MSc Students Research Articles

Field Experiment of the Memory Retention of Programmers Regarding Source Code

"Program comprehension is a continuously important topic in computer science since the spread of personal computers, and several program comprehension models have been identified as possible directions of active code comprehension. There has been little research on how much programmers remember the code they have once written. We conducted two experiments with a group of Computer Science MSc students. In the first experiment, we examined the code comprehension strategies of the participants. The students were given a task to implement a minor feature in a relatively small C++ project. In the second experiment, we asked the students 2 months later to complete the same task again. Before starting the clock, we asked the students to fill a questionnaire which aimed to measure program code-related memory retention: we inquired about how much the students remembered the code, down to the smallest relevant details, e.g. the name of functions and variables they had to find to complete the task. After the second experiment, we could compare the solution times of those students who participated in both parts. As one result, we could see that these students could solve the task in shorter time than they did in the first experiment. We also looked at the results of the questionnaire: the vast majority of students could not precisely remember more than two or three identifiers from the original code. In this paper, we will show how this result compares to the forgetting curve. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 68U99. 1998 CR Categories and Descriptors. I.m [Computing Methodologies]: Miscellaneous; J.m [Computer Applications]: Miscellaneous. Key words and phrases. code comprehension, memory retention, experiment."

MJM MedTalks (S01E04 & S01E05): A Conversation with Dr. John Hughes

The McGill Journal of Medicine (MJM) MedTalks podcast aims to share knowledge and advice with trainees in medicine and the health sciences through interviews with members of the medical community at McGill University and beyond on their careers, research, advocacy, and more. In this episode, Masha (Maryia) Samuel, MJM podcast team member and MSc student in Experimental Medicine interviews Dr. John Hughes, family physician and Assistant Professor at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. In the first part of the interview, they discuss Dr. Hughes’ early training, his work on an Advanced Crew Medical System, and his involvement in space medicine. In the second part of the interview, they discuss the development of an electronic health record and Dr. Hughes' vision for the future of patient-doctor medical encounters. The episode is rounded off by Dr. Hughes’ advice for medical trainees and junior researchers. The show notes include a glossary of terms, links to publications, images, and videos referenced in the episode, and a transcript of Dr. Hughes and Masha Samuel’s conversation.

66th International Open Readings Conference for students of Physics and Natural Sciences. Annual Abstract Book 2023

“Open Readings 2023” – is an international academic platform for students and young researchers from all over the world to present their ongoing research results and practices in the fields of physics and natural sciences.
 The 66th International Scientific Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences gathers people to discuss, learn, exchange and share their scientific experience, meet key experts and enjoy an exciting programme. The conference includes lectures of well-known, leading and accomplished scientists and presentations of students’ research. “Open Readings 2023” gives an opportunity for BSc, MSc and PhD students, who are doing their scientific research, to present it to a larger audience, and get constructive criticism and helpful advice. This book gives an overview of all Open Readings 2023 conference presentations.

First person – Arthur Lensen and Margarida C. Gomes

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Arthur Lensen and Margarida C. Gomes are co-first authors on ‘ An automated microscopy workflow to study Shigella–neutrophil interactions and antibiotic efficacy in vivo’, published in DMM. Arthur conducted the research described in this article while an MSc student in Serge Mostowy's lab at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He is now a PhD student in the lab of Jost Enninga at Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, investigating host-pathogen interactions at the cellular and molecular level. Margarida is a research fellow in Serge Mostowy's lab at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and works with the zebrafish infection model to study host-pathogen interactions, focusing on trained innate immunity.

Overcoming the monster! Perceptions of physiotherapy students regarding the use of stroke master plots for building therapeutic relationships; a vignette study

