Graduates' perceived preparedness for dental practice from PBL and traditional curricula

The objective of this study was to compare dental graduates' perceived preparedness for practice after being educated in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum with those who graduated from a traditional undergraduate curriculum, both at the University of Hong Kong. A cohort of graduates from the traditional dental curriculum (1997-2001) and a cohort of graduates from the PBL curriculum (2004-08) rated their self-perceived preparedness for dental practice in fifty-nine aspects of dentistry across nine domains. Perceived preparedness for dental practice was compared at domain and item levels (accounting for multiple comparisons) using chi-square statistics. Both cohorts felt well prepared for the "bread and butter" aspects of dentistry, but less so for specific specialty disciplines. There was no significant difference between PBL and traditional graduates' self-perceived preparedness in eight of the nine domains of dental practice (P>0.05). However, in the area of orthodontics, both cohorts felt ill-prepared for practice and more so among the PBL cohort (P>0.01). For the most part, regardless of curriculum design, these dental graduates perceived themselves to be well prepared for dental practice.published_or_final_versio

Production of HONO from heterogeneous uptake of NO₂ on illuminated TiO₂ aerosols measured by Photo-Fragmentation Laser Induced Fluorescence

The rate of production of HONO from illuminated TiO2 aerosols in the presence of NO2 was measured using an aerosol flow tube coupled to a photo-fragmentation laser induced fluorescence detection apparatus. The reactive uptake coefficient of NO2 to form HONO, γNO2→HONO, was determined for NO2 mixing ratios in the range 34–400 ppb, with γNO2→HONO spanning the range (9.97 ± 3.52) × 10−6 to (1.26 ± 0.17) × 10−4 at a relative humidity of 15 ± 1 % and for a lamp photon flux of (1.63 ± 0.09) × 1016 photons cm−2 s −1 (integrated between 290 and 400 nm), which is similar to values of ambient actinic flux at midday. γNO2→HONO increased as a function of NO2 mixing ratio at low NO2 before peaking at (1.26 ± 0.17) × 10−4 at 51 ppb NO2 and then sharply decreasing at higher NO2 mixing ratios, rather than levelling off which would be indicative of surface saturation. The dependence of HONO production on relative humidity was also investigated, with a peak in production of HONO from TiO2 aerosol surfaces found at ~25 % RH. Possible mechanisms consistent with the observed trends in both the HONO production and reactive uptake coefficient were investigated using a zero-dimensional kinetic box model. The modelling studies supported a mechanism for HONO production on the aerosol surface involving two molecules of NO2, as well as a surface HONO loss mechanism which is dependent upon NO2. In a separate experiment, significant production of HONO was observed from illumination of mixed nitrate/TiO2 aerosols in the absence of NO2. However, no statistically significant production of HONO was seen from the illumination of pure nitrate aerosols. The rate of production of HONO observed from mixed nitrate/TiO2 aerosols was scaled to ambient conditions found at the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO) in the remote tropical marine boundary layer. The rate of HONO production from aerosol particulate nitrate photolysis containing a photocatalyst was found to be similar to the missing HONO production rate necessary to reproduce observed concentrations of HONO at CVAO. These results provide evidence that particulate nitrate photolysis may have a significant impact on the production of HONO and hence NOx in the marine boundary layer where mixed aerosols containing nitrate and a photocatalytic species such as TiO2, as found in dust, are present

Production of HONO from NO2 uptake on illuminated TiO2 aerosol particles and following the illumination of mixed TiO2∕ammonium nitrate particles

The rate of production of HONO from illuminated TiO2 aerosols in the presence of NO2 was measured using an aerosol flow tube system coupled to a photo-fragmentation laser-induced fluorescence detection apparatus. The reactive uptake coefficient of NO2 to form HONO, γNO2→HONO, was determined for NO2 mixing ratios in the range 34–400 ppb, with γNO2→HONO spanning the range (9.97 ± 3.52) × 10−6 to (1.26 ± 0.17) × 10−4 at a relative humidity of 15 ± 1 % and for a lamp photon flux of (1.63 ± 0.09) ×1016 photons cm−2 s−1 (integrated between 290 and 400 nm), which is similar to midday ambient actinic flux values. γNO2→HONO increased as a function of NO2 mixing ratio at low NO2 before peaking at (1.26 ± 0.17) ×10−4 at ∼ 51 ppb NO2 and then sharply decreasing at higher NO2 mixing ratios rather than levelling off, which would be indicative of surface saturation. The dependence of HONO production on relative humidity was also investigated, with a peak in production of HONO from TiO2 aerosol surfaces found at ∼ 25 % RH. Possible mechanisms consistent with the observed trends in both the HONO production and reactive uptake coefficient were investigated using a zero-dimensional kinetic box model. The modelling studies supported a mechanism for HONO production on the aerosol surface involving two molecules of NO2, as well as a surface HONO loss mechanism which is dependent upon NO2. In a separate experiment, significant production of HONO was observed from illumination of mixed nitrate/TiO2 aerosols in the absence of NO2. However, no production of HONO was seen from the illumination of nitrate aerosols alone. The rate of production of HONO observed from mixed nitrate/TiO2 aerosols was scaled to ambient conditions found at the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO) in the remote tropical marine boundary layer. The rate of HONO production from aerosol particulate nitrate photolysis containing a photocatalyst was found to be similar to the missing HONO production rate necessary to reproduce observed concentrations of HONO at CVAO. These results provide evidence that particulate nitrate photolysis may have a significant impact on the production of HONO and hence NOx in the marine boundary layer where mixed aerosols containing nitrate and a photocatalytic species such as TiO2, as found in dust, are present

