential for the assessment as learning that students construct their interventions to their learning processes by using assessment feedback. From this point, this study aimed to evaluate the web-based self-assessment system through the lens of student perceived self-intervention. The one-shot case study design (one-group post-test) model, one of weak experimental design, was used as a research design. The web-based self-assessment system was employed over a 10-week period to support face-to-face lessons. At the beginning of the implementation process, students taking the “Measurement and Evaluation in Education” lesson in the education faculty were informed about the system. After the implementation process, the perceived self-intervention scale was used to determine the students' perception. A total of 214 students (71%) took at least one test in the system and gained access to the feedback module. The high level of participation in a non-mandatory system may be considered a success. Learners appeared to have utilized feedback gained from the system in planning self-intervention and monitoring and evaluating the planned intervention's effectiveness.

Additional Benefits of Incorporating Retrieval Practice Into Teaching Rounds

Retrieval practice—using quizzing or review questions to encourage learners to actively recall new information—has emerged as a popular and powerful learning strategy in health professions education, yet most studies have focused on multiple-choice review questions and didactic learning.1–3 Little existing literature has applied this framework to bedside clinical teaching, which is a cornerstone of health professions education. Cooper et al described an elegant framework for applying the power of retrieval practice to clinical teaching on rounds, and they presented compelling evidence of benefits for their learners.4 I believe their article did overlook additional benefits: incorporating retrieval practice into clinical teaching on rounds can also have tremendous benefits for clinical teachers.Asking trainees (both medical students and residents) to each share one learning point at the end of rounds encourages them to engage in the effortful recall that is retrieval practice. As Cooper et al reported,4 that can boost their learning and help them see the educational value of rounds. Additionally, hearing the learning points trainees identify can also aid teaching faculty in 2 ways:First, having trainees reiterate key learning points from rounds provides an immediate opportunity to identify and correct misunderstandings. If a learner correctly identifies a key teaching point but misses an important element, or if they share an inaccurate explanation, faculty can step in with a correction or clarification. That immediate correction can prevent the powerful learning effects of retrieval practice from being applied to incorrect information.Second, noting what trainees identify as the key learning points from rounds can also provide valuable feedback for clinical faculty. If the learners' key take-home points are not those the teacher intended, that may suggest unclear explanations, ineffective communication, or incorrectly targeting information the learners already knew. That real-time feedback can help clinical faculty continuously monitor and improve their teaching. Feedback through retrieval practice can also provide invaluable information on the pacing of rounds. If the learners' take-home points focus on a small subset of patients (especially the first or last several patients) that can be a reminder to distribute teaching more evenly throughout rounds.Concluding rounds by asking trainees, “What's one thing you have learned today?” costs nothing, only takes a few extra minutes, and may produce myriad benefits. As Cooper et al noted,4 it can benefit trainees by boosting their learning and emphasizing the educational value of rounds. It can also benefit clinical teachers by creating immediate opportunities to identify and correct misunderstandings and by providing real-time feedback on their teaching. Additionally, there is no reason why these benefits should be limited to rounds: this same technique could be applied to outpatient visits, case discussions, and even supervised procedures. Future research should explore this framework in other clinical settings and strive to measure trainees' learning on rounds (perhaps by recording the learning points they share and analyzing them qualitatively) to build additional evidence about the power of retrieval practice in clinical teaching.

Analysis of spiking synchrony in visual cortex reveals distinct types of top-down modulation signals for spatial and object-based attention.

The activity of a border ownership selective (BOS) neuron indicates where a foreground object is located relative to its (classical) receptive field (RF). A population of BOS neurons thus provides an important component of perceptual grouping, the organization of the visual scene into objects. In previous theoretical work, it has been suggested that this grouping mechanism is implemented by a population of dedicated grouping (“G”) cells that integrate the activity of the distributed feature cells representing an object and, by feedback, modulate the same cells, thus making them border ownership selective. The feedback modulation by G cells is thought to also provide the mechanism for object-based attention. A recent modeling study showed that modulatory common feedback, implemented by synapses with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors, accounts for the experimentally observed synchrony in spike trains of BOS neurons and the shape of cross-correlations between them, including its dependence on the attentional state. However, that study was limited to pairs of BOS neurons with consistent border ownership preferences, defined as two neurons tuned to respond to the same visual object, in which attention decreases synchrony. But attention has also been shown to increase synchrony in neurons with inconsistent border ownership selectivity. Here we extend the computational model from the previous study to fully understand these effects of attention. We postulate the existence of a second type of G-cell that represents spatial attention by modulating the activity of all BOS cells in a spatially defined area. Simulations of this model show that a combination of spatial and object-based mechanisms fully accounts for the observed pattern of synchrony between BOS neurons. Our results suggest that modulatory feedback from G-cells may underlie both spatial and object-based attention.

Recurrent Feedback Convolutional Neural Network for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Deep neural networks have achieved promising performance for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. However, due to the limitation of the available labeled samples, the traditional deeper and wider neural networks usually cause the overfitting problem and lose the detailed information. To solve this problem, a brain-like structure, namely spatial attention-driven recurrent feedback convolutional neural network (SARFNN), is proposed by utilizing the recurrent feedback and attention mechanism structures, from which two deep models are further developed for HSI classification. First, a 2-D SARFNN (SARF2DNN) model is developed to learn the spatial features from HSI data. After that, to better exploit the 3-D characteristic, the 3-D version is extended from SARF2DNN, thus constructing an SARF3DNN model to extract joint spatial-spectral features. Moreover, with the help of the idea of brain-likeness, the recurrent feedback module is designed to recover information loss caused by deeper structure and the dimension reduction operation. The experimental results conducted on two HSI data sets show that our SARFNN architecture can achieve more competitive performance than other state-of-the-art algorithms.

Using self and peer video annotations of simulated patient encounters in communication training to facilitate the reflection of communication skills: an implementation study.

Background: The mandatory communication skills course for fourth-year medical students at the University of Bern Medical School aims to prepare students for challenging communication situations. Students role-play four different scenarios with simulated patients (SPs) and receive feedback from the patient’s perspective. The scenarios are video-recorded and uploaded onto the University’s virtual learning environment. Students can watch and annotate their own videos and give others access to view them.Project description: Although the course is well liked by students, we identified three areas for improvement: lack of faculty feedback; little active use of the video-recordings;lack of opportunity for students to discuss their experiences with each other.We aimed to address these shortcomings by introducing an additional learning task: students are asked to annotate a section of the video in which they had performed well, and one in which they thought they could have done better, in both their own and a colleague’s videos. These video clips and annotations served as the basis of a subsequent two-hour small-group seminar with a physician tutor. The course was evaluated by a mandatory online questionnaire. Results: All 247 students completed the questionnaire. The annotation tool and task were deemed to be comprehensible. Students believed they had learnt more from annotating a peers’ video than from their own and most thought being assessed by peers was acceptable. The physician tutors’ comments were largely deemed as helpful. The mean mark for the course given by students was 4.6 (median 5) (1=very poor, 6=very good).Conclusion: A communication skills course expanded by video-annotations and group discussions with a physician tutor was shown to be feasible and was well received by students and faculty.