Introducing Anki, a Spaced-Repetition Program, as a Study Tool for First Year Medical Students

Description of Innovation Anki is a free flashcard program that can be downloaded from the internet onto electronic devices. Unlike other flashcard programs, it uses a learning technique called “spaced repetition” whereby Anki uses an algorithm to automatically test students with newer and more difficult flashcards more frequently than older and less difficult ones. To use Anki to study for exams, students may make their own flashcards in the form of “decks” (sets of flashcards divided by subject) and/or download “decks” from the internet made by peers from other medical schools. Evaluation of Innovation In the past several years, Anki gained popularity among medical students from both allopathic and osteopathic schools (Rana et al., 2020) after it was shown that students who used Anki performed better on the USMLE Step 1 than students who did not use Anki (Deng et al., 2016). Anki was introduced to JABSOM students when JABSOM’s ℅ 2023 made Anki decks which covered material on JABSOM’s MD2 (Cardiology and Pulmonology) unit. These decks were then shared with students from the ℅ 2024, the majority of whom reported success with using Anki to study for MD2 exams (Koshi et al., 2021). Context During the start of medical school, most first year students (MS1s) have difficulty identifying study habits that best suit their individual learning styles. This project introduced Anki to MS1s during JABSOM’s MD1 (Health and Illness) unit in hopes of easing the ℅ 2025’s transition to medical school and expanding upon the findings of Koshi et al., which were limited to JABSOM’s MD2 unit. The distributed Anki decks came with certain limitations. First, they only covered material related to MD1 PBL cases. Second, they were released one at a time after students finished their corresponding PBL cases so as to not interfere with the PBL process. Lastly, decks from PBL cases 5 and 7 were omitted to encourage students to practice making their own flashcards. This project also consisted of online workshops that taught students how to use Anki and “AnKing,” the most commonly used premade Anki deck for the USMLE Step 1 and 2. Students’ comfort with and utilization of Anki were monitored throughout the unit via weekly surveys. Objectives Made and shared Anki decks covering most MD1 PBL material with the ℅ 2025 to introduce and transition them to using Anki. Hosted workshops to teach the ℅ 2025 how to use efficiently Anki and AnKing as well as how to make their own flashcards and decks. Discussion The JABSOM ℅ 2025 (n=77) were emailed 9 Anki decks out of a total possible 11 PBL cases. An average of 66.14 students (85.9% of the class) used the PBL decks. At the beginning of this project, 30.8% of respondents felt somewhat or very comfortable with creating new Anki cards. At the conclusion of this project, this percentage increased to 65.7%. The final survey showed that all 67 respondents would recommend Anki as a study resource to future students. All but one respondent planned to continue using Anki as a study resource. Conclusion Most students gave positive feedback about the Anki decks, reporting they were helpful study tools. Furthermore, most students reported that this project eased their transition into medical school and would continue to use Anki to supplement their studying in future units. Target Audience The intended audience of this presentation includes health professionals, and medical school faculty, educators, and students. References 1. Deng F, Gluckstein JA, Larsen DP. Student-directed retrieval practice is a predictor of medical licensing examination performance [published correction appears in Perspect Med Educ. 2016 Nov 18;:]. Perspect Med Educ. 2015;4(6):308-313. doi:10.1007/s40037-015-0220-x 2. Koshi E, Nielsen T, Fujiuchi B, Walter M, Kuniyoshi C, Sakai D. Qualitative Assessment of Anki as a Tool for Medical Education. Health Professions Education Conference (HPEC). 2021. hdl.handle.net/10125/73407 3. Rana T, Laoteppitaks C, Zhang G, Troutman G, Chandra S. An Investigation of Anki Flashcards as a Study Tool Among First Year Medical Students Learning Anatomy. The FASEB journal. 2020;34(S1):1-1. doi:10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.0973

First-Year Medical Student Feedback Regarding the Addition of Online Learning Modules to the Curriculum

