Number Of Correct Answers Research Articles

Development and Impact of a Cognitive Reserve Enhancement Program for Climacteric Korean Women

ABSTRACT Background In light of the rising incidence of mild cognitive impairment in women, an appropriate cognitive reserve enhancement program is urgently needed for women experiencing climacteric symptoms. Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a cognitive reserve enhancement program for climacteric women based on cognitive reserve theory (CRT) and to verify its effectiveness. Methods A nonequivalence control group, pre- and post-quasi-experimental design was used. The 58 climacteric women with subjective memory deterioration enrolled as participants were divided into the experimental group (28 women), which received a 24-session CRT-based cognitive reserve enhance program, and the control group (30 women), the members of which received the cognitive training via a mobile application after completion of the study. Valid data from 24 experimental and 26 control participants were available for analysis. Objective cognitive functions, including overall cognitive, memory, attention, and language, were measured pretest and posttest using the following tools: Everyday Cognition Scale (subjective cognitive function), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (depression), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Version (quality of life). Results The experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in overall cognitive function (t = 3.82, p = .001), memory (t = 2.63, p = .012), attention: number of correct answers (t = 2.12, p = .040), language high-frequency response speed (Z = −2.49, p = .013), and language low-frequency response speed (Z = −2.77, p = .006) in objective cognitive function after 8 weeks in comparison to the control group. Conclusions/Implications for Practice The intervention program tested in this study to enhance cognitive reserve in climacteric women includes cognitive training, emotional and social support, and group physical activity components was found to be effective in enhancing cognitive function.

Специфика усвоения диалоговых навыков дошкольниками с расстройствами аутистического спектра

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives. </strong>The variability of disorders in the formation of dialog skills of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) does not always depend on the level of intellectual development. In issues of speech development, it is important to take into account both the specifics of understanding the reversed speech at the level of interrogative statements, and the aspects of structuring and semantics of the answer proposed by the child with ASD himself. In order to study the specifics of mastering the basic conversational skills by children with ASD who have unimpaired intellect, a special pilot study was designed and conducted.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods. </strong>The peculiarities of understanding questions of various purposes and structures by students of the age of 5—7 years (group 1 — 51 children) with unimpaired intellect and ability of verbal communication were studied. Children of group 1 and preschoolers of group 2 of younger age (from 3 years 10 months to 5 years 2 months, a total of 28 participants) were presented with 48 questions, hierarchically organized based on ontogenetic patterns associated with the formation of cognitive concepts, which are accessible to a typically developing child by a certain age. The results obtained in both groups were compared.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results. </strong>Only 2.3% of the proposed 3,708 questions remained unanswered, and the number of correct (adequate) answers, depending on age, tended to increase (for example, preschoolers with ASD of 4 years gave 68% correct answers, preschoolers of 5 years — 73%). The study shows that, in terms of nature and specifics of dialog skills, students with ASD 5-7 years old have no significant differences from the typically developing preschoolers of a younger age group: the number and quality of correct answers from children with ASD at the age of 6 years is comparable with the number of correct answers from typically developing preschoolers of 4 years old.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions. </strong>In the process of forming dialog skills in the structure of developmental education for children with ASD, the teacher should rely solely on the traditional spontaneous question-and-answer method, they should also consider the semantics and pragmatics of the proposed lexical material. The data obtained will be useful for special education teachers in selecting the content for speech development, taking into account the individual typological characteristics of children with ASD.</p>

Impacts of endogenous opioid blockade and sex on working memory among ad-libitum and abstinent smokers and non-smokers

