Background: Scientific education aims to be inclusive and to improve students learning achievements, through appropriate teaching and learning. Problem Based Learning (PBL) system, a student centered method, started in the second half of the previous century and is expanding progressively, organizes learning around problems and students learn about a subject through the experience of solving these problems.Objectives:To assess the opinions of undergraduate medical students regarding learning outcomes of PBL in small group teaching and to explore their views about the role of tutors and methods of evaluation. Type of the study: A cross-sectional study.Methods: This study was conducted in Kerbala Medical Colleges among second year students. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared to evaluate the newly applied teaching system. The study analysis included simple descriptive analysis and determining association through t-test, chi square test and regression analysis and using structural equation models to determine simultaneous association between different students’ demographic characteristics and potential predictors using SPSS-20 and Amos software at a significance level of < 0.05.Results:A total of 131 undergraduate medical students participated in the study with a response rate of 94%. The majority (93%) have indicated that PBL strategy contributed effectively to their knowledge development with a similar majority (92%) considering PBL successful new teaching method. About 86% reported that would choose PBL rather than conventional method and also 86% would advise PBL for others. Similarly, high majority indicated that various PBL activities are essential. Regarding the tutors’ role in PBL, the majority (92%) indicated that this role was positive and fundamental. According to two thirds (68%) of participants PBL application in Kerbala Medical college was very good application while a higher majority described various PBL sessions as successful and positive and fundamental role of tutors was stressed by most students.Conclusions: This study highlighted the benefits of soliciting student impressions of effective small group teaching. The students’ emphasized group atmosphere and facilitation skills of tutor in learning.Key words: Problem Based Learning, Medical Education, Small Group Teaching, Team Based Learning, Kerbala Medical College
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonists’ therapy are expensive and has a non-responsive rate between 30% to 40% in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Genetic variation plays a vital role in the responsiveness to this type of therapy.The aim of this study is to investigate if the presence of genetic polymorphism in the TNF-α gene promoter region at locations -376 G/A (rs1800750), -806 C/T (rs4248158), and -1031 T/C (rs1799964) affects rheumatoid arthritis patient's tendency to be a non-responder to etanercept.
Eighty RA patients on etanercept (ETN) for at least six months were recruited from the Rheumatology Unit at Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Based on The European League Against Rheumatism response (EULAR) criteria, patient
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This paper represent the second step i n a molecular clon i ng program ai ming to clone large DNA fi·agmen ts of the sal t tolerant bermudagrass (Cyrwdon dactylon L.) DNA usi ng the bacteriophage (EM13L3) as a vector.
In th is work, a yield of about I 00 g bacteriophage DNA per one liter culture.was obtained with.a purity ranging between (1.7-1.8). The vector JJNA v.as completely double digested with the restriction enzymes llamHI and EcoRI, followed by pu
... Show MoreThe article describes the basic principles of modeling a dictionary article in the “Dictionary of the Language of Russian Folklore Lexicon epics” (M. A. Bobunova, A. T. Khrolenko). Among such principles are the principle of linguocentrism (representation of universal cognitions in strict observance of the traditions of lexicographic science), the principle of anthropocentrism (language learning as a means of human consciousness / subconsciousness), the principle of expansionism (attracting material from various knowledge bases), the principle of explanatory ("explanatory moment"), and fractal principle (synergistic potential of the presented material: nonlinearity and self-similarity; hierarchical organizati
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The swarm intelligence and evolutionary methods are commonly utilized by researchers in solving the difficult combinatorial and Non-Deterministic Polynomial (NP) problems. The N-Queen problem can be defined as a combinatorial problem that became intractable for the large ‘n’ values and, thereby, it is placed in the NP class of problems. In the present study, a solution is suggested for the N-Queen problem, on the basis of the Meerkat Clan Algorithm (MCA). The problem of n-Queen can be mainly defined as one of the generalized 8-Queen problem forms, for which the aim is placing 8 queens in a way that none of the queens has the ability of killing the others with the use of the standard moves of the chess queen. The Meerkat Clan environm
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Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) can be defined as one of the new swarm intelligence algorithms that has been developed lately, simulating the behavior of a crow in a storage place and the retrieval of the additional food when required. In the theory of the optimization, a crow represents a searcher, the surrounding environment represents the search space, and the random storage of food location represents a feasible solution. Amongst all the food locations, the one where the maximum amount of the food is stored is considered as the global optimum solution, and objective function represents the food amount. Through the simulation of crows’ intelligent behavior, the CSA attempts to find the optimum solutions to a variety of the proble
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This paper demonstrates a new technique based on a combined form of the new transform method with homotopy perturbation method to find the suitable accurate solution of autonomous Equations with initial condition. This technique is called the transform homotopy perturbation method (THPM). It can be used to solve the problems without resorting to the frequency domain.The implementation of the suggested method demonstrates the usefulness in finding exact solution for linear and nonlinear problems. The practical results show the efficiency and reliability of technique and easier implemented than HPM in finding exact solutions.Finally, all algorithms in this paper implemented in MATLAB version 7.12.
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Drilling deviated wells is a frequently used approach in the oil and gas industry to increase the productivity of wells in reservoirs with a small thickness. Drilling these wells has been a challenge due to the low rate of penetration (ROP) and severe wellbore instability issues. The objective of this research is to reach a better drilling performance by reducing drilling time and increasing wellbore stability.
In this work, the first step was to develop a model that predicts the ROP for deviated wells by applying Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). In the modeling, azimuth (AZI) and inclination (INC) of the wellbore trajectory, controllable drilling parameters, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), formation
... Show MoreDrilling deviated wells is a frequently used approach in the oil and gas industry to increase the productivity of wells in reservoirs with a small thickness. Drilling these wells has been a challenge due to the low rate of penetration (ROP) and severe wellbore instability issues. The objective of this research is to reach a better drilling performance by reducing drilling time and increasing wellbore stability.
In this work, the first step was to develop a model that predicts the ROP for deviated wells by applying Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). In the modeling, azimuth (AZI) and inclination (INC) of the wellbore trajectory, controllable drilling parameters, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), formation
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