Predicting success in graduate entry medical students undertaking a graduate entry medical program (GEM)

Background: Success in undergraduate medical courses in the UK can be predicted by school exit examination (A level) grades. There are no documented predictors of success in UK graduate entry medicine (GEM) courses. This study looks at the examination performance of GEM students to identify factors which may predict success; of particular interest was A level score. Methods: Data was collected for students graduating in 2004, 2005 and 2006, including demographic details (age and gender), details of previous academic achievement (A level total score and prior degree) and examination results at several points during the degree course. Results: Study group comprised 285 students. Statistical analyses identified no significant variables when looking at clinical examinations. Analysis of pass/fail data for written examinations showed no relationship with A level score. However, both percentage data for the final written examination and the analysis of the award of honours showed A level scores of AAB or higher were associated with better performance (p < 0.001). Discussion: A prime objective of introducing GEM programs was to diversify admissions to medical school. In trying to achieve this, medical schools have changed selection criteria. The findings in this study justify this by proving that A level score was not associated with success in either clinical examinations or passing written examinations. Despite this, very high achievements at A level do predict high achievement during medical school. Conclusions: This study shows that selecting graduate medical students with the basic requirement of an upper-second class honours degree is justifiable and does not disadvantage students who may not have achieved high scores in school leaver examinations

Adaptive Comparative Judgement: A Tool to Support Students’ Assessment Literacy

Comparative judgment in assessment is a process whereby repeated comparison of two items (e.g., assessment answers) can allow an accurate ranking of all the submissions to be achieved. In adaptive comparative judgment (ACJ), technology is used to automate the process and present pairs of pieces of work over iterative cycles. An online ACJ system was used to present students with work prepared by a previous cohort at the same stage of their studies. Objective marks given to the work by experienced faculty were compared to the rankings given to the work by a cohort of veterinary students (n=154). Each student was required to review and judge 20 answers provided by the previous cohort to a free-text short answer question. The time that students spent on the judgment tasks was recorded, and students were asked to reflect on their experiences after engaging with the task. There was a strong positive correlation between student ranking and faculty marking. A weak positive correlation was found between the time students spent on the judgments and their performance on the part of their own examination that contained questions in the same format. Slightly less than half of the students agreed that the exercise was a good use of their time, but 78% agreed that they had learned from the process. Qualitative data highlighted different levels of benefit from the simplest aspect of learning more about the topic to an appreciation of the more generic lessons to be learned

Exploring 4D Quantum Hall Physics with a 2D Topological Charge Pump

The discovery of topological states of matter has profoundly augmented our understanding of phase transitions in physical systems. Instead of local order parameters, topological phases are described by global topological invariants and are therefore robust against perturbations. A prominent example thereof is the two-dimensional integer quantum Hall effect. It is characterized by the first Chern number which manifests in the quantized Hall response induced by an external electric field. Generalizing the quantum Hall effect to four-dimensional systems leads to the appearance of a novel non-linear Hall response that is quantized as well, but described by a 4D topological invariant - the second Chern number. Here, we report on the first observation of a bulk response with intrinsic 4D topology and the measurement of the associated second Chern number. By implementing a 2D topological charge pump with ultracold bosonic atoms in an angled optical superlattice, we realize a dynamical version of the 4D integer quantum Hall effect. Using a small atom cloud as a local probe, we fully characterize the non-linear response of the system by in-situ imaging and site-resolved band mapping. Our findings pave the way to experimentally probe higher-dimensional quantum Hall systems, where new topological phases with exotic excitations are predicted

A supersonic crowdion in mica: Ultradiscrete kinks with energy between 40^{40}K recoil and transmission sputtering

In this chapter we analyze in detail the behaviour and properties of the kinks found in an one dimensional model for the close packed rows of potassium ions in mica muscovite. The model includes realistic potentials obtained from the physics of the problem, ion bombardment experiments and molecular dynamics fitted to experiments. These kinks are supersonic and have an unique velocity and energy. They are ultradiscrete involving the translation of an interstitial ion, which is the reason they are called 'crowdions'. Their energy is below the most probable source of energy, the decay of the $^{40}$K isotope and above the energy needed to eject an atom from the mineral, a phenomenon that has been observed experimentallyComment: 28 pages, 15 figure

Democracy Education: The Radical Teaching, Learning, and Doing of Tao Xingzhi

The apex of China’s 1911 Republican Revolution, the election in Nanjing of native son Dr. Sun Yat-sen, heralded an historic break with autocracy. Tragically, Sun Yat-Sen’s democracy did not last long. A bitter period of feudal strife followed as warlords sought to carve fiefdoms out of the young republic. Humiliating concessions to Japan under the Versailles Treaty added to the new republic’s problems. Continuing violation of China’s sovereignty spawned the May 4th, 1919 student movement in Peking. Reverberations from May 4th helped launch a small communist party cell in Shanghai and a larger democracy movement across the country. Trenchant feudalism, aspiring nationalism, and revolutionary communism together serve as the spectacular backdrop to progressive education reform and the journey of a public education missionary named Tao Xingzhi. Born to Christian parents, Tao Xingzhi would move from humble beginnings into the world of the Western-educated elite and would be both revered as a national hero and reviled as a dissident. At one of the pivotal turning points in his adult life, Tao Xingzhi donned the robes of a traditional peasant and, in the highly contested space between budding democracy and revolutionary communism, set out to preach to the common people the values of progressivism. Unwaveringly, with humility and pragmatism, his goal was simply to remake Chinese society through education, to develop “the union of teaching, learning and doing.

