Analysing motivation to do medicine cross-culturally : the international motivation to do medicine scale

Vaglum, Wiers-Jensen & Ekeberg (1999) developed an instrument to assess motivation to study medicine. This instrument has been applied in different countries but it has not been studied cross-culturally. Our aims were to develop a Motivation to do Medicine Scale for use in international studies and to compare motivations of UK and Spanish medical students (UK: n= 375; Spain: n= 149). A cross-sectional and cross-cultural study was conducted. The Vaglum et al. (1999) Motivation to do Medicine Scale (MMS) was used. The original MMS factor structure was not supported by the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Exploratory Factor Analyses within each country identified four factors: 'People', 'Status', 'Natural Science' and 'Research'. Students scored higher on the 'People' and 'Natural Science' than on the other factors. The UK sample scored higher than the Spanish sample on the 'Research' factor and there were greater difference between genders in Spain for both 'People' and 'Research' factors. The scale is suitable for use in cross-cultural studies of medical students' motivation. It can be used to investigate differences between countries and may be used to examine changes in motivation over time or over medical disciplines

Construction of Bi₂WO₆/RGO/g-C₃N₄ 2D/2D/2D hybrid Z-scheme heterojunctions with large interfacial contact area for efficient charge separation and high-performance photoreduction of CO₂ and H₂O into solar fuels

We have rationally constructed a hybrid heterojunction comprising of Bi2WO6, reduced graphene oxide, and g-C3N4 (BWO/RGO/CN) with a 2D/2D/2D configuration for efficient photoreduction to generate solar fuels. These heterojunctions displayed dramatically improved performance towards CO2 reduction to generate CO and CH4 under visible-light irradiation, compared to the base material (CN), P25 as reference, as well as binary BWO/CN and RGO/CN heterojunctions. Particularly, the BWO/RGO/CN heterojunctions with 1 wt. % RGO and 15 wt. % BWO achieved record performance in the yields of carbonaceous products (CO + CH4) compared to other synthesized catalysts, with a selectivity of 92% against H2. The remarkable photocatalytic performance was mainly attributed to the unique 2D/2D/2D architecture that creates large interfacial contact between the constituent materials for rapid charge transfer, to hinder the direct recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes. Notably, RGO played two significant roles: as a supporter to capture the electrons from CN, and as a redox mediator to promote the Z-scheme charge transfer between CN and BWO. The result is a greater extent of charge separation in the present BWO/RGO/CN heterojunction system, as evidenced by the photoluminescence, photocurrent responses, and electron microscopy findings. More importantly, the heterojunctions displayed excellent stability during recycling tests with no obvious loss in the generation of CO and CH4 from photoreduction of CO2. This interesting interfacial engineering approach presented herein offers a promising route for the rational design of a new class of layered multicomponent heterojunctions with 2D/2D/2D architecture for various applications in environmental protection and solar energy conversion.</p

Analysing motivation to do medicine cross-culturally: The international motivation to do medicine scale

Vaglum, Wiers-Jensen, &amp; Ekeberg (1999) developed an instrument to assess motivation to study medicine. This instrument has been applied in different countries but it has not been studied cross-culturally. Our aims were to develop a Motivation to do Medicine Scale for use in international studies and to compare motivations of UK and Spanish medical students (UK: n= 375; Spain: n= 149). A cross-sectional and cross-cultural study was conducted. The Vaglum et al. (1999) Motivation to do Medicine Scale (MMS) was used. The original MMS factor structure was not supported by the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Exploratory Factor Analyses within each country identified four factors: “People”, “Status”, “Natural Science” and “Research”. Students scored higher on the “People” and “Natural Science” than on the other factors. The UK sample scored higher than the Spanish sample on the “Research” factor and there were greater difference between genders in Spain for both “People” and “Research” factors. The scale is suitable for use in cross-cultural studies of medical students’ motivation. It can be used to investigate differences between countries and may be used to examine changes in motivation over time or over medical disciplines.Con el objetivo de analizar la percepción sobre la crianza materna y paterna, 1182 niños y adolescentes (45,3% chicos y 54,7% chicas) con edades comprendidas entre 8 y 16 años, fueron evaluados mediante el Child Report Parental Behaviour Inventory (CRPBI; Shaefer, 1965). Los resultados muestran una mayor sensibilidad de las chicas a la afectividad y en los chicos al control y la hostilidad parentales. La madre obtiene mayores puntuaciones en todos los factores con la excepción de hostilidad. A medida que los hijos crecen, éstos informan de un decremento en el afecto, la comunicación y la supervisión, en ambos padres, y por el contrario, de un incremento en la percepción de la hostilidad

