Traditional Letter Research Articles

The Transition from Letter Grading to Modified Pass-Fail Grading at a College of Veterinary Medicine: A Narrative Inquiry of Student Experiences.

Compared with traditional letter grading, pass/fail grading is an assessment approach that can alter the educational environment and enhance student wellbeing without compromising education quality. Little is known about the experiences of students during the transition from traditional grading to pass/fail grading. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an abrupt move to modified pass-fail (MPF) grading at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU-CVM), followed by a decision to permanently adopt MPF grading for the entire core pre-clinical doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) curriculum. This study employed a narrative inquiry of surveys and interviews to facilitate deep understanding of student perspectives during the transition to MPF grading. Focus was placed on understanding what this transition meant for DVM students in terms of life and learning quality. Our analysis identified seven key themes that captured student experiences, which were generally positive, during this transition: education culture, student perceptions of instructor impact, shift from extrinsic to intrinsic valuation of curricular content, competitiveness for external merit-based opportunities, use of letter grading and MPF in a single semester, student recommendations, and wellbeing. Through exploration of these themes and presentation of concerns identified in students' stories, this study provides guidance for other programs considering revision of their own assessment frameworks.

Severe adverse reactions caused by Kampo formulas from the viewpoint of cases relieved by the Adverse Drug Reaction Relief System in 2021

Traditional & Kampo MedicineEarly View LETTER TO THE EDITOR Severe adverse reactions caused by Kampo formulas from the viewpoint of cases relieved by the Adverse Drug Reaction Relief System in 2021 Kazuo Yamada, Corresponding Author Kazuo Yamada [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0001-9219-6108 Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan Correspondence Kazuo Yamada, Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 1-15-1 Fukumuro, Miyagino-ku, Sendai 983-8536, Japan. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorKensuke Usui, Kensuke Usui Division of Clinical Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEiji Suzuki, Eiji Suzuki Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, JapanSearch for more papers by this author Kazuo Yamada, Corresponding Author Kazuo Yamada [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0001-9219-6108 Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan Correspondence Kazuo Yamada, Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 1-15-1 Fukumuro, Miyagino-ku, Sendai 983-8536, Japan. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorKensuke Usui, Kensuke Usui Division of Clinical Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEiji Suzuki, Eiji Suzuki Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, JapanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/tkm2.1378Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. REFERENCES 1Tsukiyama K, Tasaka Y, Nakajima M, Hino J, Nakahama C, Okimoto N, et al. A case of pneumonitis due to sho-saiko-to. Nihon Kyobu Shikkan Gakkai Zasshi. 1989; 27: 1556– 61. 2Ohtsu K, Matsui T, Nishimura T, Hirai F, Ikeda K, Iwashita A, et al. Association between mesenteric phlebosclerosis and Chinese herbal medicine intake. Nihon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi. 2014; 111: 61– 8. 3Arai I, Hagiwara Y, Motoo Y. Estimated incidence of adverse reactions to Kampo medicines in randomized controlled clinical trials. Tradit Kampo Med. 2018; 5: 106– 12. 4Arai I, Harada Y, Koda H, Tsutani K, Motoo Y. Estimated incidence per population of adverse drug reactions to Kampo medicines from the Japanese adverse drug event report database (JADER). Tradit Kampo Med. 2020; 7: 3– 16. 5 Pmda.go.jp [homepage on the internet]. Tokyo: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). Available from: https://www.pmda.go.jp/relief-services/adr-sufferers/0011.html. 6 Pmda.go.jp [homepage on the internet]. Tokyo: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). Available from: https://www.pmda.go.jp/files/000246325.pdf 7Shimada Y. Adverse effects of kampo medicines. Intern Med. 2022; 61: 29– 35. https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.6292-20 Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue ReferencesRelatedInformation

An Analysis of the COVID-19-Induced Flexible Grading Policy at a Public University.

