Critically Assessing Forms of Resistance in Music Education

In their classrooms, music educators draw upon critical pedagogy (as described by Freire, Giroux, and hooks) for the express purpose of cultivating a climate for conscientização. Conscientização, according to Paulo Freire (2006), “refers to learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality” (p. 35). This consciousness raising is a journey teachers pursue with students, together interrogating injustices in communities and the world in order to transform the conditions that inform them. Learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions often leads to multiple forms of resistance in and out of music classrooms. This chapter explores the following question: What do critical forms of assessment look like in music classrooms that use critical pedagogy and embrace resistance to foster conscientization

Potential impacts of emissions associated with unconventional hydrocarbon extraction on UK air quality and human health

Here we report the first results of model sensitivity simulations to assess the potential impacts of emissions related to future activities linked to unconventional hydrocarbon extraction (fracking) in the UK on air pollution and human health. These simulations were performed with the Met Office Air Quality in the Unified Model, a new air quality forecasting model, and included a wide range of extra emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to reflect emissions from the full life-cycle of fracking related activities and simulate the impacts of these compounds on levels of nitrogen-dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). These model simulations highlight that increases in NOx and VOC emissions associated with unconventional hydrocarbon extraction could lead to large local increases in the monthly means of daily 1-hourly maximum NO2 of up to +30 ppb and decreases in the maximum daily 8-hourly mean O3 up to -6 ppb in the summertime. Broadly speaking, our simulations indicate increases in both of these compounds across the UK air shed throughout the year. Changes in the 1-hourly maximum of NO2 and 8-hourly mean of O3 are particularly important for their human health impacts. These respective changes in NO2 and O3 would contribute to approximately 110 (range 50-530) extra premature-deaths a year across the UK based on the use of recently reported concentration response functions for changes in annual average NO2 and O3 exposure. As such we conclude that the release of emissions of VOCs and NOx be highly controlled to prevent deleterious health impacts

Relationship Between Symptoms and Health‐Related Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Hypertension

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90331/1/phco.24.4.344.33177.pd

Profile: The Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS).

The Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS), located on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, was established in 2000 as a record of births, pregnancies, migration events and deaths and is maintained by 4-monthly household visits. The study area was selected to capture the majority of patients admitted to Kilifi District Hospital. The KHDSS has 260 000 residents and the hospital admits 4400 paediatric patients and 3400 adult patients per year. At the hospital, morbidity events are linked in real time by a computer search of the population register. Linked surveillance was extended to KHDSS vaccine clinics in 2008. KHDSS data have been used to define the incidence of hospital presentation with childhood infectious diseases (e.g. rotavirus diarrhoea, pneumococcal disease), to test the association between genetic risk factors (e.g. thalassaemia and sickle cell disease) and infectious diseases, to define the community prevalence of chronic diseases (e.g. epilepsy), to evaluate access to health care and to calculate the operational effectiveness of major public health interventions (e.g. conjugate Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine). Rapport with residents is maintained through an active programme of community engagement. A system of collaborative engagement exists for sharing data on survival, morbidity, socio-economic status and vaccine coverage

Geriatrics Attitudes and Knowledge Among Surgical and Medical Subspecialty House Officers

To examine geriatrics knowledge and attitudes of non-primary care house officers (HOs) before and after a multidisciplinary faculty development program. DESIGN : Serial cross-sectional surveys. PARTICIPANTS : HOs. SETTING : A large midwestern academic medical center. INTERVENTION : Faculty from seven surgical and six medical subspecialties participated in weekly seminars for 9 months and implemented geriatrics curricula in their HO programs. MEASUREMENTS : HO geriatrics attitudes and knowledge were measured using the University of California at Los Angeles Geriatrics Attitudes Scale (GAS; 14 items), two scales of the Maxwell Sullivan test (Therapeutic Potential and Time/Energy; six items each; lower scores denote more-favorable attitudes), and the Geriatrics Clinical Knowledge Assessment (20 multiple choice items; range 0–100%). Repeat surveys were administered in seven disciplines after geriatrics curriculum implementation. RESULTS : Baseline (n=175) geriatrics attitudes were favorable (e.g., 3.7 for GAS; 2.1 for Time/Energy), with more-favorable attitudes among medical subspecialty than surgical HOs (e.g., mean GAS 3.8 and 3.6, respectively; P =.001), and with advanced training. Mean baseline knowledge scores were 65.1% among all HOs. No differences in attitudes or knowledge were observed between the first (n=100) and second (n=90) cohorts in the seven disciplines that administered subsequent tests. CONCLUSION : Geriatrics attitudes of non-primary care HOs are positive, and knowledge is moderate, suggesting need for and potential effect of geriatrics curricula. Demonstrating effects on learner outcomes of faculty development programs may require more than one faculty member per discipline and measures that are curriculum-specific and detailed rather than general and brief.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66180/1/j.1532-5415.2007.01475.x.pd

Promoting medical students’ reflection on competencies to advance a global health equities curriculum

Abstract Background The move to frame medical education in terms of competencies – the extent to which trainees “can do” a professional responsibility - is congruent with calls for accountability in medical education. However, the focus on competencies might be a poor fit with curricula intended to prepare students for responsibilities not emphasized in traditional medical education. This study examines an innovative approach to the use of potential competency expectations related to advancing global health equity to promote students’ reflections and to inform curriculum development. Methods In 2012, 32 medical students were admitted into a newly developed Global Health and Disparities (GHD) Path of Excellence. The GHD program takes the form of mentored co-curricular activities built around defined competencies related to professional development and leadership skills intended to ameliorate health disparities in medically underserved settings, both domestically and globally. Students reviewed the GHD competencies from two perspectives: a) their ability to perform the identified competencies that they perceived themselves as holding as they began the GHD program and b) the extent to which they perceived that their future career would require these responsibilities. For both sets of assessments the response scale ranged from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.” Wilcoxon’s paired T-tests compared individual students’ ordinal rating of their current level of ability to their perceived need for competence that they anticipated their careers would require. Statistical significance was set at p < .01. Results Students’ ratings ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” that they could perform the defined GHD-related competencies. However, on most competencies, at least 50 % of students indicated that the stated competencies were beyond their present ability level. For each competency, the results of Wilcoxon paired T-tests indicate – at statistically significant levels - that students perceive more need in their careers for GHD-program defined competencies than they currently possess. Conclusion This study suggests congruence between student and program perceptions of the scope of practice required for GHD. Students report the need for enhanced skill levels in the careers they anticipate. This approach to formulating and reflecting on competencies will guide the program’s design of learning experiences aligned with students’ career goals.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109541/1/12909_2013_Article_919.pd

Are We Making Progress in Medical Education?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75582/1/j.1525-1497.2006.00446.x.pd

Vascular Disrupting Agent Arsenic Trioxide Enhances Thermoradiotherapy of Solid Tumors

Our previous studies demonstrated arsenic trioxide- (ATO-) induced selective tumor vascular disruption and augmentation of thermal or radiotherapy effect against solid tumors. These results suggested that a trimodality approach of radiation, ATO, and local hyperthermia may have potent therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors. Here, we report the antitumor effect of hypofractionated radiation followed by ATO administration and local 42.5 °C hyperthermia and the effects of cisplatin and thermoradiotherapy. We found that the therapeutic efficacy of ATO-based thermoradiotherapy was equal or greater than that of cisplatin-based thermoradiotherapy, and marked evidence of in vivo apoptosis and tumor necrosis were observed in ATO-treated tumors. We conclude that ATO-based thermoradiotherapy is a powerful means to control tumor growth by using vascular disruption to augment the effects of thermal and radiation therapy