Successful Course Research Articles

How to Begin a Successful Study Abroad Course

As employers seek to build a comprehensive work environment and prioritize not only subject matter discipline knowledge and its relevant application, they also desire to hire students with a wider breath of skills. These skills include considerable “soft- or people-skills”, now being referred to as “career- or world-readiness skills. Employers certainly value and assess a students’ knowledge base, but in addition successful employers want employees to demonstrate the ability to “apply relevant information to assist others in solving challenges and being more productive”. Study abroad experiences provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop these skills. In preparation for a study abroad course just as with any course, the instructors must apply critical curriculum design components to this experience if it is to be meaningful. Careful attention must be paid to the expected learning outcomes using Bloom's Taxonomy verbs and background design to select content, preparation needed, relevant assignments/activities and assessments. It is also critical to establish trusted on-the-ground collaborators to ensure the experiences can be planned and executed in a well -organized and intentionally educational manner.

Association between current of injury and intraoperative R wave amplitude fluctuation immediately after active fixation pacing lead implantation

Abstract Background Active fixation lead stability and pacing threshold adequacy are predictable from assessment of current of injury (COI) prevalence. However, time courses of R wave amplitude value immediately after implantation varies despite of COI prevalence. Objective This study aims to clarify whether intraoperative R wave amplitude fluctuation is associated with COI, and the adequacy assessment is possible. Methods Consecutive recipients of active fixation lead implanted to right ventricular (RV) septum from April to November 2023 were enrolled. R wave amplitude values automatically measured by programmer were continuously recorded from immediately after implantation to generator connection. The final R wave amplitude value greater than 4 mV was determined as implantation success. The successful implantation time courses of R wave amplitude value classified into following three types (Figure 1): (1) the Dipper type; R wave amplitude transiently decreases to the bottom value and then increases, (2) the Riser type; R wave amplitude shows a upward trend (no decline) for the first 5 minutes after active fixation, and (3) the other type. The primary outcome was prevalence of favorable amplitude increase defined as the final R wave amplitude value exceeding that of immediately after the active fixation. Results Among 106 of RV lead implantations in 78 consecutive pacemaker recipients, 73 successful implantation records were evaluated (5 missing data and 28 unsuccess implantations). According to the continuous R wave amplitude records, 51 and 19 successful implantation time courses could be classified into the Dipper and Riser types, respectively. In the Dipper type, the median screw-in to bottom time (SBT) was 5 (interquartile range: 5–12) minutes, and then R wave amplitude improved to mean of 1.7 ± 0.6 times higher than the bottom value. The electrogram (EGM) immediately after active fixation showed R wave < COI pattern, and gradually changed to R wave > COI pattern by the withdrawal of COI over time. Among them, 26 implantations showed favorable amplitude increases and significantly shorter SBT than the remaining implantations (6 ± 4 minutes vs. 10 ± 5 minutes, P=0.03). The ROC analysis showed the predictive cut-off value of SBT for favorable amplitude increase was 6 minutes (AUC:0.73, sensitivity:0.81, specificity:0.60). In the Riser type, acceptable R wave amplitude and R wave > COI pattern EGM were consistently recorded, and finally obtained the favorable amplitude increase in all implantations. Conclusion More than 95% of R wave amplitude fluctuation patterns immediately after successful lead implantation could be classified as the Dipper or Riser types. The mechanism might be associated with a competition among R wave amplitude and COI magnitude, and the prediction of favorable R wave amplitude increase might be possible by the EGM patterns obtained immediately after active lead fixation and the subsequent 5–6 minutes of observation.Success implantation time coursesClinical implication

Identification of Early Risk Factors for Mortality in Pediatric Veno-Arterial Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation: The Patient Matters.

