首页期刊导航|Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
期刊信息/Journal information
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Plenum Press
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

Plenum Press

0065-2598

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology/Journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and BiologySCI
正式出版
收录年代

    A Multimodal Social Semiotics Perspective on Teaching and Learning Using Biomedical Visualisations

    Natashia Muna
    19页
    查看更多>>摘要：Over recent years, there has been an explosion of digital technologies and infrastructure, and many biomedical education contexts have taken advantage of these new tools and platforms for teaching and learning visualisation practices. However, there are uncertainties, concerns, and debates in the literature, regarding the impact of digital technology on biomedical visualisation, and education more broadly. In this discussion paper, a multimodal social semiotics perspective is applied to examining visual representations, and the visual language we use to make meaning with these representations, in four different ways. Firstly, in terms of the function, role, and positionality of visual representations within the biomedical sciences. Secondly, within the context of a disciplinary Discourse, wherein visual language functions as just one of many socially specific languages, or modes, such as the written, verbal, and symbolic modes, and through which we animate the discourse and make disciplinary meaning. Thirdly, consideration is given to the meaning-making affordances and limitations of biomedical visualisation practices, affirming that no single mode or media is superior and that multimodal integration is a necessity. Finally, there is a discussion of the approaches to teaching and learning for the acquisition of a disciplinary Discourse, which highlights a need to focus on explicating the hidden curriculum. This discussion presents a perspective that offers some valuable insights into the uncertainties expressed in the literature and empowers educators with some productive pedagogical strategies.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Preface

    Leonard Shapiro
    1页
    查看更多>>摘要：While highly beneficial advances, improvements, and innovation in digital visualisation technologies in the biosciences continue incrementally, it (currently) still remains the human mind that needs to be applied towards the interpretation and understanding of the images that are generated. To this end, cognitive ability in 3D spatial awareness is critical. It is often analogue, low-technology, hands-on exercises that afford both students and scientists with improved cognitive awareness and the resultant interpretive skills. The chapters in this book therefore explore both high-technology derived visualisation and low-technology mechanisms for educating anatomy students, including clay modelling. Chapters also outline important educational considerations such as visual affordances as well as the use of appropriate imagery for communication to specific audiences. As we embrace blended learning in anatomy education, a timely chapter prompts us to think further about and contribute to the ongoing discourse around important ethical considerations in the use and sharing of digital images of body donors.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House: Visualisation, Representation and Dissemination of Health-Related Public Engagement Media

    Ed YoungAnastasia Koch
    27页
    查看更多>>摘要：Stigma and mistrust generate significant barriers to the uptake of biomedical, clinical and public health measures to combat infectious diseases. Many pandemics such as HIV, TB and COVID-19 disproportionately affect poorer communities, and the social and public health impact is connected through sociopolitical histories and contexts. This chapter describes activities and reflections of a South African public engagement programme, Eh!woza, that aims to bring together the biomedicine of disease with its social context and impact. We describe experiences working on tuberculosis-related public engagement programmes in South Africa, and how these approaches were refocused to address the COVID-19 pandemic; We reflect on the lesson learned and considerations around visualising the social impact of disease and making the visualisation of accurate information relatable to younger audiences. Much of the discussion is situated within description and reflection, touching on both the historical and contemporary cultural and political conditions in which infectious diseases have flourished. Finally, the challenges we faced when effectively disseminating media on large-scale digital platforms are highlighted, raising important questions around representation, mass targets, and impactful dissemination of public engagement outputs.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    The Evolution of Scientific Visualisations: A Case Study Approach to Big Data for Varied Audiences

    Andrew J. LunnVivien ShawIsabelle C. Winder
    34页
    查看更多>>摘要：Visual representations of complex data are a cornerstone of how scientific information is shared. By taking large quantities of data and creating accessible visualisations that show relationships, patterns, outliers, and conclusions, important research can be communicated effectively to any audience. The nature of animal cognition is heavily debated with no consensus on what constitutes animal intelligence. Over the last half-century, the methods used to define intelligence have evolved to incorporate larger datasets and more complex theories—moving from relatively simple comparisons of brain mass and body mass to explorations of brain composition and how neuron count changes between specific groups of animals. The primary aim of this chapter is therefore to explore how visualisation choice influences the accessibility of complex scientific information, using animal cognition as a case study. As the datasets concerned with animal intelligence have increased in both size and complexity, have the visualisations that accompany them evolved as well? We first investigate how the basic presentation of visualisations (figure legends, inclusion of statistics, use of colour, etc.) has changed, before discussing alternative approaches that might improve communication with both scientific and general audiences. By building upon the types of visualisation techniques that everyone is taught at school (bar charts, XY scatter plots, pie charts, etc.), we show how small changes can improve our communication with both scientific and general audiences. We suggest that there is no single right way to visualise data, but careful consideration of the audience and the specific message can help, even where communications are constrained by time, technology, or medium.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    The Affordances of Visual Modes in Pedagogy on the Physics of Motion in Physiotherapy Education

