One Team’s Journey with iRubrics

This study explains the process of incorporating electronic grading rubrics into multiple sections of one Digital Literacy course at one online university. Researchers share their experience transitioning from paper rubrics to electronic iRubrics linked directly into each assignment, a process that involved evaluating existing course rubrics, revising them to align with assignments and institutional learning outcomes (ILOs), running pilot courses using the automated iRubrics tool, and training faculty on the use of these new rubrics and the iRubrics tool. The experiences suggest that using iRubrics instead of paper rubrics can significantly increase the efficiency of grading and offer quick access to performance reports based on ILOs and program objectives

An Opportunity Cost Model of Subjective Effort and Task Performance

Why does performing certain tasks cause the aversive experience of mental effort and concomitant deterioration in task performance? One explanation posits a physical resource that is depleted over time. We propose an alternative explanation that centers on mental representations of the costs and benefits associated with task performance. Specifically, certain computational mechanisms, especially those associated with executive function, can be deployed for only a limited number of simultaneous tasks at any given moment. Consequently, the deployment of these computational mechanisms carries an opportunity cost – that is, the next-best use to which these systems might be put. We argue that the phenomenology of effort can be understood as the felt output of these cost/benefit computations. In turn, the subjective experience of effort motivates reduced deployment of these computational mechanisms in the service of the present task. These opportunity cost representations, then, together with other cost/benefit calculations, determine effort expended and, everything else equal, result in performance reductions. In making our case for this position, we review alternative explanations for both the phenomenology of effort associated with these tasks and for performance reductions over time. Likewise, we review the broad range of relevant empirical results from across sub-disciplines, especially psychology and neuroscience. We hope that our proposal will help to build links among the diverse fields that have been addressing similar questions from different perspectives, and we emphasize ways in which alternative models might be empirically distinguished

The Importance of Institutional Capacity and Negotiation Capacity in Affordable Housing Agreements:The Potential for Collective Action in Melbourne, Australia

New legislation was introduced in 2018 in Victoria, Australia to encourage the negotiation of affordable housing agreements. This change resulted in the expansion of formal and informal mechanisms for cross-sectoral affordable housing delivery. In this paper we draw on 20 interviews with housing stakeholders, focusing on the process of negotiation. We propose a novel theoretical framework to interpret capacity for collective action in a loosely regulated policy area, combining insights from negotiation theory and Institutional Capacity Development (ICD) literature. We find widespread concerns about the opaque, inefficient and potentially exploitative nature of outcomes. We also find that agreements varied across projects based on levels of trust; access to information; political capital; capacity for mutual gain; and the presence of shared rules for interacting. We conclude that competition-based negotiations may lead to increased institutional capacity while also highlighting the challenges of housing delivery in the context of institutional uncertainty.</p

Genetic commonality of macrolide-resistant group A beta hemolytic streptococcus pharyngeal strains

BACKGROUND: Group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis is a common childhood illness. Penicillin remains the gold standard therapy, but macrolides are indicated for the penicillin allergic patient, and are often used for convenience. METHODS: We conducted a surveillance study of children with pharyngitis and positive streptococcal rapid antigen testing from 10/05 to 10/06 at 2 sites (A & B). Demographics, treatment, and resistance data was collected and compared to previous data from 2002. Erythromycin (EM) resistance was determined by disk diffusion and E-test on 500 isolates. Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to measure genetic relatedness of isolates. StatXact version 8 software (Cytel Inc., Cambridge, MA) was utilized to perform Fisher's exact test and exact confidence interval (CI) analysis. RESULTS: There were no differences in resistance rates or demographic features, with the exception of race, between sites A & B. EM resistance was 0 in 2002, 3.5% in 2005-06 at site A, and 4.5% in 2005-06 at site B. 3/7 and 3/9 had inducible resistance at A and B respectively. 8 isolates had relatedness ≥80%, 5 of which were 88% homologous on PFGE. CONCLUSION: Community macrolide resistance has increased following increased macrolide use. These results may have treatment implications if use continues to be high

Stroke Survivor and Physical Therapist Perceptions of Community-Based Exercise in Northwest Oregon: A Qualitative Pilot Study

