The Early Milestones of Team-based Learning: The Key is Sustained Practice

Background: To explore students’ perceptions of team-based learning (TBL) initial implementation in a medical school in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This descriptive study used the validated TBL-Student Assessment Instrument (TBL-SAI) to gauge students’ perception of TBL in three subscales: accountability, preference, and satisfaction. Study participants were fourth-year students at the College of Medicine in Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz University, studying a nine-week introductory surgery course in the academic year 2019–2020. Descriptive statistics using the mean scores were used to highlight the results. Results: Thirty-three students participated in the study. While the mean scores for the three subscales were: accountability 30 (SD 6.6) (neutral score = 24), preference 43.2 (SD 10.8) (neutral score = 48), and satisfaction 25.2 (SD 8.9) (neutral score = 27), the mean of the total questionnaires’ scores was 98.4 (SD 21.8) (neutral score = 99). Students expressed a minor level of accountability, poor preference and satisfaction, and an overall low rating of TBL activities. Conclusion: Low students’ engagement with TBL is likely attributed to their unfamiliarity with this approach and the hostility that they may experience when challenged to refrain from passive learning habits and take an active role toward their learning. Lack of the necessary skills and experience to facilitate TBL encounters and the educational climate where didactic teaching is pervasive may be other factors. Exposure to TBL may initially be associated with poor students’ perception. Perseverance, strong commitment alongside adequate institutional support are necessarily required to mitigate poor outcomes. Keywords: active learning, passive learning, team-based learning, Saudi Arabi

Using Logbooks to Enhance Students’ Learning: Lessons From a Mixed-methods Study in an Undergraduate Surgical Rotation

Background: Logbooks are frequently used in medical education to enhance and monitor students’ learning. However, some barriers that may diminish their benefits have been reported. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of logbooks to students’ learning and identify the factors, which may contribute to their outcomes in learning milieus. Methods: The study used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the medical students in the fourth- and sixth-year classes and their teachers in the department of surgery at the Faculty of Medicine at University of Tabuk in the academic year 2016–2017. Data were collected using questionnaires, focused group discussions, and personal interviews. Results: Eighty-nine (49 fourth year and 40 sixth year) students and six teachers participated in the study. Logbooks were perceived as useful to students’ learning by 83.3% of the teachers and 75.3% of the students. Logbooks enhanced students’ learning through identification of areas of weaknesses, encouraged seeing more patients’ problems and reading in-depth about some topics, and improved students’ writing skills. Barriers to learning from logbooks included poor-quality feedback, no opportunities for feedback discussion, and unfair marking. Differences in the students’ perceptions of the usefulness of logbooks were observed based on their learning stage. Conclusion: Logbooks are useful to students’ learning in many aspects; however, certain factors could diminish their benefits. Students’ attitude toward the logbook was more favorable during their early clinical experience. Faculty development programs and careful supervision of students’ work may improve the outcome of logbooks in clinical placements. Keywords: logbooks, clinical teaching, written feedback, surgery, Saudi Arabi

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Fabrication of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers for underwater applications using thermocompression wafer-bonder

Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs) are the prospective alternative to the traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. CMUTs are essentially parallel plate capacitors produced using Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. The production of CMUTs is broken down into sacrificial underetching and wafer bonding methods. The sacrificial release-based techniques are complex and require several adjustments in terms of optimizing fabrication steps and material selections. Further, the sacrificial release-based processes need ultimate control over the gap height and membrane thickness. On the contrary, the wafer bonding fabrication processes are not only simpler than the sacrificial release methods but also provide a very good parametric control over the membrane thickness and gap height. Besides its advantages, the wafer bonding methods are very sensitive to contamination and surface roughness. The surface roughness problems are addressed by either using the costly Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) wafers or by using complex Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) method. This article presents a simple and economical CMUTs wafer bonding fabrication method. A thermocompression based metal bonded technique is adopted to successfully fabricate low frequency CMUTs to be used for underwater applications

