No abstract

Feedback is perceived as single most influential educational factor and driver of students learning. Hence, the present study examined the effect of administering feedback on improving the acquisition of anatomy and physiology-specific terminologies among tenth grade high school students. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: a control group (N = 29), instructive feedback (IF) group (N = 29) and written feedback (WF) group (N = 29). A post-test was administered to determine if feedback had significant effect on the two treatment groups. A Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant difference among all the groups. Therefore, to compare the mean difference between the groups, a post hoc analysis, Dunn’s test, was performed. The result indicated significant difference between control versus (vs) IF, control vs WF and IF vs WF, respectively. Similarly, the results of feedback administration on specific anatomy and physiology-specific chapters showed that groups subjected to feedback intervention was statistically significant compared to control group. While there was no significant effect of feedback on gender in IF, we found that written feedback had significant effect on gender in WF group. Taken together, the present results suggest that administering feedback significantly enhanced learning of anatomy and physiology-specific terminologies. Accordingly, we recommend teachers to provide written feedback as it allows learners ample time for review and maximize its impact.

Summary White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (WBH) is critically endangered, but we lack data on many aspects of its basic ecology and threats to the species are not clearly understood. The goal of this study was to analyse WBH foraging microhabitat selection, foraging behaviour, and prey preferences in two river basins (Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu) in Bhutan which are likely home to one of the largest remaining populations of WBH. We also explored the relationship between the relative abundance of the WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort within four foraging river microhabitats (pool, pond, riffle and run). Prey species were sampled in 13 different 100-m thalweg lengths of the rivers using cast nets and electrofishing gear. Riffles and pools were the most commonly used microhabitats; relative abundance was the highest in riffles. The relative abundance of WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort (CPUE) also showed a weak but significant positive correlation (rs = 0.22). The highest biomass CPUE was observed in riffles while the lowest was found in the ponds. From the 97 prey items caught by the WBH, 95% of the prey were fish. The WBH mainly exploited three genera of fish (Garra, Salmo, and Schizothorax) of which Schizothorax (64%) was the most frequently consumed. This study provides evidence in support of further protection of critical riverine habitat and fish resources for this heron. Regular monitoring of sand and gravel mining, curbing illegal fishing, habitat restoration/mitigation, and developing sustainable alternatives for local people should be urgently implemented by the government and other relevant agencies. Further study is also required for understanding the seasonal variation and abundance of its prey species in their prime habitats along the Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu basins.

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent disorder with no effective treatment. The various topical treatment used are ineffective and the benefits are mainly due to its placebo effect. A study on a series of twelve patients was carried out in a tertiary hospital in Bhutan to see the effectiveness of lignocaine-dexamethasone periauricular injection on treating tinnitus. To remove the bias in recording tinnitus by subjective response, we used a single patient as both case and control for the first time in such studies. The study found that there was no significant difference in reduction in tinnitus severity in both case and control ears even after eliminating the subjective response bias.