Improvement of orthoptic students’ self-evaluation through repeated practice with rubric-based assessments

The discipline of orthoptics covers a wide range of ophthalmological examinations and generates supports for visually disabled persons; consequently, orthoptic educators are continually trying to improve practical training. One problem is students’ inadequate abilities to self-evaluate and consistency among teacher evaluations. In the United States of America, rubric assessments have been used widely, from elementary through higher educational levels, since the late 1970’s. Because a rubric contains the explicit and descriptive criteria for scoring, assessments with rubric can help students and instructors consistently assess student performance. In a previous study, rubric assessments for off-campus clinical orthoptic internships were found useful in standardizing evaluations among multiple instructors. However, there have been no empirical studies on the long-term effects of orthoptic training with rubrics. While writing accurate reports on the practice is important for acquisition of clinical skills through practical course, students cannot obtain report-writing skills without accurate self-evaluation of their own reports. In this study, to investigate the long-term effects of rubric-based training, we repeated practice-assessment-feedback cycles for nine weeks using rubrics, and analyzed the observed disparities between self- and teacher-generated scores over time. All study procedures were performed in-house. We found that, over time, the disparities between the students’ and teachers’ scores decreased significantly, suggesting that students’ self-evaluation accuracy improved through repeated use of rubric. The improvement was category-dependent and larger in students with lower performance. These results indicate the advantages of repeating rubric-based formative assessments in orthoptic practices

Design and synthesis of a new chromophore, 2-(4-nitrophenyl)benzofuran, for two-photon uncaging using near-IR light

C. K. acknowledges the HPC resources of CINES and of IDRIS under the allocations 2014-[x2014080649] made by GENCI (Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif).International audienceA new chromophore, 2-(4-nitrophenyl)benzofuran (NPBF), was designed for two-photon (TP) uncaging using near-IR light. The TP absorption (TPA) cross-sections of the newly designed NPBF chromophore were determined to be 18 GM at 720 nm and 54 GM at 740 nm in DMSO. The TP uncaging reaction of a caged benzoate with the NPBF chromophore quantitatively produced benzoic acid with an efficiency (δu) of ∼5.0 GM at 740 nm. The TP fragmentation of an EGTA unit was observed with δu = 16 GM. This behavior makes the new chromophore a promising TP photoremovable protecting group for physiological studies

Outcomes after stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung tumors, with emphasis on comparison of primary lung cancer and metastatic lung tumors

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to determine the prognostic factors associated with an improved overall outcome after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for primary lung cancer and metastatic lung tumors. METHODS: A total of 229 lung tumors in 201 patients were included in the study. SBRT of 45 Gy in 3 fractions, 48 Gy in 4 fractions, 60 Gy in 8 fractions or 60 Gy in 15 fractions was typically used to treat 172 primary lungs cancer in 164 patients and 57 metastatic lung tumors in 37 patients between January 2001 and December 2011. Prognostic factors for local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The median biologically effective dose was 105.6 Gy based on alpha/beta = 10 (BED10). The median follow-up period was 41.9 months. The 3-year LC and OS rates were 72.5% and 60.9%, and the 5-year LC and OS rates were 67.8% and 38.1%, respectively. Radiation pneumonitis of grades 2, 3 and 5 occurred in 22 petients, 6 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that tumor origin (primary lung cancer or metastatic lung tumor, p < 0.001), tumor diameter (p = 0.005), BED10 (p = 0.029) and date of treatment (p = 0.011) were significant independent predictors for LC and that gender (p = 0.012), tumor origin (p = 0.001) and tumor diameter (p < 0.001) were significant independent predictors for OS. CONCLUSIONS: SBRT resulted in good LC and tolerable treatment-related toxicities. Tumor origin and tumor diameter are significant independent predictors for both overall survival and local control

Undergraduate educational environment, perceived preparedness for postgraduate clinical training, and pass rate on the National Medical Licensure Examination in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the views of newly graduating physicians on their preparedness for postgraduate clinical training, and evaluated the relationship of preparedness with the educational environment and the pass rate on the National Medical Licensure Examination (NMLE).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were obtained from 2429 PGY-1 physicians-in-training (response rate, 36%) using a mailed cross-sectional survey. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory was used to assess the learning environment at 80 Japanese medical schools. Preparedness was assessed based on 6 clinical areas related to the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 17% of the physicians-in-training felt prepared in the area of general clinical skills, 29% in basic knowledge of diagnosis and management of common conditions, 48% in communication skills, 19% in skills associated with evidence-based medicine, 54% in professionalism, and 37% in basic skills required for a physical examination. There were substantial differences among the medical schools in the perceived preparedness of their graduates. Significant positive correlations were found between preparedness for all clinical areas and a better educational environment (all p < 0.01), but there were no significant associations between the pass rate on the NMLE and perceived preparedness for any clinical area, as well as pass rate and educational environment (all p > 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Different educational environments among universities may be partly responsible for the differences in perceived preparedness of medical students for postgraduate clinical training. This study also highlights the poor correlation between self-assessed preparedness for practice and the NMLE.</p