Preliminary Exam Research Articles

Adapting to emergent paradigm shifts: A calibration study among graduating dental students using the new classification of periodontal diseases

IntroductionThe World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases and Conditions introduced the 2018 Classification. Formulating periodontal diagnosis differs from clinician to clinician and depends on the expertise and competence of the clinician. We aimed to assess calibration levels of periodontal diagnosis based on the 2018 classification among senior-year dental interns at Batterjee Medical College in Saudi Arabia preparing for practice and subsequent graduation. Materials and MethodsIn this preapproved study, 52 senior-year dental students received a two-hour presentation on the 2018 classification by a single teacher, followed by a preliminary exam. One week later, the students were subjected to 12 study cases demonstrating a variety of periodontal and peri-implant disorders with gold standard management, followed by a post-test. Case scenarios with photographs, knowledge cognition, knowledge recall, and case scenarios were the four areas of both exams. Kappa statistics were computed to determine agreement. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. ResultsThe total examination score was 12.69 ± 2.74 and 15.12 ± 2.99 (p = 0.001) for the pre- and post-tests, respectively. Furthermore, the difficulty factor and discrimination index increased by 12 % (p = 0.007) and 7 % (p = 0.244), respectively. Finally, the kappa statistic showed moderate agreement at 0.427 (p = 0.002). ConclusionInter-rater agreement with the gold standard increased after training, and this improvement was fairly successful in providing graduating dental students with diagnostic abilities simultaneously with the emergence of a new classification system. A calibration procedure based on a simple feedback approach provided beneficial outcomes.

Authentic or artificial intelligence? Faculty’s perspectives on the ChatGPT’s impact on U.S. urban planning Ph.D. programs

This commentary article explores the impact of ChatGPT on Urban Planning Ph.D. programs within universities in the United States. Our survey reveals a high awareness of Artificial Intelligence tools (e.g. ChatGPT) among faculty yet highlights a cautious approach to integrating ChatGPT into curricula and preliminary exam settings. While some educators recognize ChatGPT’s potential to enhance research efficiency and language proficiency, especially for international students, concerns about academic integrity and the over-reliance on AI are prevalent. The commentary underscores the need for a balanced approach, advocating for ChatGPT’s use as a supplementary tool while maintaining critical thinking in doctoral preliminary exams.

Learning or legitimacy? An investigation of the graduate student milestones within a chemistry doctoral program

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is defined as the highest achievable degree and represents the completion of a specialized mentored project. Concerningly, graduate programs are structured in ways that can lead to inequities that exclude graduate students based on race, class, gender, ability, and additional intersecting social locations. Drawing from Yuval-Davis' framework on the politics of belonging and Porter et al.'s institutional critique methodology, the goal of the qualitative study was to examine how a chemistry graduate program fosters the professional development of its students through the graduate student milestones (admissions, preliminary exams, coursework, candidacy exam, seminar, and dissertation defense). The data comprised of documents such as the 2019 graduate student handbook and information from the departmental website, along with interviews involving faculty (N = 5), staff (N = 3), and administrators (N = 2) who served as policy agents. Findings highlight how misalignment within the admissions, preliminary exam, and candidacy milestones can create boundaries for belonging. In contrast, the seminar milestone had alignment that contributed to belonging while the coursework and dissertation defense milestones had ambiguous alignment that contributed to belonging. After gathering and analyzing the data, I collaborated with a team at the university's Department of Chemistry to revise the preliminary exam and candidacy exam milestones, aiming to enhance their inclusivity. Overall, this study offers implications for structuring chemistry graduate programs and STEM programs broadly.

Impacto del Grammaring en el desarrollo de la Competencia Comunicativa Intercultural en el Programa de Idioma Inglés del COAR-Ucayali

The process of acquiring English language proficiency by non-native individuals requires the application of effective teaching methods. In this study, the impact of grammar instruction on the development of intercultural communication skills in students of Coar Ucayali was evaluated. Through a quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental design with application orientation and explanatory level, data were obtained from a non-random selection of 25 students in the experimental group, who participated in correction and feedback sessions for grammatical errors, in contrast to another 25 students in the control group who did not receive this instruction. The B1 Preliminary (Pet For School) exam from the University of Cambridge was used to measure intercultural communication skills. The results indicate that there are important differences between the experimental group and the control group, which suggests that the focus on grammar contributes to the improvement of Intercultural Communicative Competence.