Pediatric Veno-Arterial Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA ECMO) is a life saving technology associated with high mortality. A successful VA ECMO course requires attention to multiple aspects of patient care, including ECMO and patient parameters. Early, potentially modifiable, risk factors associated with patient mortality should be analyzed and adjusted for when assessing VA ECMO risk profiles. Retrospective single center experience of pediatric patients requiring VA ECMO from January 2021 to October 2023. Laboratory and ECMO flow parameters were extracted from the patients record and analyzed. Risk factors were analyzed using a Cox proportion hazard regression. There were 45 patients studied. Overall survival was 51%. Upon uncorrected analysis there were no significant differences between the patients who survived and those who died. Utilizing a Cox proportion hazard regression, platelet count, fibrinogen level and creatine level were significant risk factors within the first twenty-four hours of a patient's ECMO course. Although we did not find a significant difference among ECMO flow parameters in this study, this work highlights that granular ECMO flow data can be incorporated to risk analysis profiles and potential modeling in pediatric VA ECMO. This study demonstrated, that when controlling for ECMO flow parameters, kidney dysfunction and clotting regulation remain key risk factors for pediatric VA ECMO mortality.

Enhancing trauma care in Ukraine amid conflict: A successful implementation of the modified advanced trauma life support course in an active war zone.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine's healthcare system suffered extensive damage, with over 1000 medical facilities destroyed, exacerbating the trauma care crisis. The absence of standardized trauma training left Ukrainian healthcare providers ill-equipped to manage the surge in trauma cases amid conflict. To bridge this gap, we implemented advanced trauma life support (ATLS) courses in Ukraine amid active warfare, aiming to enhance trauma care expertise among healthcare professionals. A consortium, including the International Medical Corps, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and others, responded to a request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. The ATLS curriculum, translated into Ukrainian, guided the training, with US-based instructors sent to Ukraine for teaching. Despite logistical challenges, such as missile attacks and curfews, the courses ran in multiple Ukrainian cities over 3months. Course effectiveness was evaluated through pre- and post-course knowledge tests, self-efficacy surveys, and satisfaction assessments. Ten ATLS courses trained 213 Ukrainian healthcare providers across five deployments. Significant improvements in knowledge scores (p<0.05) and enhanced self-reported confidence in trauma management were observed. Notably, no casualties were reported among instructors or students, highlighting program safety despite security challenges. Our study demonstrates successful ATLS course implementation in an active war zone, filling a critical gap in trauma education in Ukraine. Despite challenges, the program significantly enhanced participants' trauma care knowledge and confidence. Collaboration between international and local partners was pivotal. This model can serve as a valuable framework for trauma education globally, improving outcomes in conflict zones and resource-limited settings.

Pediatric Intraocular Foreign Bodies

Pediatric posterior segment intraocular foreign bodies (IOFB) are clinical conditions that can lead to serious complications in children and should be carefully managed. Children are more vulnerable to ocular trauma due to their carelessness and lack of awareness of the dangers of certain objects. Such injuries are an important cause of childhood vision loss and can lead to various complications such as mechanical damage, chemical reactions and infections in the delicate tissues of the eye due to trauma. In this review, the diagnosis, imaging, treatment and follow-up of IOFB cases in pediatric patients are discussed. Studies have shown that early diagnosis and appropriate treatment strategies improve visual prognosis. In our study, it was emphasized that the timing of surgery in such cases should be determined on a case-specific basis. In addition, complications such as retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and endophthalmitis were emphasized. In conclusion, pediatric posterior segment IOFBs have unique clinical features depending on the type of injury and the composition of the IOFB. Early intervention and protection of the fellow eye are essential for a successful treatment course. Although the overall visual prognosis is favorable, management and monitoring of complications is of paramount importance.