Sectional Analysis of Pendentive Dome Mosques During Ottoman Era

This study analyses types of pendentive dome mosques based on their variations from sectional view of documented drawings. The scope of this study is limited to the mosques constructed in Ottoman period which refers to the pendentive dome mosque architecture. The methodology applies descriptive analysis to classify its variation. This analysis takes into account that the main dome plays important role in classifying the variation. There are 51 mosques selected for the case studies. The study found that five types of the pendentive dome mosques can be identified accordingly. The number, position and organization of the dome design become the determining factors that influence the categories. The analysis also finds that all main domes share similar position located at the center of the prayer hall. The number of main domes comprises two and three units in the third category and it has more than three units in fourth category whereas the number of main dome is not more than one unit in other categories. The dome with higher rank of category show higher quality in terms of aesthetical value leading to visual feeling of domination in section view. In overall, the rank of the mosque’s category besides corresponds to the level of its dome organization. The mosques in the higher ranked categories have more elaborated dome organization. This fits well with the logic of the hierarchy of importance to the corresponding category. Keyword: pendentive dome; section; mosque; Ottoman era; architectureRésumé: Cette étude analyse les types de mosquées à dôme pendentif en fonction de leurs variations à partir d'une vue sectionnelle des dessins documentés. La portée de cette étude est limitée aux mosquées construites dans la période ottomane qui se réfère à l'architecture de la mosquée à dôme pendentif. La méthode utilise l'analyse descriptive de classer sa variation. Cette analyse prend en compte que le dôme principal joue un rôle important dans la classification de la variation. Il y a 51 mosquées sélectionnées pour les études de cas. L'étude a révélé que par conséquent, cinq types de mosquées à dôme pendentif pouvaient être identifiés. Le nombre, la position et l'organisation de la conception du dôme deviennent les facteurs déterminants qui influent sur les catégories. L'analyse révèle également que tous les dômes principaux ont une position semblable qui est située au centre de la salle de prière. Dans la troisième catégorie, le dôme principal comporte deux et trois unités et il y a plus de trois unités dans la quatrième catégorie, alors que dans les autres catégories, le nombre de dôme principal ne dépasse pas un. Le dôme avec une catégorie plus élevée montre une meilleure qualité en termes de valeur esthétique, conduisant à une sensation visuelle de domination. Dans l'ensemble, la catégorie de la mosquée correspond au niveau de l'organisation de sa coupole. Les mosquées dans les catégories supérieures ont une organisation de coupole plus élaborée. Cela correspond bien à la logique de la hiérarchie d'importance de la catégorie correspondante.Mots-clés: dôme pendentif; section; mosquée; époque ottoman; architectur

Sectional analysis of pendentive dome mosques during Ottoman era= Analyse sectionalle des mosquees a dome pendentif pendant l'epoque Ottomane

This study analyses types of pendentive dome mosques based on their variations from sectional view of documented drawings. The scope of this study is limited to the mosques constructed in Ottoman period which refers to the pendentive dome mosque architecture. The methodology applies descriptive analysis to classify its variation. This analysis takes into account that the main dome plays important role in classifying the variation. There are 51 mosques selected for the case studies. The study found that five types of the pendentive dome mosques can be identified accordingly. The number, position and organization of the dome design become the determining factors that influence the categories. The analysis also finds that all main domes share similar position located at the center of the prayer hall. The number of main domes comprises two and three units in the third category and it has more than three units in fourth category whereas the number of main dome is not more than one unit in other categories. The dome with higher rank of category show higher quality in terms of aesthetical value leading to visual feeling of domination in section view. In overall, the rank of the mosque’s category besides corresponds to the level of its dome organization. The mosques in the higher ranked categories have more elaborated dome organization. This fits well with the logic of the hierarchy of importance to the corresponding category

What Defines Counterfeiting? A Timeline Analysis of the Definition

Though addressed widely by academicians and researchers across the globe, the subject of counterfeiting dates back to historical times of 27BC. In academic literature, the discussion on counterfeit(ing) began a century back when researchers started to define its boundaries through their understanding. Ranging from the classical descriptions on counterfeit, counterfeiting, counterfeit trade and counterfeit product(s), this article intends to use text analysis technique to provide the reader with a summary of the existing academic literature on the aforementioned subjects. It summarizes key definitions from the respective area with a broader aim to bridge the gap in the existing counterfeiting and counterfeit product-related literature by providing a brief (yet ample) list on counterfeit(ing). Moreover, it also identifies the key similarities exiting in the definition set. The article concludes with authors own definition of counterfeiting and counterfeit product(s) based on the conceptualization developed through the understanding of combined definitions from the literature

Primary Prostatic Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: a Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction: Primary lymphomas of the prostate are globally rare representing less than 0.1% of all prostatic neoplasms. In this paper we present a case of an early stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the prostate managed with six cycles of rituximab-based chemotherapy, and review the related literature. Case description: A 32-year-old man presented to our clinic with complaints of difficult urination and perineal pain. An enlarged, hard and nodular prostate was palpable on digital rectal examination. Needle biopsy of the prostate was performed, which revealed diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by immunohistochemical studies. CT scan showed large pelvic mass arising from prostate encasing ureters with bilateral hydronephroureter.  No abnormal finding was seen on abdominal CT and bone marrow histology. Therefore, the disease was classified into the clinical stage IAXE according to Ann Arbor's criteria. The patient achieved complete response (CR) to six cycles of rituximab based combination chemotherapy, R-CHOP with CNS prophylaxis. He remained disease free, until now, 36 months after the end of chemotherapy. Practical Implications: According to the literature, the treatment and prognosis of primary lymphoma of the prostate is the same as that of other nodal lymphomas. Rituximab-based regimen should be considered in the management of prostatic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma