Current status of cadaver sources in Turkey and a wake‐up call for Turkish anatomists

Persisting difficulties in body procurement in Turkey led to the acquisition of donated, unclaimed, autopsied, and imported bodies regulated under current legislature. Yet, no study had investigated the extent of the on‐going cadaver problem. This study was aimed to outline cadaver sources in anatomy departments and their effectiveness by means of an online survey. Additionally, official websites of each department were investigated regarding any information on body donation. Unclaimed cadavers (84.8%) were the major source for anatomy departments, followed by donated (50%) and imported cadavers (39.1%). Foundation‐based medical faculties were more likely to import cadavers (P = 0.008). There was a moderate increase (r_s = 0.567; P = 0.018) in donation registrations to our department after 2000. The departments in cities with significantly higher City‐Based Gross Domestic Product measures (US$9,900 vs. US$16,772, P = 0.041), frequencies for mid‐ or high‐school graduates (30.4% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.041), and frequencies for under‐ or post‐graduates (13.1% vs. 15.8%, P = 0.24) had managed to use donated cadavers. Anatomy departments’ major reasons for using unclaimed cadavers were education (45.9%), unclaimed cadavers being the only source (24.3%), and receiving inadequate donations (21.6%). Nine out of seventy‐four departments (12.2%) provided information regarding body donation on their websites. Body procurement remains as a serious problem in Turkey and it is apparent that current legislature does not provide a sufficient cadaver inflow. Similarly, anatomy departments’ effectiveness in public awareness of body donation and support in the National Body Donation Campaign seems questionable. Anat Sci Educ 11: 155–165. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Non-fragile exponential synchronization of delayed complex dynamical networks with transmission delay via sampled-data control

This paper is devoted to the non-fragile exponential synchronization problem of complex dynamical networks with time-varying coupling delays via sampled-data static output-feedback controller involving a constant signal transmission delay. The dynamics of the nodes contain s quadratically restricted nonlinearities, and the feedback gain is allowed to have norm-bounded time-varying uncertainty. The control design is based on a Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, which consists of the sum of terms assigned to the individual nodes, i.e., it is constructed without merging the complex dynamical network’s nodes into a single large-scale system. In this way, the proposed design method has substantially reduced computational complexity and improved conservativeness, and guaranties non-fragile exponential stability of the error system. The sufficient stability condition is expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities that are solvable by standard tools. The efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated by numerical examples.     

New insight for activity intensity relativity,metabolic expenditure during object projection skill performance

This study examined the metabolic cost (METs) of performing object projection skills at three practice trial intervals (6, 12, and 30 seconds). Forty adults (female n = 20) aged 18–30 (M = 23.7 ± 2.9 years) completed three, nine-minute sessions of skill trials performed at 6, 12, and 30 second intervals. Participants performed kicking, throwing and striking trials in a blocked schedule with maximal effort. Average METs during each session were measured using a COSMED K4b2. A three (interval condition) X two (sex) ANOVA was conducted to examine differences in METs across interval conditions and by sex. Results indicated a main effect for interval condition (F(5,114) = 187.02, p < .001, η² = 0.76) with decreased interval times yielding significantly higher METs [30 sec = 3.45, 12 sec = 5.68, 6 sec = 8.21]. A main effect for sex (F(5, 114) = 35.39, p < .001, η² = 0.24) also was found with men demonstrating higher METs across all intervals. At a rate of only two trials/min, participants elicited moderate physical activity, with 12 and 6-second intervals exhibiting vigorous PA. Demonstrating MVPA during the performance of object projection skill performance has potential implications for PA interventions.     

Effectiveness of motor skill intervention varies based on implementation strategy

Background: Young children from disadvantaged settings often present delays in fundamental motor skills (FMS). Young children can improve their FMS delays through developmentally appropriate motor skill intervention programming. However, it is unclear which pedagogical strategy is most effective for novice and expert instructors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a motor skill intervention delivered by expert and novice teachers via direct or indirect pedagogical strategy on the object control and locomotor skills of young children.