BackgroundResearch examining the effects of opioid receptor antagonists on working memory is limited by small sample sizes that are often comprised of only male participants. Moreover, they have yielded mixed findings, and no studies have examined such effects in the context of chronic nicotine use and temporary nicotine withdrawal. MethodsMale and female participants completed two lab visits at which they were administered either 50 mg naltrexone or an identical placebo (one at each lab using double-blind, counterbalanced administration). After a medication absorption period, performance on a mental arithmetic (working memory) task was assessed by number of correct responses, errors, and number of attempts. Participants were either non-smokers or regular smokers who were randomly assigned to use nicotine ad-libitum or to abstain from nicotine for 24 h prior to both lab visits. ResultsThe results indicate a significant main effect of opioid blockade on number of correct answers and accuracy rate during the mental arithmetic task, with poorer performance after opioid blockade compared to placebo. In addition, compared to male participants, female participants made fewer answer attempts, had fewer correct answers, and a lower accuracy rate. We did not find evidence of any differences based on smoking group (non-smoker, smoking abstinence, or ad-libitum smoking), nor were there any significant interaction effects. ConclusionsThe findings suggest a modulating role of the endogenous opioid system in working memory function. Further investigation is needed to help identify the underlying mechanisms explaining the effects of the endogenous opioid system on working memory.

Hemodynamics of the Frontopolar and Dorsolateral Pre-Frontal Cortex in People with Multiple Sclerosis During Walking, Cognitive Subtraction, and Cognitive-Motor Dual-Task

Introduction Higher cortical activity has been observed in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) during walking and dual-tasking. However, further studies in overground walking and considering pre-frontal cortex (PFC) sub-areas are necessary. Objectives To investigate PFC activity during a cognitive-motor dual-task (DT) and its single component tasks, in combination with behavioral outcomes in pwMS. Methods Fifteen pwMS (EDSS 3.5 [2-5.5], 42 ± 11 years) and 16 healthy controls (HC, 45.2 ± 13.2 years) performed 3 conditions: single motor-walking (SWT), single cognitive – subtracting sevens (SCT), and a DT. Meters walked and the number of correct answers were obtained from which, respectively, the motor (mDTC) and cognitive (cDTC) DT costs were calculated. A functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy covering the frontopolar and dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) areas was used to concentration of relative oxyhemoglobin (ΔHbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (ΔHHb) in the PFC. A repeated 2-way ANOVA (group × conditions) was used to compare ΔHbO2/ΔHHb and behavioral outcomes. Results PwMS walked shorter distances (P < .002) and answered fewer correct numbers (P < .03) than HC in all conditions, while cDTC and mDTC were similar between groups. PwMS presented higher ΔHbO2 in the frontopolar area than HC in the SWT (P < .001). HC increased ΔHbO2 in frontopolar during the SCT (P < .029) and DT (P < .037) compared with the SWT. Conclusion Higher frontopolar activity in pwMS compared to HC in the SWT suggests reduced gait automaticity. Furthermore, it seems that only HC increased neural activity in the frontopolar in the SCT and DT, which might suggest a limit of cognitive resources to respond to DT in pwMS.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Associated with the Selection of Sweetened Ultra-Processed Foods and Their Importance in Oral Health.

Reading nutritional labelling helps consumers select healthier food, thereby benefitting their oral health. The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of parents and carers of children and preteens, associated with reading nutritional labelling, selecting sweetened ultra-processed foods, and their impact on oral health. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which a validated questionnaire was administered to 298 parents and caregivers of children aged 1-12 years from different districts in Villavicencio, Colombia. Participants' scores, based on the number of correct answers, were used to classify their level of KAP as low, medium, or high. In addition, the frequency of responses, the KAP levels, and the median scores were analysed. Finally, associations were determined using the chi-square test. Most participants reached a medium level in terms of knowledge (41.6%) and attitudes (49.3%) and a low level in terms of practices (43.3%). An association was found between participants' level of KAPs and their socioeconomic and educational level (p < 0.05). The study findings reveal inadequate KAPs associated with nutritional labelling, adequate food selection, and the importance of oral health.

Basal knowledge in the field of pediatric nephrology and its enhancement following specific training of ChatGPT-4 "omni" and Gemini 1.5 Flash.

