Developing critical reading, thinking and discussion skills among students at a Masters level using virtual learning environment

Students entering higher education at Masters level often struggle to develop skills of critical reading, discussion and analysis. That lack of skills often affects the quality of students’ written coursework, even if such work shows an extensive knowledge and understanding of the topic. Academic literature suggests that skills, including cognitive ones, are best developed by repetition. However, even though graduate programs usually offer students lectures and tutorials on critical thinking and analysis, they often lack teaching capacity to repeat those activities until a desired level of students’ skills is achieved. This paper aims to introduce a teaching activity that would allow a repetition essential for developing the desired skills, which would at the same time require minimum teaching resources to support the activity. The proposed skill repetition activity took a form of generic Quizzes with automotive feedback embedded in Virtual Learning Environment. The students were asked to evaluate several academic articles by answering generic Quiz questions on the following 6 themes: purpose, literature review, objectives, research methods, findings and conclusions of an article. The students received an instantaneous feedback after submitting their answers by being able to see the answers given by their tutors on the same paper. The results were later discussed in class. The effectiveness of the developed on-line Quizzes were tested at two modules: one core and one elective, which have the same assessment type; summative assignment consisting of 2500 words report. The MSc course in question is delivered by face-to-face teaching at two locations: at one location it is delivered via traditional classroom based teaching, on other — via blended learning. Both cohorts were included. The success of the proposed approach was judged based on the following criteria: - students' performance in their first written submission at the end of the semester compared with performance on the same submission showed in the previous year; - improvement of individual students’ skills, based on the improvement of their answers in each successive quiz as compared to tutors' answers; - a feedback about those quizzes received from the students; - amount of teaching resources required to support the quizzes. So far we have only marks for student's submission for one module, however, the paper will report findings for both modules. The findings revealed that: - in comparison to the previous year, students’ average mark in their first written submission has increased from 'good' to ‘very good’; the spread of marks within the cohort was narrower; the spread of marks between a first and a second supervisor was substantially reduced. - the results from successive quizzes showed a gradual improvement in individual student’s critical thinking and analysis skills. - feedback from the students revealed that they found the quizzes activities helpful in developing their skills of critical reading of published literature. - the amount of teaching resources needed for a continuous support of the quizzes was reduced to a minimum. The study revealed a value of a proposed activity in developing students' skills of critical reading, discussion and analysis. Some limitations were also revealed, such as a need for substantial initial teaching resources. It would also be beneficial to replicate a study on a bigger cohort

ITPA gene variant may protect against anemia induced during pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin combination treatment in Ukrainian patients with chronic hepatitis C

The aim of this study was to clarify the association between the inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) gene variants and PEG-IFNα/RBV combination treatment induced anemia in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) Ukrainian patients. The data were collected from 80 CHC patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. All study participants received standard doses of PEG-IFNα and RBV. According to the Hb level changes patients were distributed into: case group—42 patients with combination treatment induced anemia, and control group—38 patients with no signs of anemia. Genotyping for ITPA gene rs1127354 and rs7270101 variants was performed using PCR followed by RFLP assay. Fisher’s exact test was used to estimate the difference in genotype and allelic distribution. Distribution of rs7270101 genotypes was not significantly different between groups of CHC patients with RBV-induced anemia and without it. The frequency of rs1127354 A allele carriers was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group of CHC patients without anemia (23.7%) comparing to the group of patients with anemia (7.3%). The respective allele frequency in control group (13.2%) was almost 3-fold higher (P < 0.05) comparing to the case group (4.9%). Significant association of ITPA gene rs1127354 with protection against RBV-induced hemolytic anemia was found in Ukrainian patients with CHC infection. Rs1127354 variant may assist as a pharmacogenetic marker in HCV antiviral therapy correction for side effect avoidance.Целью настоящего исследования было изучить ассоциацию аллельных вариантов гена инозин трифосфат пирофосфатазы (ITPA) с анемией, индуцированной комбинированной терапией пегилированным интерфероном (PEG-IFNα) и рибавирином (RBV) у пациентов из Украины с хроническим гепатитом С (ХГС). Данные собраны у 80 пациентов с ХГС, которые имели первый генотип вируса. Все участники исследования получали стандартные дозы PEG – IFNα и RBV. В соответствии с изменениями уровня гемоглобина пациенты были разделены на исследуемую группу (42 пациента с анемией) и контрольную (38 пациентов без признаков анемии). Ге-нотипирование полиморфных вариантов rs1127354 и rs7270101 гена ITPA проводили с помощью ПЦР с последующим ПДРФ анализом. Распределение генотипов по полиморфному варианту rs7270101 достоверно не отличалось в группе ХГС пациентов с RBV-индуцированной анемией и без нее. Частота носителей аллеля rs1127354 A была выше в группе пациентов c ХГС без анемии (23,7 %) по сравнению с группой пациентов с анемией. Частота соответствующего аллеля в контрольной группе (13,2 %) была выше, чем в группе пациентов с анемией (4,9 %)почти втрое. Найдена достоверная ассоциация полиморфного варианта rs1127354 гена ITPA с протекцией против рибавирин-индуцированной гемолитической анемии у пациентов из Украины с ХГС. Полиморфный вариант rs1127354 может служить фармакогенетическим маркером для коррекции противовирусной терапии гепатита С во избежание побочных эффектов.Метою даного дослідження було вивчити асоціацію алельних варіантів гена інозин трифосфат пірофосфатази (ITPA) з анемією, індукованою комбінованою терапією пегильованим інтерфероном (PEG-IFNα) і рибавірином (RBV) у пацієнтів з України з хронічним гепатитом С (ХГС). Дані були зібрані у 80 пацієнтів з ХГС, які мали 1-ий генотип вірусу. Всі учасники дослідження отримували стандартні дози PEG-IFNα та RBV. Відповідно до змін рівня гемоглобіну, пацієнти були розподілені на: групу дослідження – 42 пацієнти з анемією, індукованою комбінованою терапією, та контрольну групу – 38 пацієнтів без ознак анемії. Генотипування поліморфних варіантів rs1127354 та rs7270101 гена ITPA проводили за допомогою ПЛР з наступним ПДРФ аналізом. З метою оцінки достовірності відмінностей в розподілі генотипів та алелів використовували точний тест Фішера. Розподіл генотипів за поліморфним варіантом rs7270101 достовірно не відрізнявся в групі ХГС пацієнтів з RBV-індукованою анемією та без неї. Частота носіїв алеля rs1127354 A була достовірно вище (P<0,05) в групі ХГС пацієнтів без анемії (23,7%), порівняно з групою пацієнтів з анемією. Частота відповідного алеля в контрольній групі була також достовірно вищою (P<0,05) та перевищувала таку в групі пацієнтів з анемією(4,9%) майже втричі. Було знайдено достовірну асоціацію поліморного варіанта rs1127354 гена ITPA із захистом проти рибавірин-індукованої гемолітичної анемії у пацієнтів з хронічним гепатитом С з України. Поліморфний варіант rs1127354 може слугувати фармакогенетичних маркером для корекції противірусної терапії гепатиту С з метою уникнення побічних ефектів

