Examining tacit knowledges in assessing international postgraduate students

The study investigates student and scorer responses to a marking scheme used on a taught postgraduate programme, to examine whether level descriptors enhance students’ and staff assessment literacy. The student cohort was surveyed at two time-points, with a response rate of 62% (N = 99) and 24% (N = 39) respectively. One focus group with four scorers was also conducted. Using exploratory factor analysis, we found that students were confident in their understanding of the descriptors, but also believed that markers draw on tacit knowledges. This concern was confirmed to an extent by the focus group. The findings question the usefulness of descriptors to foster assessment literacy, especially for international students, as they do not mitigate against tacit knowledge. Both data sets were small and therefore not generalizable. The findings are, however, indicative of recurring issues in academic assessment, in which international students struggle to attain the requisite understanding of quality necessary for their development as autonomous learners

The ‘internationalisation’, or ‘Englishisation’, of higher education in East Asia

In recent years, one of the most significant trends in higher education in non-anglophone countries has been the growth in English Medium Instruction (EMI). However, provision is rapidly outpacing empirical research. This study examined how macro-level education policy with regard to EMI is both implemented and conceptualised at the institutional and classroom level in Chinese and Japanese universities. Utilising questionnaires with home students (n = 579) and staff (n = 28), interviews with home students (n = 29) and staff (n = 28) and four focus groups with staff and four with home students, in addition to questionnaires (n = 123), interviews (n = 10) and three focus groups with international students, the study provides insights into how EMI policy is operationalised, including types of programmes and language use, and how it is conceptualised by different stakeholders. The results highlight contextual constraints to policy implementation, calling for the need for more research into this growing trend and curriculum evaluation to inform context-sensitive ways to implement EMI policy. It also calls for a critical examination of monolingual EMI policies and academic norms amidst growing multilingualism in the EMI classroom as well as clear goals and objectives due to varying conceptualisations of the purposes of EMI amongst staff and students

Novel quantitative immunohistochemical analysis for evaluating PD-L1 expression with phosphor-integrated dots for predicting the efficacy of patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

IntroductionProgrammed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues is measured as a predictor of the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in many cancer types. PD-L1 expression is evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using 3,3´-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chronogenesis (IHC-DAB); however, quantitative and reproducibility issues remain. We focused on a highly sensitive quantitative immunohistochemical method using phosphor-integrated dots (PIDs), which are fluorescent nanoparticles, and evaluated PD-L1 expression between the PID method and conventional DAB method.MethodsIn total, 155 patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer treated with ICIs were enrolled from four university hospitals. Tumor tissue specimens collected before treatment were subjected to immunohistochemical staining with both the PID and conventional DAB methods to evaluate PD-L1 protein expression.ResultsPD-L1 expression assessed using the PID and DAB methods was positively correlated. We quantified PD-L1 expression using the PID method and calculated PD-L1 PID scores. The PID score was significantly higher in the responder group than in the non-responder group. Survival analysis demonstrated that PD-L1 expression evaluated using the IHC-DAB method was not associated with progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Yet, PFS and OS were strikingly prolonged in the high PD-L1 PID score group.ConclusionQuantification of PD-L1 expression as a PID score was more effective in predicting the treatment efficacy and prognosis of patients with cancer treated with ICIs. The quantitative evaluation of PD-L1 expression using the PID method is a novel strategy for protein detection. It is highly significant that the PID method was able to identify a group of patients with a favorable prognosis who could not be identified by the conventional DAB method

What matters for improving primary school mathematics education in St. Lucia?

