30 research outputs found
Development and validation of an instrument to measure emotions of medical students
No full textBackground: Emotions have been known to play a pivotal role in developing, organizing, and motivating human beings. it can impact cognitive skills like memory, perception, reasoning, and problems solving. Similarly, in clinical settings the emotions of doctors are triggered in response to challenging situations resulting in a meaningful impact on patient care and decision-making skills. The aim of the study was to develop a valid and reliable tool which can enable the students to recognize and measure their emotions. Moreover, it also aimed to compare the emotions over medical undergraduates in clinical settings. Method: In this mixed method study, the instrument was developed after the Focused Group discussion with undergraduate MBBS students in clinical years (years 3, 4 and 5). 10- item instrument, with a list of 13 emotions rated on a 5-point Likert scale. It was further tested for validity, reliability, feasibility, acceptability, and educational impact. Data obtained from students of all clinical years for emotions felt during clinical practice, were compared. Qualitative data was analyzed by thematic analysis whereas Fischer’s Exact test was used to analyze the quantitative dataResult: Significant differences were observed in emotions of all three years of students with p-values of 0.025, 0.020 0.007, 0.001, 0.024 and 0.032 for emotions like helplessness, sadness, anger, guilt and being grateful when encountered with various emotionally challenging scenarios in clinical settings. Reliability coefficient was 0.902 and factor analysis showed 3 factors loading. Mean time taken by the students to complete the instrument was 8 minutes. The feedback from the students indicated that it is an acceptable instrument which can help them recognize and identify their emotions in a clinical setup. Conclusion: Based on the results, this instrument was able to identify and measure the differences in emotions of undergraduate medical students in clinical settings across the 3 years, reliably. It was also evident that the tool can play an effective role in helping the students to recognize their emotions and eventually help them manage in an effective way
Is anxiety related to oral examination scores of anatomy and physiology? A study of pre-clinical MBBS and BDS students
No full textObjective: To assess anxiety levels among 1st and 2nd year MBBS and 1st year BDS students in oral examinations of anatomy and physiology and to compare the anxiety scores among students of 1st and 2nd year MBBS and 1st year BDS.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 231 undergraduate (MBBS and BDS) students of University from Karachi durning December 2022 to May 2023. Westside anxiety scale was used to assess anxiety levels in students and the scores were compared with oral examination scores using One-way analysis of variance.Results: Extremely high levels of anxiety was noted in relation to oral examination of Anatomy with a mean score of 25±3.801 while a mean of 30.00±5.170 was noted in Physiology in BDS students. However, significant results were observed on comparing Anatomy and Physiology oral examination scores among 1st and 2nd year students.Conclusion: In summary higher levels of test anxiety, especially for oral examinations was observed in MBBS students as compared to BDS students. It was also observed that anxiety levels were much higher for Anatomy oral examinations as compared to those for Physiology
Characterization of spliceosome assembly in cyanidioschyzon merolae.
No full textPre-mRNA splicing is the removal of intervening sequences from pre-messenger RNA in a reaction catalyzed by the spliceosome, which contains five small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and more than 100 proteins. Assembly of the spliceosome occurs in a highly ordered manner, making the spliceosome a very complex and dynamic particle. The spliceosome has been studied in yeast and humans but a simpler system would simplify splicing studies. Cyanidioschyzon merolae (Cm) has been shown to have a simpler spliceosome. The goal of this study was to characterize the Cm spliceosome beginning with the question of how large it is. To measure the size of the Cm spliceosome I used glycerol gradient centrifugation and assembly gels to study the assembly pathways. Lastly an attempt was made to study the components of Cm spliceosome by developing an assay in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) where small molecule inhibitors were used to stall the spliceososme, which could then be purified and its composition studied. --Leaf ii.The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b197654
Laughing with an Iranian American Woman: Firoozeh Dumas\u27s Memoirs and the (Cross-) Cultural Work of Humor
No full textThis essay critically analyzes Firoozeh Dumas\u27s humorous memoirs and situates them in the multiple contexts of post-9/11 Muslim American responses to Islamophobia, women\u27s humor, and Iranian American women\u27s life writing. Drawing on philosophical, feminist, ethnic, and contemporary scientific theories of humor and the methods of literary criticism, the author argues that Dumas employs the beneficial and inclusive (not malign and exclusive) positive mode of humorous personal storytelling to build connection through laughter via the emotional and cognitive shifts structurally central to humor. Dumas addresses multiple audiences and engages in important (cross-) cultural work in a particularly fraught political and cultural climate of anti-Muslim sentiment and tense Iran-U.S. relations
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit--ergonomics is a healthy choice.
