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Munad-Ar-Rehman Mohammad, Muhammad Yousuf Hayat, Abdirahman Osman Faculty of Medicine, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UKWe read with great interest the article by Gharravi1 on the use of instructor-provided notes during lectures. We would like to add our reflections as medical students. The study highlighted the benefits of a guided note-taking approach, improved quality of notes, greater student satisfaction, and better exam results. This approach can provide a standardized platform for education and ensures the learning of correct content for examinations.2 It can be a more active way to engage millennial learners. But the question remains, to which extent should this approach be implemented in the medical curriculum?Author's replyAnneh Mohammad GharraviSchool of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, IranThis letter is in response to the letter by Munad-Ar-Rehman Mohammad et al, which argued that in my paper (Gharrai, 2018)1 the question remains, to which extent should instructor provided notes be implemented in the medical curriculum? Because anatomy education is stressful and time-consuming for both teachers and students, results of my article recommended instructor-provided notes for anatomy teaching and learning.2View the original paper by Gharravi.

Knowledge of the photon spectrum emitted from an x‐ray tube is frequently needed in imaging and dosimetry contexts. As the spectrum characteristics are influenced by several parameters and routine measurement of a spectrum is often impractical, a variety of software programs have been developed over the decades for convenient calculations. SpekPy is a state‐of‐the‐art software package containing several spectrum models, and was created to estimate photon spectra originating from x‐ray tubes using a small set of input parameters (e.g., anode material, anode angle, tube potential, filtration, etc.). SpekPy is distributed as a Python toolkit and is available free of charge. The toolkit does, however, lack a graphical user interface and a user is required to write a Python script to make use of it. In this work this limitation is addressed by introducing a web application called SpekPy Web: a graphical user interface together with an application programmable interface (API). These developments both make the SpekPy spectrum models accessible to a broader set of users and increases the ease of use for existing users. SpekPy Web is hosted at: https://spekpy.smile.ki.se. The functionality of the software is demonstrated, using its API, by estimating first half‐value layers (HVLs) for 15 standard beam qualities from the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The estimated HVLs were found to all be within 3.5% agreement when compared to experimental values, with an average calculation time of 2.5 s per spectrum. half‐value‐layer, software, x‐ray spectrum

Objective The objective of this article is to introduce a simplified and swift method to satisfactorily estimate the half‐value layers (HVL), quarter‐value layer (QVL), and tenth‐value layer (TVL) from the x‐ray spectra emitted by any diagnostic radiology or kV radiotherapy x‐ray tubes. Methods A CdTe x‐ray and Gamma detector (X‐123 CdTe, AmpTek Inc.) is used to measure the x‐ray spectra at four different x‐ray energies (low, mid, high energy x‐rays) with different external filtering. The software “SpekCalc GUI” (Developed in McGill University, Montreal, Canada) is also used to obtain the simulated x‐ray spectra. Both measured and simulated spectra are used to compute the HVL thicknesses of Aluminum by a mathematical method presented in this article. Next, the HVL thicknesses for corresponding tube potentials are also measured by calibrated ionization chamber and varying thicknesses of aluminum plates. Finally, the computed and measured HVL, QVL, and TVL thicknesses are compared to evaluate the efficacy of the presented method. Results The results show acceptable concordance between computed and measured quantities. The disagreement rates between measured HVL and the values derived mathematically from the x‐ray spectra are 10 to 90 micrometers of Aluminum at tube potentials of 31 kV to 120 kV. As it is shown, a negligible discrepancy is observed between the analytical estimation and the experimental assessments. Conclusion The HVL is an essential component in the evaluation of the quality of an x‐ray beam. However, its measurement could occasionally be challenging, time‐consuming, or uncertain due to some technical difficulties. Although the scope of this study is not to undermine the value of conventional and widely accepted practice to determine the HVL thickness, the introduced method provides the fast, more convenient, and comparably reliable technique to estimate the HVL, QVL, and TVL by employing the given x‐ray spectrum.

The present study was designed to evaluate the utility of environmental samples for convenient but accurate detection of avian influenza virus (AIV) in commercial poultry houses. First, environmental samples from AIV-negative commercial layer facilities were spiked with an H5N2 low pathogenic AIV and were evaluated for their effect on the detection of viral RNA immediately or after incubation at –20 C, 4 C, 22 C, or 37 C for 24, 48, or 72 hr. Second, Swiffer pads, drag swabs, and boot cover swabs were evaluated for their efficiency in collecting feces and water spiked with the H5N2 LPAIV under a condition simulated for a poultry facility floor. Third, environmental samples collected from commercial layer facilities that experienced an H5N2 highly pathogenic AIV outbreak in 2014–15 were evaluated for the effect of sampling locations on AIV detection. The half-life of AIV was comparable across all environmental samples but decreased with increasing temperatures. Additionally, sampling devices did not differ significantly in their ability to collect AIV-spiked environmental samples from a concrete floor for viral RNA detection. Some locations within a poultry house, such as cages, egg belts, house floor, manure belts, and manure pits, were better choices for sampling than other locations (feed trough, ventilation fan, and water trays) to detect AIV RNA after cleaning and disinfection. Samples representing cages, floor, and manure belts yielded significantly more PCR positives than the other environmental samples. In conclusion, environmental samples can be routinely collected from a poultry barn as noninvasive samples for monitoring AIV.

mRNA decay is an important process in post-transcriptional regulation; in addition, it plays a crucial role in plant development and response to stress. The development of new tools to quantify mRNA decay intermediates is thus important to better characterize the dynamic of mRNA decay in various conditions. Here, we applied droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), a recent and precise PCR technology, to determine mRNA half-life in Arabidopsis seedlings. We demonstrated that ddPCR can correctly assess mRNA half-life from a wide variety of transcripts in a reproducible manner. We also demonstrated that thanks to multiplexing mRNA, the half-life of multiple transcripts can be followed in the same reaction. As ddPCR allows precise quantification, we proposed that this approach is highly suitable when a low amount of RNA is available; for the detection of many targets or for the analysis of lowly expressed transcripts.

The present study investigates the potentiality of Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to enhance the efficiency of genetic transformation in soybean. Half-seeds cultured on co-cultivation [4.44 μM N6-benzyl adenine (BA) and 30 μM SNP]; shoot induction (4.44 μM BA and 30 μM SNP) and rooting medium [4.93 μM indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) and 30 μM SNP] exhibited improved transformation efficiency (34.6%) in contrast to the regeneration system devoid of SNP (23%). The putatively transformed plants were evaluated by GUS assay and molecular analysis like PCR and Southern hybridization. Furthermore, the transformation system developed herein entails a shorter period (75-days) for developing plantlets from half-seeds of soybean. The outcome of this study revealed that the addition of SNP increased regeneration efficiency of plants, which translated to improved transformation efficiency in soybean.Key messageThis study is the first report employing sodium nitroprusside to enhance transformation efficiency in soybean.