Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment

A commonly advocated best practice for classroom assessment is to make the assessments authentic. Authentic is often used as meaning the mirroring of real-world tasks or expectations. There is no consensus, however, in the actual definition of the term or the characteristics of an authentic classroom assessment. Sometimes, the realistic component is not even an element of a researcher\u27s or practitioner\u27s meaning. This study presents a conceptual analysis of authentic as it is used in educational research and training to describe an approach to classroom assessment. Nine distinct components or dimensions of authenticity are identified and only one of those is the realistic nature of the assessment. Accessed 54,632 times on https://pareonline.net from January 12, 2012 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Gender and ethnic differences in chronic myelogenous leukemia prognosis and treatment response: a single-institution retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the last decade the importance of ethnicity, socio-economic and gender differences in relation to disease incidence, diagnosis, and prognosis has been realized. Differences in these areas have become a major health policy focus in the United States. Our study was undertaken to examine the demographic and clinical features of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients presenting initially at the LAC+USC Medical Center, which serves an ethnically diverse population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients were evenly split by gender, overwhelmingly Hispanic (60.9%), and quite young (median age 39, range 17–65) compared with previously reported CML patient populations. Previous CML studies identified significant anemia (Hgb <12 g/dl), significant thrombocytosis (platelets >450 × 10⁹/l), and significant leukocytosis (WBC >50 × 10⁹/l) as significant adverse pretreatment prognostic factors. Using these indicators, in addition to the validated Hasford and Sokal scores, patients were stratified and analyzed via gender and ethnicity. A significantly greater proportion of women presented with significant anemia (p = 0.019, Fisher's exact test) and significant thrombocytosis (p = 0.041, Fisher's exact test) compared to men, although no differences were found in risk stratification or treatment response. MCV values for women were significantly (p = 0.02, 2-sample t-test) lower than those for men, suggesting iron deficiency anemia. Focusing on ethnicity, Hispanics as a whole had significantly lower Hasford risk stratification (p = 0.046, Fisher's exact test), and significantly greater likelihood (p = 0.016, Fisher's exact test) of achieving 3-month complete haematological remission (CHR) compared with non-Hispanics at LAC+USC Medical Center, though differences in treatment outcome were no longer significant with analysis limited to patients treated with first-line imatinib.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Female CML patients at LAC+USC Medical Center present with more significant adverse pre-treatment prognostic factors compared to men, but achieve comparable outcomes. Hispanic patients present with lower risk profile CML and achieve better treatment responses compared to non-Hispanic patients as a whole; these ethnic differences are no longer significant when statistical analysis is limited to patients given imatinib as first-line therapy. Our patients achieve response rates inferior to those of large-scale national studies. This constellation of findings has not been reported in previous studies, and is likely reflective of a unique patient population.</p

Universal amplitudes in the FSS of three-dimensional spin models

In a MC study using a cluster update algorithm we investigate the finite-size scaling (FSS) of the correlation lengths of several representatives of the class of three-dimensional classical O(n) symmetric spin models on a column geometry. For all considered models we find strong evidence for a linear relation between FSS amplitudes and scaling dimensions when applying antiperiodic instead of periodic boundary conditions across the torus. The considered type of scaling relation can be proven analytically for systems on two-dimensional strips with periodic bc using conformal field theoryComment: 4 pages, RevTex, uses amsfonts.sty, 3 Figure

Dynamics of a stretched nonlinear polymer chain

We study the relaxation dynamics of a coarse-grained polymer chain at different degrees of stretching by both analytical means and numerical simulations. The macromolecule is modelled as a string of beads, connected by anharmonic springs, subject to a tensile force applied at the end monomer of the chain while the other end is fixed at the origin of coordinates. The impact of bond non-linearity on the relaxation dynamics of the polymer at different degrees of stretching is treated analytically within the Gaussian self-consistent approach (GSC) and then compared to simulation results derived from two different methods: Monte-Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD). At low and medium degrees of chain elongation we find good agreement between GSC predictions and the Monte-Carlo simulations. However, for strongly stretched chains the MD method, which takes into account inertial effects, reveals two important aspects of the nonlinear interaction between monomers: (i) a coupling and energy transfer between the damped, oscillatory normal modes of the chain, and (ii) the appearance of non-vanishing contributions of a continuum of frequencies around the characteristic modes in the power spectrum of the normal mode correlation functions.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure

NLRX1 suppresses tumorigenesis and attenuates histiocytic sarcoma through the negative regulation of NF-&#x3BA;B signaling

Histiocytic sarcoma is an uncommon malignancy in both humans and veterinary species. Research exploring the pathogenesis of this disease is scarce; thus, diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients are limited. Recent publications have suggested a role for the NLR, NLRX1, in acting as a tumor suppressor. Based on these prior findings, we hypothesized that NLRX1 would function to inhibit tumorigenesis and thus the development of histiocytic sarcoma. To test this, we utilized Nlrx1−/− mice and a model of urethane-induced tumorigenesis. Nlrx1−/− mice exposed to urethane developed splenic histiocytic sarcoma that was associated with significant up-regulation of the NF-λB signaling pathway. Additionally, development of these tumors was also significantly associated with the increased regulation of genes associated with AKT signaling, cell death and autophagy. Together, these data show that NLRX1 suppresses tumorigenesis and reveals new genetic pathways involved in the pathobiology of histiocytic sarcoma

Characterization of NLRP12 during the Development of Allergic Airway Disease in Mice

Among the 22 members of the nucleotide binding-domain, leucine rich repeat-containing (NLR) family, less than half have been functionally characterized. Of those that have been well studied, most form caspase-1 activating inflammasomes. NLRP12 is a unique NLR that has been shown to attenuate inflammatory pathways in biochemical assays and mediate the lymph node homing of activated skin dendritic cells in contact hypersensitivity responses. Since the mechanism between these two important observations remains elusive, we further evaluated the contribution of NLRP12 to organ specific adaptive immune responses by focusing on the lung, which, like skin, is exposed to both exogenous and endogenous inflammatory agents. In models of allergic airway inflammation induced by either acute ovalbumin (OVA) exposure or chronic house dust mite (HDM) antigen exposure, Nlrp12−/− mice displayed subtle differences in eosinophil and monocyte infiltration into the airways. However, the overall development of allergic airway disease and airway function was not significantly altered by NLRP12 deficiency. Together, the combined data suggest that NLRP12 does not play a vital role in regulating Th2 driven airway inflammation using common model systems that are physiologically relevant to human disease. Thus, the allergic airway inflammation models described here should be appropriate for subsequent studies that seek to decipher the contribution of NLRP12 in mediating the host response to agents associated with asthma exacerbation

Compact Optical Technique for Streak Camera Calibration

The National Ignition Facility is under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Stockpile Stewardship Program. Optical streak cameras are an integral part of the experimental diagnostics instrumentation. To accurately reduce data from the streak cameras a temporal calibration is required. This article describes a technique for generating trains of precisely timed short-duration optical pulses that are suitable for temporal calibrations

PLA Logistics and Sustainment: PLA Conference 2022

The US Army War College People’s Liberation Army Conference (PLA) Conference was held March 31 to April 2, 2022, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The conference focused on PLA logistics and sustainment. As the PLA continues to build and modernize its combat forces, it is important to examine if the capabilities meant to support combat operations are also being developed. Specific topics included: 1) China’s national-level logistics, including how China mobilizes national resources for the military and how it provides joint logistics support to the PLA Theater Commands; 2) the logistics capabilities of the different PLA services, especially the Army, Navy, and Air Forces; 3) PLA logistics in China’s remote regions, such as airpower projection in the Western Theater Command along the Indian border; and, 4) the PLA’s ability to sustain overseas operations at its base in Djibouti. Despite notable potential shortfalls and points of friction, the PLA has successfully sustained counterpiracy maritime operations for many years and conducted noncombatant evacuation operations well-distant from China. It is increasingly able to move forces across the vast distances of China and conduct large training exercises. Far more must be known about PLA sustainment and logistics before the hard questions about PLA operational reach and endurance can be answered.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1954/thumbnail.jp

Characterization of NLRP12 during the In Vivo Host Immune Response to Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The majority of nucleotide binding domain leucine rich repeats-containing (NLR) family members has yet to be functionally characterized. Of the described NLRs, most are considered to be proinflammatory and facilitate IL-1β production. However, a newly defined sub-group of NLRs that function as negative regulators of inflammation have been identified based on their abilities to attenuate NF-κB signaling. NLRP12 (Monarch-1) is a prototypical member of this sub-group that negatively regulates both canonical and noncanonical NF-κB signaling in biochemical assays and in colitis and colon cancer models. The role of NLRP12 in infectious diseases has not been extensively studied. Here, we characterized the innate immune response of Nlrp12−/− mice following airway exposure to LPS, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In response to E. coli LPS, Nlrp12−/− mice showed a slight decrease in IL-1β and increase in IL-6 production, but these levels were not statistically significant. During K. pneumoniae infection, we observed subtle differences in cytokine levels and significantly reduced numbers of monocytes and lymphocytes in Nlrp12−/− mice. However, the physiological relevance of these findings is unclear as no overt differences in the development of lung disease were observed in the Nlrp12−/− mice. Likewise, Nlrp12−/− mice demonstrated pathologies similar to those observed in the wild type mice following M. tuberculosis infection. Together, these data suggest that NLRP12 does not significantly contribute to the in vivo host innate immune response to LPS stimulation, Klebsiella pneumonia infection or Mycobacterium tuberculosis