The Issue of Readability in the Chilean EFL Textbook

At the end of high school in Chile, it is expected that students achieve a B1 English language proficiency level. In the present article, we measure the level of readability of the texts used in the new EFL Chilean textbook and compare it with the readability level of the texts used in the Cambridge B1 preliminary exam to check its appropriacy. The results reveal that, even though the classic readability indices show a similar level of difficulty in the texts, the index RDL2, which is specific for second language learning, shows that there is a statistically significant difference. This finding indicates that the texts in the Chilean EFL textbook are more difficult to read than the ones students are supposed to read. Implications at a local and international level are then shared.

GLAMS: Graduate Learning Assistants in Mathematical Sciences

In the fall of 2020, our department at George Mason University integrated graduate learning assistants (GLAs) into our graduate core courses. GLAs are funded graduate students who assist instructors during class, facilitate active learning preliminary exam problem-solving sessions, hold extra office hours, and serve as peer mentors for beginning graduate students. The GLAMS program was designed to support beginning graduate students as they prepared for their preliminary exams. We describe the program and provide details about how it was implemented. We include preliminary student feedback as well as faculty and GLA reflections. To conclude, we outline our plans for programmatic changes moving forward.

Making a Difference: Blue Nevus versus Melanoma

The blue nevus is an uncommon lesion that may appear worrisome due to its similar appearance to the sinister melanosarcoma. The blue nevus is a subset of dendritic melanocytic proliferations that is commonly believed to be remnant embryonal neural crest cells that failed to migrate from the dermis. This is a case of a 58-year-old male who presented with a bluish lump on his right third finger for 6 months complaining of dull ache, swelling and decreased range of motion (ROM). The impression of the lesion was of a blue nevus, a benign tumour that required investigation and follow up due to concern for a melanoma. His pain and decreased ROM can be attributed to repeated use due to his trade and were later deemed as a red herring presentation. Although histopathology continues to be the gold standard in the diagnosis and classification of melanocytic nevi lesions, ultrasound imaging can be considered as a quick tool to characterise and quantify such lesions as a preliminary exam to rule out more concerning features of melanomas.

Effects of Sedation with Medetomidine and Dexmedetomidine on Doppler Measurements of Ovarian Artery Blood Flow in Bitches.

Simple SummaryAlpha-2 agonists have widely been used in dogs as sedative and preanesthetic agents. These drugs have successfully been used in many different reproductive surgical procedures in dogs, including ovariectomy (OV) and ovariohysterectomy (OVH). The main problem associated with the alpha-2 agonists’ use is their dose-dependent cardiovascular effects and the changes induced on organ perfusion. Nowadays, the use of Doppler ultrasonography is the most commonly used method to assess physiological and pathological organ perfusion in veterinary medicine as it is a noninvasive technique. In bitches, Doppler ultrasonography has shown its usefulness to assess placental, ovarian and uterine blood flow during normal and abnormal pregnancy. We compared the ovarian artery flow velocity by duplex Doppler ultrasound before and after sedation with two commonly used alpha-2 agonists: medetomidine and dexmedetomidine. The results showed that the administration of medetomidine or dexmedetomidine induced an important decrease in blood flow velocities in the ovarian artery. Hence, their use could be indicated in surgeries to avoid excessive bleeding of the ovarian pedicle.The aim was to evaluate if medetomidine and dexmedetomidine affected arterial ovarian blood flow in dogs. The dogs were randomly assigned to two different groups. In Group 1, medetomidine (10 µg/kg) was administered intramuscularly and, in Group 2, dexmedetomidine (5 µg/kg) was used. After a preliminary exam, arterial blood pressure (BP) was measured and a duplex Doppler ultrasonographic examination of both ovarian arteries was performed. Twenty minutes after the administration of medetomidine or dexmedetomidine, BP and ovarian Doppler ultrasonography were repeated. High quality tracings of ovarian artery flow velocity were obtained in all dogs and Doppler parameters: Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV), End Diastolic Velocity (EDV) and Resistive Index (RI) were measured before and after drug administration in the left (LO) and right (RO) ovaries. PSV and EDV values decreased significantly after drug administration (p < 0.05) compared to the non-sedated values, but no differences were found between the LO and RO (p > 0.05). The RI was not affected by drugs administration in neither of the groups studied (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the administration of medetomidine or dexmedetomidine causes a decrease in blood flow velocity in the ovarian artery and may be a good choice to avoid excessive bleeding prior surgeries in which ovariectomy.

Dvojno izjemni učenci: glasbeno talentirani učenci s posebnimi potrebami / Twice-exceptional students: musically gifted special needs students

The article focuses on twice-exceptional students; that is, to those students who, on the one hand, face either obstacles or deficiencies or disorders and are mostly referred to as students with special needs, and on the other hand are musically gifted. In order to get a slightly clearer insight into the music education of twice-exceptional students, some foreign and domestic studies are presented, focusing on different groups of musically gifted students who are also special needs students. Furthermore are summarized the basic findings of case studies from Slovenian music schools, conducted as part of a doctoral research. These show how basic music education is experienced by teachers, parents and students who have successfully showed musical talent by passing the preliminary exam, and at the same time have a variety of special needs.

The Influence of U.S. Legal Education on South Korean Legal Education

우리 법학교육은 전통적으로 일본과 독일의 영향을 많이 받았다. 1990년대 법학교육 개혁이 사회적 관심사가 되면서 법학교육에서 미국의 영향력이 급속히 커졌다. 2009년 3월 미국로스쿨을 모방한 법학전문대학원 제도를 도입할 즈음 미국 법학교육이 우리나라에 미친 영향력은 최고에 달하였다. 이 글은 미국의 법학교육이 우리 법학교육에 미친 영향을 법학전문대 학원 도입 이전, 도입 즈음, 그리고 도입 10년 후인 현재로 구분하여 검토한 후 마지막으로 향후 전망을 논하고 있다. 미국식 로스쿨을 지향하는 법학전문대학원의 근간은 앞으로도 상당기간 유지될 것으로 전망된다. 그동안 법학전문대학원을 운영하면서 적지 않은 문제가 드러났지만, 그렇다고 폐기해야 할 정도로 현행 제도에 결함이 있는 것은 아니다. 과거 제도에 대한 향수를 가지고 있는 사람도 많지만, 법학전문대학원의 틀이 고착되어 과거로 회귀하기에는 너무 멀리 왔다. 법학전문대학원 제도의 개선 논의는 앞으로도 계속 될 것이다. 주시해야 할 것은 예비시험제와 변호사자격 취득 후 실무연수 강화방안이다. 두 가지 모두 법학전문대학원 제도의 근간을 흔드는 것이어서 실현될 가능성은 크지 않다. 법학교육이 변호사시험에 예속된 상황에서 미국 법학교육이 한국에 미치는 영향은 아주 제한적이다. 새로운 법적 분쟁에 관한 미국 판례 및 학계 반응을 비교법적으로 검토하는 정도에 그칠 가능성이 크다. 교육방법 역시 당분간 지금의 틀을 그대로 유지할 것으로 전망된다. 변호사시험의 방법이 바뀌지 않는 한 교육방법은 바뀌기 어렵다. 미국 로스쿨의 법학교육방법중 소크라테스 방식이 우리나라에서 인기를 끌 가능성은 거의 없다. 리걸클리닉 교육에 대한 관심은 여전히 있겠지만, 변호사시험에 대한 부담감이 사라지지 않는 한 크게 활성화될 가능성은 없다.South Korean legal education was traditionally affected by those of Japan and Germany. As legal education reform became a social issue from the 1990s, the influence of U.S. legal education model has increased rapidly. The influence of the U.S. model reached its peak when the U.S.-influenced law school was instituted in March 2009. In this article, the influence of U.S. legal education model to Korean legal education system will be reviewed in three stages―before the adoption of U.S. legal education model, around the adoption, 10 years after the adoption―and the forecast of Korean legal education will be discussed. The foundation of the law school aiming for the American law school seems to be maintained for a long time. Not a few problems have come out during the operation of the law school, but it is not a big defect to shut down the current system. There are many people who have nostalgia for the past, but the law school framework has been stuck and it has been too far to return to the past. The discussion on improving the law school system will be continued. What should be considered important is a preliminary exam and a plan to strengthen the practical training after attaining a lawyer’s qualification. It is not likely to be realized because both of them will shake the basis of the law school system. The claim that the legal education of the law school should be liberated from the bar exam is strong, but it is not likely to happen. Because the traditional thinking of examining capability through the exam is dominating the Korean legal profession, the bar exam is likely to take the form of assessing legal knowledge in the future. In conclusion, the impact of U.S. legal education on Korea is very limited in the situation where legal education is subject to the bar exam. It is likely that the U.S. case and academic response to the new legal dispute will only be comparatively scrutinized. The education method is also expected to maintain the current framework for the time being. Unless the way of the bar exam changes, the education method is difficult to change. It is very unlikely that the Socratic method of American law school will become popular in Korea. Although there is still interest in legal clinic education, there is no possibility that it will be greatly activated unless the burden of the bar exam is gone.

Assessing the Impact of Reflective Activities in Digital and Analog Electronics Courses

Contribution: This paper demonstrates positive outcomes from reflection-on-action by engineering students, including meaningful insights on their performance, professional and academic practices, and design knowledge as well as promising preliminary exam results. Background: Literature from the engineering education community underlines the benefits of reflection-based upon theories, such as Experiential Learning Theory, and calls for additional use of reflection in engineering education and associated scholarly work. Intended Outcomes: The authors intended for students to obtain meaningful academic and professional insights with implications for their future performance and to perform better on subsequent related exams via reflection. Application Design: Post-quiz and post-design reflective exercises were implemented in two electrical and computer engineering courses, Microelectronic Circuits and Advanced Digital Design, to drive student analysis of differences between their designs or calculations and the “standard solution” using simulation software and question prompts. Reflection-on-action was chosen to enhance students’ post-activity understanding and insight, as ultimate learning requires reflection whereby students identify errors and strategies for improvement. Findings: Results demonstrated the value of reflection-on-action using post-activity comparisons and simulation. The students’ reflective content and interviews demonstrated substantial professional and academic insights from and appreciation for reflection. On the Microelectronics final exam, a medium effect was associated with the reflection, and for the Digital Design exam, the effect was small to medium. Differences in depth levels of the students’ reflections associated with the two types of problems (quiz questions versus design) were evident, suggesting problem type may impact depth.

A Deep Learning Architecture for Temporal Sleep Stage Classification Using Multivariate and Multimodal Time Series.

Sleep stage classification constitutes an important preliminary exam in the diagnosis of sleep disorders. It is traditionally performed by a sleep expert who assigns to each 30 s of the signal of a sleep stage, based on the visual inspection of signals such as electroencephalograms (EEGs), electrooculograms (EOGs), electrocardiograms, and electromyograms (EMGs). We introduce here the first deep learning approach for sleep stage classification that learns end-to-end without computing spectrograms or extracting handcrafted features, that exploits all multivariate and multimodal polysomnography (PSG) signals (EEG, EMG, and EOG), and that can exploit the temporal context of each 30-s window of data. For each modality, the first layer learns linear spatial filters that exploit the array of sensors to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, and the last layer feeds the learnt representation to a softmax classifier. Our model is compared to alternative automatic approaches based on convolutional networks or decisions trees. Results obtained on 61 publicly available PSG records with up to 20 EEG channels demonstrate that our network architecture yields the state-of-the-art performance. Our study reveals a number of insights on the spatiotemporal distribution of the signal of interest: a good tradeoff for optimal classification performance measured with balanced accuracy is to use 6 EEG with 2 EOG (left and right) and 3 EMG chin channels. Also exploiting 1 min of data before and after each data segment offers the strongest improvement when a limited number of channels are available. As sleep experts, our system exploits the multivariate and multimodal nature of PSG signals in order to deliver the state-of-the-art classification performance with a small computational cost.

The reliability and predictive validity of a sixth-semester OSPE in conservative dentistry regarding performance on the state examination.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the testing format of an OSPE (Objective Structured Practical Examination) in conservative dentistry (sixth semester) predicts the scores on the practical section of the state examination (11th semester) in the same subject. Taking general student profiles into consideration (score on the school-leaving exam [Abitur], score on the preliminary exam in dental medicine [Physikum], length of university study, cohorts, and sex), we also investigated if any correlations or differences exist in regard to the total and partial scores on the OSPE and the corresponding state examination.Methods: Within the scope of this longitudinal retrospective study, exam-specific data spanning 11 semesters for dental students (N=223) in Frankfurt am Main were collected and analyzed. Statistical analysis was carried out by calculating Spearman rank correlations, partial correlations, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regressions (SPSS Statistics 21, IBM Corporation, New York).Results: The results show that the OSPE (Cronbach’s α=.87) correlates with level of success on the practical section of the state exam in conservative dentistry (p=.01, r=.17). Length of university study also emerged to correlate significantly with the state exam score (p=.001, r=.23). Together, these two variables contribute significantly to predicting the state exam score (p=.001, R2=.076). This was seen extensively among female students. It was also discovered that these female students had higher school-leaving exam scores than male students (F=6.09, p=.01, η2=.027), and that a significant correlation between scores on the Physikum (preliminary exam in dental medicine) and OSPE scores existed only for male students (r=.17, p=.01).Conclusion: This study was able to demonstrate the predictive effect of a clinical OSPE regarding scores achieved on the state exam. Taking the limitations of this study into account, we are able to recommend using the OSPE testing format in the sixth semester during the clinical phase of dental study.

Building a Better Prelims

During the fall of 2015, the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Area at North Carolina State University entirely revised the preliminary exam for Ph.D. candidacy to match human factors pedagogical goals and the real-world needs of the students. Emphasis in the new preliminary exam is on transparency, objectivity, and productivity, particularly the re-use of materials. The new exam assesses depth and breadth of knowledge, requires demonstration of research and teaching skills, and is preparation for work in either academia or industry. The following paper details the process and products relating to the new “portfolio” preliminary exam.

A Study on the Reform of Law School System and the Introduction of the Preliminary Exam. for the Bar-Exam.

A Study on the Reform of Law School System and the Introduction of the Preliminary Exam. for the Bar-Exam.

Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination II: Curating the interstellar dust collector, picokeystones, and sources of impact tracks

AbstractWe discuss the inherent difficulties that arise during “ground truth” characterization of the Stardust interstellar dust collector. The challenge of identifying contemporary interstellar dust impact tracks in aerogel is described within the context of background spacecraft secondaries and possible interplanetary dust particles and β‐meteoroids. In addition, the extraction of microscopic dust embedded in aerogel is technically challenging. Specifically, we provide a detailed description of the sample preparation techniques developed to address the unique goals and restrictions of the Interstellar Preliminary Exam. These sample preparation requirements and the scarcity of candidate interstellar impact tracks exacerbate the difficulties. We also illustrate the role of initial optical imaging with critically important examples, and summarize the overall processing of the collection to date.

Motion artifact on computed tomography scan suggesting an unstable 3-column spine injury: case report of a "near miss" root cause of unneeded surgery

BackgroundPolytrauma patients often present with altered mental status, thus making clinical examination challenging. Due to its reliability for detecting traumatic injuries to the spine, computed tomography (CT) is generally the imaging study of choice when the mechanism of injury and/or preliminary exam suggests spinal injury. However, motion artifact may lead to false diagnoses.Case reportA 19-year-old intoxicated female involved in a high-speed motor vehicle crash suffered multiple spine, head, chest, and abdominal injuries. CT scan also suggested an unstable three column ligamentous injury at L2-3. Preparations were made for surgery the following morning, by which time her mental status had improved. She was re-examined in the operating room prior to induction by anesthesia and no focal lumbar pain or tenderness was detected. Imaging was further reviewed and motion artifact at the L2-3 level was noted. The surgery was cancelled.ConclusionMotion artifact mimicked an unstable three column ligamentous injury at the L2-3 level. Findings on CT scan should always be correlated to physical exam in order to avoid wrongful surgical intervention.

Considering a Doctorate? 10 Things You Need to Know

Considering a Doctorate? 10 Things You Need to Know

How I became a biochemist

How I became a biochemist

A Conversation with George A. Barnard

A Conversation with George A. Barnard