BackgroundNarrative master plots identify illness stories which are recognisable within clinical settings. Responses to different master plots by physiotherapy students can lack empathy and need to be understood further. One narrative master plot for people with stroke that has not been well studied is called ‘overcoming the monster’. Research is needed to understand physiotherapy students’ reactions to this master plot.ObjectiveTo examine the responses of physiotherapy students to three variations of the master plot called ‘overcoming the monster’ generated from patients who have had a stroke.MethodsA qualitative narrative vignette study was undertaken. A university in the West Midlands (England) was used to access physiotherapy students on the pre-registration programs. A purposive sample of students volunteered to complete a single vignette questionnaire at one time point. The vignette provided three unique examples of the master plot overcoming the monster as told by people with stroke. Students responded to each by asking specific questions that captured demographic information and questions that captured reactions to the different versions of the master plot. Categorical-content narrative analysis was undertaken.ResultsThirty-two first year (BSc) students, thirty-nine first year (pre-registration) MSc students and nineteen third year (BSc) students participated in this study. Neither first year groups had undertaken any clinical placement hours. All third-year students had finished the required clinical placement hours for the physiotherapy course. Students consistently demonstrated empathy towards this master plot. Students often valued the variant of the story which illustrated how difficulties following stroke could be experienced as an ‘adventure’. Students also valued and were motivated by the story variant that considered a family member as a source of motivation and encouragement. The story variant which focused on the shortcomings of the health care system was more often related to by the final year BSc students and MSc students. However, first year students, particularly BSc students, reported being more emotionally affected by the vignette.ConclusionAll variants of the master plot overcoming the monster appeared to generate empathetic responses. This is important because it highlights the value of students’ understanding the patients’ story and challenges or ‘monsters’ faced. Therapeutic relationships will benefit from training physiotherapy students on the importance of listening and exploring challenges people with stroke face.

Herman Berendsen, an Unforgettable Man

My memories of professor Herman Berendsen cover roughly two periods during which I had many contacts with him. Between 1966 and 1973 I was his MSc student and later his PhD student in the Department of Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Groningen. The second period started in 1991 when I returned to the University of Groningen as a professor of environmental sciences.

Teaching resilience in fragile times

Teaching resilience in fragile times

Influence of different concentrations of ozone on the alteration of mitochondrial DNA copy numbers in human peripheral blood

By now, O3 pollution has become a main environmental problem. O3 is a prevalent risk factor for many diseases, but the regulatory factors linking O3 and diseases remain ambiguous. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the genetic material in mitochondria, which plays a key role in the production of respiratory ATP. Due to a lack of histone protection, mtDNA is easily damaged by ROS, and O3 is an important source to stimulate the production of endogenous ROS in vivo. Therefore, we logically speculate that O3 exposure can alter mtDNA copy number by the induction of ROS. In the present study, we performed a panel study of 65 MSc students at the Chinese research academy of environmental sciences (CRAES) with 3 rounds of follow-up visits from August 2021 to January 2022. We examined the mtDNA copy numbers in the peripheral blood of subjects using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Linear mixed-effect (LME) model and stratified analysis were used to investigate the association between O3 exposure and mtDNA copy numbers. We found a dynamic process of the association between the concentration of O3 exposure and the mtDNA copy number in the peripheral blood. The lower concentration of O3 exposure did not affect the mtDNA copy number. As the concentration of O3 exposure increased, the mtDNA copy number also increased. While, when O3 exposure reached a certain concentration, a decrease in mtDNA copy number was found. This correlation between the concentration of O3 and the mtDNA copy number could be ascribed to the severity of cellular damage induced by O3 exposure. Our results provide a new perspective for the discovery of a biomarker of O3 exposure and health response, as well as for the prevention and treatment of adverse health effects caused by different concentrations of O3.

The Quality of Online Education for Theoretical Courses of Audiology from the Perspective of Audiology Students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Aim: The face-to-face education was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. In such situations, online education method was used. In this study, we aim to assess the quality of online education for theoretical courses of audiology from the perspective of audiology students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 77 audiology students of the School of Rehabilitation at TUMS. Data collection were a demographic form and two quality and satisfaction assessment questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS version 17. Results: There was a significant difference in all subscales of Shourcheh questionnaire among students with different educational stages (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between age (except for social solidarity component) and gender (p>0.05) groups. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed a statistically significant difference in the quality scores among students with different educational stages (p=0.033), but there was no significant difference between age (p=0.300) and gender (p=0.630) groups. Conclusion: The quality of online education for theoretical courses of audiology at TUMS is high from the perspective of PhD students, while it is low according to BSc and MSc students. Keywords: Audiology; virtual education; COVID-19; pandemic; students

