Ways of coping as predictors of satisfaction with curriculum and academic success in medical school

The purpose of the present study was to determine the coping strategies of medical students and to investigate the effects of coping strategies on student satisfaction and academic achievement with different instruction methods. A total of 152 medical students was followed throughout the first 2 yr of medical education between 2008 and 2010. Students completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and revised form of the Ways of Coping questionnaire both at the beginning of the first year and at the end of the second year. These forms provided data about the characteristics and main coping strategies (problem focused or emotion focused) of the students and revealed the change over time. At the end of the second year, participants also completed a satisfaction questionnaire asking their satisfaction with lectures, problem-based learning, and practicals. The authors used block, problem-based learning, and practical exam scores of the students attained in the past 2 yr as academic achievement indicators. No sociodemographic variable was related to coping strategy. The majority of students (80.9%) adopted problem-focused coping. A shift occurred in the main coping strategies of some students in both sides. Problem-focused coping scores decreased over time. Problem-focused coping positively correlated with satisfaction with practicals and practical exam scores, whereas emotion-focused coping showed the same correlation negatively. The main coping strategy also predicted satisfaction and exam success in practicals. In conclusion, a main coping strategy may be helpful to predict student satisfaction and academic achievement with some student-centered instruction methods. Determining undesired coping strategies may provide an opportunity for intervention to prevent relevant dissatisfaction and failure.     

Bio-monitoring of ozone by young students

The inquiry-based approach is an important component of secondary school biology curricula. However, we found that common Australian texts included little coverage of controlled experimentation in ecological practical work. The logistical and ethical difficulties in designing suitable ecological practicals may be a factor in these observations, as well as a perception that investigations of the complex interrelationships in ecology require scientific approaches other than experimentation. We argue that because controlled experiments are used extensively by professional ecologists to solve both theoretical and applied problems, experimentation should be a key component of secondary school ecology curricula. We suggest five teaching principles to guide secondary school biology teachers in providing a more realistic view of the possibilities and limitations of ecological experimentation. We also review ways in which computer simulations and microcosm experiments can be used to overcome logistical and ethical problems and allow students to design and implement ecological experiments. Whether based in the classroom or the field, the use of experimental approaches in secondary school ecology curricula illustrates ecological concepts, reinforces principles of experimental design and highlights the value of the inquiry-based approach in biological education.     

Practical course on “imaging infection: from single molecules to animals”

A 2-week long theoretical and practical course on innovative microscopy in the field of microbial infection was organized in Pretoria, South Africa. Talks from lecturers from such fields as super-resolution microscopy, fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging, high throughput microscopy assays and image analysis were followed by practicals on cutting-edge microscopes.     

Increasing Student Engagement with Practical Classes Through Online Pre-Lab Quizzes

Laboratory practicals classes are an essential component of all science degrees, but are a pinch point because of rising student numbers, rising student expectations and falling student exposure to laboratory work prior to entering higher education. Augmentation of physical laboratory work with online interventions is not new, but as virtual laboratories become increasingly sophisticated, cutting-edge approaches have become less available to many institutions as they are unable to meet the investment or specialist skills needed to build or maintain these complex tools. This case study examines the possibilities for increasing student engagement with practical work using the simplest tools available in any standard virtual learning environment and available to all. Based on results obtained from a large student cohort, the results indicate that this low-cost, low-tech approach can achieve high levels of student satisfaction.     

Undergraduate and postgraduate students' responses to mandatory courses (FELASA category C) in laboratory animal science

The results from the analysis of the course evaluations from FELASA category C compulsory courses in laboratory animal science at Uppsala University showed that the students realize that theoretical knowledge of the subject and practical skills are of great importance to the success of their future research involving animal experiments. All the subjects and elements of the course, in particular the practicals on animal handling and procedures using live anaesthetized animals, were fully appreciated by the students.     