We aimed to evaluate the baseline performance and improvement of ChatGPT-4 "omni" (ChatGPT-4o) and Gemini 1.5 Flash (Gemini 1.5) in answering multiple-choice questions related to pediatric nephrology after specific training. Using questions from the "Educational Review" articles published by Pediatric Nephrology between January 2014 and April 2024, the models were tested both before and after specific training with Portable Data Format (PDF) and text (TXT) file formats of the Educational Review articles removing the last page containing the correct answers using a Python script. The number of correct answers was recorded. Before training, ChatGPT-4o correctly answered 75.2% of the 1395 questions, outperforming Gemini 1.5, which answered 64.9% correctly (p < 0.001). After training with PDF files, ChatGPT-4o's accuracy increased to 77.8%, while Gemini 1.5 improved significantly to 84.7% (p < 0.001). Training with TXT files showed similar results, with ChatGPT-4o maintaining 77.8% accuracy and Gemini 1.5 further improving to 87.6% (p < 0.001). The study highlights that while ChatGPT-4o has strong baseline performance, specific training does not significantly enhance its accuracy. Conversely, Gemini 1.5, despite its lower initial performance, shows substantial improvement with training, particularly with TXT files. These findings suggest Gemini 1.5's superior ability to store and retrieve information, making it potentially more effective in clinical applications, albeit with a dependency on additional data for optimal performance.

Maximizing Participation in Olfactory Training in a Sample with Post-COVID-19 Olfactory Loss.

This study aims to highlight the feasibility of an olfactory training program entirely monitored through online media in COVID-19 patients. Classic olfactory training was performed with a sample with olfactory loss due COVID-19 (n = 11). Participants were engaged on a weekly video call in order to improve adherence and collect information regarding the number of correct answers and the individuals' perception of olfactory function. The olfactory status after training was compared to two groups, one composed of participants who contracted COVID-19 but did not report olfactory loss (n = 11) and a sample composed of healthy participants (n = 11). The experimental group showed improvements throughout the training period (TDI score on week 0 was 20.3 (5.6) and 24.6 (4.3) for week 12, and on week 24 was 25.4 (6.2) (F = 5.115, df = 2, 20, p = 0.016), and post hoc tests showed that participants significantly improved their TDI score in W12 compared to W0 (SMD = 0.869, p = 0.041) and in W24 compared to W0 (SMD = 0.859, p = 0.041). The experimental group showed lower scores when compared with both groups, and the no OT COVID-19 group showed lower scores than the healthy control group, even though they did not report olfactory alterations. Findings suggest that the strategies applied to improve adherence were successful since 100% of the sample completed the training adherence, offering a valuable framework for future olfactory training studies.

Health insurance literacy among patients receiving outpatient cancer treatment.

This study examines patients' understanding of health insurance terms and concepts and quantifies health insurance literacy (HIL) levels by key sociodemographic factors. This study included 393 adult patients with cancer (>18 years old) receiving treatment in two ambulatory infusion centers: Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona and the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Respondents' perceptions of their HIL were assessed using the Health Insurance Literacy Measure (HILM), a validated 21-item measure of a consumer's ability to select and use health insurance (HIL self-efficacy). Respondents' knowledge of health insurance concepts (HIL knowledge) was measured using 10 items created by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The number of correct answers was categorized into three levels: 0-4 (low knowledge), 5-6 (moderate knowledge), and 7-10 (high knowledge). Multivariable logistic regressions were used to compare correct answers to HIL knowledge questions by HIL self-efficacy. Nearly three-quarters of patients had high HIL self-efficacy and high HIL knowledge (70.5%), understanding basic insurance terms, such as premiums and deductibles. Relatively low percentages of patients correctly answered questions about the meaning of provider networks, health insurance formularies, and calculating out-of-pocket spending in scenarios when insurers pay a portion of allowed charges. Lower HIL knowledge was more common among patients with less educational attainment (<college: 15.2%; ≥college: 4.7%), lower household income (<$4999: 11.8%; ≥$5000: 6.1%), and low HIL self-efficacy scores (low: 24.8%; high: 5.2) (all p values <.05). Efforts to improve HIL and navigation of health insurance plan features are required, especially for socioeconomically vulnerable patients.

Assessment of knowledge and nutritional status of students before and after nutritional education.

There are many educational and health programs implemented on a smaller or larger scale in Poland. Many of them address the problem of overweight and obesity in different age groups. Each such activity is considered valuable and important, since the problem of excessive body fat is growing and, in addition, poses a health risk due to the development of other diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of nutrition education implemented over a 7-week period and to assess the nutritional status of 32 students aged 20-21 from Wroclaw. The study group of students participated in a Human Nutrition course that included 30 hours of lectures and 30 hours of exercises. In the study group, the level of knowledge was assessed twice (before and after education) using a questionnaire with 13 closed questions, and body composition analysis was performed twice (before and after education) using an InBody270 analyser. The study group showed a statistically significant increase in the number of correct answers on the nutrition knowledge questionnaire after the nutrition education (average 9.7 points vs. 11.4 points; p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were noted in the studied anthropometric parameters performed before and after nutrition education. The knowledge gained during nutrition education allowed the surveyed students to give more correct answers in the questionnaire after the Human Nutrition course. The nutritional status of the surveyed students did not change statistically significantly, but two students achieved a weight reduction of 1.5-2 kg during the study period.

Practical training using BEWE aimed at improving the diagnosis ability of erosive tooth wear for dental students-A randomized trial.

Erosive tooth wear (ETW) has been gaining attention due to its high prevalence. However, ETW clinical diagnosis is difficult and may go unnoticed by many professionals. The present study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a theoretical-practical training using active methodologies in the development of undergraduate students' skills for the diagnosis of ETW compared to the traditional teaching method. This randomized controlled study involved two parallel groups: control group (n = 22), with learning based only on theoretical content and test group (n = 24), learning by theoretical-practical activity mediated by monitors/tutors. The theoretical class covered the current concepts of ETW, aetiology, diagnosis, use of the BEWE index, prevention and treatment. The practical training included exercises and discussions based on the diagnosis using BEWE scores of a collection of images and extracted teeth. To evaluate the efficacy of the teaching-learning methods, a theoretical multiple-choice questionnaire and a practical test using images and extracted teeth were applied. The outcome was the number of correct answers. Groups were compared by Mann-Whitney (theoretical knowledge) and T tests (practical ability in diagnosis) (p < .05). There was no significant difference between groups in the theoretical evaluation (p = .866). The test group showed higher ability to diagnose ETW lesions compared to the control group in the practical tests (p = .001). The performance of ETW diagnosis was similar when images were used in comparison to extracted teeth (p = .570). The practical activity associated with theoretical classes can be a promising strategy to improve the development of undergraduate students' skills in the diagnosis of ETW.

Development and Validation of a Knowledge Checklist of Cognitive Therapy for Nurses(KCCTN)

This study aimed to develop a Knowledge Checklist of Cognitive Therapy for Nurses (KCCTN) to assess theeffectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy-based training. Sixteen items were collected from the provisional KCCTN; four response choices were created for each item with one correct response. The reliability and validity study results showed that Cronbach’s alpha was 0.63. The intra-class correlation was calculated using the data on the number of correct answers before and after the training of nursing college students, and the reliability was confirmed at r=0.65 (p&lt;0.01). The uncorrelatedness of KCCTN and KBPAC helped establish discriminatory validity. Two-way analysis of variance with the dependent variable being the KCCTN score of the intervention group (nurses, N=30) and control group (nursing students, N=76) implementing cognitive-behavioral therapy, and pre-and post-intervention factors were calculated for hospital nurses. The results showed a significant interaction with a significant improvement in the intervention group.

The Effect of Understand-Answer Strategy Instruction on Reading Comprehension of Students with Ld

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of the Understand-Answer Strategy on the reading comprehension skills of students with learning disabilities. The research was carried out on students with a diagnosis of learning disability studying in secondary schools in Pendik, Istanbul, affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. The selected students are between the ages of 12 and 13, with two girls and one boy. The research was carried out with a single-subject design, a "Multiple probe design between subjects". The dependent variable of the study is the number of correct answers given to the reading comprehension questions in a written reading comprehension text. The independent variable of the research is the Understand-Answer Strategy. The experimental process consisted of the stages of determining the starting level, teaching the Understand-Answer Strategy, end-of-teaching evaluation, monitoring, and generalization. At the end of the study, the opinions of the students and their families were also considered. The Understand-Answer Strategy consist of activating prior knowledge, discussing the strategy, being a model, guiding practices and independent practices. At the end of the research, the opinions of students and their families were examined as social validity data. In all evaluation conditions, students were asked to read a narrative text and then answer eight reading comprehension questions. The scoring of the data was determined by the correct answers given by the students to the questions. The research findings have shown that the Understand-Answer Strategy is effective in improving the reading comprehension skills of students with learning difficulties. Furthermore, students who learned this strategy were able to provide correct answers to reading comprehension questions 1, 3, and 5 weeks after the end of the application, and it was observed that students who learned the strategy with different participants generalized their reading comprehension performance. According to the social validity findings, students and their families expressed positive views about the Understand-Answer Strategy.

Evaluation of the Usability of a Serious Game in Virtual Reality with a Focus on the Perception and Experience of Health Professionals for Motor Rehabilitation in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a nonprogressive neuropathological condition that requires lifelong neurocognitive-motor rehabilitation. Evidences indicate that the use of new technologies to assist in rehabilitation processes, such as serious games in virtual reality (VR), have served as adjuncts to therapy and capable of promoting engagement, motivation, and motor activation for these patients. Objective: To investigate the usability of a serious game in VR to help with the stability and balance of the head and trunk of children with CP, focusing on the perception and experience of health professionals. Methods: The collection was carried out with health professionals, and the results were comprehensively evaluated through viability by means of the total score, number of correct answers, number of errors, and level of difficulty during the execution of the game, which were collected from the performance report generated by the application. System satisfaction was also verified by the System Usability Scale (SUS). Results: The mean obtained from the total score of the SUS was 82.10 ± 12.66 points, being considered of high usability for the suggested purpose. The professionals' opinion about the usability of the system did not change due to the performance during the game. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the developed rehabilitation program has successfully delivered the experience to exercise the head control and trunk balance of subjects with CP.

The Impact of Praise on Cooperative Behavior in Three-Player Public Goods Games and Its Gender Differences.

Previous research has primarily focused on static factors influencing cooperative behavior in social dilemmas, with less attention given to dynamic factors within group social interactions, such as positive feedback received during interactions, i.e., praise. This study, through a between-subjects online experiment with a single-factor, two-level design (praise: public praise/no praise), investigates the impact of praise on cooperative behavior changes across two rounds of a three-player public goods problem. Results revealed the following: (1) A positive correlation between individuals' contributions across two rounds and a negative correlation with the number of correct answers in rule comprehension questions were evident; for men, a correlation between rule comprehension and first-round contributions was observed. (2) Multilevel model results showed that praise, role, and rule comprehension significantly positively affected contribution changes across two rounds; gender did not significantly affect contribution changes. Specifically, under public-praise conditions, contribution changes were greater. Publicly praised individuals showed positive or negative behavior changes, while those not praised in the same group showed positive changes. Men contributed significantly more in the first round than women, with no gender difference found in contribution changes. Rule comprehension positively predicted contribution changes, indicating that more correct answers led to greater positive changes in contributions. These results not only support the inferential social learning perspective, suggesting that through praise, individuals can infer external world perceptions and self-evaluations, affecting both the praised (positively or negatively) and positively influencing non-praised individuals in the same group, but also provide a theoretical basis and intervention strategies for team and organizational management in groups.

GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS RESIDENTS' KNOWLEDGE OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION IN SPECIAL SITUATIONS

Objective: To assess the knowledge of gynecology and obstetrics residents about hormonal contraception in special situations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guide Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use. Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, in which a questionnaire was administered to resident doctors in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia Foundation in Pará, who were divided according to their year of residency (R1, R2 and R3). Data was collected in a virtual environment using a questionnaire on the Google forms platform. Results: All 57 (100%) of the medical residents participated in the survey, 50 (87.7%) of whom were female, aged between 18 and 29 (61.4%), in their first or second year of residency (35.0% each year). As for the percentage of correct answers per year of residency, it was clear that the first year had the highest rates of correct answers for all contraceptive methods (7.0%), and when analyzing which residents had corrected at least one method in isolation, the second year had the highest number of correct answers (28.0%), although there was no statistical difference in relation to the year of residency and the number of correct answers. When assessing the overall number of correct answers, it was found that the residents were at least aware of some of the main contraceptive methods. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that residents' objective and perceived levels of knowledge regarding the prescription of contraceptives in special situations were insufficient. Thus, the results show the need for medical training when prescribing these drugs.

Evaluation of the Pedagogical Impact of "Traum'Cast" Podcast: A Pilot Study Based on Metacognition.

With the evolution of educational tools, the French Military medical service has created a podcast program, Traum'Cast, about the principles of war medicine, accessible online for free. Our objective was to measure the learning effect of the Traum'Cast program's first episode. A non-randomized pilot trial between July and December 2021 included 80 health care providers: 40 in the video podcast group compared to 40 in a group reading a pdf file providing the same information. Using a 10 MCQs, we evaluated knowledge acquisition before, just after, and 2 weeks after the intervention. It was measured using metacognition tools based on confidence marking (number of correct answers, score weighted by certainty level, and realism). Knowledge acquisition was better in the podcast group than in the pdf file group immediately after the intervention (correct answers: 9.0 [9.0-10.0] vs 9.0 [7.8-9.0], P = 0.015; weighted score: 177.0 [159.0-198.0] vs 160.0 [129.5-176.5], P = 0.020). This difference was persistent 2 weeks after (weighted score: 127.5 [101.8-145.2] vs 105.5 [74.2-128.5], P = 0.023). This podcast is an innovative teaching tool which has proven to strengthen the knowledge of the principles of war medicine.

P1034 The Egyptian ICRID-IBDQ: A novel IBD knowledge questionnaire from development and validation to comparison of different patient education modalities

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic debilitating diseases whose proper management depends on patients’ good knowledge. It is the role of the physician to ensure good knowledge by tailoring appropriate methods of patient education. Methods This study included 105 patients with established diagnosis of IBD presenting to the Integrated Clinical and Research Center for Intestinal Disorders (ICRID) unit, Department of Endemic hepato-gastroenterology and infectious diseases, Faculty of medicine-Kasr Al Ainy Hospital, Cairo university. It included 2 phases: The first was cross-sectional analytical where the Egyptian “ICRID-IBDQ” questionnaire assessing the IBD patients’ knowledge was developed, validated, and used within the study population. This questionnaire comprised questions about the nature of the disease, lifestyle, diet, treatment modalities along with its effect on pregnancy and fertility; and the knowledge level was estimated by the number of correct answers considering scores above 75% as “Good”, 50-75% as “Fair”, and below 50% “Poor”. The second phase was comparative interventional where the patients were randomly allocated to 3 different educational methods: Direct education by physician, by infographic videos, and both combined, with the utility of the three in patient education compared using the ICRID-IBQ. Results The estimated patient knowledge of IBD is 26.3%, corresponding to “Poor”. The factors significantly associated with better knowledge on multivariate analysis are higher level of education (college or more) (p value &amp;lt;0.001, OR 8.7), female gender (p value 0.002, OR 4.9) and positive family history (p value 0.042, OR 7.7). All fields had “poor” knowledge, and the field with the most defective knowledge was surgery. All patients receiving education improved, total percentage of improvement measured from 26.3% to 78.9% (p value &amp;lt;0.001). There was no statistical difference between the 3 educational groups: Direct education by physician, infographic video or both combined (p value 0.09). Conclusion The importance of patient education has to be seriously addressed and tailored educational programs using combined methods have to be implemented by healthcare facilities to improve IBD patients’ quality of treatment and of life. Infographic videos are valuable tools which may aid in improving knowledge by patient education.