Mental health assessment – a 360° student experience

We have been developing 360° simulated practice videos for healthcare science students. The students who have taken part in the filming and watched the videos provided feedback on whether this would benefit their learning. We are doing this to continue to strive forward with innovations in virtual learning in line with Health Education England [1]. The simulation-based videos have been created to add to the healthcare sciences units to aid in ‘real-life’ teaching styles, to help build confidence and resilience in healthcare students, and to provide multidisciplinary, patient-focused scenarios that can be included in assessments [2]. First and third-year paramedic students took part in mass casualty scenarios filmed at our student’s union building. They worked with Critical Care Practitioners, Academics, Nurses in practice, and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit to create handover videos involving assessing casualties to create videos for other healthcare professionals. Follow-up videos were then filmed on the 360° cameras in the simulation suites to represent an accident and emergency environment as this is where mental health crisis assessments can take place. The adult psychosis presentation was filmed and shows ‘psychiatric liaison nurses’ played by second-year MSc and BSc mental health students assessing the person with suspected psychosis and making clinical decisions. The scenario mental state examination and the case study were scripted. Students could view the 360° videos using virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift [3]. The student feedback evaluation data was collected via an online survey and focus group discussions (FGDs). A survey was completed with n=30 students across all fields of nursing students and paramedic students. The student FGD evaluations were very positive about alternative simulated learning styles with one student quoting ‘It will make an assessment of mental health patients a lot easier for students using appropriate tools and models’. Students found that simulation-based learning experience is an excellent addition to traditional learning approaches as it met the requirements for different learning styles. This research project brought together academics and practitioners from across practice and university. Future work should build on these resources based on feedback from students and service users. 1. National Health Service/Health Education England. 2020. A national vision for the role of simulation and immersive technologies in health and care. 2. ASPiH/HEE. 2016. Simulation-based Education in Healthcare Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare (aspih.org.uk) [Accessed on 17/06/2022] 3. Topal review: NHS. 2019. Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future.

Difference in Physiotherapy Students' Training and Objective Structured Clinical Exam Performance Before and During COVID-19.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and station examinations, in general, have been widely utilized in health professional programmes to evaluate students' clinical performance prior to advancing to a clinical placement. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted student preparation and implementation of our programme's OSCEs. The impact on changes in student OSCE performance due COVID-19 has not been well studied. This non-concurrent cohort study evaluated the difference before and during COVID-19 pandemic on Year 1 physiotherapy students' performances on an in-person OSCE by estimating the mean difference in cohort OSCE scores and safety occurrences. Two cohorts of MSc (PT) students were compared: Cohort A (not impacted by COVID-19) and Cohort B (impacted by COVID-19). Cohort scores were summarized as means and 95% CIs. Overall OSCE scores for Cohort A and B were 77.9 and 81.9, respectively ( = 4.0, 95% CI: 2.1, 5.8). Cohort B students were approximately 4 times more likely to demonstrate safety occurrences. The impact of COVID-19 did not adversely affect total OSCE scores; however, it did increase safety infractions.

A participatory tool for assessing land footprint in city-region food systems—A case study from Metropolitan Copenhagen

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of current food systems to feed populations around the world. Particularly in urban centers, consumers have been confronted with this vulnerability, highlighting reliance on just-in-time logistics, imports and distant primary production. Urban food demand, regional food supply, land use change, and transport strategies are considered key factors for reestablishing resilient landscapes as part of a sustainable food system. Improving the sustainability of food systems in such circumstances entails working on the interrelations between food supply and demand, rural and urban food commodity production sites, and groups of involved actors and consumers. Of special significance is the agricultural land in close proximity to urban centers. Calling for more holistic approaches in the sense of inclusiveness, food security, citizen involvement and ecological principles, this article describes the use of a new decision support tool, the Metropolitan Foodscape Planner (MFP). The MFP features up-to-date European datasets to assess the potential of current agricultural land use to provide food resources (with special attention to both plant- and animal-based products) and meet the demand of city dwellers, and help to empower citizens, innovators, companies, public authorities and other stakeholders of regional food systems to build a more regionalized food supply network. The tool was tested in the context of the food system of the Copenhagen City Region in two collaborative workshops, namely one workshop with stakeholders of the Copenhagen City Region representing food consultancies, local planning authorities and researchers, and one in-person workshop masterclass with MSc students from the University of Copenhagen. Workshop participants used the tool to learn about the impacts of the current food system at the regional and international level with regard to the demand-supply paradigm of city-regions. The ultimate goal was to develop a participatory mapping exercise and test three food system scenarios for a more regionalized and sustainable food system and, therefore, with increased resilience to crises. Results from this implementation also demonstrated the potential of the tool to identify food production sites at local level that are potentially able to feed the city region in a more sustainable, nutritious and way.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Mental Health among University Students: Do Sex and Academic Level Matter?

