Learning Experience Design in Health Professions Education: A Conceptual Review of Evidence for Educators.

OBJECTIVES: The increasing use of online resources in emergency medicine (EM) education has driven demand for higher quality resources. Learning experience design (LED) is the study of how electronic user interfaces impact learner outcomes. We sought to summarize the evidence for LED principles to inform creation of EM educational resources. METHODS: We performed scripted searches of MeSH terms, PubMed keywords, and hand tracings. Inclusion criteria were controlled studies using light-emitting diode or liquid crystal display monitors with Latin-based languages. Cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors were excluded because of the user experience confounders. RESULTS: Thirty-two articles met inclusion criteria. Overall, 14-point size significantly improved legibility compared to smaller font sizes. Similarly, Verdana and Arial typefaces significantly improved legibility compared to Times New Roman typeface. Verdana also significantly decreased subjective mental workload and visibility difficulty ratings and required the least eye movement of any typefaces tested. Positive polarity (dark text on light background) significantly improved reading outcomes across many measurements over negative polarity. There was higher character identification accuracy with higher luminance. Text effects (e.g., italics), interword and interletter spacing, and page presentation are among variables with mixed or minimal evidence. CONCLUSION: Learning experience design principles significantly impacted reading and learning outcomes in laboratory settings. No studies evaluated classroom outcomes. Recommendations for electronic learning environments are 14-point font with Verdana or Arial typeface with positive polarity (dark letters on light background). We recommend increasing screen brightness slightly. EM educators may significantly improve the speed and accuracy of learning written material by espousing evidence-based LED principles.

In Planta Response of Arabidopsis to Photothermal Impact Mediated by Gold Nanoparticles.

Biological responses to photothermal effects of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been demonstrated and employed for various applications in diverse systems except for one important class - plants. Here, the uptake of GNPs through Arabidopsis thaliana roots and translocation to leaves are reported. Successful plasmonic nanobubble generation and acoustic signal detection in planta is demonstrated. Furthermore, Arabidopsis leaves harboring GNPs and exposed to continuous laser or noncoherent light show elevated temperatures across the leaf surface and induced expression of heat-shock regulated genes. Overall, these results demonstrate that Arabidopsis can readily take up GNPs through the roots and translocate the particles to leaf tissues. Once within leaves, GNPs can act as photothermal agents for on-demand remote activation of localized biological processes in plants.

Comparing performance of the CADstream and the DynaCAD breast MRI CAD systems : CADstream vs. DynaCAD in breast MRI.

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems are software programs that use algorithms to find patterns associated with breast cancer on breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The most commonly used CAD systems in the USA are CADstream (CS) (Merge Healthcare Inc., Chicago, IL) and DynaCAD for Breast (DC) (Invivo, Gainesville, FL). Our primary objective in this study was to compare the CS and DC breast MRI CAD systems for diagnostic accuracy and postprocessed image quality. Our secondary objective was to compare the evaluation times of radiologists using each system. Three radiologists evaluated 30 biopsy-proven malignant lesions and 29 benign lesions on CS and DC and rated the lesions' malignancy status using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. Image quality was ranked on a 0-5 scale, and mean reading times were also recorded. CS detected 70 % of the malignant and 32 % of the benign lesions while DC detected 81 % of the malignant lesions and 34 % of the benign lesions. Analysis of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the difference in diagnostic performance was not statistically significant. On image quality scores, CS had significantly higher volume rendering (VR) (p < 0.0001) and motion correction (MC) scores (p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in the remaining image quality scores. Differences in evaluation times between DC and CS were also not statistically significant. We conclude that both CS and DC perform similarly in aiding detection of breast cancer on MRI. MRI CAD selection will likely be based on other factors, such as user interface and image quality preferences, including MC and VR.