    Sumaya GabrielsNatashia MunaKate le Roux
    23页
    查看更多>>摘要：The concept of angular motion is foundational knowledge in physiotherapy, applied for example in measuring joint range of motion. Yet research points to university students’ poor understanding of the concept. Visuals are commonly promoted as valuable for creating opportunities for meaningful learning of the physics of motion. In this chapter we report on a lecturer’s use of the affordances of visual modes—images, gestures and objects—in pedagogy on angular motion in the first year of a professional physiotherapy degree programme at a South African university. Using a multimodal social semiotic perspective that positions multimodal language as contextualised, motivated and' central to meaning-making, we analysed recorded lectures and an interview with the lecturer. We show that, in organising her pedagogy, the lecturer used affordances of the image mode to create static images representing the spatial arrangement of multiple concepts and their relations simultaneously. This mode was the central site used to promote conceptually meaningful problem-solving, but was strengthened by her use of the affordances of gesture and an object to communicate motion. The lecturer strategically integrated the modes of verbal speech and written text into the visual complex, supporting the development of conceptual meaning and the acquisition of the language modes employed for problemsolving procedures. Her choices were motivated by a deep, contextual understanding of the role of physics in physiotherapy and of the diverse knowledge, language experiences and resources of first-year students. Our findings regarding the affordances of visual modes can inform collaborative education development within the health sciences.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Mitochondria to Bitter Melon: Understanding the 3D Ultrastructure of the Cell Via 2D Thin Section Reconstruction and the History of Mitochondrial Visualization

    David M. Mazierski
    15页
    查看更多>>摘要：The origin of histology—the study of microscopic anatomy—is intimately connected with the development of the light microscope and improvements in lens design and manufacture. However, knowledge of the ultrastructure of the cell was hampered by the very nature of light microscopy, which, due to the physical properties of the visible electromagnetic spectrum, could never provide the magnification and resolution for study of the granules seen in cells, which we now know as the organelles. When the electron microscope was developed in the 1930s, a beam of electrons replaced fight as the source of illumination, and the inner details of the cell could be observed directly. With thin sections obtained by transmission electron microscopy, cell biologists could embark on the task of reconstructing 3D microstructure via the painstaking stacking of the individual slices. The three-dimensional visualization of the mitochondrion was particularly challenging, as its convoluted structure could be interpreted in several ways based on differences observed by George Palade at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (NYC), and Fritiof Sj?strand at the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm). Palade’s interpretation was eventually accepted as correct due to its alignment with the findings of biochemists investigating the cascade of molecular interactions known as the Krebs cycle, responsible for the production of cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, it can also be argued that Palade’s visualization via a physical model of the mitochondrion, which he built with sheets of wax, photographed, and published in 1953, better enabled colleagues to comprehend its unique inner structures known as cristae. To teach undergraduate science students about this pivotal moment in cell biology and add to their understanding of the reconstruction process, a pedagogical exercise was created in which students are provided with outline drawings of various organic objects cut in random planes of section. Working individually at first, and then in groups, they are tasked with collaborating to devise an accurate description of the shape and texture of the object. After their observations are presented to the class, they are shown a photo of the object prior to its sectioning to determine if their observations were correct.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Using Molecular Visualisation Techniques to Explain the Molecular Biology of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Mutations to a General Audience