Latent space bias mitigation for predicting at-risk students

Researchers have observed the relationship between educational achievements and students' demographic characteristics in physical classroom-based learning. In the context of online education, recent studies were conducted to explore the leading factors of successful online courses. These studies also investigated how demographic features impact student achievement in the online learning environment. This motivates the use of demographic information alongside other features to predict students' academic performance. Since demographic features include protected attributes, such as gender and age, evaluating predictive models must go beyond minimizing the overall error. In this work, we analyze and investigate the use of neural networks to predict underperforming students in online courses. However, our goal is not only to enhance the accuracy but also to evaluate the fairness of the predictive models, a problem concerning the application of machine learning in education. This paper starts by analyzing the available solutions to fairness in predictive models: bias mitigation with pre-processing and in-processing methods. We show that the current evaluation is missing the case of partial awareness of protected features, which is the case when the model is aware of bias on some protected attributes but not all. The in-processing method, specifically the adversarial bias mitigation, shows that debiasing in some protected features exacerbates the bias on other protected features. This observation motivates our proposal of an alternative approach to enhance bias mitigation even in the partial awareness scenario by working with latent space. We implement the proposed solution using denoising autoencoders. The quantitative analysis used three distributions from The Open University Learning Analytics dataset (OULAD). The obtained results show that the latent space-based method offers the best solution as it maintains accuracy while mitigating the bias of the prediction models. These results indicate that in the case of partial awareness, the latent space method is considered superior to the adversarial bias mitigation approach.

Successful management of a combined penile and urethral fracture.

This case highlights a rare occurrence of combined penile fracture and urethral injury in a 35-year-old male, emphasizing the critical need for accurate diagnosis and precise surgical intervention in such cases. After a mishap during sexual intercourse, the patient faced intense penile pain, swelling, and urethrorrhagia. Advanced diagnostic methods, particularly MRI, confirmed a disruption in the tunica albuginea within the left corpora cavernosa. The patient underwent emergent surgical repair, addressing both urethral and corpora cavernosa injuries, leading to a successful postoperative course. This case report underscores the paramount importance of comprehending and effectively managing complex urological traumas. Timely and appropriate surgical intervention is crucial for ensuring optimal patient recovery and well-being in instances of combined penile and urethral injuries.

Case Report: Treatment of Transplanted Renal Artery Anastomotic Pseudoaneurysm With Parallel Stent Grafting.

A 53 year old woman needed surgical management of an anastomotic pseudoaneurysm after renal transplant. Contrast enhanced computed tomography demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm arising off of the right external iliac artery. Considering the risk of potentially sacrificing her renal transplant, we elected to perform endovascular repair with parallel stent grafting. The operation was successful and postoperative course uneventful illustrating that this approach may be beneficial in similar circumstances.

Chicken Immunization followed by RNA Extraction and cDNA Synthesis for Antibody Library Preparation.

Effective isolation of specific antibodies from immunological repertoires requires the generation of a diverse library against a specific antigen of interest, as well as efficient selection procedures, such as bio-panning and phage ELISA. Key to this is the generation of a good immune response in the host, followed by preparation of high-quality RNA and cDNA from which a library can be constructed by the amplification and cloning of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain genes. The first step in the construction of such an "immune library" is a successful course of immunization. Detection of a strong serum antibody titer will theoretically then result in a pool of extracted RNA that is enriched for transcripts of genes encoding the antibody of interest. Chicken antibodies have been widely used for research and diagnostic purposes, largely because of both their cross-reactivity to epitopes shared by humans, mice, primates, and other mammals, and their simple characteristics, with chickens featuring single functional copies of V H /J H and V λ /J λ gene pairs. In chickens, antibodies against an antigen of interest can be detected in the serum as soon as 5-7 d after immunization. Once the antibody titer reaches an appropriate level in the serum, the spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and bone marrow are then harvested, and antibody libraries can be prepared from extracted RNA. Here, we describe a protocol for chicken immunization with an antigen of interest, followed by RNA extraction from the relevant tissues and cDNA synthesis, which users can use for antibody library construction.

Psychotherapy dose, clinical outcome, and academic withdrawal at university counseling centers.

