The Role of History and Ethics of Anatomy in Medical Education

While time spent on anatomical education in medical school curricula has been diminishing over the last decades, the recognized role of anatomical dissection has expanded. It is perceived by many students and faculty not only as the means of learning the structure and function of the human body, but also as an opportunity for the acquisition of professional competencies such as team work, patient–doctor interaction, medical epistemology, self-awareness, and an understanding of medical ethics. This viewpoint article proposes that this learning process can be supported effectively through studying examples from the history of anatomy, as insights from this history can help illuminate contemporary ethical issues in anatomy and medicine. Anatomical education can thus provide not only the opportunity of gaining awareness of ethical questions, but also a chance to practice these new insights within the protected environment of the laboratories, in interaction with the dead and the living. Consequently, a new role has developed for anatomists, which includes the interweaving of the scholarly exploration of the history and ethics of anatomy with the practical application of research results into a reframed concept of anatomical education. Anatomy, as a foundational discipline in the medical curriculum, can thus provide a first step on the educational path of empathetic and humane medical caregivers.     

Enhancement of Anatomical Education Using Augmented Reality: An Empirical Study of Body Painting

Students in undergraduate premedical anatomy courses may experience suboptimal and superficial learning experiences due to large class sizes, passive lecture styles, and difficult-to-master concepts. This study introduces an innovative, hands-on activity for human musculoskeletal system education with the aim of improving students’ level of engagement and knowledge retention. In this study, a collaborative learning intervention using the REFLECT (augmented reality for learning clinical anatomy) system is presented. The system uses the augmented reality magic mirror paradigm to superimpose anatomical visualizations over the user’s body in a large display, creating the impression that she sees the relevant anatomic illustrations inside her own body. The efficacy of this proposed system was evaluated in a large-scale controlled study, using a team-based muscle painting activity among undergraduate premedical students (n = 288) at the Johns Hopkins University. The baseline knowledge and post-intervention knowledge of the students were measured before and after the painting activity according to their assigned groups in the study. The results from knowledge tests and additional collected data demonstrate that the proposed interactive system enhanced learning of the musculoskeletal system with improved knowledge retention (F_(10,133) = 3.14, P < 0.001), increased time on task (F_(1,275) = 5.70, P < 0.01), and a high level of engagement (F_(9,273) = 8.28, P < 0.0001). The proposed REFLECT system will be of benefit as a complementary anatomy learning tool for students.     

Effects of an Educational Film About Body Donors on Students' Empathy and Anxiety Levels in Gross Anatomy

While most German anatomy institutes provide only limited information about body donors and their lives, students have expressed a desire to learn more about these individuals, especially about their motivations to donate their bodies for the sake of medical education. In order to gratify this wish, as well as to further humanize body donors, an educational film was compiled, and a study designed to capture the film's effects on medical students. This is the first study using standardized, validated psychological tools to evaluate the impact of an educational film about body donors on students’ empathy and psychological stress levels. The study followed a longitudinal, controlled, and cluster randomized design, including 77 (48 females/29 males) participants who watched the video either before, midway, or after the dissection course. Questionnaires were completed at four points in time applying the Jefferson Scale for Empathy (JSPE-S) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy. Psychological stress levels were recorded by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Overall, students recommended the film to be shown to all students (median 6.0; maximum on the six-point Likert scale). Viewing the film revealed no significant changes between study groups or over time in JSPE-S sum scores. All groups demonstrated a significant reduction of BSI values before the dissection course actually started and increased values during the course, but both developments appeared not to be associated with the intervention. Overall, the educational film did not correlate with any negative effects on students’ empathy and psychological stress levels, and it was strongly approved of by students, as it provided more humanizing personal information about body donors without violating their anonymity.     

Agency and Structure: Principals’ Ability to Bring about Sustainable Improvement in Underperforming Schools in South Africa

This article reports on a study of which the purpose was to understand the role of principals in changing underperforming schools towards sustainable improvement in one circuit area of North-West, South Africa. School principals play a crucial role in guiding schools towards sustainable improvement by shaping a vision of academic success for all learners. Managing teaching is one of the core modules in South Africa’s new national qualification for school principals, and that being the case, principals should play a central role in effecting the educational transformation of all learners. The quality of principals’ leadership is the key factor driving the transformational turnaround and improvement required in schools. They perform a highly complex and dynamic role in enhancing and sustaining school improvement. It was the goal of this qualitative study to explore cultural, structural, and agential challenges faced by principals in their effort to provide for change and improvement in their schools. Six schools were purposefully selected to participate in the study and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the principals. The study established that paying attention to cultural, structural and agential factors in schools increases their ability to sustain learner improvement.     

论身体的欲望及其艺术表现——尼采身体美学思想研究

身体是尼采生命哲学的有机组成部分,其最大的特点就是明确地为身体疾呼,肯定肉体生命,及对生命本能的张扬。而作为生命本能的欲望,其不仅开启了人们对于身体的关注,更开启了审视艺术与美的新通道。而此三者,身体、欲望、艺术的共舞又将人类的生命意志得到最大程度的彰显。尼采力图从生命存在的本质、人和世界的关系,来认识与理解身体、欲望和艺术的本质与价值。     

瑜伽课程纳入体育类第二课堂课程的现状调研

本文以瑜伽在大学的推广情况以及在推广中所需注意到的问题为主线,阐述了瑜伽课程在沈阳音乐学院南校区推广以来的探索实践过程。结合教学及课程设置中的实例,提出引导＂终身体育＂的概念进驻现代大学生活。促进大学生树立＂终身体育＂意识的建议。     

主应力轴旋转情况下土的各向异性理论研究进展

从理论方面,对国内外主应力轴旋转情况下土的各向异性研究进行了对比和总结,并提出了一些研究建议。指出在理论方面,应当对屈服面方程采用应力分量表示的模型在三维空间里进行屈服面性状的描述,同时考虑不同加载方向下屈服面的变化特性以及旋转硬化的问题,并应开展对加载方向变化时土体屈服面变化特性的实验研究及理论验证。     

桥头堡建设视角的保山主导产业选择实证研究

基于桥头堡建设的角度,以保山市为例,利用主成分分析法对11个重点产业进行了实证分析。结果表明：目前,保山主导产业仍以传统的第一、第二产业为主,以旅游为主导的服务业快速发展,现代物流、口岸经济等薪兴产业亟待壮大,目前的产业格局与桥头堡建设的需求还有较大差距。     

主范式在推理有效性判断中的应用

给出了利用主析取范式、主合取范式判别推理有效性的两种方法,指出了由前提的主合取范式析取任何命题公式所得新公式均为前提的有效结论.