Using Alternative Names and Pictures to Facilitate Learning Afferent and Efferent Nervous System Connections

Background: According to most students, neuroanatomy is difficult to learn. Although different approaches have been suggested for learning neuroanatomical correlations, it seems that none have been effective in aiding learning of afferent and efferent connections. The aim of this study was to develop an innovative method that will facilitate learning of afferent and efferent nervous system connections. Methods: A total of 140 medical students at the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences participated in the current study, of which 69 subjects were trained using traditional methods (control group). An innovative method was employed for the remaining 71 subjects (intervention group). In the intervention group, a name and figure were first allocated to each of the nervous system structures in a way that would remind students of the origin of the structure. The students created 3-part names for the allocated structures that were, if possible, humorous. The first part was the alternative name for the structure, and the second and third parts were the alternative names for afferent and efferent structures. The students learned the afferent and efferent connections through the phrases. Each group passed a 12-item pretest and posttest. Results of the tests were analyzed with SPSS using the paired t-test; P ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: There was no significant difference in the pretest scores between the study groups (control: 1.64 ± 0.86; intervention: 1.60 ± 0.89; P = 0.40). The posttest score of the intervention group (8.15 ± 1.16) was significantly higher than that of the control (3.75 ± 0.077; P < 0.001). Conclusions: An innovative method can facilitate student learning of afferent and efferent nervous system connections. Keywords: Learning, Afferent, Efferent, Neuroanatom

Design and Implementation of a Lithium-ion Cell Tester Capable of Obtaining High Frequency Characteristics Design and Implementation of a Lithium-ion Cell Tester Capable of Obtaining High Frequency Characteristics Permission to Use

Abstract The field of energy storage has improved drastically within the last two decades. Batteries of various chemistries have been relied on to provide energy for numerous portable electronic devices. Lithium-ion cells, when compared to other chemistries have been known to provide outstanding energy-to-weight ratios and exhibit low self-discharge when not in us

Measuring the Influence and Impact of Competitiveness Research: A Web of Science Approach

The purpose of this paper is to measure the influence and impact of competitiveness research by identifying the 100 most cited articles in competitiveness that are published in academic journals indexed in the database of Web of Science of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) between 1980 and 2013. Using citation analysis we investigated the number of citations that were made to the 100 most cited articles that deal with competitiveness during this 34 year period. We also identified articles, authors, journals, institutions, and countries that have had the most contribution to the literature of competitiveness. Further, we determined in which categories of Web of Science these articles were published and how is the time distribution of their publication. Additionally, we investigated the level of competitiveness that has received the most attention, and the latest level of analysis in competitiveness research. We also explored the type of research design these articles used. Finally, we determined the most popular topics covered and the type of firm or industry/ name of nation or region analyzed by these articles. The findings of this research provide a reliable basis for competitiveness researchers to better plan their studies and enhance the influence and impact of their research works. However, the most cited articles published in other databases and categories, and citation to these articles in other publications and resources may deserve future research attention

The ability of mouse nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells to differentiate into primordial germ cells

Nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (ntESCs) show stem cell characteristics such as pluripotency but cause no immunological disorders. Although ntESCs are able to differentiate into somatic cells, the ability of ntESCs to differentiate into primordial germ cells (PGCs) has not been examined. In this work, we examined the capacity of mouse ntESCs to differentiate into PGCs in vitro. ntESCs aggregated to form embryoid bodies (EB) in EB culture medium supplemented with bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4) as the differentiation factor. The expression level of specific PGC genes was compared at days 4 and 8 using real time PCR. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining were used to detect Mvh as a specific PGC marker. ntESCs expressed particular genes related to different stages of PGC development. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining confirmed the presence of Mvh protein in a small number of cells. There were significant differences between cells that differentiated into PGCs in the group treated with Bmp4 compared to non-treated cells. These findings indicate that ntESCs can differentiate into putative PGCs. Improvement of ntESC differentiation into PGCs may be a reliable means of producing mature germ cells

Measuring the influence and impact of competitiveness research: a Web of Science approach

The purpose of this paper is to measure the influence and impact of competitiveness research by identifying the 100 most cited articles in competitiveness that are published in academic journals indexed in the database of Web of Science of the Institute for Scientific Information between 1980 and 2013. Using citation analysis we investigated the number of citations that were made to the 100 most cited articles that deal with competitiveness during this 34 year period. We also identified articles, authors, journals, institutions, and countries that have had the most contribution to the literature of competitiveness. Further, we determined in which categories of Web of Science these articles were published and how is the time distribution of their publication. Additionally, we investigated the level of competitiveness that has received the most attention, and the latest level of analysis in competitiveness research. We also explored the type of research design these articles used. Finally, we determined the most popular topics covered and the type of firm or industry/name of nation or region analyzed by these articles. The findings of this research provide a reliable basis for competitiveness researchers to better plan their studies and enhance the influence and impact of their research works. However, the most cited articles published in other databases and categories, and citation to these articles in other publications and resources may deserve future research attention

An investigation of key competitiveness indicators and drivers of full-service airlines using Delphi and AHP techniques

The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the key competitiveness indicators and drivers of full-service airlines. To achieve this, the study used a two-phase, sequential exploratory mixed methods research that was initiated with a qualitative phase (Delphi technique), and followed by a quantitative phase (Analytic Hierarchy Process technique). The results of the qualitative phase revealed that full-service airlines need to pay attention to the 12 key indicators and 15 key drivers to evaluate and improve their competitiveness status, respectively. The key identified indicators include quality, safety, price, connectivity, timeliness, flight frequency, profitability, productivity, cost, market share, customer loyalty, and revenue growth, and the key identified drivers are including bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of suppliers, rivalry among existing competitors, government policies, physical resources, financial resources, human resources, technological resources, reputational resources, flight operations capabilities, engineering and maintenance capabilities, marketing and services capabilities, finance and property capabilities, personnel capabilities, and strategic alliances. Further, the results of the quantitative phase demonstrated that profitability is the most important key competitiveness indicator, closely followed by productivity. It was also found that generally bargaining power of customers is the most powerful key competitiveness driver, and followed by financial resources. However, the results revealed that the ranking of the key competitiveness drivers with respect to each indicator differs significantly. The findings of this research provide important implications for the evaluation and improvement of the competitiveness status of full-service airlines

Heterogeneous determinants of quality of life in different phenotypes of Parkinson's disease

Objectives Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered a very important outcome indicator in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). A broad list of motor and non-motor features have been shown to affect HRQoL in PD, however, there is a dearth of information about the complexity of interrelationships between determinants of HRQoL in different PD phenotypes. We aimed to find independent determinates and the best structural model for HRQoL, also to investigate the heterogeneity in HRQoL between PD patients with different phenotypes regarding onset-age, progression rate and dominant symptom. Methods A broad spectrum of demographic, motor and non-motor characteristics were collected in 157 idiopathic PD patients, namely comorbidity profile, nutritional status, UPDRS (total items), psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety), fatigue and psychosocial functioning through physical examination, validated questionnaires and scales. Structural equation model (SEM) and multivariate regressions were applied to find determinants of Parkinson's disease summary index (PDSI) and different domains of HRQoL (PDQ-39). Results Female sex, anxiety, depression and UPDRS-part II scores were the significant independent determinants of PDSI. A structural model consisting of global motor, global non-motor and co-morbidity indicator as three main components was able to predict 89 of the variance in HRQoL. In older-onset and slow-progression phenotypes, the motor domain showed smaller contribution on HRQoL and the majority of its effects were mediated through non-motor features. Comorbidity component was a significant determinant of HRQoL only among older-onset and non-tremor-dominant PD patients. Fatigue was not a significant indicator of non-motor component to affect HRQoL in rapid-progression PD. Conclusions Our findings showed outstanding heterogeneities in the pattern and determinants of HRQoL among PD phenotypes. These factors should be considered during the assessments and developing personalized interventions to improve HRQOL in PD patients with different phenotypes or prominent feature. © 2015 Fereshtehnejad et al

Key competitiveness indicators and drivers of full-service airlines operating in Malaysia

Full-service airlines play a key role in creating a prosperous and successful tourism industry. They are now faced with fierce competition in domestic and international markets. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the competitiveness of full-service airlines. Hence, this research was aimed to identify the key competitiveness indicators and drivers of full-service airlines to help them to evaluate and improve their competitiveness, respectively. Using the Delphi technique at the first phase of the research, the study revealed that full-service airlines need to pay attention to the 12 key competitiveness indicators, including price, quality,profitability, productivity, cost, market share, timeliness, safety, connectivity, flight frequency, customer loyalty, and revenue growth to evaluate their competitiveness status against their rivals. Additionally, the research findings suggested that fullservice airlines need to implement and manage the 15 key competitiveness drivers to reinforce these key competitiveness indicators and as a result improve their overall competitiveness. They include bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of suppliers, rivalry among existing competitors, physical resources, financial resources, human resources, technological resources, reputational resources, flight operations capabilities, engineering and maintenance capabilities, marketing and services capabilities, finance and property capabilities, personnel capabilities,government policies, and strategic alliances. Further, the results of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique at the second phase of the research revealed that profitability is the most important key competitiveness indicator, closely followed by productivity. In contrast, flight frequency is the least important key competitiveness indicator that was ranked twelfth. Furthermore, it was found that the bargaining power of customers is the most powerful key competitiveness driver, closely followed by financial resources. On the contrary, government policies ranked fifteenth has the lowest effect on the competitiveness of full-service airlines. Thetudy also indicated the relative importance weight and ranking of the key competitiveness drivers with respect to their influence on each indicator. Furthermore, it determined the implementation priority of the key competitiveness drivers in terms of several groups using the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) technique. The findings of this research provide important implications for the evaluation and improvement of the competitiveness of full-service airlines

Comparing the Effect of A Quasi-Formal Wrestling Match on Humeral, Cortisol, Salivary Testosterone Levels of Elite and Ordinary Male Wrestlers

Background and Objectives: Researchers believe that intense and long-term exercise can end up to suppression of the immune system and gentle and short-term exercises strengthen the immune system. The purpose of this study was comparing the effect of wrestling competition on changes in salivary immunoglobulin A, total protein, cortisol and salivary testosterone of elite and ordinary male wrestlers. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 20 elite and ordinary male wrestlers were selected through available and targeted sampling. Subjects were divided into two groups: elite (10 people) and ordinary (10 people). Salivary samples were collected to determine the levels of salivary immunoglobulin A concentrations, cortisol, testosterone before the match, immediately after the first time and immediately after the second time. Data were analyzed using repeated measures test to compare intergroup and intergroup mean. The results were analyzed with a significance level of p<0.05.Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in the stages before the starting the competition, immediately after the first time and immediately after the second time, in elite and ordinary men on the IgA concentration and salivary cortisol. If these changes were compared with, the basic level was decreased and increased significantly, respectively, which the peak of these changes was observed immediately after the second time. Conclusions: The wrestler's immune system at the end of the match is likely to be affected by stress and physical and psychological pressures and stimulate the immune indicators in the bloodstream, and eventually this phenomenon may expose athletes to the disease of upper respiratory tract