Teacher assessment of University of London A-level biology practical notebooks—a report on the first operational examination

From June 1980 onwards most home candidates taking the University of London Advanced level Biology Examination have been required to submit their practical and fieldwork notebooks for assessment by their teachers. The teacher-assessed component of the examination contributes 10 per cent to their final subject mark. This paper describes the research undertaken during the first operational examination. The method of assessment is reviewed and the moderation techniques are analysed and discussed in the light of known problems. The assessment and its moderation both appear to be functioning satisfactorily.     

The British Society For Clinical Cytology Certificate of Competence In Cytology Screening: A Report of the First 3 Years'' Experience

In 1988 the Department of Health (DOH) recognized the cytology screener grade of laboratory staff. Cytology screeners have a 2 year training period after which they must sit a 'competence examination'. The British Society for Clinical Cytology offers an examination to meet the DOH specification. It consists of a written paper, a practical screening test, a spot test and a short viva voce. The screening test is paramount and candidates who miss a dyskaryotic smear cannot be successful. In the first 3 years there have been 22 examinations, 294 candidates and a pass rate of 76%. The majority of candidates were Cytology Screeners of 2-3 years experience but significant numbers of Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers (MLSOs) and senior MLSOs also chose to sit the examination.     

Teacher assessment of A-level biology practical notebooks—the development of a system of moderation

From June 1980 onwards most home candidates taking University of London Advanced level Biology are required to submit their practical and fleldwork notebooks to their teachers for an assessment which contributes up to 10 per cent of their final subject mark. This paper describes a trial run assessment of the practical books of 700 candidates, conducted in June 1979, and the statistical moderation procedure produced.     

The RESID Database of protein structure modifications and the NRL-3D Sequence-Structure Database

The RESID Database is a comprehensive collection of annotations and structures for protein post-translational modifications including N-terminal, C-terminal and peptide chain cross-link modifications. The RESID Database includes systematic and frequently observed alternate names, Chemical Abstracts Service registry numbers, atomic formulas and weights, enzyme activities, taxonomic range, keywords, literature citations with database cross-references, structural diagrams and molecular models. The NRL-3D Sequence-Structure Database is derived from the three-dimensional structure of proteins deposited with the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank. The NRL-3D Database includes standardized and frequently observed alternate names, sources, keywords, literature citations, experimental conditions and searchable sequences from model coordinates. These databases are freely accessible through the National Cancer Institute-Frederick Advanced Biomedical Computing Center at these web sites: http://www. ncifcrf.gov/RESID, http://www.ncifcrf.gov/NRL-3D; or at these National Biomedical Research Foundation Protein Information Resource web sites: http://pir.georgetown.edu/pirwww/dbinfo/resid .html, http://pir.georgetown.edu/pirwww/dbinfo/nrl3d .html     

Detecting cheating in written medical examinations by statistical analysis of similarity of answers: pilot study

Objective To assess whether a computer program using a variant of Angoff''s method can detect anomalous behaviour indicative of cheating in multiple choice medical examinations.Design Statistical analysis of 11 examinations held by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.Setting UK postgraduate medical examination.Participants Examination candidates.Main outcome measures Detection of anomalous candidate pairs by regression of similarity of correct answers in all possible pairs of candidates on the overall proportion of correct answers. Anomalous pairs were subsequently assessed in terms of examination centres and the seating plan of candidates, to assess adjacency.Results The 11 examinations were taken by a total of 11 518 candidates, and Acinonyx examined 6 178 628 pairs of candidates. Two examinations showed no anomalies, and one examination found an anomaly resulting from a scanning error. The other eight examinations showed 13 anomalies compatible with cheating, and in each pair the two candidates had sat the examination at the same centre, and for six examinations with seating plans, the candidates in the anomalous pairs had been seated side by side. The raw probabilities of the anomalies varied from 3.9×10^-11 to 9.3×10^-30 (median = 1.1×10^-17), with Bonferroni-corrected probabilities in the range 2.4×10^-5 to 4.1×10^-24 (median = 1.6×10^-11). This suggests that one anomalous pair is found for every 1000 or so candidates taking this postgraduate examination.Conclusions This statistical technique identified a small proportion of candidates who had very similar patterns of correctly answered questions. The likelihood is that one candidate has copied from the other, or that there was collusion, or that a technical error occurred in the exams department (as happened in a single case). Analysis of similarities can be used to identify cheating and as part of the quality assurance process of postgraduate medical examinations.     

Education and research in biomedical engineering of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics

Biomedical Engineering is a relatively new interdisciplinary science. This review paper presents the biomedical engineering activity, which is carried out at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUTE) and its partner institutions. In the first parts the main goals and the curriculum of the Biomedical Engineering Education Program is presented. The second part of the paper summarizes the most important biomedical engineering researches most of them carried out in the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory of BUTE.     

Advanced high school biology in an era of rapid change: a summary of the biology panel report from the NRC Committee on Programs for Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in American High Schools

A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study, discipline-specific panels were formed to evaluate advanced programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Among the conclusions of the Content Panel for Biology were that AP courses in particular suffer from inadequate quality control as well as excessive pressure to fulfill their advanced placement function, which encourages teachers to attempt coverage of all areas of biology and emphasize memorization of facts rather than in-depth understanding. In this essay, the Panel's principal findings are discussed, with an emphasis on its recommendation that colleges and universities should be strongly discouraged from using performance on either the AP examination or the IB examination as the sole basis for automatic placement out of required introductory courses for biology majors and distribution requirements for nonmajors.     

Models and practice in medicine: Menopause as syndrome or life transition?

Biomedical knowledge, like scientific knowledge in general, is a product of a social and culture milieu. Moreover, in the analysis of biomedicine a distinction must be maintained between textual and clinical knowledge. Through examination of medical texts and of social science literature, the susceptibility of menopause to numerous interpretations is demonstrated. The generation of clinical models from current information available to physicians is examined and it is suggested that these can be thought of as folk models. Several current clinical models of menopause are presented and the implications for sociological analysis of the subject discussed.     

A labor readiness index (Bishop score) for rhesus monkeys

A scoring system is presented for quantitative evaluation of labor readiness in macaque monkeys. Cervical position, length, softness and dilation are rated along with fetal head position for a total score of 13. The system is based on experience in evaluating readiness of multiparous rhesus monkeys for labor induction. Guidelines for the examination for use of the score are described.     

Scanning electron microscopy of fused mouse placentas and associated uterine bed

Summary The decidual surface of two fused placentas and the associated uterine bed were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The compact decidua basalis fits into a uterine depression filled with coarse fibers which is surrounded by a smooth area that gradually becomes folded. Placental fusion due to twinning or crowding is discussed.Financial support was provided by an NIH Biomedical Research Support Grant 5 S07-RR05794-02 and by the Department of Anatomy, Wright State University. Technical assistance of Robert Principato is gratefully acknowledged     

Central projections of the frontal organ of Rana pipiens,as demonstrated by the anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase

Summary The central projections of the frontal organ of Rana pipiens are more widespread, and more similar to those of the epiphysis, than previously realized. Fibers labeled with horseradish peroxidase were traced to the amygdala, the epiphysis, the pretectal region, and several nuclear areas of the mesencephalic and diencephalic central gray. When peroxidase reaction product was carefully distinguished from neuromelanin by means of polarization microscopy, no unequivocally labeled cell bodies of centrifugal fibers could be found.Supported by NIH grants GM-09181, EY-02083, and by BRSG RR-05357 awarded by the Biomedical Research Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, N.I.H.     

A comparison between cervical dimensions of pregnant and nonpregnant Santa Gertrudis and Bos taurus cows

Cervical measurements were recorded on palpation per rectum for 603 Bos taurus , Santa Gertrudis, and crossbred cattle. Postmortem cervical measurements were recorded for 77 of these cows. Antemortem measurements were positively correlated with those taken at postmortem examination (cervical diameter: r=0.75, P<0.01 and cervical length: r=0.29, P<0.06). Cervical diameters from antemortem and postmortem specimens were greater in Santa Gertrudis cattle than in Bos taurus and crossbred cattle (P<0.05). Cervical shape was different between Santa Gertrudis cattle and Bos taurus or crossbred cattle (P<0.01), with Santa Gertrudis cows having a higher incidence of conical shaped cervices than other breeds. Within Santa Gertrudis cattle, the incidence of conical cervical shape increased with age (P<0.05). Conical cervical shape was associated with a lower pregnancy rate in all breeds (P<0.01). Within Santa Gertrudis cattle, conical cervical shape was associated with a lower pregnancy rate in 1- to 4-year-old cows (P<0.05) but not in cows more than 4 years of age (P>0.05).     

The RESID Database of Protein Modifications: 2003 developments

The RESID Database is a comprehensive collection of annotations and structures for protein pre-, co- and post-translational modifications including amino-terminal, carboxyl-terminal and peptide chain cross-link modifications. The RESID Database includes: systematic and alternate names, atomic formulas and masses, enzyme activities generating the modifications, keywords, literature citations, Gene Ontology cross-references, Protein Information Resource (PIR) and SWISS-PROT protein sequence database feature table annotations, structure diagrams and molecular models. This database is freely accessible on the Internet through the European Bioinformatics Institute at http://srs.ebi.ac.uk/srs6bin/cgi-bin/wgetz?-page+LibInfo+-lib+RESID, through the National Cancer Institute - Frederick Advanced Biomedical Computing Center at http://www.ncifcrf.gov/RESID, or through the Protein Information Resource at http://pir.georgetown.edu/pirwww/dbinfo/resid.html.     