Academic withdrawal from colleges and universities is a common occurrence, particularly among students with mental health concerns. Receiving a successful course of psychotherapy may reduce students' risk of academic withdrawal, but outcomes in university counseling centers (UCCs) could be hindered by strategies used to meet high service demands with limited resources, such as offering a low number or frequency of sessions. The present study examined associations among psychotherapy dose, clinical outcome, and academic withdrawal among students (N = 16,197) in short-term individual psychotherapy at 85 UCCs in the United States. Structural equation modeling results indicated that after controlling for baseline psychological distress, the number of psychotherapy sessions attended positively predicted, and the average number of days between sessions negatively predicted, clients' self-reported reductions in psychological distress. In turn, after controlling for pretreatment characteristics associated with academic withdrawal (prior psychiatric hospitalization, gender, academic distress) reductions in psychological distress negatively predicted therapists' report of clients voluntarily withdrawing from their academic institution during psychotherapy. This indicates that students who receive higher psychotherapy doses within a short-term context (i.e., 10 or fewer sessions) are less distressed by the end of treatment, which then predicts a lower likelihood of academic withdrawal during psychotherapy. UCC leadership and clinicians might enhance clinical and academic outcomes by providing flexibility in the number and frequency of psychotherapy sessions available to students. However, centers may need additional resources from their academic institutions to provide this flexibility. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Databases for STEM success: lessons learned

The ability to work with data to extract valuable information is a useful skill set, especially in STEM disciplines that produce large amounts of scientific data. This paper reports on the pedagogy and experience of incorporating fundamental database concepts into a STEM Success course, which included a hands-on project. Students worked in groups to design a database for existing tabular data available on the Web and then derived the data to populate the database using SQL queries. This paper reflects on the experience both from a pedagogical perspective as well as a student perspective, including qualitative code analysis of student feedback and survey results regarding attitudes of confidence using, interest in, and usefulness of databases.

PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF AGE CRISES IN CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

The article examines age crises that manifest themselves in children’s mental development. The study showed that one of the criteria for the successful course of the crisis and cognitive development, in general, is the ratio of negative and constructive symptoms. Correlation analysis also revealed some relationships between the psychological characteristics of the crisis and indicators of readiness to learn. The research showed that the obtained data are not unambiguous. Greater expression of adult behaviour corresponds to higher levels of visual linear thinking (p &lt; 0.01) and visual-motor coordination, the ability to move correctly (p &lt; 0.05). Argument is also positively related to imaginative thinking (p &lt; 0.05). The higher the child’s cognitive motivation and ability to concentrate, the more general questions and new topics he has in communication (p &lt;0.05). These contradictions show that constructive, neutral symptoms and an active form of negativism (argument) with a high level of motivation and intellectual preparation serve the normal course of the crisis. Passive forms of negativist behavioural reactions, on the contrary, are more common in children with a low level of speech development.

EFL Teachers’ Voices in Differentiated Instruction

Abstract: All children in Indonesia have an equal right to education at their level, and the curriculum acknowledges the diversity of Indonesian classrooms. Teachers must consequently incorporate this into the design of their lesson plans. In order to give students alternative possibilities for obtaining information, differentiated instruction involves rearranging classroom instruction and learning methodologies. Teachers may be familiar with the idea of varied education, but they frequently struggle to incorporate difference in terms of content, method, and output in their classrooms. In the framework of differentiated education, this thesis investigates the points of view and experiences of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. The purpose of this study is to hear these teachers' voices as they discuss the opportunities and difficulties that varied education methodologies in various classroom contexts bring. The study highlights the perspectives of EFL teachers on how differentiated instruction should be implemented. The results show how different educational approaches, assessment methods, and classroom management strategies are used by teachers to meet the various learning demands of their students. The study reveals the struggles and obstacles faced by EFL teachers as they attempt to strike a balance between the demands of a standard curriculum and the particular needs of each of their students. It also underlines how important professional development is in giving teachers the abilities and information required for successfully implementing differentiated instruction. The study's conclusion emphasizes the importance of administrative policies, administrative support systems, and teamwork in determining the overall success of courses for differentiated instruction. Keywords: differentiated instruction, challenges, EFL Classroom, Professional Development.