To help students cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions offered students flexible grading policies that blended traditional letter grades with alternative grading options such as the pass-fail or credit-no credit options. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the flexible grading policy at a medium-sized university in the USA. We studied the differential selection of flexible grading options by course characteristics and students' sociodemographics and academic profiles between Spring 2020 and Spring 2021. We also examined the impacts of the policy on sequential courses. Our analysis utilized administrative and transcript data for undergraduate students at the study institution and employed a combination of descriptive statistics and regression models. The analysis revealed that the flexible grading policy was utilized differently depending on course characteristics, with core courses and subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and economics having higher rates of usage. Additionally, sociodemographic and academic profile factors led to varying degrees of utilization, with males, urban students, freshmen, and non-STEM majors using the policy more frequently. Furthermore, the analysis suggested that the policy may have disadvantaged some students as they struggled in subsequent courses after using the pass option. Several implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Acute appendicitis with fecaliths requiring surgery in a patient with COVID‐19 successfully treated with daiobotanpito and antibiotics

Traditional & Kampo MedicineEarly View LETTER TO THE EDITOR Acute appendicitis with fecaliths requiring surgery in a patient with COVID-19 successfully treated with daiobotanpito and antibiotics Takeshi Utsunomiya, Corresponding Author Takeshi Utsunomiya malus_domestica929@outlook.jp orcid.org/0000-0002-7062-2783 Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsuyama, Japan Correspondence Takeshi Utsunomiya, Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan. Email: malus_domestica929@outlook.jpSearch for more papers by this authorDenichiro Yamaoka, Denichiro Yamaoka Department of Japanese Herbal Medicine, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorTakashige Asakawa, Takashige Asakawa Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEichi Ishii, Eichi Ishii Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYasutsugu Takada, Yasutsugu Takada Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this author Takeshi Utsunomiya, Corresponding Author Takeshi Utsunomiya malus_domestica929@outlook.jp orcid.org/0000-0002-7062-2783 Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsuyama, Japan Correspondence Takeshi Utsunomiya, Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan. Email: malus_domestica929@outlook.jpSearch for more papers by this authorDenichiro Yamaoka, Denichiro Yamaoka Department of Japanese Herbal Medicine, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorTakashige Asakawa, Takashige Asakawa Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEichi Ishii, Eichi Ishii Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYasutsugu Takada, Yasutsugu Takada Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/tkm2.1358Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Successful treatment of swelling caused by a mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii) bite with herbal medicine eppikajutsuto

Traditional & Kampo MedicineEarly View LETTER TO THE EDITOR Successful treatment of swelling caused by a mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii) bite with herbal medicine eppikajutsuto Takeshi Utsunomiya, Corresponding Author Takeshi Utsunomiya malus_domestica929@outlook.jp orcid.org/0000-0002-7062-2783 Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan Correspondence Takeshi Utsunomiya, Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, 7-1-40 Bekkucho, Imabari, Ehime 794-0026 Japan. Email: malus_domestica929@outlook.jpSearch for more papers by this authorDenichiro Yamaoka, Denichiro Yamaoka Department of Japanese Herbal Medicine, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYuki Mizumoto, Yuki Mizumoto Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEichi Ishii, Eichi Ishii Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYasutsugu Takada, Yasutsugu Takada Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, JapanSearch for more papers by this author Takeshi Utsunomiya, Corresponding Author Takeshi Utsunomiya malus_domestica929@outlook.jp orcid.org/0000-0002-7062-2783 Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, Japan Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan Correspondence Takeshi Utsunomiya, Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, 7-1-40 Bekkucho, Imabari, Ehime 794-0026 Japan. Email: malus_domestica929@outlook.jpSearch for more papers by this authorDenichiro Yamaoka, Denichiro Yamaoka Department of Japanese Herbal Medicine, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital, Matsuyama, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYuki Mizumoto, Yuki Mizumoto Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorEichi Ishii, Eichi Ishii Imabari City Medical Association General Hospital, Imabari, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorYasutsugu Takada, Yasutsugu Takada Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, JapanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/tkm2.1355Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Comparison of Logarithmic Reading Charts for Visual Assessment in Normally Sighted Participants.

