Solutions for Shared Resource Lab Remote Quality Control and Instrument Troubleshooting during a Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected shared resource lab (SRL) staff in-person availability at institutions globally. This article discusses the challenges of ensuring reliable instrument performance and quality data output while facility staff and external service provider on-site presence is severely limited. Solutions revolve around the adoption of remote monitoring and troubleshooting platforms, provision of self-service troubleshooting resources specific to facility instruments and workflows, development of an assistance contact policy, and ensuring efficiency of limited in-person staff time. These solutions employ software and hardware tools that are already in use or readily available in the SRL community, such as remote instrument access tools, video hosting and conferencing platforms, and ISAC shared resources. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Prior Podcast Experience Moderates Improvement in Electroencephalography Evaluation After Educational Podcast Module.

BACKGROUND: There is continued interest in using technology to enhance medical education and the variables that may affect its success. METHODS: Anesthesiology residents and fourth-year medical students participated in an electroencephalography (EEG) educational video podcast module. A 25-item evaluation tool was administered before any EEG education was provided (baseline), and the podcast was then viewed. Another 25-item evaluation tool was administered after podcast viewing (after podcast). Ten EEG interpretations were completed with a neurophysiologist with an additional 25-item evaluation tool administered after the interpretations (after 10 EEG interpretations). Participants were surveyed concerning technology and podcasting experience before the educational module and their responses to the podcast educational model. Multiple analyses were performed (1) to evaluate differences in improvement in EEG evaluation scores between the podcast module and the standard didactics (control group); and (2) to evaluate potential moderation by technology and the podcast experience on the change in mean EEG evaluation scores from after the podcast module to after 10 EEG interpretations. RESULTS: A total of 21 anesthesiology residents and 12 fourth-year medical students participated. Scores on the 25-item evaluation tool increased with each evaluation time (P ≤ 0.001). Moderation analyses revealed that individuals with more podcast experience (≥4 previous podcasts) had greater increases in scores after a podcast and 10 EEG interpretations compared with individuals with less experience (≤3 previous podcasts) (P = 0.027). Furthermore, compared with a control group with similar baseline characteristics that received only standard didactics without a podcast, those in the podcast group had greater increases in mean EEG evaluation scores between baseline and after 10 EEG interpretations. CONCLUSIONS: In reviewing the improvement in EEG evaluation after a podcast education module, those with more podcast experience achieved greater gains in EEG evaluation scores. For EEG education, those receiving the podcast education module showed greater increases in scores compared with those receiving didactic teaching without podcasting, as measured by change in a mean EEG evaluation scores.

A QoS aware resource allocation strategy for 3D A/V streaming in OFDMA based wireless systems.

Three-dimensional (3D) video is expected to be a "killer app" for OFDMA-based broadband wireless systems. The main limitation of 3D video streaming over a wireless system is the shortage of radio resources due to the large size of the 3D traffic. This paper presents a novel resource allocation strategy to address this problem. In the paper, the video-plus-depth 3D traffic type is considered. The proposed resource allocation strategy focuses on the relationship between 2D video and the depth map, handling them with different priorities. It is formulated as an optimization problem and is solved using a suboptimal heuristic algorithm. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme provides a better quality of service compared to conventional schemes.

Podcasting in medical education: can we turn this toy into an effective learning tool?

Advances in information technology have changed how we deliver medical education, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Technologies that were designed for purposes other than education, such as podcasting, are now frequently used in medical education. In this article, the authors discuss the pros and cons of adapting existing technologies for medical education, caution against limiting evaluation of technologies to the level of rater satisfaction, and suggest a research agenda for formally evaluating the role of existing and future technologies in medical education.

Zoo and aquarium webcams: an informed view.

Providing webcams for public viewing is a relatively new but growing phenomenon among zoos and aquariums. Reasons for incorporating this programmatic feature are varied, and no guidelines exist to aid institutions considering webcam installations. Decision makers need to know how much effort the cameras require as well as how successful other zoos have found them to be. We evaluated existing webcams and provide an overview of their characteristics, including reliability. Quantitative evaluations provided by zoo/aquarium staff and by zoo members indicate generally positive perceptions of webcams, whereas staff acknowledge a notable level of effort required. Here, we strive to offer guidelines that will help institutions considering this venture.

Podcasting: A Roadmap to the Future of Medical Education.

Podcasts, portable digital audio files that usually are listened to on a smartphone or MP3 player, have become a potent medium for medical education. Medical podcasting has become more sophisticated over the past decade as the producers of this material experiment and adapt the format. At the same time, production of podcasting has shifted from being a part of traditional medical educational venues such as journals and medical school curricula to organic digital education, individuals operating outside of, or parallel to, the traditional medical educational system. The past several years have seen increasing attempts to evaluate and organize podcasting material into vibrant educational resources. This article describes the history of podcasts, prior work on its efficacy in medical education, research directions for the future, and a vision of a global podcasting curriculum.

Delving within: the new science of the unconscious.

What exactly is the relationship between conscious awareness and the unconscious mind? How, for example, does the brain classify and sort its different functions into conscious or unconscious processes? How has the history of human conceptualizations about the unconscious influenced current theories? Steve Paulson, executive producer of To the Best of Our Knowledge, moderated a discussion among neuroscientist Heather Berlin, psychologist Efrat Ginot, and psychiatrist George Makari to shed light on the history of the mind and the latest insights into the still emerging science of the unconscious.

JNIS podcasts: the early part of our journey.

Podcasts are an area of innovation in the neurointerventional space that has the potential to convey information in ways that traditional journal articles in peer-reviewed journals do not. BMJ maintains an archive of all of its podcasts on the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS) website. We sought to analyze this early JNIS podcast experience and assess the impact of content elements and an increased presence in social media.

Victimization and Exposure to Pro-Self-Harm and Pro-Suicide Websites: A Cross-National Study.

The study of websites displaying methods of both physical self-harm and suicide has become an important aspect of deliberate self-injury and suicide research. However, little is known about contextual factors related to entering such sites. Using data from 3,567 respondents aged 15-30 in the US, UK, Germany, and Finland, we found that experiences of victimization are associated with entering pro-self-harm sites and pro-suicide sites. Also, the victimization context had relevance, as online victimization was particularly related to pro-self-harm behavior. The findings suggest a need to organize more specific online support for the victims of violence and online aggression.

How to keep medical preceptors effectively motivated in a web-learning environment? An overview / ¿Cómo mantener a los preceptores médicos motivados de manera efectiva en un entorno de aprendizaje en la web? Una visión general

Distance learning has strengthened medical education, especially in geographically extensive regions. Despite the many characteristics of these web-based resources, the motivation of students to perform effectively in virtual educational programs remains a challenge

La educación a distancia ha permitido potenciar la educación médica, especialmente en regiones geográficas más extensas. A pesar de la gran cantidad de propiedades de los recursos Web, los aspectos motivacionales de los alumnos para un desempeño efectivo en los programas de educación virtual siguen siendo un desafío