ПРОГРАММНО-АППАРАТНЫЙ КОМПЛЕКС ЭКСПРЕСС-ДИАГНОСТИКИ ПСИХОФИЗИОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ ОРГАНИЗМА ЧЕЛОВЕКА

The structure of the hardware-software complex intended for conducting psychophysiological research, allowing to automate and optimize the procedure for conducting surveys. One of the components of a software system is a support system and decision making implemented on the basis of the developed algorithms.Приведены структура программно-аппаратного комплекса, предназначенного для проведения психофизиологического исследования, позволяющего автоматизировать и оптимизировать процедуру проведения обследований. Одним из компонентов программной системы является система поддержки и принятия решений реализованная на основе разработанных алгоритмов

RESEARCH OF THE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE INNOVATIVELY ACTIVE ENTERPRISE

The article opens basic approaches to definition of the intellectual capital in the conditions of innovative economy. The category of the intellectual capital from positions of cause and effect interrelations and interconditionality in development of the enterprise has investigated. Classification of the intellectual capital has given to several main groups from a position of his quality and the size, depending on ability of the enterprise to receive return from the invested capital and on extent of the received return from his use in general

Prevalence of symptoms, ever having received a diagnosis and treatment of depression and anxiety, and associations with health service use amongst the general population in two Russian cities

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the burden of common mental disorders in Russia despite high levels of suicide and alcohol-related mortality. Here we investigated levels of symptoms, self-reports of ever having received a diagnosis and treatment of anxiety and depression in two Russian cities. METHODS: The study population was men and women aged 35-69 years old participating in cross-sectional population-based studies in the cities of Arkhangelsk and Novosibirsk (2015-18). Participants completed an interview which included the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, questions on whether participants had ever received a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, and health service use in the past year. Participants also reported current medication use and medications were coded in line with the WHO anatomical therapeutic classification (ATC). Depression was defined as PHQ-9 ≥ 10 and Anxiety as GAD-7 ≥ 10. RESULTS: Age-standardised prevalence of PHQ-9 ≥ 10 was 10.7% in women and 5.4% in men (GAD-7 ≥ 10 6.2% in women; 3.0% in men). Among those with PHQ-9 ≥ 10 17% reported ever having been diagnosed with depression (equivalent finding for anxiety 29%). Only 1.5% of those with PHQ-9 ≥ 10 reported using anti-depressants and 0.6% of those with GAD-7 ≥ 10 reported using anxiolytics. No men with PHQ-9 ≥ 10 and/or GAD-7 ≥ 10 reported use of anti-depressants or anxiolytics. Use of health services increased with increasing severity of both depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: There was a large gap between symptoms and reporting of past diagnosis and treatment of common mental disorders in two Russian cities. Interventions aimed at improving mental health literacy and reducing stigma could be of benefit in closing this substantial treatment gap

Criteria for evaluating the effective use of ultra-strong textiles in personal armor protection

Проаналізовано критерії оцінки якості засобів індивідуального бронезахисту (ЗІБ). Встановлено, що ЗІБ повинні відповідати комплексу жорстких і суперечливих вимог, обумовлених умовами їх використання і ступенем очікуваної загрози.Проанализированы критерии оценки качества средств индивидуальной бронезащиты (СИБ). Установлено, что СИБ должны отвечать комплексу жестких и противоречивых требований, обусловленных условиями их использования и степенью ожидаемой угрозы.The criteria for assessing the quality of personal armor protection were analyzed. It was clarified that the personal body armor must meet stringent, complex and contradictory requirements arising from the terms of usage and degree of expected threats