A real-life pediatric experience of Crohn's disease exclusion diet at disease onset and in refractory patients.

We aimed to appraise the real-life efficacy of Crohn's disease exclusion diet (CDED) coupled with partial enteral nutrition (PEN) in inducing clinical and biochemical remission at disease onset and in patients with loss of response to biologics and immunomodulators. We retrospectively gathered data of patients aged less than 18 years of age with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD), who received CDED coupled with PEN at a tertiary level pediatric inflammatory bowel disease center. Sixty-six patients were identified. Forty (60.6%) started CDED plus PEN at disease onset and 26 (39.4%) received CDED with PEN as add-on therapy. Forty-six (69.7%) patients achieved clinical remission (weighted Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index < 12.5) at the end of phase 1, 44 (66.7%) normalized c-reactive protein levels (<0.5 mg/dL) and 18 (27.2%) patients normalized calprotectin levels (<150 µg/g). Nine of 19 (47.3%) of patients with clinically severe disease (defined by Physician Global Assessment) achieved clinical remission at the end of phase I. Patients with extraintestinal manifestations had statistically lower clinical response rates to the dietary regimen (p = 0.018). Among patients who received CDED + PEN as add-on treatment, a previous successful course of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition was associated with statistically higher clinical remission rates at Week 8 (p = 0.026). Clinical response at Week 4 was an independent predictor of clinical remission and fecal calprotectin normalization at Week 8 (p = 0.002). CDED with PEN confirmed its efficacy in a real-life setting, proving to be effective also in refractory patients and those with severe disease. Early clinical response predicts clinical remission at the end of phase 1.

Changes in the Lipid Asset of HIV/HCV Patients after a Successful Course of Direct-Acting Antivirals.

Background: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) for HIV infection and Direct-Acting Antivirals (DAA) for HCV infection currently represent the main treatment options for HIV/HCV co-infected patients. However, HAART has been associated with increased lipids. This study aimed to evaluate lipid profile changes after the DAA cycle in HIV/HCV co-infected patients undergoing HAART/DAA therapy. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, observational study among HIV/HCV co-infected patients undergoing HAART/DAA treatment was conducted at the Infectious Diseases Unit of the University Hospital of Salerno. Inclusion criteria were age > 18 years, written informed consent, completion of the DAA cycle, and virologic suppression on HAART. Changes in the lipid profile were analyzed from baseline during and after DAA therapy at 12, 24, and 48 weeks after the sustained virologic response (SVR). A t-test was used to compare continuous variables. An analysis of variance was performed for each antiretroviral drug and genotype. Results: Fifty-four HIV/HCV patients (men/women n. 34/20 [68/32%], median age 56 years), all naïve to HCV therapy, were enrolled. HCV infection was caused by genotype 1 in 55% of cases and by genotype 3 in 29%. An increase in total cholesterol was recorded after the DAA treatment (from 165.03 ± 46.5 to 184.7 ± 44.9 mg/dL, p < 0.0001), after 12, 24, and 48 weeks, and in LDL-C at 24 weeks follow-up (at baseline 86.7 ± 34 mg/dL to 103.4 ± 41.38 mg/dL, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Changes in the lipid profile after combined DAA/HAART treatment represent an important prognostic index. Further evaluation of cardiovascular-associated risk is necessary to implement appropriate prevention strategies.

ФИНАНСОВАЯ ГРАМОТНОСТЬ И ДЕНЕЖНАЯ КУЛЬТУРА

The article discusses approaches to the problem of modeling successful courses in economic disci-plines that form not only a financially literate, but also a monetary and cultural individual

Neurorehabilitation in a Pediatric Stroke Patient Supported on a CentriMag.

