Evaluating major curriculum change:the effect on student confidence

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of major curriculum change within a UK dental school on final-year student self-rated confidence levels. Methods: Final-year dental students graduating in each year between 2007 and 2012 completed the same course evaluation questionnaire, which assessed their confidence in relation to a range of clinical procedures using a Likert-type scale. This period spanned the introduction of a new curriculum and allowed analysis of differences in self-rated confidence between students graduating from the old (2007 and 2008) and new (2009–2012) curricula, across thirty key procedures. Results: New curriculum students showed significantly higher self-confidence ratings in nineteen of the thirty procedures, compared with those on the old curriculum. For the remaining eleven procedures there was no significant difference between the two curricula. The proportion of students on the outcomes-based curriculum rating themselves as 'confident” was statistically significantly higher in seven out of the thirty procedures, when compared with the traditional curriculum, and unchanged or nonsignificantly increased in the remainder. Discussion and conclusions: The relationship between specific curricular innovations and student confidence is considered, as is the usefulness of self-rated confidence in curriculum evaluation. Curriculum change appeared to have a positive effect on student confidence across a range of procedures

Wave turbulence of a rotating array of quantized vortices in the T → 0 temperature limit

The dynamics of quantized vortices in the zero temperature limit $T \rightarrow 0$ is currently of great interest, particularly in the case of the Fermi superfluid $^3$He-B. Here we study wave turbulence, generated by the librating motion of a rotating cylindrical container filled with $^3$He-B, in the limit of vanishing viscous forces at temperatures $T \leq 0.2 T_{c}$. The polarization of the quantized vortices with respect to the axis of rotation is measured using non-invasive NMR techniques. We observe a decrease of the polarization when the librating motion is started, and a two-stage relaxation process when the modulation of the rotation velocity is stopped. The first relaxation process is associated with the dissipation of large-scale flow stored in inertial waves and the solid body rotation of the vortex array. From the decay of these energy reservoirs we determine the rate of energy dissipation of large-scale flow. The later second process is related to the relaxation of Kelvin waves on individual vortices. This process is monitored by the recovery of the polarization. The existence of a Kelvin wave cascade at the lowest temperatures is currently a central open question. We supply some evidence for the cascade

Re-evaluating the Lejour Technique for Breast Reduction in Patients with Macromastia

Background:. Limited scar Lejour technique for breast reduction is conventionally used to remove less than 500 g of breast tissue per breast, but is effective for greater macromastia. Plastic surgery residents gain limited experience with this technique, and it is infrequently performed in the United States. To understand technique selection, we surveyed board-certified plastic surgeons and compared outcomes with the Lejour technique in 1 practice to those with other methods. Methods:. We surveyed American Society of Plastic Surgeons members about techniques for breast reduction and compared outcomes with procedures performed by various techniques by a single surgeon (M.C.). Results:. Of 321 survey respondents, 33% reported formal training in the Lejour technique. Over 70% used mainly the inferior pedicle Wise procedure; 14% used mainly the Lejour or modified Lejour technique. In a series of reduction mammaplasties by 1 surgeon in 119 patients between 1997 and 2006, 14 underwent inferior pedicle Wise pattern and 105 involved the Lejour technique. Mean tissue mass removal was 1,136 g/breast (range, 170–4,050 g). Major complications occurred in 1.74% overall, and 0% and 1.9% for the Wise and Lejour techniques, respectively (P = 0.46). Conclusions:. Although most American Society of Plastic Surgeons respondents were not formally trained in the Lejour technique and seldom perform the procedure, it can be employed for reduction mammaplasty with no greater risk of complications than the Wise method. The Lejour technique should be incorporated during residency training as an alternative for reduction mammaplasty

Abrupt rise of new machine ecology beyond human response time

Society's techno-social systems are becoming ever faster and more computer-orientated. However, far from simply generating faster versions of existing behaviour, we show that this speed-up can generate a new behavioural regime as humans lose the ability to intervene in real time. Analyzing millisecond-scale data for the world's largest and most powerful techno-social system, the global financial market, we uncover an abrupt transition to a new all-machine phase characterized by large numbers of subsecond extreme events. The proliferation of these subsecond events shows an intriguing correlation with the onset of the system-wide financial collapse in 2008. Our findings are consistent with an emerging ecology of competitive machines featuring ‘crowds' of predatory algorithms, and highlight the need for a new scientific theory of subsecond financial phenomena