A novel criticality analysis method for assessing obesity treatment efficacy

Human gait is a significant indicator of overall health and well-being due to its dependence on metabolic requirements. Abnormalities in gait can indicate the presence of metabolic dysfunction, such as diabetes or obesity. However, detecting these can be challenging using classical methods, which often involve subjective clinical assessments or invasive procedures. In this work, a novel methodology known as Criticality Analysis (CA) was applied to the monitoring of the gait of teenagers with varying amounts of metabolic stress who are taking part in an clinical intervention to increase their activity and reduce overall weight. The CA approach analysed gait using inertial measurement units (IMU) by mapping the dynamic gait pattern into a nonlinear representation space. The resulting dynamic paths were then classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, which is well-suited for this task due to its ability to handle nonlinear and dynamic data. The combination of the CA approach and the SVM algorithm demonstrated high accuracy and non-invasive detection of metabolic stress. It resulted in an average accuracy within the range of 78.2% to 90%. Additionally, at the group level, it was observed to improve fitness and health during the period of the intervention. Therefore, this methodology showed a great potential to be a valuable tool for healthcare professionals in detecting and monitoring metabolic stress, as well as other associated disorders

Effectiveness of a stepped primary care smoking cessation intervention (ISTAPS study): design of a cluster randomised trial

Background: There is a considerable body of evidence on the effectiveness of specific interventions in individuals who wish to quit smoking. However, there are no large-scale studies testing the whole range of interventions currently recommended for helping people to give up smoking; specifically those interventions that include motivational interviews for individuals who are not interested in quitting smoking in the immediate to short term. Furthermore, many of the published studies were undertaken in specialized units or by a small group of motivated primary care centres. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a stepped smoking cessation intervention based on a trans-theoretical model of change, applied to an extensive group of Primary Care Centres (PCC). ethods/Design: Cluster randomised clinical trial. Unit of randomization: basic unit of care consisting of a family physician and a nurse, both of whom care for the same population (aprox. 2000 people). Intention to treat analysis. Study population: Smokers (n = 3024) aged 14 to 75 years consulting for any reason to PCC and who provided written informed consent to participate in the trial. Intervention: 6-month implementation of recommendations of a Clinical Practice Guideline which includes brief motivational interviews for smokers at the precontemplation - contemplation stage, brief intervention for smokers in preparation-action who do not want help, intensive intervention with pharmacotherapy for smokers in preparation-action who want help, and reinforcing intervention in the maintenance stage. Control group: usual care. Outcome measures: Self-reported abstinence confirmed by exhaled air carbon monoxide concentration of ≤ 10 parts per million. Points of assessment: end of intervention period and 1 and 2 years post-intervention; continuous abstinence rate for 1 year; change in smoking cessation stage; health status measured by SF-36. Discussion: The application of a stepped intervention based on the stages of a change model is possible under real and diverse clinical practice conditions, and improves the smoking cessation success rate in smokers, besides of their intention or not to give up smoking at baseline

Study of mass and momentum transfer in diesel sprays base on X-ray mass distribution measurements and on a theoretical derivation

[EN] In this paper, a research aimed at quantifying mass and momentum transfer in the near-nozzle field of diesel sprays injected into stagnant ambient air is reported. The study combines X-ray measurements for two different nozzles and axial positions, which provide mass distributions in the spray, with a theoretical model based on momentum flux conservation, which was previously validated. This investigation has allowed the validation of Gaussian profiles for local fuel concentration and velocity near the nozzle exit, as well as the determination of Schmidt number at realistic diesel spray conditions. This information could be very useful for those who are interested in spray modeling, especially at high-pressure injection conditions. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.This work was partly sponsored by "Vicerrectorado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion'' of the "Universidad Politecnica de Valencia'' in the frame of the project "Estudio del flujo en el interior de toberas de inyeccion Diesel'', reference no. 3150 and by "Generalitat Valenciana'' in the frame of the project with the same title and reference GV/2009/031. This support is gratefully acknowledged by the authors.Desantes, J.; Salvador Rubio, FJ.; López, JJ.; De La Morena, J. (2011). Study of mass and momentum transfer in diesel sprays base on X-ray mass distribution measurements and on a theoretical derivation. Experiments in Fluids. 50(2):233-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-010-0919-8S233246502Abramovich GN (1963) The theory of turbulent jets. MIT Press, Cambridge, MAAdler D, Lyn WT (1969) The evaporation and mixing of a liquid fuel spray in a Diesel air swirl. Proc Instn Mech Eng 184:171–180Coghe A, Cossali GE (1994) Phase Doppler characterisation of a Diesel spray injected into a high density gas under vaporisation regimes. In: 7th international symposium on application of laser techniques to fluid mechanics, LisbonCorreas D (1998) Theoretical and experimental study of isothermal Diesel free sprays (in Spanish). PhD Thesis, Universidad Politécnica de ValenciaCossali GE (2001) An integral model for gas entrainment into full cone sprays. J Fluid Mech 439:353–366Dent JC (1971) A basis for the comparison of various experimental methods for studying spray penetration. SAE Paper 710571Desantes JM, Payri R, Salvador FJ, Gil A (2006a) Deduction and validation of a theoretical model for a free diesel Spray. Fuel 85:910–917Desantes JM, Arrègle J, López JJ, Cronhjort A (2006b) Scaling laws for free turbulent gas jets and Diesel-like sprays. Atomization Spray 16:443–473Desantes JM, Payri R, García JM, Salvador FJ (2007) A contribution to the understanding of isothermal diesel spray dynamics. Fuel 86:1093–1101Dumouchel C (2008) On the experimental investigation on primary atomization of liquid streams. Exp Fluids 45:371–422Heimgärtner C, Leipertz A (2000) of the primary spray break-up close to the nozzle of a common-rail high pressure diesel injection system. SAE Paper 2000-01-1799Hinze JO (1975) Turbulence. McGraw Hill, New YorkHiroyasu H, Arai M (1990) Structures of fuel sprays in diesel engines. SAE Paper 900475Jawad B, Gulari E, Henein NA (1992) Characteristics of intermittent fuel sprays. Combust Flame 88:384–396Lefèbvre AH (1989) Atomization and sprays. Hemisphere, New YorkLeick P, Riedel T, Bittlinger G, Powell CF, Kastengren AL, Wang J (2007) X-Ray measurements of the mass distribution in the dense primary break-up region of the spray from a standard multi-hole common-rail diesel injection system. In: Proc 21st ILASS (Europe)Linne M, Paciaroni M, Hall T, Parker T (2006) Ballistic imaging of the near field in a diesel spray. Exp Fluids 40:836–846Naber J, Siebers DL (1996) Effects of gas density and vaporisation on penetration and dispersion of diesel sprays. SAE Paper 960034Payri F, Bermúdez V, Payri R, Salvador FJ (2004) The influence of cavitation on the internal flow and the Spray characteristics in diesel injection nozzles. Fuel 83:419–431Payri R, García JM, Salvador FJ, Gimeno J (2005) Using spray momentum flux measurements to understand the influence of diesel nozzle geometry on spray characteristics. 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The differential effects of the gonadotropin receptors on aromatase expression in primary cultures of immature rat granulosa cells are highly dependent on the density of receptors expressed and the activation of the inositol phosphate cascade