No full textOBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify the occurrence and outcome of low back ache amongst computer users and their relation to age, gender, occupation and duration of computer use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self reported questionnaire tailored from Occupational Health and Safety Act of the Ministry of Labor, Ontario, Canada was used. RESULTS: 416 participants 55.5% males and 45% females using computers for a minimum of five years with age range 22 to 59 years belonged to different occupational groups. Consecutive hours of computer work was found to be associated with work related backache or discomfort in 27.4% (n = 114) participants (16.1% male, 11.3% female). Frequent short breaks improved backache (p value <0.001) in 93 (22.4%) participants (13.2% male, 9.2% female). No significant relation was observed with the duration of computer usage or usage per day; between the two genders or occupational groups. Backache had no significance within age groups. CONCLUSION: Our study identifies the occurrence of low back pain among those who are using computer for consecutive hours without breaks and the results suggest the need to create health awareness especially use of short breaks to minimize the risk and occurrence of low back pain. The result of this study can also be used to improve ergonomic design and standards
Are congenital malformations associated with maternal sociodemographic and risk factors? A multicenter ultrasound-based study
No full textObjective: Congenital malformations (CM) are structural defects of the human body that arise during development. They significantly impact neonatal outcomes such as morbidity and mortality, hence identification of risk factors and their reduction is vital to improve materno-fetal outcomes. In Karachi, Pakistan, there is insufficient data on the incidence of congenital malformations. Therefore, it is necessary to initiate a prospective case control study. The desired objective was to determine the association of congenital malformations with sociodemographic and maternal risk factors in different ethnicities.Methods: This multi-center case control study spanned over a duration of six months (December 2022 - May 2023) and included women ranging from 18-45 years using purposive sampling technique. It was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center and Tanveer Ultrasound Clinic. Sample of 120 participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in this study after purposive sampling. Sonoscape S22 ultrasound system and Toshiba Aplio 500 ultrasound system were used to detect congenital malformations.Results: Participants were divided into five groups based on ethnicity. Most of the congenital anomalies of the central nervous system were seen in Urdu-speaking group with a p-value = 0.016. An association between maternal age, education level, family income and medications with congenital malformations in fetuses was observed with p-values of 0.003, 0.000, 0.024 and 0.000 respectively.Conclusion: It was evident that various maternal sociodemographic and risk factors play a significant role in the development of congenital anomalies
Application of principles of cognitive psychology in teaching: Perspectives from undergraduate medical and dental students.
No full textIntroductionPrinciples of cognitive psychology (CP) aim to shed light on the fundamentals of perception, attention, and knowledge extraction used for critical thinking, learning, and recollection of information. These principles were incorporated to educate undergraduate medical and dental students, and the study aims to assess the perspectives of medical and dental students regarding applying these principles.MethodsThe descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 555 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students using a validated questionnaire with purposive sampling. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 21.ResultsThe study population comprised 555 undergraduate medical and dental students, with a mean age of 20.55 ± 1.86 years. Of these, 63.4% were pursuing MBBS, and 36.6% were BDS students. The sample included 320 (57.65%) female and 235 (42.35%) male students. MBBS and BDS students exhibited high confidence levels in most aspects of CP principles required for interactive learning. However, they expressed lower confidence in facilitator-student interaction, receiving feedback within large classes, and experiencing online teaching elements. A significant difference was observed between the two groups. In five of six CP attributes, MBBS students demonstrated significantly higher perceptions than BDS students: overcoming cognitive and emotional challenges, recognizing and overcoming ineffective learning strategies, paying attention in class, and integrating knowledge (p ConclusionThe current study reveals that MBBS students perceived the application of CP principles more positively than BDS students in key interactive learning areas. Furthermore, the integration of CP principles enhanced session interactivity, student engagement, attention, and retention. To optimize learning outcomes, institutions should consider adopting blended learning strategies, curricular innovations, and active learning methodologies (such as case-based, team-based, and problem-solving approaches) aligned with CP principles. Future longitudinal research could provide deeper insights into the long-term impact of CP principles on student learning and perception
Colonizing Kashmir: state-building under Indian occupation Colonizing Kashmir: state-building under Indian occupation , by Hafsa Kanjwal, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2023, xiii + 366 pp., $32, ISBN 978-1-5036-3603-3
No full textKashmiri life is expendable for the Indian state. While the love for the land is close to national imaginaries, the people have been subjected to decades of abuse and violence, and infringement of their basic human rights. In this book, Hafsa Kanjwal delves into the history of Kashmir, tracing the role of two pivotal political figures – Sheikh Abdullah (1947–1953) and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad (1953–1963) – and their relationship with the Indian project of state-building in Kashmir. The author characterizes this as the ‘politics of life’ (9), where the Indian government and client regimes in Kashmir have normalized occupation with the propagation of ‘development, empowerment and progress’ along with bureaucratic integration and the forging of affective intimate relationships with the people of the state. However, the politics of life and appeals to emotions did not mean that there was an absence of coercive measures used by the Indian state to shape conforming and confronting subjectivities
Faculty application and perceived effectiveness of cognitive psychology principles in medical education. A mixed method study
No full textObjective: The objective of the study was to explore the extent to which faculty members in undergraduate medical education apply cognitive psychology principles in their teaching practices, and to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of these principles in enhancing student learning.Methods: This mixed method study was conducted on faculty members of public and private sector universities. Focused group discussions were conducted, and the responses of the participants were measured on a 5-point- Likert Scale. The instrument was tested for validity and reliability by measuring Cronbach\u27s alpha and performing exploratory factor analysis. Mann-Whitney U test was applied on the attributes scores to compare 13 attributes by institutions, designations and domains.Results: One theme, 7 sub-themes and 19 categories were identified from the focused group discussion. as Kaiser- Meyer-Olkin index was 0.88 and Bartlett\u27s test of sphericity was significant. Reliability was established at 0.95. The faculty self-perceived practicing psychology principles mostly scored in the middle level, where they think they apply less strategies. While highly significant results were noted for using Meyer\u27s multimedia principles.Conclusion: Faculty members followed the principles of cognitive psychology to some extent. However, they all felt that using these principles can transform the teaching and learning of medical education