Participants and setting: Participants included children (N?=?109) aged 40–67 months (M_age?=?54 months, SD?=?7 months) enrolled in an early years center for children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged in the United States.

Data collection: Children participated in one of five instructional conditions (expert-led direct, expert-led indirect, novice-led direct, novice-led indirect, and control). Expert and preservice physical education teachers implemented the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers (SKIP) motor skill program twice weekly for 6 weeks (360?min of instruction). Children in all experimental conditions (n?=?69) received ‘business as usual’ free play on nonintervention days. Children in the control condition (n?=?40) received the ‘business as usual’ free play 5 days weekly throughout the entirety of the intervention. Children completed the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 during the pretest and the posttest.

Data analysis: For object control and locomotor skills, we conducted two, separate, one-way ANOVAs at the pretest to determine condition differences. We then calculated two separate, five conditions × two times repeated-measures ANOVAs to determine the effects of SKIP on both object control and locomotor skills. Tukey post hoc analyses confirmed posttest differences among the conditions.

Findings: There were no significant differences among conditions at the pretest (locomotor, p?=?.347–.969; object control, p?=?.143–.918). For object control skills, there were significant main effects for time (F[1, 104]?=?83.92, p?.001, η²?=?.45) and condition (F[4, 104]?=?6.39, p?<?.001, η²?=?.20) as well as a significant time by condition interaction (F[4, 104]?=?22.36, p?<?.001, η²?=?.45). For locomotor skills, there was a significant main effect for time (F[1, 104]?=?41.25, p?<?.001, η²?=?.28) but not for condition (F[4, 104]?=?2.20 p?<?.074, η²?=?.08). There was a significant time by condition interaction (F[1, 104]?=?18.68, p?<?.001, η²?=?.42). Experts, regardless of strategy, showed significantly greater improvements (p?<?.001) than novice and control conditions for locomotor skills. For object control skills, experts (all conditions) and novice-direct demonstrated significantly (p?<?.001) greater gains than the control and novice-indirect conditions.

Conclusion: Young children from disadvantaged settings demonstrated developmental delays with FMS. Motor skill intervention was effective with remediating their delays. Novice teachers with limited physical education experience should begin teaching object control skills via direct instruction. Experts can choose either direct or indirect instructional strategies. Future research should investigate the implications of scaffolding locomotor skills and indirect pedagogical strategies for novice teachers.     

Learning orientations of IT higher education students in UAE University

This research examines the learning preferences of students in UAE University (UAEU). The uniqueness of this research emanates from the fact that no prior research examined this area from the UAE’s perspective. Thus, this research embarks on the fact that student learning strategies vary from one country to another due to many factors. This research utilizes six learning strategies extended from the literature and attempts to examine their importance on UAEU students using survey research. The selected learning strategies were students” motivation, time-poorness, mastery effort, assessment focus, competitiveness, and listening. This research provided interesting insights and contrasts pertaining to the learning strategies of UAEU students. Implications are discussed highlighting different theoretical as well as professional contributions and contentions and portrayed a path where pending issues could be addressed by future research.     

Social media networks and pedagogy at the University of Jordan

This study examined impact of a social media networks course on student use of SNSs performance. Moreover, it examined the associations among course design, course materials, learning experiences and a social media networks course. Survey instrument is used to examine the relationships in the proposed model. A total of 380 questionnaires have been collected from students at the University of Jordan who studied the social media networks course. A structural equation modelling approach based on AMOS 20.0 statistical software is used to study the causal relationships and test the hypotheses between the observed and latent constructs in the proposed research model. The analysis results revealed that course materials and learning experiences directly, positively and significantly impacted the social media networks course, which in turn had a significant impact on students’ use social networks sites performance. Course design, however, did not impact the social media networks course. Our findings have important implications as we demonstrated the validity of the joint two different models and provide information about impact of studying social media networks course on students’ academic performance.     