Logarithmic reading charts provide standardized measures of reading performance. Here we show that existing charts provide equivalent assessments of visual aspects of reading that are in good agreement with traditional measures of visual acuity and seem uninfluenced by cognitive (linguistic) factors. The aims of this study were to (1) determine the equivalence of logarithmic charts of sentence and word reading, (2) evaluate the relationship between reading chart performance and more traditional measures of visual assessment, and (3) establish the influence of linguistic factors on reading chart performance. In a sample of 82 normally sighted participants, we determined performance on the reading measures (e.g., reading acuity, reading speed, critical print size) of the following logarithmic charts of sentence and word reading: The Colenbrander English Continuous Text Near Vision Card, Radner Reading Chart, Minnesota Reading Acuity Chart, and Smith-Kettlewell Reading Chart. In doing so, we compared performance on reading measures between charts and with performance on more traditional measures of visual assessment (uncrowded and crowded letter acuity, stereoacuity, accommodation) and cognitive measures of word knowledge and ability (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Vocabulary Subtest, National Adult Reading Test). Factor analysis confirmed that performance on the reading measures (reading acuity, reading speed, critical print size) was equivalent across charts. Reading test performance was also related to more traditional measures of vision, the most consistent of which were significant associations between reading acuity and acuity for single-letter optotypes. There were no significant associations between reading chart performance and cognitive measures of word knowledge and ability. The findings presented here suggest that logarithmic charts composed of sentences and words represent an alternative to traditional letter acuity testing. This is particularly the case for measures of reading acuity.

Process of informal land transaction: A case study in the peri-urban area of Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa attracts many people creating need for land. But, formal land delivery is hopelessly inefficient. As a result, many people opt for buying urban fringe land informally. The aim of this article is to understand informal land transformation process in Kolfe Keranyo, a sub city of Addis Ababa. Observation, interviews, focus group discussions and a questionnaire survey were used to obtain the empirical data. This study has also benefited from various secondary sources. As the results of the study shows, the process of informal land transformation passes through different stages. These include identifying a land for sale, negotiating on land size, bargaining on land price, demarcating the land to be sold, and finally, documenting land right transfer though traditional letter of agreement (contract of sale). Land brokers, local residents, gatekeepers, local laborers, friends/relatives and local officials serve as sources of information about availability of land for sale. Elders, leaders of traditional social institutions, community leaders, neighbors, and relatives/friends play important role in regulating informal land transformation. Informal land delivery is a response to inefficient formal land delivery. It is, thus, important to create efficient formal land delivery system to suit the requirements of all for whom it is intended and make state rules and regulations appropriate to the situations they are meant to mediate. It is also necessary to give a space for informal actors in urban management and incorporate positive innovations in policy formulation.

A Novel Method to Monitor and Alert System for A Letter Box

Letters are generally delivered by a postal service officer by dropping the letters inside the letter box hung at the entrance gate, or installed in a compound of the house. However, people often neglect or fail to remember to collect the letters from the letter box. However, there can be a high possibility of missing important applications, notices, couriers, and letters if the person fails to check the letter box on time. This traditional letter box needs a person to regularly visit the letter box to check the letter box for any new letters, couriers, or mails. It may cause a time-wasting process and leads to negligence in some situations. Thus, there is a need for efficiently and effectively monitoring a letter box system with minimum human intervention. To overcome these problems, this paper presents a novel method to monitor and alert system for a letter box using Internet of Things (IoT). This system is established to notify the user with the aid of controllers and sensors can internet with each other over the cloud and mobile applications via the internet. The user of the letter box monitoring system can remotely check the status of any new letters dropped into the letter box using cloud and mobile application. This system is portable and easily installed inside the letter box that can be hung at the entrance of the gate or compound of the house.

Verbal fluency as a measure of lexical access and cognitive control in bilingual persons with aphasia