The pentose phosphate pathway in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kloeckera apiculata,an exercise in comparative metabolism for food and wine science students

Comparative cellular metabolism can be a difficult area of biochemistry to teach in the undergraduate laboratory class. Student practicals involving animal tissues generally require approval from animal ethic committees, and the relevance for students whose primary interest in biochemistry is in the area of food and wine sciences, is often questioned. In this report, we present an undergraduate practical exercise in which glucose catabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway is compared in two types of yeast with direct relevance to the wine and food industries, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kloeckera apiculata. The exercise is carried out as a demonstration to second year undergraduate students, studying metabolic biochemistry. It is of some value in that it illustrates comparative cellular metabolism in wine yeasts and introduces the students to the safe use of radioisotopes.     

Challenges in understanding meiosis: fostering metaconceptual awareness among university biology students

ABSTRACT

In this study, firstly, university biology students’ conceptual understanding and potential misconceptions concerning meiosis were studied. Secondly, an easily applicable drawing task was used to foster students’ metaconceptual awareness which would help them to reach conceptual change. A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was conducted. The students (N = 82) were divided into experimental and control groups. The control groups attended traditional teaching, i.e. lectures with practicals, whilst the experimental groups had an additional activating task before practicals. In the activating task, the students drew the selected phases of meiosis and marked given concepts of meiosis in the drawing. The drawings were scored and the solutions were discussed in detail with the students. After the activating task, the traditional practicals were held for both groups. After a week, both experimental and control groups were given the same task. The results show that students in the experimental group understood meiosis significantly better than the control group, who had more misconceptions after the instruction compared to the experimental group. Thus, fostering students’ metaconceptual awareness is crucial and relatively easy to apply, also in higher education.     

Enhancing theoretical understanding of a practical biology course using active and self-directed learning strategies

Laboratories are recognised as central in science education, allowing students to consolidate knowledge and master practical skills, however, their effectiveness has been questioned. Whilst laboratory practicals are useful for students’ learning of basic procedures, they have been shown to be less effective for developing conceptual understanding of the subject. Interactive lectures and bespoke digital resources were utilised in order to enhance theoretical understanding of laboratory practical molecular sessions, thus enabling students to take responsibility for and direct their own learning, encouraging inquiry-based learning. Providing easy to access additional learning resources offered students an opportunity to better prepare themselves for the laboratory, and consolidate their knowledge through subsequent review and self-testing in their own time. Grades before and after implementation of these active learning strategies were analysed to look at the impact on student learning and this study demonstrates that integrating these into a challenging practical biology course improved grades significantly with a concomitant increase in the number of ‘A’ grades attained. Feedback to evaluate use and perceptions of both interactive lectures and digital resources were also analysed. It has been shown here that these activities enhanced student experience and understanding of the course.     

Theoretical versus Practical Energy: A Plea for More Transparency in the Energy Calculation of Different Rechargeable Battery Systems

Electrochemical energy storage at a large scale poses one of the main technological challenges of this century. The scientific community in academia and industry worldwide intensively is exploring various alternative rechargeable battery concepts beside state‐of‐the‐art lithium ion batteries (LIBs), for example, all‐solid‐state batteries, lithium/sulfur batteries, magnesium/sulfur batteries or dual‐ion batteries that could outperform LIBs in different aspects. Often, these concepts also promise very high theoretical energies per mass or volume. However, as theoretical values exclude numerous relevant parameters, they do not translate directly into practically achievable energy values: The gaps between practical capacities and voltages compared to the theoretical values differ for each system. In order to provide high transparency and to illustrate which cell components are most important in the limitation of the practical energy values, in this study, the specific energies and energy densities are calculated in six subsequent steps—from the theoretical energy values of the active materials alone to the practical energy values in an 18650 cylindrical cell. By providing a tool to calculate the energy values of six different battery technologies with different assumptions made evident, this study aims for more transparency and reliability in the comparison of different cell chemistries.     

Types of activities and body parts affected in the recommended exercises for VDT operators.