Upon discharge from formal rehabilitation programs, individuals with chronic stroke are often constrained by physical limitations, leading to a diminished quality of life, participation restrictions, and an increased risk of further disability. (Rose et al, 2013) Community-based exercise (CBE) programs specific to individuals post-stroke may offer a mechanism to ameliorate these sequelae. (Pang et al, 2005) Current evidence supports the efficacy of CBEs in improving health-related outcomes, quality of life, and social participation post-stroke. (Lau et al, 2016) The aim of this region-specific study is to explore current physical therapy practice in educating and preparing stroke survivors for CBE, from the perspective of stroke clinicians and stroke survivors

Spirituality, Faith, and Mild Alzheimer\u27s Disease

There is some evidence for a positive association between spirituality, cognitive, and behavioral functioning in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, to our knowledge there is no published data to date that provides an explanatory model for these findings. Twenty-eight individuals with mild AD received in-depth interviews and measures of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and spiritual functioning to gain insight into this question in this mixed methods study. Findings revealed that people with mild AD can actively engage in meaningful discussion about how spirituality influences their experience of living with AD; that they remain deeply devoted to a relationship with the transcendent (i.e., God, higher power, spirit) and their spiritual communities; that they value and benefit from the sacred aspects of their day-to-day lives; and that their core spiritual values, beliefs, and practices can be activated to help them adapt to the uncertainty of living with AD. Additionally, persons with AD who are experiencing spiritual struggle tend to experience a greater degree of anxiety, depression, and behavioral changes as compared to those who do not, suggesting that spiritual struggle is a risk factor for poorer outcomes in this population. Implications for future research, clinical practice, and community care are provided including how researchers and clinicians can effectively adapt traditional measures of spirituality for use with this population; the importance of integrating spirituality into the assessment and treatment of people with AD; and the role spiritual communitie

AGN Environments in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I: Dependence on Type, Redshift, and Luminosity

We explore how the local environment is related to the redshift, type, and luminosity of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Recent simulations and observations are converging on the view that the extreme luminosity of quasars is fueled in major mergers of gas-rich galaxies. In such a picture, quasars are expected to be located in regions with a higher density of galaxies on small scales where mergers are more likely to take place. However, in this picture, the activity observed in low-luminosity AGN is due to secular processes that are less dependent on the local galaxy density. To test this hypothesis, we compare the local photometric galaxy density on kiloparsec scales around spectroscopic Type I and Type II quasars to the local density around lower luminosity spectroscopic Type I and Type II AGN. To minimize projection effects and evolution in the photometric galaxy sample we use to characterize AGN environments, we place our random control sample at the same redshift as our AGN and impose a narrow redshift window around both the AGN and control targets. We find that higher luminosity AGN have more overdense environments compared to lower luminosity AGN on all scales out to our 2\Mpchseventy limit. Additionally, in the range $0.3\leqslant z\leqslant 0.6$, Type II quasars have similarly overdense environments to those of bright Type I quasars on all scales out to our 2\Mpchseventy limit, while the environment of dimmer Type I quasars appears to be less overdense than the environment of Type II quasars. We see increased overdensity for Type II AGN compared to Type I AGN on scales out to our limit of 2\Mpchseventy in overlapping redshift ranges. We also detect marginal evidence for evolution in the number of galaxies within 2\Mpchseventy of a quasar with redshift.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures. Major revisions made for current version. Some content in previous version has been removed to refocus content on redshift and type effects. This content will be deferred to later work

To Post or Not to Post? Factors Influencing State FFA Officers’ Social Media Behaviors

The demand for agriculture, food, and natural resource (AFNR) messages to be conveyed via channels of social media provides a natural inclination to seek out digital natives, such as state FFA officers, to fill the present gap of agriculturalists in online environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence state FFA officers’ behaviors of communicating about AFNR issues on social networking sites. The theoretical framework that guided this study of communication behaviors was the theory of planned behavior. A census of the accessible population of 276 state officers was attempted, and 97 usable responses were received (35.1%). The findings reinforced the use of the theory of planned behavior to understand, predict, and change AFNR social media behaviors. The significance of subjective norms suggested that online AFNR communication is mainly under subjective control for state FFA officers. To increase online engagement of state FFA officers, it is recommended that behavioral change efforts target normative beliefs and that clear behavioral expectations are expressed. Further research is recommended to determine if the significance of subjective norms as a predictor of intent is unique to technological and social media behaviors or applicable to a broader context. Additional research with other populations of young agriculturalists is also recommended