ABSTRACT Background: Lexical access in bilinguals can be influenced by the demands that different interactional contexts pose on cognitive control processes. However, how varying cognitive control demands impact lexical access in bilingual persons with aphasia (BPWA) remains unclear. Verbal fluency tasks may provide valuable insights into the interplay between cognitive control and lexical access in BPWA by addressing word generation abilities in language contexts that exert varying degrees of cognitive control effort. Aims: The present study aimed to examine the performance of BPWA on a semantic category generation task that required word retrieval in single and dual-language contexts under varying cognitive control demands and a traditional letter fluency task conducted in single-language contexts. We also examined the associations between verbal fluency performance and (i) bilingual language history, and (ii) performance on standardized language assessments in both BPWA and healthy bilinguals. Methods and Procedures: Thirteen Spanish-English BPWA and twenty-two Spanish-English healthy bilinguals completed a language use questionnaire, verbal fluency testing and standardized language assessments in each language. The semantic category generation task included four conditions: two conditions examined word retrieval in the first-acquired (L1) and second-acquired language (L2) in single language contexts (No Switch-L1 and No Switch-L2) and two conditions elicited word retrieval in dual-language contexts (Self-Switch and Forced-Switch) with low and high cognitive control demands by allowing or restricting switching across languages. The letter fluency task was administered in single language contexts only (F, A, S for English and P, M, R for Spanish). Verbal fluency performance was compared across conditions and groups using multivariate analyses. Further, correlational analyses were used to examine associations between verbal fluency tasks and bilingual language history, language assessments, and cognitive function. Outcomes and Results: Overall, the healthy bilinguals produced a higher proportion of accurate words in both verbal fluency tasks relative to the BPWA. Results indicate that BPWA were more sensitive to the effects of increased cognitive control on lexical access relative to healthy bilinguals. BPWA and healthy bilinguals’ performance on both verbal fluency tasks was associated with metrics of bilingual language history and standardized language assessments. Additionally, for BPWA, L2 letter fluency performance was associated with cognitive function. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that verbal fluency tasks can help characterize the impact of cognitive control on lexical access in BPWA in single and mixed language contexts with important clinical implications.

Reorganizing postal collection operations in urban areas as a result of declining mail volumes – A case study in Bologna

The impact of technological developments on consumer habits and behavior is endangering the classical model of postal services. The resulting fall in postal volumes generated by the substitution of traditional letter posts by electronic forms of communication has rendered the collection of postal items highly inefficient. In this context, our work deals with a real problem concerning the reorganization of the collection system of the Italian postal service provider, based on the reduction of the number of postboxes currently located in an urban area. To tackle the problem, we propose a practical solution methodology, based on a mathematical programming model which identifies the postboxes to be closed, and we evaluate the impact of such a reorganization on management costs, in terms of postmen to be dedicated to the daily collection operations. Considering the crucial role of postboxes as main access points of users to the postal network, equity is also taken into account. Several computational experiments are conducted based on real data from the city of Bologna, in northern Italy. The resulting scenarios show the capability of the model to support the decision making process towards the redesigning of the postal collection system.

The Narrative about the History of the Shenekhen Buryats

The article is devoted to the narrative written by Bodongut Abida about the history of the emigration of the Aga Buryats to China at the beginning of the XX century, which was of an economic and ethno-protective nature. The aim of this research is to introduce into scientific circulation a new document on the history of Buryat emigration. In the Soviet historiography until now days, it was customary to keep silent about the emigration of the Buryats to China. The main attention is focused on the content of the written monument in the Old Mongolian script. The structure of the work is considered. For the first time is given the biographical information about Bodongut Abida. The data used for this research were taken from this document and the Buryat chronicles written in Old Mongolian script in XIX century. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the process of loss of the native language and the ethnic identity among the Buryats of China received significantly less development than the Buryat ethnos in Russia. The empirical material shows that the one of the most important factors in the consolidation of the ethnic group and the ethnic identity of the Shenekhen Buryats is the language, the possession of the Mongolian script, which is the traditional letter of the Mongolian peoples. Besides the sense of national pride and national self-awareness, as well as the factor of the compact settlement of the ethnos in the dominant Mongolian-speaking environment are the factors of their consolidation. In addition, the present state of the language and culture of the Shenekhen Buryats is presented, based on the expedition materials of the author of this paper.

KALMYKS, THEIR ECONOMY AND ONOMASTICS OF THE LOWER VOLGA REGION BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF TRAVEL GUIDES ON THE VOLGA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

The article presents materials on toponymy, ethnonymy and partly on the anthroponymy of the Kalmyks, presented in guides to the Volga in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. Language facts are closely related to descriptions of material culture, everyday life, religious beliefs of Kalmyks and inter-ethnic relations of Kalmyks on the Eastern border of their settlement. Descriptions of guidebooks significantly Supplement our knowledge of the culture of the Kalmyks of the second half of the XIX century with details that were not previously paid attention to, in particular, about the literacy of the Kalmyks and the spread of their bookishness in the traditional letter “todo bichig” (“Clear Script”).