The Active for Life Year 5 (AFLY5) school based cluster randomised controlled trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Low levels of physical activity, high levels of sedentary behaviour and low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption are common in children and are associated with adverse health outcomes. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) designed to evaluate a school-based intervention that aims to increase levels of physical activity, decrease sedentary behaviour and increase consumption of fruit and vegetables in school children. Methods/design: The Active for Life Year 5 (AFLY5) study is a school-based, cluster RCT that targets school children in Year 5 (age 9-10 years). All state junior/primary schools in the area covered by Bristol City and North Somerset Council are invited to participate; special schools are excluded. Eligible schools are randomised to one of two arms: intervention arm (receive the intervention 2011-2012) and control arm (receive the intervention after the final follow-up assessment, 2013-2014). The primary outcomes of the trial are levels of accelerometer assessed physical activity and sedentary behaviour and questionnaire assessed fruit and vegetable consumption. A number of secondary outcomes will also be measured, including body mass index, waist circumference and overweight/obesity. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (prior to intervention when the children are in Year 4), at the end of intervention ‘immediate follow-up’ and ‘12 months long-term’ follow-up. We will use random effects linear and logistic regression models to compare outcomes by randomised arm. The economic evaluation from a societal perspective will take the form of a cost consequence analysis. Data from focus groups and interviews with pupils, parents and teachers will be used to increase understanding of how the intervention has any effect and is integrated into normal school activity. Discussion: The results of the trial will provide information about the public health effectiveness of a school-based intervention aimed at improving levels of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diet in children.Debbie A Lawlor, Russell Jago, Sian M Noble, Catherine R Chittleborough, Rona Campbell, Julie Mytton, Laura D Howe, Tim J Peters and Ruth R Kippin

Calculation of the Free Energy and Cooperativity of Protein Folding

Calculation of the free energy of protein folding and delineation of its pre-organization are of foremost importance for understanding, predicting and designing biological macromolecules. Here, we introduce an energy smoothing variant of parallel tempering replica exchange Monte Carlo (REMS) that allows for efficient configurational sampling of flexible solutes under the conditions of molecular hydration. Its usage to calculate the thermal stability of a model globular protein, Trp cage TC5b, achieves excellent agreement with experimental measurements. We find that the stability of TC5b is attained through the coupled formation of local and non-local interactions. Remarkably, many of these structures persist at high temperature, concomitant with the origin of native-like configurations and mesostates in an otherwise macroscopically disordered unfolded state. Graph manifold learning reveals that the conversion of these mesostates to the native state is structurally heterogeneous, and that the cooperativity of their formation is encoded largely by the unfolded state ensemble. In all, these studies establish the extent of thermodynamic and structural pre-organization of folding of this model globular protein, and achieve the calculation of macromolecular stability ab initio, as required for ab initio structure prediction, genome annotation, and drug design

Measuring Spirituality as a Universal Human Experience: A Review of Spirituality Questionnaires

Spirituality is an important theme in health research, since a spiritual orientation can help people to cope with the consequences of a serious disease. Knowledge on the role of spirituality is, however, limited, as most research is based on measures of religiosity rather than spirituality. A questionnaire that transcends specific beliefs is a prerequisite for quantifying the importance of spirituality among people who adhere to a religion or none at all. In this review, we discuss ten questionnaires that address spirituality as a universal human experience. Questionnaires are evaluated with regard to psychometric properties, item formulation and confusion with well-being and distress. Although none of the questionnaires fulfilled all the criteria, the multidimensional Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire is promising

Computer-based technology and student engagement: a critical review of the literature

