Should Oral examination be Reimagined in the Era of AI?

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape education, concerns about the authenticity of student work have escalated, particularly in relation to written assignments influenced by AI-powered tools. This paper explores the role of the oral examination as a valuable method for assessing true student understanding and considers its potential for broader use across various educational levels. We propose that oral exams could be effectively integrated into undergraduate courses, providing a means to verify student comprehension in an era of AI-generated content.

Statistical power and the detection of global change responses: The case of leaf production in old-growth forests.

Forests sequester a substantial portion of anthropogenic carbon emissions. Many open questions concern how. We address two of these questions.

Ppb-Level Photoacoustic Detection of Chloroform Using Four-Microphone Array.

The photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) system commonly enhances the efficiency of optical-acoustic-electrical energy conversion by increasing the laser power, optimizing the resonance characteristics of the photoacoustic cell (PAC), and improving the sensitivity of acoustic sensors. However, conventional systems using a single-microphone or a dual-microphone differential setup for point sampling of the photoacoustic signal fail to account for its spatial distribution, leading to a loss of spatial gain. Drawing on microphone array theory derived from sonar technology, this study, for the first time, presents a PAS sensing system based on a four-microphone array, which is applied to detect chloroform gas.

Effect of electronic cigarette atomising power and flavour on aerosol size-segregated metal concentration and inhalation risk.

Introduction: Although numerous studies have estimated the inhalation dose of metals emitted from electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), the impact of factors including aerosol size and the atomising power of e-cig aerosols on estimating the inhalation dose of metals remains underexplored. A comprehensive understanding of these determinants is essential to assess the health risks associated with inhaling e-cig aerosols, which may contain potentially harmful metals.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to elucidate the mass and inhalation doses of potentially harmful metals in e-cig aerosols by different particle size and their association with the various atomising powers of e-cig devices and flavours.

Early and Late Outcomes With the Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold: Final Report From the ABSORB Clinical Trial Program.

Background: The risk-benefit ratio of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) may vary before and after 3 years, the time point of complete bioresorption of the poly-L-lactic acid scaffold.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the time-varying outcomes of the Absorb BVS compared with cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (EES) from a large individual-patient-data pooled analysis of randomized trials.

Methods: The individual patient data from 5 trials that randomized 5,988 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention to the Absorb BVS vs EES with 5-year follow-up were pooled.

Paramedic Judgment as a Basis for Trauma Triage: Is it an Effective Strategy?

Introduction: American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) defines minimum Standard Criteria (SC) for Level 1 trauma. In our hospital, discretion of prehospital personnel ("Paramedic Judgment" [PJ]) can initiate Full Trauma Triage Activation (FTTA) in the absence of ACS-COT criteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate overtriage and undertriage for PJ vs SC.

Inverse dose protraction effects of low-LET radiation: evidence and significance.

Biological effects of ionizing radiation vary not merely with total dose but also with temporal dose distribution. Sparing dose protraction effects, in which dose protraction reduces effects of radiation have widely been accepted and generally assumed in radiation protection, particularly for stochastic effects (e.g.

Noble metal (Pd, Pt)-functionalized WSe monolayer for adsorbing and sensing thermal runaway gases in LIBs: a first-principles investigation.

This research using the first-principles theory introduces Pd- and Pt-functionalized WSe monolayers as promising materials for detecting three critical gases (H, CO, and CH), to evaluate the health of Li-ion battery (LIBs). Various sites on the pristine WSe monolayer are considered for the functionalization with Pd and Pt atoms. The adsorption performances of the determined Pd- and Pt-WSe monolayers upon the three gases are analyzed by the comparative highlight of the adsorption energy, bonding behavior and electron transfer.

Modular Maximization Theory: A Functional Account of Economic Behavior in Laboratory Animal Models with Applications to Drug-Seeking Behavior.

Substance abuse research depends on precise and sensitive assessments of reinforcer efficacy in animal models. However, conventional methods often lack theoretical rigor and specificity to support these assessments. To address these gaps, the Modular Maximization Theory (MMT) is introduced as a comprehensive framework for understanding instrumental behavior.

Prediction of lower-limb isokinetic strength from functional fitness tests in older adults: A 550-participant cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the association and prediction of hip abduction-adduction and knee flexion-extension isokinetic absolute and relative strength and power at 60°/s and 180°/s from functional tests performance (i.e., Up-and-Go Test [seconds], 30-Second Chair Stand Test [repetitions and relative and allometric power], 30-Second Arm Curl Test [repetitions], and 6-Minute Walk Test [meters]) in older adults.

Power distance in the workplace and its effect on prosocial behavioral intentions.

Power distance, the extent to which individuals in an organization accept unequal distributions of power, significantly influences workplace dynamics, particularly in shaping individuals' willingness to engage in prosocial behaviors. Previous research suggests that individuals with high levels of power distance tend to exhibit more self-centered behavior, making them less inclined to act charitably. In contrast, individuals with lower levels of power distance are more likely to engage in prosocial actions.