A qualitative study exploring strategies to improve the inter-professional management of diabetes and periodontitis

AimsTo explore inter-professional communication and collaboration in guideline-concordant diabetes and periodontitis care. MethodsQualitative design using iterations of workshops to identify ways to improve multidisciplinary working attended by staff from medical and dental primary care practices, and people with diabetes (n=43). Workshops were semi-structured around a topic guide. Recruitment was via the UK Clinical Research Network, and a patient and public involvement group in the North of England. ResultsMedical practice participants were unaware of the bidirectional evidence linking diabetes and periodontitis and stated that they had never received a referral from a dental professional in this context. The patient participants with diabetes reported never having been informed about the links between diabetes and periodontitis from either their family physician or dentist. Medical and dental practice participants gave negative accounts of inter-professional communication, with claims of inappropriate requests and defensive or non-responses that stymied future interaction. Indirect communication through the patient was suggested as an alternative to direct communication. ConclusionsIndirect referral, whereby the patient is signposted to a healthcare professional, was suggested by medical and dental professionals as a useful alternative to the traditional (and time consuming) letter or telephone call, particularly in the case of suspected diabetes or periodontitis.

Visual processing speed as a marker of immaturity in lexical but not sublexical dyslexia

A visual attention span (VAS) deficit has been widely reported in the Developmental Dyslexia (DD) literature, however, consensus regarding what underlies this problem and the nature of its relationship with reading ability remains elusive. Thirty-two children with DD (15 females) were compared with 23 age matched (12 females) and 17 reading matched controls (9 females) on the combined Theory of Visual Attention (CombiTVA) paradigm with traditional letter and novel symbol conditions. The DD group performed more slowly than the age matched controls in terms of processing speed, but similarly to reading matched controls. Moderation analyses revealed that the difference between the DD group and age matched controls was driven by children with equivalent, or relatively poorer, lexical compared with sublexical reading profiles. Results suggest that reduced processing speed indexes reading immaturity, particularly in DD individuals with relative lexical reading deficits, rather than being a unique contributor to reading dysfunction.

Spill the load: Mixed evidence for a foveal load effect, reliable evidence for a spillover effect in eye-movement control during reading

It has been hypothesized that the processing difficulty of the fixated word (i.e., “foveal load”) modulates the amount of parafoveal preprocessing of the next word. Evidence for the hypothesis has been provided by the application of parafoveal masks within the boundary paradigm. Other studies that applied alternative means of manipulating the parafoveal preview (i.e., visual degradation) could not replicate the effect of foveal load. The present study examined the effect of foveal load by directly comparing the application of parafoveal masks (Exp. 1) with the alternative manipulation of visually degrading the parafoveal preview (Exp. 2) in adult readers. Contrary to expectation, we did not find the foveal-load interaction in the first experiment with traditional letter masks. We did, however, find the expected interaction in the second experiment with visually degraded previews. Both experiments revealed a spillover effect indicating that the processing of a word is not (always) fully completed when the reader already fixates the next word (i.e., processing “spills over” to the next word). The implications for models of eye-movement control in reading are discussed.

Should Pass/Fail Grading Be Used Instead of Traditional Letter Grades in Dental Education? Two Viewpoints: Viewpoint 1: Pass/Fail Grading Improves Learning Experiences for Students and Viewpoint 2: Traditional Letter Grading Provides Objective Evaluation for Dental Education.

Discussions about which grading system (letter grade or pass/fail) is more effective in dental education have been occurring for several decades. As more institutions continue to consider the change from the traditional five-tier letter grading system (A/B/C/D/F) to a two-tier grading system (pass/fail), this debate will likely continue. This point/counterpoint article examines arguments for and against each type of grading system, taking into consideration academic performance, learning outcomes, psychological well-being, learning environment, acceptance/performance in postgraduate educational programs, and student motivation. Viewpoint 1 supports the position that a pass/fail system improves learning experiences for dental students, whereas Viewpoint 2 argues that the traditional letter grading system provides for more objectivity and reliability in student evaluation.

What are the costs of degraded parafoveal previews during silent reading?