In the past few decades, policy attention in developing countries has shifted from ensuring that all children have access to primary education to improving children’s learning and skills acquisition. Growing evidence indicates that only a few primary school students in these countries including St. Lucia reached the minimum level of academic achievement, especially in mathematics. Results from national examinations in St. Lucia suggest that many primary school students and even teachers have not mastered the basic skills in early mathematics. Although the policy efforts to improve mathematics education are well-intentioned, establishing effective interventions for improving students’ mathematics learning remain challenging for those developing the mathematics curriculum in St. Lucia. The aim of this thesis is to identify the factors associated with low mathematics achievement of primary school students in St. Lucia. As students are required to master the basic concepts of number and basic computational skills in the early grades for their future mathematics learning, the current study focuses on number concepts and computation. This study employs the UNESCO’s theoretical framework for understanding and improving the quality of education (2004) as a starting point to identify the factors which may hinder or facilitate student learning. In this framework, the ‘teaching and learning dimension’ is key to student learning, since many international studies have shown that teachers play a crucial role in the provision of quality teaching and learning. Consequently, to provide high quality of schooling to pupils, a number of governments in both developed and developing countries have spent a great deal of resources and energy to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers. Hence, this thesis examined whether teachers’ qualifications, knowledge for teaching mathematics, pedagogical practices and professional development make a difference in students’ achievement in mathematics. To carry out this study, primary data were collected from 1780 Grade 4 students, 89 teachers who taught mathematics at Grade 4 and 60 school principals through questionnaires. Since there is little information on primary mathematics education in St Lucia, to inform the design of the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven high stakeholders (one officer from Ministry of Education of St. Lucia, three District Education officers and two officers in District Education offices). In addition, the results from the student questionnaires were linked to Grade 4 students’ scores on number concepts and computation from the Minimum Standards Test (MST) 2016 and Grade 2 students’ mathematics scores from the MST 2014. Multilevel models were used to investigate the factors at individual, family, classroom and school levels that affect Grade 4 students’ achievement in number concepts and computation. The results revealed that after controlling for student background characteristics, various student-level factors, such as positive attitude towards mathematics, school absence, mathematics homework completion, grade repetition and prior mathematics knowledge, are significantly associated with student achievement in number concepts and computation. However, surprisingly only limited significant associations were found between student achievement and classroom-level predictors (teachers’ characteristics and practices and classroom environments). This might be due to several reasons, most prominently the widespread poor content knowledge of mathematics and poor mathematics knowledge for teaching that Grade 4 teachers in St Lucia have. The thesis provides important evidence on the individual, family, classroom and school-level factors that affect Grade 4 students’ mathematics learning in St. Lucia. Based on its findings, the study also provides important policy implications for improving mathematics education in primary schools in the country. In the conclusions, it is suggested that the framework employed for the study could be used for future monitoring of the progress made in mathematics teaching and learning in primary schools in St Lucia

Preventive Effect on Seroma of Use of PEAK PlasmaBlade after Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction

Summary:. Postoperative seroma is still the main complication after a latissimus dorsi (LD) flap procedure. The etiology of seroma is currently thought to comprise tissue fluids resulting from inflammatory reactions in affected tissue caused by the use of monopolar electrocautery (EC). It is possible that seroma formation can be reduced by using alternative devices such as the PEAK PlasmaBlade (PPB), which provides atraumatic scalpel-like cutting precision while the blade temperature remains close to body temperature. The subjects were 44 patients who underwent breast reconstruction with LD flaps from August 2015 to April 2017. They were retrospectively split into groups treated with a PPB (n = 21) and with conventional EC (n = 23). Outcomes such as rate of seroma formation, total drain discharge volume, indwelling period of drainage at the donor site, length of hospital stay, and operation time were compared between the 2 groups. The incidence of seroma was significantly lower in the PPB group (19.0%) than in the EC group (47.8%). The total drain discharge volume was significantly lower and the indwelling period of drainage and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in the PPB group. In summary, use of PPB in an LD flap procedure can reduce seroma formation and the lengths of the drainage period and the hospital stay

Analysis of the cost‐effectiveness of proton beam therapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer in Japan

Abstract Background Proton beam therapy (PBT) has recently been included in Japan's social health insurance benefits package. This study aimed to determine the cost‐effectiveness of PBT for unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) as a replacement for conventional photon radiotherapy (RT). Methods We estimated the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of PBT as a replacement for three‐dimensional conformal RT (3DCRT), a conventional photon RT, using clinical evidence in the literature and expense complemented by expert opinions. We used a decision tree and an economic and Markov model to illustrate the disease courses followed by LAPC patients. Effectiveness was estimated as quality‐adjusted life years (QALY) using utility weights for the health state. Social insurance fees were calculated as the costs. The stability of the ICER against the assumptions made was appraised using sensitivity analyses. Results The effectiveness of PBT and 3DCRT was 1.67610615 and 0.97181271 QALY, respectively. The ICER was estimated to be ¥5,376,915 (US$46,756) per QALY. According to the suggested threshold for anti‐cancer therapy from the Japanese authority of ¥7,500,000 (US$65,217) per QALY gain, such a replacement would be considered cost‐effective. The one‐way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated stability of the base‐case ICER. Conclusion PBT, as a replacement for conventional photon radiotherapy, is cost‐effective and justifiable as an efficient use of finite healthcare resources. Making it a standard treatment option and available to every patient in Japan is socially acceptable from the perspective of health economics