Nevin Manimala

J Vet Med Educ. 2023 May 25:e20230011. doi: 10.3138/jvme-2023-0011. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This work describes the implementation of online timed closed-book formative assessments across several modules of a first-year undergraduate veterinary program. This process does not require significant time investment since it can be implemented into existing programs of study. Students were surveyed on how they used these formative assessments for learning and overall, were overwhelmingly positive about the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their performance. Quantitative statistics on preferences as well as qualitative thematic analysis of open free-text questions reveal clear preferences in how they choose to engage with the assessments for learning, as well as how they prefer assessments to be administered. Students were positive about the online nature of the exams and prefer formative assessments to be distributed across the teaching semesters without any time restrictions, allowing them to be completed as and when they choose. Immediate feedback in the form of model answers is the students’ preference, although some value signposting to relevant resources for further research. Furthermore, students report that they want more questions and tests to complement their learning, and overwhelming rely on guided and structured activities for learning and revision which will need to be balanced with opportunities to develop critical thinking and independent learning skills when studying in a professional course, given students are not likely to default into such behavior. This work models a process many curriculum designers have, and continue to undergo in higher education as online, hybrid, and blended approaches to teaching have received renewed interest.

PMID:37229550 | DOI:10.3138/jvme-2023-0011

J Vet Med Educ. 2023 May 25:e20220128. doi: 10.3138/jvme-2022-0128. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Carol Dweck’s mindset theory describes whether an individual believes that attributes, like intelligence or morality, can be honed (growth mindset) or are innate (fixed mindset). An educator’s mindset impacts their approach to teaching, students’ learning, participation in faculty development, and wellbeing. Mindset can affect faculty members’ openness to curricular change, making the study of veterinary educator mindset timely and salient, as competency-based education is spurring curricular change worldwide. The purpose of this study was to examine the mindsets of veterinary educators internationally. A survey, consisting of demographic questions and mindset items (based on previously published scales), was distributed electronically to veterinary educators internationally, at universities where English is the primary instruction medium. Mindset was evaluated for the following traits: intelligence, clinical reasoning, compassion, and morality. Scale validation, descriptive statistics, and associations to demographic variables were evaluated. Four hundred and forty-six complete surveys were received. Overall, the study population demonstrated predominantly growth mindsets for all traits, higher than population averages, with some variation by trait. There was a small effect on years teaching towards growth mindset. No other associations were found. Veterinary educators internationally who participated in this study demonstrated higher rates of growth mindset than the general population. In other fields, a growth mindset in educators has had implications for faculty wellbeing, teaching and assessment practices, participation in faculty development, and openness to curricular change. Further research is needed in veterinary education to evaluate the implications of these high rates of growth mindset.

PMID:37229549 | DOI:10.3138/jvme-2022-0128

Syst Biol. 2023 May 25:syad012. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syad012. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Models based on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process have become standard for the comparative study of adaptation. Cooper et al. (2016) have cast doubt on this practice by claiming statistical problems with fitting Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models to comparative data. Specifically, they claim that statistical tests of Brownian motion may have too high Type I error rates and that such error rates are exacerbated by measurement error. In this note, we argue that these results have little relevance to the estimation of adaptation with Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models for three reasons. First, we point out that Cooper et al. (2016) did not consider the detection of distinct optima (e.g. for different environments), and therefore did not evaluate the standard test for adaptation. Second, we show that consideration of parameter estimates, and not just statistical significance, will usually lead to correct inferences about evolutionary dynamics. Third, we show that bias due to measurement error can be corrected for by standard methods. We conclude that Cooper et al. (2016) have not identified any statistical problems specific to Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, and that their cautions against their use in comparative analyses are unfounded and misleading. [adaptation, Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model, phylogenetic comparative method.].

PMID:37229537 | DOI:10.1093/sysbio/syad012

Anal Chem. 2023 May 25. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00918. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We report methods that improve the quantification of digital bead assays (DBA)─such as the digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)─that have found widespread use for high sensitivity measurement of proteins in clinical research and diagnostics. In digital ELISA, proteins are captured on beads, labeled with enzymes, individual beads are interrogated for activity from one or more enzymes, and the average number of enzymes per bead (AEB) is determined based on Poisson statistics. The widespread use of digital ELISA has revealed limitations to the original approaches to quantification that can lead to inaccurate AEB. Here, we have addressed the inaccuracy in AEB due to deviations from Poisson distribution in a digital ELISA for Aβ-40 by changing the AEB calculation from a fixed threshold between digital counting and average normalized intensity to a smooth, continuous combination of digital counting and intensity. We addressed issues with determining the average product fluorescence intensity from single enzymes on beads by allowing outlier, high intensity arrays to be removed from average intensities, and by permitting the use of a wider range of arrays. These approaches improved the accuracy of a digital ELISA for tau protein that was affected by aggregated detection antibodies. We increased the dynamic range of a digital ELISA for IL-17A from AEB ∼25 to ∼130 by combining long and short exposure images at the product emission wavelength to create virtual images. The methods reported will significantly improve the accuracy and robustness of DBA based on imaging─such as single molecule arrays (Simoa)─and flow detection.

