Describes and analyses an initial attempt to introduce problem‐based learning (PBL) into a Chinese cultural setting. Discusses some of the tensions between the philosophy of PBL and the culture in which the authors used this innovative approach to leadership education. Further describes the strategies which the authors employed to address these underlying tensions and the reactions of the students to their first encounter with PBL. Examines possible cultural influences on the behaviour patterns the authors observed while the students attempted to solve the problem presented in the problem‐based learning materials. Whether these behaviours facilitate or hinder task accomplishment and group productivity remains an important area for further study.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is of public health significance as one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Accurate staging, treatment planning and prognostication in EC patients are of vital importance. Recent advances in machine learning (ML) techniques demonstrate their potential to provide novel quantitative imaging markers in medical imaging. Radiomics approaches that could quantify medical images into high-dimensional data have been shown to improve the imaging-based classification system in characterizing the heterogeneity of primary tumors and lymph nodes in EC patients. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the evidence of the most recent developments in ML application in imaging pertinent to EC patient care. According to the published results, ML models evaluating treatment response and lymph node metastasis achieve reliable predictions, ranging from acceptable to outstanding in their validation groups. Patients stratified by ML models in different risk groups have a significant or borderline significant difference in survival outcomes. Prospective large multi-center studies are suggested to improve the generalizability of ML techniques with standardized imaging protocols and harmonization between different centers.
Presents a study which investigated how school councils operate in the Australian state of Victoria and how parent councillors participate in the affairs of the school council. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey on 172 schools, as well as visits to schools and attendance at school council meetings. Proposes a theoretical model linking personal, institutional and communityrelated factors to the successful operation of the school council. Uses data collected in the survey to test and confirm the model by using structural modelling analysis. Concludes that most of the parent councillors are relatively highly educated and the working class is underrepresented in school councils. Finds several factors to be positively associated with successful operation of school councils: the readiness of and mutual acceptance between parents and teachers; commitment of principal; parents' satisfaction with their participation; and parents' contribution and donations to the school.
BackgroundIn terms of assessing obesity-associated risk, quantification of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has become increasingly important in risk assessment for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, differences exist in the accuracy of various modalities, with a lack of up-to-date comparison with three-dimensional whole volume assessment.AimsUsing CT or MRI three-dimensional whole volume VAT as a reference, we evaluated the correlation of various commonly used modalities and techniques namely body impedance analysis (BIA), dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as well as single slice CT to establish how these methods compare.MethodsWe designed the study in two parts. First, we performed an intra-individual comparison of the 4558 participants from the UK Biobank cohorts with matching data of MRI abdominal body composition, DXA with VAT estimation, and BIA. Second, we evaluated 174 CT scans from the publicly available dataset to assess the correlation of the commonly used single-slice technique compared to three-dimensional VAT volume.ResultsAcross the UK Biobank cohort, the DXA-derived VAT measurement correlated better (R2 0.94, p<0.0001) than BIA (R2 0.49, p<0.0001) with reference three-dimensional volume on MRI. However, DXA-derived VAT correlation was worse for participants with a BMI of < 20 (R2 = 0.62, p=0.0013). A commonly used single slice method on CT demonstrated a modest correlation (R2 between 0.51 – 0.64), with best values at L3- and L4 (R2 L3 = 0.63, p<0.0001; L4 = 0.64, p<0.0001) compared to reference three-dimensional volume. Combining multiple slices yielded a better correlation, with a strong correlation when L2-L3 levels were combined (R2 = 0.92, p<0.0001).ConclusionWhen deployed at scale, DXA-derived VAT volume measurement shows excellent correlation with three-dimensional volume on MRI based on the UK Biobank cohort. Whereas a single slice CT technique demonstrated moderate correlation with three-dimensional volume on CT, with a stronger correlation achieved when multiple levels were combined.
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