Signaling pathways mediating the divergent effects of FSH and LH on aromatase in immature rat granulosa cells were studied by infecting cells with increasing amounts of adenoviral vectors for the hLHR or hFSHR. Increasing amounts of Ad-hLHR, used at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 20 or 200 viable viral particles/cell increased hCG binding, hCG-induced cAMP and Akt phosphorylation but inositol phosphates only increased in response to hCG in cells infected with 200 MOI Ad-hLHR. In contrast hCG increased aromatase expression in cells infected with 20 but not in cells infected with 200 MOI Ad-hLHR. Cells infected with 20 or 200 MOI Ad-hFSHR showed increased hFSH binding and hFSH-induced Akt phosphorylation, but the hFSH-induced cAMP response was unchanged relative to control cells. However, hFSH was able to stimulate the inositol phosphate cascade in the Ad-hFSHR infected cells, and the hFSH induction of aromatase was abolished. We also found that activation of C kinase or expression of a constitutively active form of Gαq inhibited the induction of aromatase by hFSH or 8Br-cAMP. We conclude that the differential effects of FSH and LH on aromatase in immature granulosa cells are highly dependent on gonadotropin receptor density and on the signaling pathways activated. We propose that aromatase is induced by common signals generated by activation of the FSHR and LHR (possibly cAMP and Akt) and that the activation of the inositol phosphate cascade in cells expressing a high density of LHR or FSHR antagonizes this induction

Physical environmental factors that invite older adults to walk for transportation

Knowledge on the physical environmental factors that invite older adults to walk for transportation is limited. The current study aimed to investigate the relationships between environmental factors and invitingness to walk for transportation and the potential moderating effects of gender, functional limitations and current walking for transportation behavior. Sixty older participants evaluated 40 panoramic photographs on their invitingness in two ways: a forced choice (first impressions) and a rating task (more deliberate evaluation). Presence of vegetation, benches, and surveillance significantly positively related to both invitingness-measures. Upkeep and presence of historic elements significantly positively related to the assigned invitingness-ratings. For the forced choice task, significant positive relationships emerged for land use and separation between sidewalk and cycling path, but only in functionally limited participants. Environments offering comfort, safety from crime, and pleasantness may attract older adults to walk for transportation. Experimental and on-site studies are needed to elaborate on current findings

Establishing usability heuristics for heuristics evaluation in a specific domain: is there a consensus?

Heuristics evaluation is frequently employed to evaluate usability. While general heuristics are suitable to evaluate most user interfaces, there is still a need to establish heuristics for specific domains to ensure that their specific usability issues are identified. This paper presents a comprehensive review of 70 studies related to usability heuristics for specific domains. The aim of this paper is to review the processes that were applied to establish heuristics in specific domains and identify gaps in order to provide recommendations for future research and area of improvements. The most urgent issue found is the deficiency of validation effort following heuristics proposition and the lack of robustness and rigour of validation method adopted. Whether domain specific heuristics perform better or worse than general ones is inconclusive due to lack of validation quality and clarity on how to assess the effectiveness of heuristics for specific domains. The lack of validation quality also affects effort in improving existing heuristics for specific domain as their weaknesses are not addressed