Patients supported on ventricular assist devices (VADs) benefit from rehabilitation while awaiting heart transplantation to recover from surgery, prevent deconditioning, and, in most cases, optimize transplant candidacy. With bleeding and neurological dysfunction as the most common VAD complications, the importance of rehabilitation dramatically increases when a patient on a VAD also suffers from a neurological injury. The rehabilitation needs for cardiac conditioning and neurological reeducation are not the same. Patients with severe neurological deficits require intense rehabilitation that often includes base-of-support challenges, usage of bolsters and balls, partial weight-bearing treadmill training, and assumption of various body positions in prone, kneeling, or quadruped for neuromotor reeducation. However, some devices are more conducive to rehabilitation than others. For children supported by the CentriMag in particular, rehabilitation is challenged by short cannula tubing, an external motor, a large interface, and an intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We report a safe and successful physical therapy course of a pediatric stroke patient with a diagnosis of Ebstein's anomaly supported by a CentriMag right VAD (RVAD) while awaiting heart transplant in the ICU.

A Report of a Rare Case of Bi-Rooted Bimaxillary Deciduous Canines

AbstractPrimary teeth have considerably fewer anomalies than permanent teeth. Rarely does a primary canine have two roots. This kind of strange abnormality could cause issues with exfoliation or extraction. The significance of anomalies must be emphasized to make a proper diagnosis and ensure a successful course of therapy. As far as we are aware, Dakshina Kannada district has never previously reported a maxillary deciduous canine with two roots. The objective of this case study was to raise awareness of the potential morphological changes in deciduous canines and to emphasize the implications of precise diagnosis and radiographic imaging from various viewpoints. To allow a better treatment outcome and prevent unintended problems, clinicians should take into account all potential tooth abnormalities or anomalies, following a periodic intraoral and radiographic evaluations.

A Road Map for Planning Course Transformation Using Learning Objectives.

The Vision and Change report called for biology educators to transform undergraduate biology education. The report recommended educators transparently state what students should know and be able to do and create assessments to measure student learning. Using backward design, learning objectives (LOs) can serve as the basis for course transformation. In this essay, we present a roadmap for planning successful course transformations synthesized from the literature.We identified three categories of critical features for successful course transformation. First, establishing a sense of urgency and offering faculty incentives to engage in this time-consuming work creates a needed climate for change. Second, departments are empowered in this process by including key stakeholders, building faculty teams to work collaboratively to identify LOs used to drive pedagogical change, develop assessment strategies, and engage in professional development efforts to support the process. Third, there must be intentional effort to manage resistance and ensure academic freedom and creativity in the classroom. General recommendations as well as areas for further research are discussed.

Is It Possible for Patients with Early Distal Junctional Kyphosis following Adult Cervical Deformity Corrective Surgery to Achieve Similar Outcomes to Their Unaffected Counterparts? An Analysis of Recovery Kinetics.

Background: Distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) is a concerning complication for surgeons performing cervical deformity (CD) surgery. Patients sustaining such complications may demonstrate worse recovery profiles compared to their unaffected peers. Methods: DJK was defined as a >10° change in kyphosis between LIV and LIV-2, and a >10° index angle. CD patients were grouped according to the development of DJK by 3M vs. no DJK development. Means comparison tests and regression analyses used to analyze differences between groups and arelevant associations. Results: A total of 113 patients were included (17 DJK, 96 non-DJK). DJK patients were more sagittally malaligned preop, and underwent more osteotomies and combined approaches. Postop, DJK patients experienced more dysphagia (17.7% vs. 4.2%; p = 0.034). DJK patients remained more malaligned in cSVA through the 2-year follow-up. DJK patients exhibited worse patient-reported outcomes from 3M to 1Y, but these differences subsided when following patients through to 2Y; they also exhibited worse NDI (65.3 vs. 35.3) and EQ5D (0.68 vs. 0.79) scores at 1Y (both p < 0.05), but these differences had subsided by 2Y. Conclusions: Despite patients exhibiting similar preoperative health-related quality of life metrics, patients who developed early DJK exhibited worse postoperative neck disability following the development of their DJK. These differences subsided by the 2-year follow-up, highlighting the prolonged but eventually successful course of many DJK patients after CD surgery.