Strong coupling FeVO nanoparticles/3D N-doped interconnected porous carbon derived from MOFs by confined adsorption-assembly-pyrolysis for greatly boosting oxygen reduction.

Low-cost and effective electrocatalysts are critical for energy storage and conversion. Herein, iron(III) and vanadium(III) acetylacetonates were first adsorbed and confined in porous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which further cross-linked together by the methanol-induced-assembly. Following the pyrolysis, the FeVO nanoparticles were efficiently encapsulated within three-dimensional (3D) N-doped interconnected porous carbon, termed FeVO/NIPC.

Gene expression profiling to uncover prognostic and therapeutic targets in colon cancer, combined with docking and dynamics studies to discover potent anticancer inhibitor.

Drug resistance poses a major obstacle to the efficient treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), which is one of the cancers that kill people most often in the United States. Advanced colorectal cancer patients frequently pass away from the illness, even with advancements in chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Developing new biomarkers and therapeutic targets is essential to enhancing prognosis and therapy effectiveness.

Validation of the 9th edition of the TNM staging system for limited-stage small cell lung cancer after Resection: A multicenter study.

Objectives: The 9th edition of the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system for lung cancer was proposed at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Singapore. This study aimed to externally validate and compare the latest staging of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods: Four hundred and eight patients with limited-stage SCLC were collected after lung resection from four centers.

Nuclear interaction correction based on dual-energy computed tomography in carbon-ion radiotherapy.

Accurate dose predictions are crucial to maximizing the benefits of carbon-ion therapy. Carbon beams incident on the human body cause nuclear interactions with tissues, resulting in changes in the constituent nuclides and leading to dose errors that are conventionally corrected using conventional single-energy computed tomography (SECT). Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) has frequently been used for stopping power estimation in particle therapy and is well suited for correcting nuclear reactions because of its detailed body-tissue elemental information.

Combining quantified EEG with clinical measures to better predict outcomes of acute disorders of consciousness.

Objective: To explore the application of the neuronal recovery model (i.e., the ABCD model derived from EEG power spectral analysis) in forecasting outcomes for patients with acute disorders of consciousness (DOC).

CoReSi: a GPU-based software for Compton camera reconstruction and simulation in collimator-free SPECT.

Compton cameras are imaging devices that may improve observation of sources of γ photons. We present CoReSi, a Compton Reconstruction and Simulation software implemented in Python and powered by PyTorch to leverage multi-threading and for easy interfacing with image processing and deep learning algorithms. The code is mainly dedicated to medical imaging and for near-field experiments where the images are reconstructed in 3D.

Tunable architecture of cobalt-nickel metal-organic framework/activated carbon composites for superior electrochemical performance in asymmetric supercapacitors.

Cobalt-nickel metal-organic framework/activated carbon (MOF/AC) composites with tunable flower-like architectures were synthesized via a straightforward hydrothermal method, utilizing activated carbon as a structural and functional modifier. This modification increased the surface area from 20.3 m/g to 164.

Bilayer Mn-based Prussian blue cathode with high redox activity for boosting stable cycling in aqueous sodium-ion half/full batteries.

The Mn-based Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) have garnered significant attention due to their high specific capacity, stemming from the unique multi-electron reactions with Na. However, the structural instability caused by multi-ion insertion impacts the cycle life, thus limiting their further application in aqueous sodium-ion batteries (ASIBs). To address this issue, this work employed an in situ epitaxial solvent deposition method to homogeneously grow Ni hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) on the surface of MnPBA, which can effectively overcome the de-intercalation instability.

Using the Key Characteristics Framework to Unlock the Mysteries of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Mediated Effects on the Immune System.

Initially discovered for its role mediating the deleterious effects of environmental contaminants, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is now known to be a crucial regulator of the immune system. The expanding list of AHR ligands includes synthetic and naturally derived molecules spanning pollutants, phytochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and substances derived from amino acids and microorganisms. The consequences of engaging AHR vary, depending on factors such as the AHR ligand, cell type, immune challenge, developmental state, dose, and timing of exposure relative to the immune stimulus.

[Mental illness in former residents affected by the extraction of rock salt from a mining company in Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil].

This study aimed to investigate the presence of mental illness in victims of soil instability in neighborhoods affected by rock salt extraction from a mining company located in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. It is a quantitative, descriptive-analytical, and cross-sectional study. The sample was intentional and non-probabilistic and consisted of 158 participants, with a 0.

Polyphenolic contents, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of Saccocalyx satureioides Coss. & Dur. essential oil and methanol extracts.

The whole plant Saccocalyx satureioides, an endemic medicinal plant in Algeria, was evaluated for its polyphenolic contents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The polyphenolic contents of the plant methanolic extracts ranged from 170.47 to 285.

Sex differences in the maximal metabolic steady state of fitness matched women and men.

We tested the hypothesis that power at maximal metabolic steady state is similar between fitness matched men and women. Eighteen participants (9 men, 9 women) performed a cycling graded exercise test for maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O). Men and women were matched for V̇O normalized to fat free mass (FFM), which was 50.