Introduction: The first year of the medical student curriculum at the John A. Burns School of Medicine consists of four blocks. The first block–MD1: Health and Illness–is a 9-week introduction to Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and foundational sciences. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MD1 introduced online modules (pre-recorded lectures assigned outside of scheduled lecture times) for fall 2020. While student ratings of MD1 were mostly favorable, students expressed specific concerns regarding online modules in MD1 mid-course evaluations. Comments included, “we feel overwhelmed by the length and content in addition to the scheduled lectures we already have” and “we were not huge fans of the online modules”. Additionally, “Q&A and review sessions” corresponding with each online module were scheduled in the second half of MD1 to provide dedicated time for students to meet with instructors. The formats of these sessions were left to the discretion of the instructor, resulting in high variability. Students were surveyed to elaborate their thoughts towards online modules and review sessions. Although this project was done in the context of MD1 online modules, we hope to extend the recommendations to all lectures in the pre-clerkship units. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify strengths, areas of improvement, and suggestions regarding online modules assigned in MD1. Methods: A quality improvement online survey was administered in October 2020 to 77 students in the JABSOM Class of 2024. Quantitative and qualitative questions were newly developed based on feedback from the MD1 mid-course evaluations and addressed areas including preferred presentation style, lecture reviews, effective characteristics, and overall sentiment of the online modules. Patterns among the qualitative responses were identified by the authors to recognize student preferences. Results: The survey was completed by 63 (81.8%) students. Of note, 100% of enrolled students earned passing scores on MD1 end-course exams. Students rated their overall feelings about the online modules 5.9±1.5 out of 10. The majority (55.6%) of students preferred practice questions provided and discussed in pre-recorded lectures. Student comments suggested the most effective review session formats were based on instructors’ practice questions or overviews of key lecture slides. Respondents also reported the most effective lectures had exam-like practice questions with explanations and direct connections to MD1 PBL cases. Additionally, respondents recommended scheduling in specific time blocks to watch pre-recorded lectures during school day hours, to more closely mimic live, in-person lectures. Discussion: The prevalence of online learning in medical school curricula has increased, perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed the JABSOM Class of 2024 about their MD1 online learning experience and consolidated feedback to the following recommendations. (1) Regarding content, we recommend lecturers (a) relate the material to PBL cases and (b) discuss clinical examples. (2) Regarding practice questions, we recommend lecturers prepare and discuss practice questions during their lectures. (3) Regarding review sessions, we recommend lecturers prepare a summary of both (a) testable, key concepts and (b) additional practice questions. We propose these changes and practices can lead to improved learner satisfaction while maintaining the high standard of learner performance outcomes that faculty and students share. Target Audience: Students and educators, JABSOM Office of Medical Educatio

Antibody stabilization for thermally accelerated deep immunostaining

Antibodies have diverse applications due to their high reaction specificities but are sensitive to denaturation when a higher working temperature is required. We have developed a simple, highly scalable and generalizable chemical approach for stabilizing off-the-shelf antibodies against thermal and chemical denaturation. We demonstrate that the stabilized antibodies (termed SPEARs) can withstand up to 4 weeks of continuous heating at 55 °C and harsh denaturants, and apply our method to 33 tested antibodies. SPEARs enable flexible applications of thermocycling and denaturants to dynamically modulate their binding kinetics, reaction equilibrium, macromolecular diffusivity and aggregation propensity. In particular, we show that SPEARs permit the use of a thermally facilitated three-dimensional immunolabeling strategy (termed ThICK staining), achieving whole mouse brain immunolabeling within 72 h, as well as nearly fourfold deeper penetration with threefold less antibodies in human brain tissue. With faster deep-tissue immunolabeling and broad compatibility with tissue processing and clearing methods without the need for any specialized equipment, we anticipate the wide applicability of ThICK staining with SPEARs for deep immunostaining

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe

Measurement of prompt open-charm production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb(-1). The differential production cross sections of the D*(+/-), D-+/-, and D-0 ((D) over bar (0)) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.Peer reviewe

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Measurement of B-c(2S)(+) and B-c*(2S)(+) cross section ratios in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

Reconstruction of signal amplitudes in the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter in the presence of overlapping proton-proton interactions

A template fitting technique for reconstructing the amplitude of signals produced by the lead tungstate crystals of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is described. This novel approach is designed to suppress the contribution to the signal of the increased number of out-of-time interactions per beam crossing following the reduction of the accelerator bunch spacing from 50 to 25 ns at the start of Run 2 of the LHC. Execution of the algorithm is sufficiently fast for it to be employed in the CMS high-level trigger. It is also used in the offline event reconstruction. Results obtained from simulations and from Run 2 collision data (2015-2018) demonstrate a substantial improvement in the energy resolution of the calorimeter over a range of energies extending from a few GeV to several tens of GeV.Peer reviewe