Scientific writing: a randomized controlled trial comparing standard and on-line instruction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Writing plays a central role in the communication of scientific ideas and is therefore a key aspect in researcher education, ultimately determining the success and long-term sustainability of their careers. Despite the growing popularity of e-learning, we are not aware of any existing study comparing on-line vs. traditional classroom-based methods for teaching scientific writing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty eight participants from a medical, nursing and physiotherapy background from US and Brazil were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 24 per group): An on-line writing workshop group (on-line group), in which participants used virtual communication, google docs and standard writing templates, and a standard writing guidance training (standard group) where participants received standard instruction without the aid of virtual communication and writing templates. Two outcomes, manuscript quality was assessed using the scores obtained in Six subgroup analysis scale as the primary outcome measure, and satisfaction scores with Likert scale were evaluated. To control for observer variability, inter-observer reliability was assessed using Fleiss's kappa. A post-hoc analysis comparing rates of communication between mentors and participants was performed. Nonparametric tests were used to assess intervention efficacy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Excellent inter-observer reliability among three reviewers was found, with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) agreement = 0.931882 and ICC consistency = 0.932485. On-line group had better overall manuscript quality (p = 0.0017, SSQSavg score 75.3 ± 14.21, ranging from 37 to 94) compared to the standard group (47.27 ± 14.64, ranging from 20 to 72). Participant satisfaction was higher in the on-line group (4.3 ± 0.73) compared to the standard group (3.09 ± 1.11) (p = 0.001). The standard group also had fewer communication events compared to the on-line group (0.91 ± 0.81 vs. 2.05 ± 1.23; p = 0.0219).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our protocol for on-line scientific writing instruction is better than standard face-to-face instruction in terms of writing quality and student satisfaction. Future studies should evaluate the protocol efficacy in larger longitudinal cohorts involving participants from different languages.</p

Modelling and Experimental Analysis of Noise Transmission through Wall of a Railway Vehicle

The paper presents results of a grant research project dealing with acoustic properties of the walls and floor of a railway passenger coach investigated by means of the experimental analysis of noise produced during train runs and corresponding simulations. In the research, conditions and theoretical approaches for possible reconstructions of walls and floor of the railway passenger coach using new fibrous-microstructure acoustic materials were defined, with the aim of increasing the sound reduction index. The properties of the proposed materials were compared in terms of the acoustic energy transfer through the porous microstructure calculated by means of simulations. The final acoustic effects of different solutions for the incorporation of the materials in the floor structure and in the complete body of the rail passenger coach were evaluated. In this paper the effects on interior noise of the introduction of a new material for floor and wall are presented

Modelling and experimental analysis of noise transmission through wall of a railway vehicle

The paper presents results of a grant research project dealing with acoustic properties of the walls and floor of a railway passenger coach investigated by means of the experimental analysis of noise produced during train runs and corresponding simulations. In the research, conditions and theoretical approaches for possible reconstructions of walls and floor of the railway passenger coach using new fibrous-microstructure acoustic materials were defined, with the aim of increasing the sound reduction index. The properties of the proposed materials were compared in terms of the acoustic energy transfer through the porous microstructure calculated by means of simulations. The final acoustic effects of different solutions for the incorporation of the materials in the floor structure and in the complete body of the rail passenger coach were evaluated. In this paper the effects on interior noise of the introduction of a new material for floor and wall are presented