University students’ mental health and well-being is a growing public health concern. There is a lack of studies assessing a broad range of mental health domains by sex and academic level of study. This cross-sectional online survey of BSc, MSc, and PhD students (n = 3353, 67% female) enrolled at one university in Germany assessed a wide scope of mental health domains, covering positive (i.e., self-rated health, self-esteem, student engagement) and negative aspects (i.e., perceived stress, irritation, and screening positive for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress). We evaluated differences in mental health by sex and academic level. Overall, although self-rated health did not differ by sex and academic level, females and lower academic level were associated with less favorable mental health. Males reported higher prevalence of high self-esteem, and higher engagement (all p ≤ 0.04). Conversely, mean perceived stress and cognitive/emotional irritation were higher among females, as were rates for positive screenings for anxiety, anxiety and depression comorbidity, and psychological distress (p < 0.001 for all). Likewise, lower academic level (BSc) was associated with lower rates of high self-esteem (p ≤ 0.001), increased perceived stress (p < 0.001), and higher prevalence of positive screening for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress (p ≤ 0.002 for all), while higher academic level (PhD) was linked to increased student engagement (p < 0.001 for all). Although the effect sizes of sex and academic level on student mental health were modest, these findings support a need for action to establish and expand early detection and prevention programs, on-campus advisory services, and peer counseling that focus on the sex-specific and academic-study-level-specific factors, as well as mental health and career development resources for students. Academics and policy makers need to consider multipronged intervention strategies to boost confidence of students and their academic career.

First person – Avery Hinks

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Avery Hinks is first author on ‘ Influence of weighted downhill running training on serial sarcomere number and work loop performance in the rat soleus’, published in BiO. Avery is an MSc student (soon to be PhD student) in the lab of Dr Geoffrey Power at the University of Canada, investigating how muscle structure influences muscle function, particularly regarding adaptations following an intervention.

The Use of Linguistic Features in Indonesian Students’ Texts at Hungarian Universities

Students enrolled in a higher level of education may face challenges in producing assignments, including writing an essay. They need to present appropriate linguistic features in the text to demonstrate their writing quality. Comparing linguistic features during university study is one fundamental aspect of administering writing quality and showing student writing development. The topic presented in this study describes an initial statistical analysis and the frequency of linguistic features in the texts produced by Indonesian graduate students enrolled at Hungarian universities. This study proposed two research questions: 1) How frequently do pre-selected linguistic features appear in the texts of Indonesian graduate students? 2) How do these features appear in a paired T-test statistical analysis? Seven MSc and MA graduate students took part in the study to meet the goal. They are students at three different universities in Hungary, which all have a Social Science Faculty. During their second-year studies, fourteen essays with a minimum text length of 2000 words were collected. The findings revealed an increase in conjunctions, adjectives, abstract nouns, concrete nouns, noun phrases, expanded noun phrases, active verbs, verb phrases, and passive forms. Meanwhile, the frequency of linguistic features such as prepositions, definite articles, indefinite articles, noun clauses, adverbial clauses, and adjective clauses decreased. In addition, both the rise of nine linguistic features and the decrease of six features in the second semester are not statistically significant.

Proceedings of the Conference "Lithuanian MSc Research in Informatics and ICT"

The conference "Lithuanian MSc Research in Informatics and ICT" is a venue to present research of Lithuanian MSc theses in informatics and ICT. The aim of the event is to raise skills of MSc and other students, familiarize themselves with the research of other students, encourage their interest in scientific activities. Students from Kaunas University of Technology and Vilnius University will give their presentations at the conference.

