Keeping Bystanders Active:Resuscitating Resuscitation Skills

Introduction: Sufficient CPR skills in the general population are essential to make them active bystanders and contribute to an effective chain of survival in cardiac arrest emergencies. However, having a large proportion of the population regularly retrained is practically infeasible. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess and retrain cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills of individuals who received (limited) CPR training several months to years prior. Method: Ninety-nine German adults in a possession of a driver's license were asked to perform CPR on a Laerdal Resusci Anne (R) QCPR manikin (Laerdal, Stavanger, Norway). After initial assessment, participants watched an instructional video and completed short, isolated compression, and ventilation practice with live feedback. CPR competency was assessed again after retraining and after a retention interval of 45 min. Results: Our results indicate that only 2% of participants managed to reach the performance criteria set by the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines, with most failing to reach even the lowest levels of performance. This corroborates earlier observations that CPR skills have deteriorated almost completely after a long retention interval, calling into question "one-and-done" certification of this basic life-saving. However, we also demonstrated that performance strikingly increased after watching a 6-min instructional video and a short opportunity for isolated practice. This increase in performance was stable over 45 min with 96% of participants meeting performance levels specified in the Guidelines. Closer inspection of the isolated compression practice data suggests that performance was very high at the start of the practice already, indicating that short refresher videos might suffice to change bystanders that would not have initiated CPR due to lack of knowledge into active first responders. Conclusion: We suggest that short refresher trainings could be an effective and affordable means of improving basic lifesaving skills to increase the effective contribution of bystanders during emergencies

Within-Subject Performance on a Real-Life, Complex Task and Traditional Lab Experiments:Measures of Word Learning, Raven Matrices, Tapping, and CPR

In this data report, we describe a three-session experiment spanning six months. Several well-controlled laboratory tasks (Word Learning, Raven Matrices, and Tapping) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), a complex but well-defined real-world task, were administered. Data are reported from 50 participants for the first session, 40 for the second, and 34 for the third. CPR is a useful domain for studying real-world performance inside the laboratory because clear performance standards can be applied to quantifying learners’ proficiency covering both the first steps that need to be taken prior to the initiation of CPR (declarative knowledge) as well as the compressions and ventilations themselves (procedural skill). This research resulted in a rich dataset with a range of different measures for all participants. For all tasks, the complete set of raw data are made available along with relevant aggregate performance scores (see https://osf.io/m8bxe/). The raw data in particular will enable other researchers to explore potential analyses and modeling beyond the scope of our own. The details of the data collection protocol and available data are documented here to facilitate this process

Small‐scale heterogeneity shapes grassland diversity in low‐to‐intermediate resource environments

Questions Soil resource heterogeneity influences the outcome of plant–plant interactions and, consequently, species co-existence and diversity patterns. The magnitude and direction of heterogeneity effects vary widely, and the processes underlying such variations are not fully understood. In this study, we explored how and under what resource conditions small-scale heterogeneity modulates grassland plant diversity. Location Oderhänge Mallnow, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany. Methods We expanded the individual-based plant community model (IBC-grass) to incorporate dynamic below-ground resource maps, simulating spatial heterogeneity of resource availability. Empirical centimeter-scale data of soil C/N ratio were integrated into the model, accounting for both configurational and compositional heterogeneity. We then analyzed the interplay between small-scale heterogeneity and resource availability on the interaction and co-existence of plant species and overall diversity. Results Our results showed significant differences between the low- and high-resource scenarios, with both configurational and compositional heterogeneity having a positive effect on species richness and Simpson's diversity, but only under low-resource conditions. As compositional heterogeneity in the fine-scale C/N ratio increased, we observed a positive shift in Simpson's diversity and species richness, with the highest effects at the highest level of variability tested. We observed little to no effect in nutrient-rich scenarios, and a shift to negative effects at the intermediate resource level. The study demonstrates that site-specific resource levels underpin how fine-scale heterogeneity influences plant diversity and species co-existence, and partly explains the divergent effects recorded in different empirical studies. Conclusions This study provides mechanistic insights into the complex relationship between resource heterogeneity and diversity patterns. It highlights the context-dependent effects of small-scale heterogeneity, which can be positive under low-resource, neutral under high-resource, and negative under intermediate-resource conditions. These findings provide a foundation for future investigations into small-scale heterogeneity–diversity relationships, contributing to a deeper understanding of the processes that promote species co-existence in plant communities