    Sarah lannucciWilliam HarveyJoseph HughesDavid L Robertson...
    24页
    查看更多>>摘要：Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2019, the virus responsible for the outbreak—SARS-CoV-2—has continued to evolve. Mutations of the virus’ spike protein, the main protein driving infectivity and transmissibility, are especially concerning as they may allow the virus to improve its infectivity, transmissibility, and ability to evade the immune system. Understanding how specific molecular changes can alter the behaviour of a virus is challenging for non-experts, but this information helps us to understand the pandemic we are living through and the public health measures and interventions needed to bring it under control. In response to communication challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, we recently developed an online educational application to explain the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations to the general public. We used visualisation techniques such as 3D modelling and animation, which have been shown to be highly effective teaching tools in molecular biology, allowing the viewer to better understand protein structure, function, and dynamics. We also included interactive elements for users to learn actively by engaging with the digital content, and consequently improve information retention. This chapter presents the methodological and technological framework which we used to create this resource, the ‘SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Mutation Explorer’ (SSPME). It explains how molecular visualisation and 3D modelling software were used to develop accurate models of relevant proteins; how 3D animation software was used to accurately visualise the dynamic molecular processes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission, and antibody evasion; and how game development software was used to compile the 3D models and animations into a comprehensive, informative interactive application on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations. This chapter indicates how cutting-edge visualisation techniques and technologies can be used to improve science communication about complex topics in molecular biology and infection biology to the general public, something that is critical to gaining control of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Student-Perceived Value on the Use of Clay Modelling in Undergraduate Clinical Anatomy

    Janine C. CorreiaKarin J. BaatjesUse Meyer
    18页
    查看更多>>摘要：Clay modelling is increasingly used as an anatomy teaching method to supplement practical dissection sessions. The use of clay modelling is an active, tactile learning tool utilized to improve student engagement and enhance students’ understanding of anatomical relationships in human anatomy. Furthermore, not only does clay modelling engage more senses in the learning process, but it was also found that there are educational advantages to the group interactions that are associated with the construction process to further collaborative learning. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of building anatomical clay models on students’ awareness and understanding of their own thought processes as well as to explore whether clay modelling promoted collaborative learning. This cross-sectional study entailed the use of clay modelling and reflective practice to promote metacognition in third-year BSc students (n = 10), at the University of Stellenbosch’s (SU) Division of Clinical Anatomy. The third-year BSc students were asked to build anatomical clay models (in groups), complete a reflective assignment and an evaluation form as part of their assessment of the Applied Anatomy module. The reflective assignment was based on Gibb’s reflective cycle. The inclusion of such an assignment would trigger students to reflect upon their learning experiences and thus promote their metacognition. Ten (10) BSc students volunteered to take part in the study. A mixed method approach was followed; the reflective assignments were qualitatively analyzed, while the evaluation forms were quantitatively (statistically) analyzed. Data obtained from the online evaluation forms indicated agreeable responses confirming that the clay modelling was a valuable learning tool. However, the participants preferred cadaveric dissection instead of clay modelling to learn anatomy. Furthermore, three themes became prominent from the thematic analysis of the reflective assignments, namely, (1) Advantages of clay modelling, (2) Challenges of clay modelling, and (3) Suggestions for future practice. The research suggests that the inclusion of hands-on clay modelling in the undergraduate clinical anatomy is a valuable learning tool. The participants perceived that it enhanced their anatomical knowledge and improved collaborative learning.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL

    Advances in Digital Technology in Teaching Human Anatomy: Ethical Predicaments

    Kerri KeetBeverley Kramer
    19页
    查看更多>>摘要：The study of human anatomy has long been inseparable from illustration, as the portrayal of the dissected body alongside a descriptive text supports the understanding of this complex topic. With the advent of new technologies, applications for revealing the details of the human body have increased to include Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanning, digital photography and videography, and three-dimensional (3D) printing. In addition, the distribution of the captured image has become widespread in both online teaching and in hard copy textbooks. While these digital images and applications are invaluable for online teaching, particularly during pandemics, anatomists must consider whether the use of the images and data derived from human bodies (either donor or unclaimed) is ethical, as it is not always clear whether permission has been obtained for their creation. Questions regarding the ethical sourcing and use of images will become more urgent as the utilization of electronic data becomes routine. Particularly concerning is the distribution of images and videos in the public domain on social media, where the context and link with education may be severed. Other considerations include respect for the privacy of the deceased, ownership of images, and commercialization. An initial question that should be posed is “Who is responsible for the oversight of digital and 3D printed models of bodies?” The ethical use of such images needs to be considered by the global anatomy community in order to ensure that anatomists do not retreat into the ethical mire of their forefathers.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL