Pre-Defence of Master's Thesis (MF_005)
About Study Course
Objective
The Master's thesis is an independently carried out research, the aim of which is to enable the assessment of the postgraduate student’s readiness to independently use the acquired knowledge and skills in solving research and professional problems in the field of biomedicine.
Prerequisites
Passed all the prescribed examinations in the study programme "Biomedicine".
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the programme, the student will be able to:
• describe the structure of the cell, outline the processes taking place within it and recognise the methods used to study cells, articulate the signs of disorders of cell structure and function and their significance in human pathology;
• describe the diverse physiological processes in the body, explain the interaction between the body and the environment, describe the observation of physiological processes and provide explanations;
• describe the main factors causing gene mutations and assess their risk to human health;
• define the most relevant areas of research in human genetics in Latvia and their importance;
• describe the role of oxygen and nitrogen derivatives, free radicals, antioxidants and essential microelements in normal and pathological life processes;
• name the main central and peripheral regulatory mechanisms, the age-related changes in sensory support structures and the possibilities of plasticity with changes in functions; recognise the methods of morphological research used in neuroscience;
• locate legal documents on research ethics, define the role and function of research ethics committees, list the major ethical issues in biomedical research involving human subjects, define the principle of scientific integrity;
• classify and describe didactic methods, outline the pedagogical principles, explore and evaluate the possibilities of alternative pedagogy;
• find information in a statistical database, describe the data of the research with statistical indicators;
• learn about the nature of academic writing, the principles and design of scientific papers;
• classify the basic principles of methodology and preparation of a scientific research protocol; define the stages and activities to be carried out in the process of writing the Master's thesis; outline the application of research methods in the course of work; organise the design of the Master's thesis.
• describe the main ultrastructural features of cellular changes, differentiate methods for studying cells;
• evaluate the functional and selected clinical diagnostic methods for examination of the basic functions of the body;
analyse the data obtained by physiological methods; analyse the activity of physiological processes in the body;
• evaluate the structural organisation of genetic material of cells and organisms, and evaluate its mechanism of action, analyse and apply selected methods of molecular biology and genetics;
• justify the most topical directions of human genetic research, evaluate the possibilities of diagnosis, therapy and prevention of genetic pathology in Latvia;
• evaluate neurological preparations among other morphological preparations; justify the need for information in case of a poor-quality preparation/schema;
• using a fluorescence spectrophotometer, clinical chemistry analyser, microplate reader (ELISA), etc., will be able to evaluate and interpret pro-oxidant and antioxidant results; will be familiar with the evaluation of oxidative stress based on standard analytical methods;
• justify the calculation of the main parameters of biomechanics, estimate the maximum stress, strain and elastic modulus of biomaterials;
• evaluate the pure culture of a pathogenic micro-organism isolated in the clinical material, interpret the pathogenesis of the disease;
• evaluate statistical parameters and basic information from databases, compare data according to specific criteria;
• when preparing a lecture or seminar, interpret active and interactive methods in accordance with didactic principle;
• extend the protection of human and animal rights to biomedical research;
• compare different referencing styles and bibliographic formats, differentiate between ethical issues in research design;
• justify the methodology for the topic of the Master’s thesis, document, design and present the research results.
• be familiar with biomedical guidelines and current issues;
• apply knowledge of basic sciences to solve medical problems;
• ability to apply the findings of scientific research in planning medical and biomedical research;
• ability to conduct and supervise research in a selected field of biomedical discipline.