This paper presents results of an analysis of recommended exercises proposed for the reduction of musculoskeletal stress in VDT operation and similar types of work. Fifteen exercise programs consisting of 123 individual exercises were reviewed. Most of the programs exhibited some redeeming features from a practical and a professional standpoint. It was found that recommendations concerning exercises have been directed primarily to muscle stretching and relaxation. The body parts targeted by various exercises were back, leg, neck, shoulder, side and upper extremities. Maximum number of exercises were available for shoulder (35.8%) and upper extremities (17.9%). The exercises reviewed consisted of combinations of thirteen different activities. It was found that rotation (26.8%), stretching (20.3%), and flexing or bending (18.7%) were the most frequently employed activities.     

A primer of community ecology using the R language

Community ecology beginners often struggle to understand theories expressed in complex mathematical formulas and to master computer programming. To remedy this situation, this article provides a practical, R-based introduction to community ecology by illustrating core concepts (vital rates, carrying capacity, and density dependence) and models that can be used to explore the patterns of species abundance and diversity. The structure of this article consists of three modeling exercises, each asking a general question that can be answered by a combination of theory and R programming: (1) what determines the abundance of species, and what makes a population persist and go extinct?; (2) what determines the distribution of species and species diversity?; (3) what determines the relative abundance of species and what allows species to coexist? Through the exercises, I discuss the following five concepts and ideas that provide valuable insights into the questions: (i) the tragedy of the commons, (ii) the theory of island biogeography, (iii) competitive exclusion, (iv) the neutral theory of biodiversity, and (v) frequency dependence. These materials are thus designed to guide the reader in developing an intuition for ecological thinking that will help capture the essence of the global environmental and biodiversity crisis. Although this article does not delineate the scope and depth of the vast field of community ecology, I hope that it will motivate the reader to step up to a more formal introduction to community ecology.     

Effect of strength training on pressor reflex responses from receptors in exercising muscles

The effect of strength training on muscle pressor reflex responses was investigated. Ten young, healthy volunteers and eight arm wrestling athletes performed forearm exercises at 30% of maximal voluntary effort until exhaustion. The exercises were either static or rhythmic, with alternating 20-s periods of muscle contraction and relaxation, followed by postexercise forearm arterial occlusion (PEAO). Heart rate, blood pressure (BP), and sympathetic nerve activity directed to muscle blood vessels (MSNA) were continuously recorded during the exercises. MSNA recordings were obtained from the peroneal nerve using a microneurographic method. During static exercises followed by PEAO, there were no differences in BP or MSNA between athletes and nonathlets. In contrast, a significant decrease in muscle pressor reflex responses was observed in the athletes during rhythmic exercises followed by PEAO. The possible relationship between this effect and changes in muscle energy supply, increased wash-out of metabolites, and reduced sensitivity of the muscle receptors in athletes is discussed.     

News and Comments

Concept mapping is an activity with numerous uses in the biology classroom. Its value in planning, teaching, revision, and assessment, and the attitudes of students and teachers towards its use, are discussed. Comments made are illustrated with excerpts from interviews with teachers and students who were involved in classroom concept mapping exercises. The use of expert maps for scoring is described, and some of the pitfalls are considered. Finally, the value of concept mapping as an aid to reflective practice is discussed.     

Biological Research in the Developing Countriest

Abstract

Some practical exercises involving the glutamine synthetase enzyme of Beneckea natriegens are described. Singly, or in combination, these exercises can be used at many stages in tertiary-level biology courses. Practical detail suited to class needs is presented, together with results typical of those obtained by students. The exercises encompass many biochemical techniques, and involve theoretical points of importance to microbiologists and biochemists in particular. Suggestions are made as to the kind of critical discussion which should arise among students after they have performed the experiments.     

《生物化学》双语教学新模式的实践与探索

培养专业加外语的复合性人才,创新双语教学模式是提升教学效果的关键。经十三年生物化学双语教学的实践探索：注重钻研、吃透原版英文教材,列出重要专业英文词汇、音标和常用句型,写出英文教案;激发学生自主学习,课前引入问题、预习回答问题、师生互动讨论,重难点详讲、归纳总结解惑、习题巩固要点和实践创新应用,优化学科知识和课程教学设计;客观评价、综合分析其教学效果,形成了受学生欢迎、效果好、有一定创新特色的双语结构教学模式。     