In search of the Pikebone Kantele: Finnish lessons in teacher education

Over the course of the 2016-17 academic year, faculty from several colleges of education gathered to read and discuss the ground breaking work of educational reform in Finland as described in Finnish lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? (Sahlberg, 2015). Our group was somewhat aware of the story of the “Finnish Dream” but hoped to learn the details concerning this small, Nordic nation’s surprising academic success. The prominent educator, international consultant, and author, Pasi Sahlberg, narrates how Finland’s modest yet united, steady effort toward educational improvement was ultimately regarded as successful, not only in her having met or exceeded national education goals, but in her PISA scores which topped the list of “developed” nations. Subsequently, Finland’s stature amongst the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations dramatically rose. It is a compelling story. Sahlberg’s careful rendering of how Finland’s great experiment unfolded makes for interesting reading, especially given the challenges that American teacher educators face today. It led, understandably, to our book study group’s tendency to reflect upon our own goals for teacher education. The book sheds light on how we (with our own range of disciplines, programs, and scholarly interests) might reconsider teacher education in the USA. Our group was well prepared to make reflections and comparisons with expertise in an assorted number of fields represented: language and literacy, early childhood education, educational leadership, instructional technology, educational policy, teacher action research,and teacher preparation. Working together in collaborative study we set about to formulate critical questions, take copious notes, and inquire further about the “Finnish Dream”. To complete our book study, the group’s organizers facilitated a spirited teleconference meeting with the author, wherein we shared observations concerning the similarities and differences between our respective cultures. Coming from critical policy analysis, I wondered about the cultural differences that appear to make Finland a society particularly supportive of teachers. Do teachers indeed collaborate more? Given the problems of standardized testing associated with the United States, and Finland’s choice to abscond from this method of assessment I asked: how then does Finland approach testing? Others were keenly interested in the rights, play, and general happiness of children. Still others were interested in language and literacy teaching; how is it done in Finland and to what effect? Everyone was fascinated by the supposition that the working conditions for teachers were better in Finland than elsewhere. We could only imagine what it was about the politics of Finland that allowed for such a wide ranging and seemingly successful experiment. Pasi provided much insight. Our group left the meeting with Pasi determined to explore Finland’s educational system and eager to learn more. We anticipated a stimulating, educational journey, and we weren’t disappointed! This tour provided the backdrop for the following inquiry question: Given the apparent success of Finnish educational reform, how might we as American teacher educators make meaning of our own practice? Using review and narrative, the following essay is an attempt to provide an answer, not definitively, but meaningfully. Inspired by Sahlberg’s passionate rendering of the “dream” “miracle” and “paradox” of Finnish educational reform, my intent is to go slightly beyond a traditional book review, placing into conversation some tour experiences encountered along the way. Other readings and reports compliment Finnish Lessons 2.0. For example, Learning Context, is, according to leading teacher education professionals, a critical domain and concern for USA teacher education(see AACTE, 2018). It appears to be so in Finland too. The discussions in our book study, observations made during our group’s Finnish educational tour, and supplementary readings, all provide formative information to better understand the learning context of Finland

Curricular reflections in the USA: Teaching teachers the edTPA

The Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) is an evaluation tool currently used across several states. The supposition is that teacher candidate performance can be measured. The express purpose of this instrument is to determine whether teacher candidates are ready to enter the classroom. Creators of the edTPA believe that this evaluation tool and the standards-based movement of which the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) play a part is more “rigorous” then other measures and will raise the bar for teachers entering the profession. Proponents and opponents alike expect the edTPA to radically reform the teacher preparation profession. The following essay explains why and how teacher education is changing due to edTPA. I reflect upon what are the curricular implications for teacher candidates, education faculty and teacher preparation organizations as a result of increased regulations, standardization, and an audit culture that reduces teaching and learning to the acquisition of mechanistic knowledge (performativity)

Monocytes regulate the mechanism of T-cell death by inducing Fas-mediated apoptosis during bacterial infection.

Monocytes and T-cells are critical to the host response to acute bacterial infection but monocytes are primarily viewed as amplifying the inflammatory signal. The mechanisms of cell death regulating T-cell numbers at sites of infection are incompletely characterized. T-cell death in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) showed 'classic' features of apoptosis following exposure to pneumococci. Conversely, purified CD3(+) T-cells cultured with pneumococci demonstrated necrosis with membrane permeabilization. The death of purified CD3(+) T-cells was not inhibited by necrostatin, but required the bacterial toxin pneumolysin. Apoptosis of CD3(+) T-cells in PBMC cultures required 'classical' CD14(+) monocytes, which enhanced T-cell activation. CD3(+) T-cell death was enhanced in HIV-seropositive individuals. Monocyte-mediated CD3(+) T-cell apoptotic death was Fas-dependent both in vitro and in vivo. In the early stages of the T-cell dependent host response to pneumococci reduced Fas ligand mediated T-cell apoptosis was associated with decreased bacterial clearance in the lung and increased bacteremia. In summary monocytes converted pathogen-associated necrosis into Fas-dependent apoptosis and regulated levels of activated T-cells at sites of acute bacterial infection. These changes were associated with enhanced bacterial clearance in the lung and reduced levels of invasive pneumococcal disease