Comparing the Difficulty of Tasks Using Eye Tracking Combined with Subjective and Behavioural Criteria

In this article, we attempted to examine the issue of the existence of differences in eye move-ment of school-age students as they solve tasks of different difficulty levels in the sciences and natural sciences (computer science, mathematics, physics, biology). Categories of the task’s difficulty level were established on the basis of two types of criteria: subjective (an evaluation made by the subjects) and behavioural (connected to the correctness of their solution). The relationships of these criteria with the visual activity parameters, which were considered to be indicators of mental effort, were identified. An analysis of the data obtained enabled the observation of discrepancies in categorizing difficulties of the tasks on the basis of subjective and behavioural criteria. A significant and strong correlation was noticed between task difficulty level, determined by the percentage of correct answers, and the fixation parameters, although such a relationship with the blink parameters was not found. There was no correlation of the activity of the eye movement parameters, considered to be mental effort indicators, with a student’s opinion about the task’s difficulty level. On the basis of the investigations made, it can be stated that the fixation duration average can be taken as an index of the difficulty level of the task being solved

Glosa do wyroku Trybunału Sprawiedliwości Unii Europejskiej z dnia 16 stycznia 2014 r. w sprawie C – 378/12 Nnamdi Onuekwere przeciwko Secretary of State for the Home Demartment

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COPPER-MEDIATED N1-ARYLATION OF BENZOTRIAZOLES

Benzotriazoles are group of bicyclic heterocyclic compounds that contain three nitrogen atoms fused to a benzene ring. Along with their derivatives, they possess a wide range of properties. They are used in medical field, as they exhibit such properties as antibacterial,antiplasmoidal,antiprotozoal, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities, among others. They are also used in various industries as herbicides, UV absorbers, deicing and antiicing agents and corrosion inhibitors, to list a few. Because of their wide range of applications, we designed a new two-step synthesis for the formation of N-1-aryl benzotriazoles. 1-Hydroxy-1H-benzotriazole N-oxides were synthesized using phenylboronic acid (PhB(OH)2), pyridine in CH2Cl2as the solvent. A wide range of aryl boronic acids showed good reactivity with 1-hydroxy-1H-benzotriazole as well as 6-chloro-1-hydroxy-1H-benzotriazole under established conditions and moderate to high yields of products were isolated. Obtained N-oxides were then deoxygenated using tetrahydroxydiboron (B2(OH)4) in MeCN, following previously established conditions. N-Oxides resulting from the reactions of 5,6-dichloro-1H­-hydroxybenzotriazole were difficult to purify and prone to degradation. To alleviate the problem, a two-step one-pot reaction was designed. After N-arylation was complete and without any further purification, the reduction step was performed using B2(OH)4in MeCN. The method proved beneficial for the reaction with phenylboronic acid, and no significant improvement was observed in others. A reaction using 2-methoxypyrimidine-4-boronic acid showed that using established conditions, compounds with potential biological activity can be synthesized

Metodologiczne aspekty stosowania techniki eye trackingowej w badaniach edukacyjnych

Educational studies focus on multidimensional learning and teaching processes and require the use of complex research methods for that reason. The development of new technologies and the increasing availability of equipment that previously was used in medical and biological science, enable extending a set of traditional social and humanities sciences research methods. These new technologies allow for the verification of the information obtained as a result of carrying out the diagnostic survey for example. One of these is eye tracking, a technique of tracking of eye movements that allows to infer about cognitive processes related to learning. This paper discusses the issue of application of the eye tracking technology in educational research. The article presents, inter alia, the most important research procedure assumptions, the qualitative and quantitative analysis methods of the eye movements measurement data, and the advantages and limitations of this technique.Badania edukacyjne, koncentrujące się między innymi na wielowymiarowych procesach uczenia się i nauczania, wymagają stosowania złożonych metod badawczych.Rozwój nowych technologii oraz zwiększająca się dostępność aparatury wykorzystywanej dotychczas w naukach medycznych czy biologicznych, umożliwia wzbogacenie zestawu tradycyjnych w naukach społecznych i humanistycznych technik badawczych o takie, które pozwalają na weryfikację informacji pozyskiwanych na przykład w wyniku przeprowadzania sondażu diagnostycznego. Jedną z nich jest eye tracking, czyli technika śledzenia ruchów oczu i wnioskowania na tej podstawie o procesach poznawczych powiązanych z uczeniem się.W artykule omówiono problematykę wykorzystywania okulografii w badaniach edukacyjnych - przedstawiono między innymi najważniejsze założenia postępowania badawczego, sposoby analizy jakościowej i ilościowej danych pomiarowych oraz zalety i ograniczenia stosowania tej techniki

Good practices in asynchronous e-learning — a short guideline document for Polish medical teachers — a pilot study