Assessment of preparedness and proficiency in basic and advanced life support among nursing professionals: a cross-sectional study.

Cardiac diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide, including sudden cardiac arrest in particular. Nursing professionals are often the first to encounter these scenarios in various settings. Adequate preparation and competent knowledge among nurses significantly impact survival rates positively. To describe the state of knowledge about Basic and Advanced Life Support guidelines among Ecuadorian nursing professionals. A nationwide, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2023 among Ecuadorian nursing professionals. Participants were invited through official social media groups such as WhatsApp and Facebook. The study utilized a self-administered online questionnaire to evaluate theoretical knowledge of Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS). Knowledge scores were assigned based on the number of correct answers on the tests. T-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to examine relationships between knowledge scores and demographic and academic training variables. A total of 217 nursing professionals participated in the study. The majority of the participants were female (77.4%) and held a university degree (79.9%). Among them, only 44.7% claimed to have obtained a BLS training certificate at least once, and 19.4% had ALS certification. The overall BLS knowledge score (4.8/10 ± 1.8 points) was higher than the ALS score (4.3/10 ± 1.8 points). Participants who had obtained BLS certification and those who used evidence-based summaries as a source of extracurricular training achieved higher BLS and ALS knowledge scores. Ecuadorian nursing professionals in this study exhibited a significant deficiency in theoretical knowledge of BLS and ALS. Formal training and preparation positively impact life support knowledge. Support and inclusion of Ecuadorian nurses in training and academic preparation programs beginning at the undergraduate level are essential for promoting life support knowledge and improving outcomes.

Phase Transition in Ant Colony Optimization

Ant colony optimization (ACO) is a stochastic optimization algorithm inspired by the foraging behavior of ants. We investigate a simplified computational model of ACO, wherein ants sequentially engage in binary decision-making tasks, leaving pheromone trails contingent upon their choices. The quantity of pheromone left is the number of correct answers. We scrutinize the impact of a salient parameter in the ACO algorithm, specifically, the exponent α, which governs the pheromone levels in the stochastic choice function. In the absence of pheromone evaporation, the system is accurately modeled as a multivariate nonlinear Pólya urn, undergoing phase transition as α varies. The probability of selecting the correct answer for each question asymptotically approaches the stable fixed point of the nonlinear Pólya urn. The system exhibits dual stable fixed points for α≥αc and a singular stable fixed point for α&lt;αc where αc is the critical value. When pheromone evaporates over a time scale τ, the phase transition does not occur and leads to a bimodal stationary distribution of probabilities for α≥αc and a monomodal distribution for α&lt;αc.

The effect of the attitude towards risk/ambiguity on examination grades: cross-sectional study in a Portuguese medical school

Given the high prevalence of multiple-choice examinations with formula scoring in medical training, several studies have tried to identify other factors in addition to the degree of knowledge of students which influence their response patterns. This study aims to measure the effect of students’ attitude towards risk and ambiguity on their number of correct, wrong, and blank answers. In October 2018, 233 3rd year medical students from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, in Porto, Portugal, completed a questionnaire which assessed the student’s attitudes towards risk and ambiguity, and aversion to ambiguity in medicine. Simple and multiple regression models and the respective regression coefficients were used to measure the association between the students’ attitudes, and their answers in two examinations that they had taken in June 2018. Having an intermediate level of ambiguity aversion in medicine (as opposed to a very high or low level) was associated with a significant increase in the number of correct answers and decrease in the number of blank answers in the first examination. In the second examination, high levels of ambiguity aversion in medicine were associated with a decrease in the number of wrong answers. Attitude towards risk, tolerance for ambiguity, and gender did not show significant association with the number of correct, wrong, and blank answers for either examination. Students’ ambiguity aversion in medicine is correlated with their performance in multiple-choice examinations with negative marking. Therefore, it is suggested the planning and implementation of counselling sessions with medical students regarding the possible impact of ambiguity aversion on their performance in multiple-choice questions with negative marking.