It has been suggested that the preview benefit effect is actually a combination of preview benefit and preview costs. Marx et al. (2015) proposed that visually degrading the parafoveal preview reduces the costs associated with traditional parafoveal letter masks used in the boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975), thus leading to a more neutral baseline. We report 2 experiments of skilled adults reading silently. In Experiment 1, we found no compelling evidence that degraded previews reduced processing costs associated with traditional letter masks. Moreover, participants were highly sensitive to detecting degraded display changes. Experiment 2 used the boundary detection paradigm (Slattery, Angele, & Rayner, 2011) to explore whether participants were capable of detecting actual letter changes or if they were responding purely to changes in degradation. Half of the participants were instructed to respond to any noticed display changes; the other half were instructed to respond only to changes in letter identities. Participants were highly sensitive to degraded changes. In fact, these changes were so apparent that they reduced the sensitivity to letter masks. In the context of the model proposed by Angele, Slattery, and Rayner (2016), we suggest that degraded previews interfere with the attentional stage, as evidenced by the general lack of foveal load effects. In summary, we found that increasingly degrading parafoveal letter masks does not reduce their processing costs in adults, but that both degraded valid and invalid previews introduce additional costs in terms of greater display change awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record

수출보험사기 방지를 위한 우리나라 수출신용보증제도 개선방안 - O/A 매입방식을 중심으로

This study explores how to prevent the fraudulent export financing and its subsequent export insurance fraud in relation to O/A negotiation. Under the traditional letter of credit(L/C) transactions, the banks, as a negotiation bank, can extend trade financing to the exporters through negotiation of draft and/or shipping documents. Under the O/A transaction scheme, however, bank cannot ascertain existence of trade performance and it is much riskier to extend an advance financing to the exporters before the buyer sends confirmation of debt. In O/A negotiation. some exporters tried to fraud banks by falsifying the shipping documents and the size and gravity of this fraudulent export financing were huge. Therefore, this study examines the banking process in O/A-based trade financing, documents examination process, the negotiation of instruments, treatment of trade financing in export credit guarantee, most importantly, explores what could be the criteria for appropriate treatment of account receivable to insure the safe transfer of account receivable. To maximize the benefit for optimum trade financing, the Bank of Korea established several Trade Finance Rules (refers to “BOK Rules”) requiring that commercial banks should maintain optimal credit limits(so called, ‘the principle of optimal loan’) to extend the trade finance. The K-sure post-shipment credit guarantee programs and short-term export insurance program( E FF)can also facilitate ‘the principle of optimal loan’ principle.

Уводни и завршни поздрави у имејловима на српском језику

In this paper we consider opening greetings and complementary closes (farewells) in emails written in Serbian language that make relatively independent communication entities with the most general purpose of initiating and concluding a correspondence as the form of phatic language function and in the same time with metalinguistic discourse function of indicating the beginning and the end. We examine their structure and lexical, semantic and pragmatic properties, and also stress the occurrence of new characteristics or tendencies in their use caused by this new medium of communication, i.e. email, as compared to traditional letter correspondence. Those are: higher degree of linguistic individualization, expression of creativity in communication, resorting to economy, linguistic reductions and omissions.

Application of molecular descriptors for recognition of phosphorylation sites in amino acid sequences

Recognition of the phosphorylation sites in proteins is required for reconstruction of regulatory processes in living systems. This task is complicated because the phosphorylation motifs in amino acid sequences are considerably degenerated. To improve the prediction efficacy researchers often use additional descriptors, which should reflect physicochemical features of site-surrounding regions. We have evaluated the reasonability of this approach by applying molecular descriptors (MNA) for structural presentation of the peptide segments. Comparative testing was performed using the prognostic method PASS and two input data types: sets of the MNA descriptors represented peptides as chemical structures and amino acid sequences written using a one-letter code. Training sets were classified in accordance with the established types of the enzymes (protein kinases), modifying corresponding phosphorylation sites. The accuracy estimates obtained by prognosis validation for various classes of substrates were significantly different with both the letters and molecular descriptors. In case of the letter description, the prognosis accuracy demonstrated less dependence on the length of peptides in the training set, while in the case of structural descriptors the accuracy level was determined by the peptide size and descriptor characteristics (MNA levels). The maximal prognosis accuracy related to various kinase families was achieved at different sizes of molecular fragments covered by the MNA descriptors of corresponding levels. This obviously reflected structural differences in surroundings of phosphorylation sites modified by various protein kinases. The use of molecular descriptors provided the prognostic results comparable with the results obtained using traditional letter representation. The prognosis accuracy demonstrated less dependence on the method describing site-surrounding peptides at higher accuracy rates. Applying the MNA descriptors it is possible to achieve better accuracy in the cases when the letter description cannot provide acceptable accuracy.