A field course based on the community energy flow approach

The concept of community energy flow provides an excellent basis for a field course (a) because simple methods are available for estimating the role of all the interacting components of a community and (6) because results of the series of related investigations can be arranged to provide an acceptable model of community structure and functioning. The study area was part of an uncut, ungrazed, rough grass meadow. A grid was set up and estimates were made of density and biomass of all the faunal components of the community. The contributions of the different components (including the icroorganisms) to community metabolism were assessed. The paper describes the methodology for estimating all these parameters and, in addition, for monitoring physical environmental variables. The flow of energy through the grassland community is not evenly distributed over the 24 hours of the day. Diurnal rhythms of activity of the larger invertebrates were recorded by means of periodic ‘sweep-netting’ and ‘pitfalling’. The paper culminates, as does the field course, in the construction of a model of energy flow through the community.

We point out that this approach is very flexible, both in terms of students and of ecosystems.     

Active intervals between sets of resistance exercises potentiate the magnitude of postexercise hypotension in elderly hypertensive women

Active and passive intervals (AI, PI) between exercise series promote different hemodynamic responses; however, the impact of these intervals on the blood pressure response has not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of AIs and PIs during resistance exercises with the magnitude of postexercise hypotension (PEH). Elderly hypertensive women (n = 21, 61.2 ± 2 years of age) completed 4 sessions for upper or lower limbs with AI or PI (3 sets, 15 repetitions, 60% load of 15 repetition maximum (RM), and an interval of 90 seconds between sets). Blood pressure was measured 10 minutes before and at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes after the exercise sessions. The heart rate at the end of each AI was always significantly higher than that after the PI, but the perceived exertion as measured by the Perceived Exertion Scale (OMNI-RPE) was similar to that of PI exercise protocols. In the lower limb exercises, AI resulted in significantly and consistently higher PEH than in exercises with PI for both systolic (from 20 minutes postexercise) and diastolic (from 10 minutes postexercise) pressures. The upper limb exercises promoted much more discrete PEH in relation to the lower limb exercises, given that the AI promoted significantly higher PEH relative to the PI protocols, but only for systolic PEH and only from 30 minutes postexercise. This is the first time that AIs between sets in a session of resistance exercises have been shown to be a highly effective methodological strategy to increase PEH in elderly hypertensive women.     

Some Aspects of Energy Flow in Plantations of Pinus sylvestris L.

Calorific values are given for the different types of plantmaterial in an age series of plantations of Pinus sylvestrisand the amounts of energy in the organic matter present perhectare of woodland are calculated. Following afforestationwith Scots pine a progressive accumulation of energy occursup to 35 years of age when the organic matter present per hectarecontains about 10, 000x10⁸ calories. Values are given for theenergy content of the primary production by the trees and groundvegetation, of energy accumulation in the tree stock, understoryvegetation, and litter, of energy removed in the harvested treesand of energy released by decomposition. The photosyntheticefficiency of the forest community is calculated and shown tobe comparable to that of high producing agricultural crops sothat it is suggested that the forest community makes very fulluse of site conditions.     

Estimation of errors in mechanical efficiency

Errors in measurements of mechanical work, net energy expenditure and mechanical efficiency (ME) were calculated, when subjects performed isolated eccentric or concentric muscle actions and combinations of these actions [stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercises] with a special sledge apparatus. The relative error of mechanical work was 6.1%. When estimating the error of energy metabolism from oxygen consumption the error would be about 4% (McArdle et al. 1981). The maximum error of ME was the sum of these two values (10.1%). Obviously the error of ME was less than 5%, because 30 muscle actions were averaged and, in addition, the errors of mechanical work and energy expenditure were not in the same direction every time. It was concluded that mechanical work can be determined accurately when the force is measured as a function of the moved distance of the sledge. Thus calculation of ME can be performed quite reliably in isolated eccentric and concentric exercises. The greatest problems were, however, in the SSC exercises, where the errors were higher, because of the problems of dividing the net energy expenditure into eccentric and concentric phases. Therefore, further developments must be made to minimize the errors in measurement and calculation during SSC-exercise.