Assessment worlds colliding? Negotiating between discourses of assessment on an online open course

Using the badged open course, Taking your first steps into Higher Education, this case study examines how assessment on online open courses draws on concepts of assessment used within formal and informal learning. Our experience was that assessment used within open courses, such as massive open online courses, is primarily determined by the requirements of quality assurance processes to award a digital badge or statement of participation as well as what is technologically possible. However, this disregards much recent work in universities that use assessment in support of learning. We suggest that designers of online open courses should pay greater attention to the relationship of assessment and learning to improve participant course completion

Anomalous Fluctuations in Observations of Q0957+561 A,B: Smoking Gun of a Cosmic String?

We report the detection of anomalous brightness fluctuations in the multiple image Q0957+561 A,B gravitational lens system, and consider whether such anomalies have a plausible interpretation within the framework of cosmic string theory. We study a simple model of gravitational lensing by an asymmetrical rotating string. An explicit form of the lens equation is obtained and approximate relations for magnification are derived. We show that such a model with typical parameters of the GUT string can quantitatively reproduce the observed pattern of brightness fluctuations. On the other hand, explanation involving a binary star system as an alternative cause requires an unacceptably large massive object at a small distance. We also discuss possible observational manifestations of cosmic strings within our lens model.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 7 pages, 6 figure

Widening participation and success in STEM: Embedding research-engaged practice to measure impact

There is a systemic shortage in the number of graduates entering the STEM workforce. To address the current graduate shortage (HM Govt, 2017), the widening gap between industry demand, the available skilled workforce (ASE, 2020), and the underrepresentation of key groups within STEM industries and academia requires overhauling the STEM education ‘pipeline’. However, there is a lack of consensus on how to increase the diversity of students pursuing STEM post-16 and how to tackle the dual challenges of engagement and science capital for the most underrepresented groups. This paper discusses the development of a research-engaged sustained STEM outreach programme working with students from rural and coastal schools in South-East England. Whilst there are numerous STEM programmes that aim to provide academic support, build science capital or improve diversity in post-16 STEM studies, this paper describes how two areas of innovative practice came together in a university-led pre-entry STEM widening participation programme: Inspiring Minds. The first relates to its foundation in a research-engaged pedagogy (the epistemic insight curriculum) that underpinned the programme content and design, and the second to the embedded approach to rigorous evaluation and impact monitoring tracking shifts in both aspirational and attainment measures of participating students

Statistical Power, the Bispectrum and the Search for Non-Gaussianity in the CMB Anisotropy

We use simulated maps of the cosmic microwave background anisotropy to quantify the ability of different statistical tests to discriminate between Gaussian and non-Gaussian models. Despite the central limit theorem on large angular scales, both the genus and extrema correlation are able to discriminate between Gaussian models and a semi-analytic texture model selected as a physically motivated non-Gaussian model. When run on the COBE 4-year CMB maps, both tests prefer the Gaussian model. Although the bispectrum has comparable statistical power when computed on the full sky, once a Galactic cut is imposed on the data the bispectrum loses the ability to discriminate between models. Off-diagonal elements of the bispectrum are comparable to the diagonal elements for the non-Gaussian texture model and must be included to obtain maximum statistical power.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 20 pages, 6 figures, uses AASTeX v5.

The Reproductive Seasonality and Gametogenic Cycle of Acropora cervicornis off Broward County, Florida, USA

Reproductive characters of the Caribbean reef-building coral Acropora cervicornis were investigated based on histological samples collected from April 2001 through October 2002. Oogenesis commenced in early to mid-October through November and spermatogenesis was initiated from January to March. The onset of gametogenesis was staggered, exhibiting up to approximately a 1-month delay within colonies. In the hermaphroditic polyps, the observed male-to-female gonad ratio was nearly 1:1 and ripe oocytes represented over 70% of the total gonadal volume. Fecundity estimates based on Stage IV ova ranged between 10.4 and 21.8 mm3 per square centimeter per year, comparable to A. cervicornis in Puerto Rico and other broadcasting Indo-Pacific Acropora. Fecundity estimates based on Stage III vitellogenic oocytes indicated statistically significant differences among study sites. Spawning in field conditions was observed in 2001, 2003, and 2004 from 2300 to 2330 h. Gamete release generally occurred synchronously between nights two and seven after the full moon of July or August. However in 2003, multiple, small-scale gamete release episodes occurred over more than one lunar cycle. This coincided with the full moon occurring early in the month of July. While prolific gamete production is reported in this study, low levels of recruitment have been reported for this species. Thus, the highly fragmenting A. cervicornis may rely heavily on asexual reproduction for population maintenance and expansion, and recovery after disturbance may be greatly protracted

SiaA/D interconnects c-di-GMP and RsmA signaling to coordinate cellular aggregation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in response to environmental conditions

© 2016 Colley, Dederer, Carnell, Kjelleberg, Rice and Klebensberger. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as an important opportunistic human pathogen that is often highly resistant to eradication strategies, mediated in part by the formation of multicellular aggregates. Cellular aggregates may occur attached to a surface (biofilm), at the air-liquid interface (pellicle), or as suspended aggregates. Compared to surface attached communities, knowledge about the regulatory processes involved in the formation of suspended cell aggregates is still limited. We have recently described the SiaA/D signal transduction module that regulates macroscopic cell aggregation during growth with, or in the presence of the surfactant SDS. Targets for SiaA/D mediated regulation include the Psl polysaccharide, the CdrAB two-partner secretion system and the CupA fimbriae. While the global regulators c-di-GMP and RsmA are known to inversely coordinate cell aggregation and regulate the expression of several adhesins, their potential impact on the expression of the cupA operon remains unknown. Here, we investigated the function of SiaA (a putative ser/thr phosphatase) and SiaD (a di-guanylate cyclase) in cupA1 expression using transcriptional reporter fusions and qRT-PCR. These studies revealed a novel interaction between the RsmA posttranscriptional regulatory system and SiaA/D mediated macroscopic aggregation. The RsmA/rsmY/Z system was found to affect macroscopic aggregate formation in the presence of surfactant by impacting the stability of the cupA1 mRNA transcript and we reveal that RsmA directly binds to the cupA1 leader sequence in vitro. We further identified that transcription of the RsmA antagonist rsmZ is controlled in a SiaA/D dependent manner during growth with SDS. Finally, we found that the siaD transcript is also under regulatory control of RsmA and that overproduction of RsmA or the deletion of siaD results in decreased cellular cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) levels quantified by a transcriptional reporter, demonstrating that SiaA/D connects c-di-GMP and RsmA/rsmY/Z signaling to reciprocally regulate cell aggregation in response to environmental conditions