Do the Demographic Differences Manifest in Motivation to Learn Science and Impact on Science Performance? Evidence from Sri Lanka

The present study examined whether gender, ethnicity, instructional medium and school category differences manifest in science performance and motivation to learn science among secondary school students in Sri Lanka. The mean of five successive term test scores was used as the measure of science performance. Level of motivation in terms of six dimensions was measured by using the Science Motivation Questionnaire. A sample of 1316 grade 11 students representing Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim ethnic groups from the three categories of public schools, which provide instructions in the vernacular languages of Sinhala or Tamil, participated in the study. Girls showed significantly higher performance in science compared to boys, and there was a significant gender difference in the levels of motivational dimensions in favor of girls. Although Tamil medium students possessed a higher level of motivation to learn science, Sinhala medium students outperformed their Tamil medium counterparts in science performance. Significant differences in science performance between Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim students were also observed. However, motivation towards learning science between Tamils and Muslims was not significantly different. Highly significant differences in both motivation to learn science and performance in science were found between three categories of schools. The present study provides information to education officials who have to achieve equity across gender, ethnicity, medium of instruction, and school category, teachers who deliver the subject and school principals who design academic support programs.     

Maximal lactate steady state in trained adolescent runners

The aims of this study were: (1) to identify the exercise intensity that corresponds to the maximal lactate steady state in adolescent endurance-trained runners; (2) to identify any differences between the sexes; and (3) to compare the maximal lactate steady state with commonly cited fixed blood lactate reference parameters. Sixteen boys and nine girls volunteered to participate in the study. They were first tested using a stepwise incremental treadmill protocol to establish the blood lactate profile and peak oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O₂). Running speeds corresponding to fixed whole blood lactate concentrations of 2.0, 2.5 and 4.0?mmol?·?l^?1 were calculated using linear interpolation. The maximal lactate steady state was determined from four separate 20-min constant-speed treadmill runs. The maximal lactate steady state was defined as the fastest running speed, to the nearest 0.5?km?·?h^?1, where the change in blood lactate concentration between 10 and 20?min was?<0.5?mmol?·?l^?1. Although the boys had to run faster than the girls to elicit the maximal lactate steady state (15.7 vs 14.3?km?·?h^?1, P?<0.01), once the data were expressed relative to percent peak [Vdot]O₂ (85 and 85%, respectively) and percent peak heart rate (92 and 94%, respectively), there were no differences between the sexes (P?>0.05). The running speed and percent peak [Vdot]O₂ at the maximal lactate steady state were not different to those corresponding to the fixed blood lactate concentrations of 2.0 and 2.5?mmol?·?l^?1 (P?>0.05), but were both lower than those at the 4.0?mmol?·?l^?1 concentration (P?<0.05). In conclusion, the maximal lactate steady state corresponded to a similar relative exercise intensity as that reported in adult athletes. The running speed, percent peak [Vdot]O₂ and percent peak heart rate at the maximal lactate steady state are approximated by the fixed blood lactate concentration of 2.5?mmol?·?l^?1 measured during an incremental treadmill test in boys and girls.     

Prioritization of intellectual capital indicators in knowledge-based industries: Evidence from pharmaceutical industry

During the last decade, intellectual capital (IC) and intangible assets have been widely considered as critical tool to deliver successful business in an intensive-knowledge environment. Accordingly, the main goal of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize the most important indicators of intellectual capital in knowledge-based industries. Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed. In order to data gathering, it was sent out to participants from both academic and university who qualified well in pharmaceutical practice. In order to exact prioritization of indicators, fuzzy TOPSIS technique as a MADM model was used. The fuzzy TOPSIS results revealed participants remark high concerns especially about knowledge and skills of managers and employees regarding to human capital, high concerns particularly about positive climate, ratio of investment in R&D and numbers of R&D projects according to structural capital, while considering the relational capital, more attention was paid to customers and strategic cooperation such as alliances and licensing.