The concise measurement of clinical communication skills: Validation of a short scale

Objective There is a lack of brief rating scales for the reliable assessment of psychotherapeutic skills, which do not require intensive rater training and/or a high level of expertise. Thus, the objective is to validate a 14-item version of the Clinical Communication Skills Scale (CCSS-S). Methods Using a sample of N = 690 video-based ratings of role-plays with simulated patients, we calculated a confirmatory factor analysis and an exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), assessed convergent validities, determined inter-rater reliabilities and compared these with those who were either psychology students, advanced psychotherapy trainees, or experts. Results Correlations with other competence rating scales were high (rs > 0.86–0.89). The intraclass correlations ranged between moderate and good [ICC(2,2) = 0.65–0.80], with student raters yielding the lowest scores. The one-factor model only marginally replicated the data, but the internal consistencies were excellent (α = 0.91–95). The ESEM yielded a two-factor solution (Collaboration and Structuring and Exploration Skills). Conclusion The CCSS-S is a brief and valid rating scale that reliably assesses basic communication skills, which is particularly useful for psychotherapy training using standardized role-plays. To ensure good inter-rater reliabilities, it is still advisable to employ raters with at least some clinical experience. Future studies should further investigate the one- or two-factor structure of the instrument.Peer Reviewe

Benefits of Adaptive Learning Transfer From Typing-Based Learning to Speech-Based Learning

Memorising vocabulary is an important aspect of formal foreign-language learning. Advances in cognitive psychology have led to the development of adaptive learning systems that make vocabulary learning more efficient. One way these computer-based systems optimize learning is by measuring learning performance in real time to create optimal repetition schedules for individual learners. While such adaptive learning systems have been successfully applied to word learning using keyboard-based input, they have thus far seen little application in word learning where spoken instead of typed input is used. Here we present a framework for speech-based word learning using an adaptive model that was developed for and tested with typing-based word learning. We show that typing- and speech-based learning result in similar behavioral patterns that can be used to reliably estimate individual memory processes. We extend earlier findings demonstrating that a response-time based adaptive learning approach outperforms an accuracy-based, Leitner flashcard approach in learning efficiency (demonstrated by higher average accuracy and lower response times after a learning session). In short, we show that adaptive learning benefits transfer from typing-based learning, to speech based learning. Our work provides a basis for the development of language learning applications that use real-time pronunciation assessment software to score the accuracy of the learner’s pronunciations. We discuss the implications for our approach for the development of educationally relevant, adaptive speech-based learning applications

A global data-driven census of Salmonella small proteins and their potential functions in bacterial virulence.

Small proteins are an emerging class of gene products with diverse roles in bacterial physiology. However, a full understanding of their importance has been hampered by insufficient genome annotations and a lack of comprehensive characterization in microbes other than Escherichia coli. We have taken an integrative approach to accelerate the discovery of small proteins and their putative virulence-associated functions in Salmonella Typhimurium. We merged the annotated small proteome of Salmonella with new small proteins predicted with in silico and experimental approaches. We then exploited existing and newly generated global datasets that provide information on small open reading frame expression during infection of epithelial cells (dual RNA-seq), contribution to bacterial fitness inside macrophages (Transposon-directed insertion sequencing), and potential engagement in molecular interactions (Grad-seq). This integrative approach suggested a new role for the small protein MgrB beyond its known function in regulating PhoQ. We demonstrate a virulence and motility defect of a Salmonella ΔmgrB mutant and reveal an effect of MgrB in regulating the Salmonella transcriptome and proteome under infection-relevant conditions. Our study highlights the power of interpreting available 'omics' datasets with a focus on small proteins, and may serve as a blueprint for a data integration-based survey of small proteins in diverse bacteria

Author Correction: Non-local effect of impurity states on the exchange coupling mechanism in magnetic topological insulators

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-021-00314-