Biomedical research in Revista de Biologia Tropical

The contributions published in Revista de Biología Tropical in the area of Biomedical Sciences are reviewed in terms of number of contributions and scope of research subjects. Biomedical Sciences, particularly Parasitology and Microbiology, constituted the predominant subject in the Revista during the first decade, reflecting the intense research environment at the School of Microbiology of the University of Costa Rica and at Hospital San Juan de Dios. The relative weight of Biomedicine in the following decades diminished, due to the outstanding increment in publications in Biological Sciences; however, the absolute number of contributions in Biomedical Sciences remained constant throughout the last decades, with around 80 contributions per decade. In spite of the predominance of Parasitology as the main biomedical subject, the last decades have witnessed the emergence of new areas of interest in the Revista, such as Pharmacology of natural products, Toxinology, especially related to snake venoms, and Human Genetics. This retrospective analysis evidences that Biomedical Sciences, particularly those related to Tropical Medicine, were a fundamental component during the first years of Revista de Biología Tropical, and have maintained a significant presence in the scientific output of this journal, the most relevant scientific publication in biological sciences in Central America.     

生命伦理学基本原则讨论

介绍当代西方主流生命伦理学具有代表性的4种基本原则并对其进行理论分析和评价,进一步深入探讨在全球化的多元文化背景下当代中国生命伦理学发展的理论定位和实践应用中的问题和误区,发展具有中国特色的生命伦理学,为构建未来中国生命伦理学原则和实践提供理论借鉴。     

Transmission and scanning electron microscopic study of the same cytologic material

The same cytologic material was successively examined by light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After the SEM examination, the specimens were rehydrated for a long period of time to allow the penetration of Epon 812 into the cells. The TEM examination showed the cell organelles to be comparatively well preserved. These consecutively performed LM-SEM-TEM examinations provided useful information on cytologic subjects, especially concerning the origin of the cells.     

Advances in nonlinear optical microscopy techniques for in vivo and in vitro neuroimaging

Understanding the mechanism of the brain via optical microscopy is one of the challenges in neuroimaging, considering the complex structures. Advanced neuroimaging techniques provide a more comprehensive insight into patho-mechanisms of brain disorders, which is useful in the early diagnosis of the pathological and physiological changes associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent advances in optical microscopy techniques have evolved powerful tools to overcome scattering of light and provide improved in vivo neuroimaging with sub-cellular resolution, endogenous contrast specificity, pinhole less optical sectioning capability, high penetration depth, and so on. The following article reviews the developments in various optical imaging techniques including two-photon and three-photon fluorescence, second-harmonic generation, third-harmonic generation, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, and stimulated Raman scattering in neuroimaging. We have outlined the potentials and drawbacks of these techniques and their possible applications in the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases.     

Proposal for screening of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the population at risk

The aim of our proposal is to suggest selected screening for people, who are the most likely candidates for the development of head and neck cancer. The screening organized by the family physicians on their own database in collaboration with the local dentists or ENT doctors involves examination and health education by effective communication and written information about risk of cancer and early signs and symptoms of the disease.     

Fine structural examination of the single heart tube in the fifteen day ferret embryo

Summary The different segments of the embryonic heart tube of the ferret were examined with light and transmission electron microscopy. The cells of bulbus cordis, bulboventricular junction, primitive ventricle, atrioventricular junction, and primitive atria were in the process of differentiating into myocardial cells. The ventricular muscle cells were the most developed cells; the least mature muscle cells were those located at the arterial and venous ends of the heart tube. The cells between the ventricle and the two ends of the heart tube showed a spectrum of developmental stages, especially with respect to the morphological development of the myofibrils. Other organelles as well as surface specializations did not permit a distinction between cells of the different regions of the heart tube. There was no striking difference in the size and shape of the developing muscle cells of the atrioventricular and bulboventricular junctions compared to the developing ventricular muscle cells. Morphologically there was no evidence to suggest that the tissue of the atrioventricular and bulboventricular rings was specialized or different from any of the other segments of the single heart tube of the embryonic ferret.This work was supported by NIH Grant#HL26893-01 and by Biomedical Research Support Grant S07RR05417 from the Division of Research Resources, NIH