Computer-based technology has infiltrated many aspects of life and industry, yet there is little understanding of how it can be used to promote student engagement, a concept receiving strong attention in higher education due to its association with a number of positive academic outcomes. The purpose of this article is to present a critical review of the literature from the past 5 years related to how web-conferencing software, blogs, wikis, social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter), and digital games influence student engagement. We prefaced the findings with a substantive overview of student engagement definitions and indicators, which revealed three types of engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive) that informed how we classified articles. Our findings suggest that digital games provide the most far-reaching influence across different types of student engagement, followed by web-conferencing and Facebook. Findings regarding wikis, blogs, and Twitter are less conclusive and significantly limited in number of studies conducted within the past 5 years. Overall, the findings provide preliminary support that computer-based technology influences student engagement, however, additional research is needed to confirm and build on these findings. We conclude the article by providing a list of recommendations for practice, with the intent of increasing understanding of how computer-based technology may be purposefully implemented to achieve the greatest gains in student engagement. © 2017, The Author(s)

Impact of HO₂ aerosol uptake on radical levels and O₃ production during summertime in Beijing

The impact of heterogeneous uptake of HO2 on aerosol surfaces on radical concentrations and the O3 production regime in Beijing in summertime was investigated. The uptake coefficient of HO2 onto aerosol surfaces, , was calculated for the AIRPRO campaign in Beijing, in summer 2017, as a function of measured aerosol soluble copper concentration, [Cu2+]eff, aerosol liquid water content, [ALWC], and particulate matter concentration, [PM]. An average across the entire campaign of 0.070±0.035 was calculated, with values ranging from 0.002 to 0.15, and found to be significantly lower than the value of , commonly used in modelling studies. Using the calculated values for the summer AIRPRO campaign, OH, HO2 and RO2 radical concentrations were modelled using a box model incorporating the Master Chemical Mechanism (v3.3.1), with and without the addition of , and compared to the measured radical concentrations. The rate of destruction analysis showed the dominant HO2 loss pathway to be HO2 + NO for all NO concentrations across the summer Beijing campaign, with HO2 uptake contributing <0.3 % to the total loss of HO2 on average. This result for Beijing summertime would suggest that under most conditions encountered, HO2 uptake onto aerosol surfaces is not important to consider when investigating increasing O3 production with decreasing [PM] across the North China Plain. At low [NO], however, i.e. <0.1 ppb, which was often encountered in the afternoons, up to 29 % of modelled HO2 loss was due to HO2 uptake on aerosols when calculated was included, even with the much lower values compared to 0.2, a result which agrees with the aerosol-inhibited O3 regime recently proposed by Ivatt et al. (2022). As such it can be concluded that in cleaner environments, away from polluted urban centres where HO2 loss chemistry is not dominated by NO but where aerosol surface area is high still, changes in PM concentration and hence aerosol surface area could still have a significant effect on both overall HO2 concentration and the O3 production regime. Using modelled radical concentrations, the absolute O3 sensitivity to NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) showed that, on average across the summer AIRPRO campaign, the O3 production regime remained VOC-limited, with the exception of a few days in the afternoon when the NO mixing ratio dropped low enough for the O3 regime to shift towards being NOx-limited. The O3 sensitivity to VOCs, the dominant regime during the summer AIRPRO campaign, was observed to decrease and shift towards a NOx-sensitive regime both when NO mixing ratio decreased and with the addition of aerosol uptake. This suggests that if [NOx] continues to decrease in the future, ozone reduction policies focussing solely on NOx reductions may not be as efficient as expected if [PM] and, hence, HO2 uptake to aerosol surfaces continue to decrease. The addition of aerosol uptake into the model, for both the calculated from measured data and when using a fixed value of , did not have a significant effect on the overall O3 production regime across the campaign. While not important for this campaign, aerosol uptake could be important for areas of lower NO concentration that are already in a NOx-sensitive regime

Supersymmetric QCD corrections to e+e−→tbˉH−e^+e^-\to t\bar{b}H^- and the Bernstein-Tkachov method of loop integration

The discovery of charged Higgs bosons is of particular importance, since their existence is predicted by supersymmetry and they are absent in the Standard Model (SM). If the charged Higgs bosons are too heavy to be produced in pairs at future linear colliders, single production associated with a top and a bottom quark is enhanced in parts of the parameter space. We present the next-to-leading-order calculation in supersymmetric QCD within the minimal supersymmetric SM (MSSM), completing a previous calculation of the SM-QCD corrections. In addition to the usual approach to perform the loop integration analytically, we apply a numerical approach based on the Bernstein-Tkachov theorem. In this framework, we avoid some of the generic problems connected with the analytical method.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.