PMID:37229528 | DOI:10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00918

Health Educ Res. 2023 May 25:cyad021. doi: 10.1093/her/cyad021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Innovative approaches addressing the elevated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) or transgender women (TGW) migrants in South Africa are urgently needed. We sought to present the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of ‘Externalize and Mobilize!’, a multi-session arts- and theatre-based HIV prevention group intervention for MSM and TGW migrants in South Africa. Fourteen participants-MSM (n = 7; 50%), genderqueer/nonbinary persons (n = 4; 29%) and TGW (n = 3; 21%)-in Cape Town were recruited and enrolled in the intervention and administered pre- and post-intervention assessments of HIV knowledge, HIV risk-reduction self-efficacy, stigma and resilience. The intervention, delivered over 4 days, was completed by all 14 participants. Scores on HIV knowledge and HIV risk-reduction self-efficacy were statistically significantly higher at post-intervention compared with pre-intervention. Additionally, participants responded affirmatively (i.e. ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly agree’) on all items assessing intervention acceptability. Findings demonstrate the high acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an arts- and theatre-based intervention for increasing HIV knowledge and HIV risk-reduction self-efficacy among MSM and TGW migrants in South Africa. This study provides further support for the use of creative and innovative interventions to address entrenched HIV disparities in South Africa.

PMID:37229526 | DOI:10.1093/her/cyad021

J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2023 May 25. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000885. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The increased lifespan of individuals having sickle cell disease (SCD) causes an overall increase in hospitalizations and more instances in which pain may not be well controlled.

LOCAL PROBLEM: The mainstay treatment for severe pain is opioids and the underlying cause. Laws affecting opioid prescribing, implicit bias, racial inequity, poor research funding, and lack of knowledge contribute to poor patient outcomes.

METHOD: Data were collected retrospectively using electronic medical record data from before and after the intervention.

INTERVENTION: The individualized pain management plan (IPMP) was initiated in collaboration with the patient, pain nurse practitioner (NP), and hematologist.

RESULT: The mean length of stay for the traditional pain management plan (TPMP) was 7.89 days compared with 5.66 days for the IPMP, with a mean difference of 2.23 days, t = 2.278, p = .024 (p < .05). There was a decrease in the admission of the individuals with the IPMP, with 25% readmitted within 30 days of discharge, versus 59.0% who were readmitted using the TPMP. Chi-square showed statistical significance (χ2 = 61.667, p = .000) in using nonpharmacological interventions with the IPMP group.

CONCLUSION: The IPMP with a patient-centered approach did improve patient outcomes for African American adults living with SCD.

PMID:37229519 | DOI:10.1097/JXX.0000000000000885

Neurobiol Lang (Camb). 2023 Apr 11;4(2):221-256. doi: 10.1162/nol_a_00094. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Intuitively, strongly constraining contexts should lead to stronger probabilistic representations of sentences in memory. Encountering unexpected words could therefore be expected to trigger costlier shifts in these representations than expected words. However, psycholinguistic measures commonly used to study probabilistic processing, such as the N400 event-related potential (ERP) component, are sensitive to word predictability but not to contextual constraint. Some research suggests that constraint-related processing cost may be measurable via an ERP positivity following the N400, known as the anterior post-N400 positivity (PNP). The PNP is argued to reflect update of a sentence representation and to be distinct from the posterior P600, which reflects conflict detection and reanalysis. However, constraint-related PNP findings are inconsistent. We sought to conceptually replicate Federmeier et al. (2007) and Kuperberg et al. (2020), who observed that the PNP, but not the N400 or the P600, was affected by constraint at unexpected but plausible words. Using a pre-registered design and statistical approach maximising power, we demonstrated a dissociated effect of predictability and constraint: strong evidence for predictability but not constraint in the N400 window, and strong evidence for constraint but not predictability in the later window. However, the constraint effect was consistent with a P600 and not a PNP, suggesting increased conflict between a strong representation and unexpected input rather than greater update of the representation. We conclude that either a simple strong/weak constraint design is not always sufficient to elicit the PNP, or that previous PNP constraint findings could be an artifact of smaller sample size.