Assessment of pre-anesthesia machine check and airway equipment preparedness: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundAnesthesia Equipment malfunction is one of the most common factors contributing to intraoperative surgical patient morbidity and mortality. It is impossible to give anesthesia without proper anesthesia machine checks and airway equipment preparation. Therefore, all anesthesia professionals should make sure that the anesthetic machine and equipment are working correctly. MethodAn institutional-based prospective observational study was conducted at the University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Operation rooms, from April 10, 2020 to May 10, 2020. About 90 anesthetists were working regularly in the operation theater both emergency and elective patients. Those include; 26 Msc holders, 17 MSc students, 7 BSc anesthetists, and 40 graduating BSc students. These descriptive data were presented with frequency, percentage, and table. ResultThe overall compliance rate was 87%. Whereas; 12.46% of clinicians have not met the standard. Out of standards that were not performed, 25.81% were not available from the setup. ConclusionThe result shows that there was poor compliance with anesthesia machine check and equipment preparation before anesthesia in the operation theater according.

MO600: Effects of Intradialytic Progressive Resistance and Aerobic Exercise Training on Physical Function

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Haemodialysis (HD) patients frequently experience reduced physical function, which is exacerbated throughout dialysis vintage, therefore compromising their quality of life. Despite recent studies highlighting improvements in physical function regardless of exercise modality, well-designed randomized controlled trials with progressive resistance exercise training protocols are scarce. Thus, this study investigated the effects of 12 weeks of intradialytic progressive resistance exercise (RE) and aerobic exercise (AE) training on physical function in HD patients. METHOD Fifty-six adult HD patients from three NephroCare Portugal SA clinics were included in this study. Following a 6-week run-in control period, participants were randomly allocated into either a supervised intradialytic AE [(n = 29, male: 66%, age: 66 ± 16 years)] or RE [(n = 27, male: 67%, age: 63 ± 14 years)] training protocol, 3 sessions per week for 12 weeks. Intradialytic RE training consisted of 2 sets of 12 repetitions of 8 different exercises for upper and lower body using free-weight dumbbells and a newly designed weight machine, while intradialytic AE training was performed on a cycle ergometer at 50–70 rpm for 30 min at a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) 12–14 (Borg scale). Physical function was assessed by completing the Sit to Stand 60 (STS-60) test, the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and isometric handgrip strength (HGS) on three occasions: before and after the 6-week run-in control, and after the 12-week exercise periods. The 6-week control period data were analyzed by paired sample t-tests or Wilcoxon rank test as this is prior to randomization. Training effects were examined using an ANOVA with mixed design (within- and between-subjects) for data with normal distribution or if data still with non-normal distribution after log transformation, Wilcoxon rank test (within subjects) and Mann–Whitney test (between subjects) were used with a significance value of P &amp;lt; 0.05. RESULTS There was no change in any variable when comparing before and after the 6-week control period (P &amp;gt; 0.05). AE and RE training significantly increased the number of repetitions performed on the STS-60 test compared to before the 12-week intervention, but had no effect on the SPPB scores. Additionally, despite no changes in the distance covered in ISWT in the AE group, AE training reduced the TUG time and an increase in HGS was observed. On the other hand, patients that performed RE training increased their walking distance in ISWT. However, no change in HGS was observed. Yet, and despite not impactful, a 0.1 s significant increase in the median time performed on the TUG test was also observed. Nevertheless, no changes between groups were observed after the 12-week exercise intervention (Table 1). CONCLUSION We conclude that 12 weeks of AE training seem to improve HGS, STS-60 and TUG test performance in HD patients, whereas progressive RE training only had an effect on the STS-60 and ISWT performance in these patients. This may suggest that HD patients can benefit from different exercise interventions which can improve their overall physical function. FUNDING Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/138 940/2018 and UID/04 045/2020). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge the support of NephroCare Portugal, the University of Maia staff, MSc students and all study participants for their collaboration.

First person – Karla G. Espinosa and Salma Geissah

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Karla G. Espinosa and Salma Geissah are co-first authors on ‘ Characterization of a novel zebrafish model of SPEG-related centronuclear myopathy’, published in DMM. Karla completed the research described in this article while an MSc student in the lab of Dr James J. Dowling at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, investigating the molecular mechanisms behind cardiac and skeletal muscle contraction. Salma is an MSc student in the lab of Dr James J. Dowling at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, investigating the molecular biology of muscle disease, how muscles function and the dynamic processes involved.

First person – Kazuki Ueda

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Kazuki Ueda is a joint first author on ‘ Recruitment of Peroxin 14 to lipid droplets affects lipid storage in Drosophila’, published in JCS. Kazuki is a MSc student in the lab of Andrew Simmonds at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, investigating peroxisome-independent roles of Pex proteins in regulating lipid metabolism.