INTRODUCTION: E-learning is gaining popularity also in medical education. It offers students unlimited access to educational materials, helps meet their individual preferences by adapting various learning styles, and is considered to be at least as effective as traditional lectures. However, this can only be true provided that e-learning is of good quality. Short guidelines may be used to familiarise medical teachers with good practices in e-learning, but they should meet the needs of their users, and some areas may require more attention. They should be identified, and medical teachers should be provided with additional resources covering them. This study aimed to develop a short guideline for Polish medical teachers and determine potentially troublesome areas. METHODS: A detailed review of the literature was performed to create a guideline on preparing and conducting e-learning classes. The most important items from it were listed as an evaluation template and pre-tested on a sample of 10 e-learning courses in a search for areas requiring more attention. RESULTS: Half of the courses did not provide students with a syllabus, and none of them clearly defined intended learning outcomes. Also, adult learning concepts were not introduced satisfactorily. Only seven out of 10 courses used activities at all, and they often tested simple knowledge reproduction, were limited to poorly-written test questions, and placed at the end of lessons. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study three potentially troublesome areas were identified: defining learning outcomes, application of adult learning theory, and choice of activities. KEY WORDS: e-learning quality, e-learning guidelines, medical teacher

Quality Assessment of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Asthma Management Using the AGREE II Tool

Subject of the study Clinical practice guidelines are an effective strategy for optimizing health care by promoting evidence-based recommendations. Appropriate methodology and a rigorous strategy when formulating the recommendations of clinical guidelines has a significant impact on their quality, reliability and ability to be effectively implemented in practice. Purpose of the study The purpose of our study was to assess the quality of clinical practice guidelines for asthma management using the AGREE II tool. The analysis compared the quality of Polish clinical guidelines with those from other countries and international organizations. Nine guidelines were evaluated: Management of Asthma Exacerbations in Adults - Guidelines for General Practitioners (author: Supreme Medical Council, Poland), Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention (author: The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)), Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ Adolescent and Adult Asthma Guidelines 2020: a quick reference guide (author: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand), Australian Asthma Handbook V2.0 (author: National Asthma Council Australia), National Clinical Guideline: The Diagnosis and Management of Asthma in Adults V2. 1 (author: Ministry of Public Health Qatar), SIGN 158 British guideline on the management of asthma (author: Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) British Thoracic Society), Management of Asthma in Adults (author: Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS)), Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management (author: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)), and The Spanish Guideline on the Management of Asthma (author: Guía Española para el Manejo del Asma (GEMA)). Results The highest scored domains were transparency and presentation of recommendations (all guidelines scored 100% or close to 100%), guideline scope and purpose, and editorial independence. The domains that scored lowest were in the areas of stakeholder engagement and applicability (79.3% and 69.2%, respectively). The largest differences were observed in the area of editorial independence, ranging from 100% (the maximum possible score) to 16.7%. The guidelines developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network received the highest overall score. The Polish guidelines received the maximum number of points in areas related to scope and purpose, transparency and presentation, and editorial independence. Conclusions A properly conducted guideline development process, including the involvement of experts and adherence to methodological standards, results in high-quality clinical practice guidelines. High-quality clinical practice guidelines can be used as tools to support clinical decision-making, however, guideline authors should pay special attention to the applicability of guidelines in practice and the involvement of all stakeholders. To improve the process of guideline development and patient access to the newest therapies, it is also important to consider the synergies between the recommendations in clinical practice guidelines and health technology assessment reports

Metabolomika i proteomika w diagnostyce nieswoistych chorób zapalnych jelit

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease belong to the group of inflammatory bowel diseases and are characterized by chronic inflammation of gastrointestinal tract. The pathogenesis of these conditions is multifactorial and not fully understood. The diagnostic process of inflammatory bowel diseases is often time consuming and involves many different diagnostic tests. Researchers are looking for novel diagnostic tools, that would lead to early and correct diagnosis, optimal treatment and would be possibly least invasive. Novel technolog ies, such as metabolomics and proteomics show great promise for future clinical use. Meta bolomics involves analysis of metabolites in cells and tissues, whereas proteomics is based on the analysis protein and peptide profile, that are changing depending on underlying disease.Wrzodziejące zapalenie jelita grubego i choroba Leśniowskiego-Crohna to przewlekłe choroby zapalne przewodu pokarmowego, których patogeneza jest wieloczynnikowa i nie do końca zbadana. Proces diagnostyczny prowadzący do właściwego leczenia jest często czasochłonny. Od lat trwają badania zmierzające do odkrycia wiarygodnych i minimalnie inwazyjnych testów diagnostycznych, służących do szybkiego rozpoznawania tych chor ób i poprawy opieki nad pacjentami. Duże nadzieje niosą ze sobą nowe dziedziny nauki, takie jak metabolomika i proteomika, które mogą prowadzić do odkr ycia nowych biomarkerów tych schor zeń. Zajmują się oceną metabolitów (metabolomika) oraz białek i peptydów (pr oteomika) w komórkach i tkankach, których skład zmienia się w zależności od stanu chorobowego

Pro Libris: Lubuskie Pismo Literacko-Kulturalne, nr 4 (2011)

142 s. : il

Seasonal dynamics of dry matter accumulation and nutrients in a mature miscanthus × giganteus stand in the lower silesia region of poland

Funding: J.C.B. and P.R.H.R. were funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council strategic programme grant on Resilient Crops (BBS/E/W/10963A01).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Pro Libris: Lubuskie Pismo Literacko-Kulturalne, nr 4 (2010)

145 s. : il., portr.