PMID:37229506 | PMC:PMC10205153 | DOI:10.1162/nol_a_00094

EClinicalMedicine. 2023 May;59:101936. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101936.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CRDs and their attributable risks from 1990 to 2019.

METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we estimated mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), prevalence, and incidence of CRDs, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumoconiosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, and other CRDs, from 1990 to 2019 by sex, age, region, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) in 204 countries and territories. Deaths and DALYs from CRDs attributable to each risk factor were estimated according to relative risks, risk exposure, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level input.

FINDINGS: In 2019, CRDs were the third leading cause of death responsible for 4.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 3.6-4.3) with a prevalence of 454.6 million cases (417.4-499.1) globally. While the total deaths and prevalence of CRDs have increased by 28.5% and 39.8%, the age-standardised rates have dropped by 41.7% and 16.9% from 1990 to 2019, respectively. COPD, with 212.3 million (200.4-225.1) prevalent cases, was the primary cause of deaths from CRDs, accounting for 3.3 million (2.9-3.6) deaths. With 262.4 million (224.1-309.5) prevalent cases, asthma had the highest prevalence among CRDs. The age-standardised rates of all burden measures of COPD, asthma, and pneumoconiosis have reduced globally from 1990 to 2019. Nevertheless, the age-standardised rates of incidence and prevalence of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis have increased throughout this period. Low- and low-middle SDI countries had the highest age-standardised death and DALYs rates while the high SDI quintile had the highest prevalence rate of CRDs. The highest deaths and DALYs from CRDs were attributed to smoking globally, followed by air pollution and occupational risks. Non-optimal temperature and high body-mass index were additional risk factors for COPD and asthma, respectively.

INTERPRETATION: Albeit the age-standardised prevalence, death, and DALYs rates of CRDs have decreased, they still cause a substantial burden and deaths worldwide. The high death and DALYs rates in low and low-middle SDI countries highlights the urgent need for improved preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic measures. Global strategies for tobacco control, enhancing air quality, reducing occupational hazards, and fostering clean cooking fuels are crucial steps in reducing the burden of CRDs, especially in low- and lower-middle income countries.

PMID:37229504 | PMC:PMC7614570 | DOI:10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101936

Front Nutr. 2023 May 9;10:1186469. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1186469. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Spray-dried yogurt powder (SDYP) has shelf stability and other functional properties that improve solubility and facilitate the use, processing, packaging, and transportation of other food derivatives, such as bread and pastries on a large scale. The present research was conducted to develop SDYP and further its utilization to prepare functional cookies.

METHODS: Yogurt was spray-dried by employing different outlet air temperatures (OAT) (65°C, 70°C & 75°C) and inlet air temperature (IAT) (150°C, 155°C & 160°C). Spray drying shows that increasing the temperature increases nutritional loss, whereas S. thermophilus culture shows resistance to the intensive heat approaches. On the other hand L. delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus culture was found to be significantly affected. A total of 4 treatments, including one control for the functional cookies development.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A directly proportional relation was investigated between the increasing concentration of SDYP and baking characteristics and cookie’s mineral and protein profile. Bioactive parameters like antioxidant activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and total phenolic content (TPC) were also affected significantly. The sensory profile shows an incline towards T0 (0% SDYP) to T3 (10% SDYP) in all attributes but starts to decline when the concentration of SDYP reaches 15%. This study suggests that by employing a certain combination of temperatures (OAT: 60°C IAT: 150°C); maximum survival of inoculated culture can be achieved, and this powder can be utilized in the development of functional cookies with enhanced sensory as well as biochemical characteristics significantly (P< 0.05).

PMID:37229469 | PMC:PMC10204867 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2023.1186469

Front Nutr. 2023 May 9;10:1172613. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1172613. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Human milk provides nutrients essential for infant growth and health, levels of which are dynamic during lactation.

METHODS: In this study, changes in macronutrients, fatty acids, and plasmin activities over the first six months of lactation in term milk were studied.

RESULTS: There was a significant influence of lactation stage on levels of protein and plasmin activities, but not on levels of fat and carbohydrate in term milk. Concerning fatty acids in term milk, levels of caproic acid and α-linolenic acid increased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas those of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid decreased, in the six months after birth. Significant impacts of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and infant gender on fatty acid profiles were also found. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that protein level, plasmin activity, and several fatty acids (α-linolenic acid, lignoceric acid, and docasadienoic acid) contributed strongly to discrimination of milk from different lactational stages.

DISCUSSION: The study demonstrates that not all but some fatty acids were influenced by lactation, whereas protein and protease levels showed clear decreasing trends during lactation, which may help in understanding the nutritional requirements of infants.

PMID:37229467 | PMC:PMC10203173 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2023.1172613