Can e-assessment become mainstream?

For over twenty-five years the field of e-Assessment has grown steadily at the margins of assessment practice. In the past few years, there has been consideration of the form it might take in mainstream assessment and of the barriers and drivers affecting its uptake (e.g. QCA (2005), JISC (2006, 2007)). In this presentation, we identify the issue of pedagogic validity of e-Assessment as central in its move to the mainstream and look at what this means in terms of the stages in e-Assessment growth proposed by Bennett (1998). Achievement of pedagogic validity is a necessary precursor to mainstream acceptance, but on its own it is not sufficient. It also requires well-trained and informed practitioners who are able to understand and address issues relating to use of e-Assessment: knowledge and understanding of assessment practice and technical skills to devise or create appropriate tests. The embryonic e-Assessment Association (http://www.e-assessment.com) has recently emerged as a result of this need, and we will outline the main aims of this organisation

Land management for increased flood resilience

Natural Flood Management (NFM) (e.g. restoring watercourses, riparian tree planting, washland and wetland creation) is a core component of flood risk management strategies in Scotland. However little is known of its potential impact on the farming and land management communities, individual farm businesses, or the socioeconomic impacts and perceptions of its potential wide-spread introduction. To support policy implementation, information is required on land managers’ willingness to implement NFM, and to be able to relate willingness to generic farm characteristics (farming systems, land use types, geographical location), different types and locations of NFM measures, and to farm economics.The main objectives of the project are to undertake:1. A large scale survey of farmers’ attitudes to NFM and to the use of potential policy instruments to promote its uptake and delivery; and2. Farm-scale economic analyses of the impact of NFM measures under different scenarios

Regulation of the Cardiac Na+/K+ ATPase by Phospholemman

Hansraj Dhayan, Rajender Kumar, Andreas Kukol, ‘Regulation of the Cardiac Na+/K+ ATPase by Phospholemman’, in Sajal Chakraborti, Naranjan Dhalla, eds., Regulation of Membrane Na+-K+ ATPase, (Switzerland: Springer, 2016), ISBN 978-3-319-24748-9, eISBN 978-3-319-24750-2.Peer reviewe

Traffic pollution and the incidence of cardiorespiratory outcomes in an adult cohort in London.

OBJECTIVES: The epidemiological evidence for adverse health effects of long-term exposure to air and noise pollution from traffic is not coherent. Further, the relative roles of background versus near traffic pollution concentrations in this process are unclear. We investigated relationships between modelled concentrations of air and noise pollution from traffic and incident cardiorespiratory disease in London. METHODS: Among 211 016 adults aged 40-79 years registered in 75 Greater London practices between 2005 and 2011, the first diagnosis for a range of cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes were identified from primary care and hospital records. Annual baseline concentrations for nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) attributable to exhaust and non-exhaust sources, traffic intensity and noise were estimated at 20 m(2) resolution from dispersion models, linked to clinical data via residential postcode. HRs were adjusted for confounders including smoking and area deprivation. RESULTS: The largest observed associations were between traffic-related air pollution and heart failure (HR=1.10 for 20 μg/m(3) change in NOx, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.21). However, no other outcomes were consistently associated with any of the pollution indicators, including noise. The greater variations in modelled air pollution from traffic between practices, versus within, hampered meaningful fine spatial scale analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The associations observed with heart failure may suggest exacerbatory effects rather than underlying chronic disease. However, the overall failure to observe wider associations with traffic pollution may reflect that exposure estimates based on residence inadequately represent the relevant pattern of personal exposure, and future studies must address this issue

Effect of cognitive bias modification-memory on depressive symptoms and autobiographical memory bias: Two independent studies in high-ruminating and dysphoric samples

Item does not contain fulltextMemory bias is a risk factor for depression. In two independent studies, the efficacy of one CBM-Memory session on negative memory bias and depressive symptoms was tested in vulnerable samples. We compared positive to neutral (control) CBM-Memory trainings in highly-ruminating individuals (N=101) and individuals with elevated depressive symptoms (N=100). In both studies, participants studied positive, neutral, and negative Swahili words paired with their translations. In five study-test blocks, they were then prompted to retrieve either only the positive or neutral translations. Immediately following the training and one week later, we tested cued recall of all translations and autobiographical memory bias; and also measured mood, depressive symptoms, and rumination. Retrieval practice resulted in training-congruent recall both immediately after and one week after the training. Overall, there was no differential decrease in symptoms or difference in autobiographical memory bias between the training conditions. In the dysphoric but not in the high-ruminating sample, the positive training resulted in positive autobiographical bias only in dysphoric individuals with positive pre-existing bias. We conclude that one session of positive retrieval-based CBM-Memory may not be enough to yield symptom change and affect autobiographical memory bias in vulnerable individuals.17 p

Pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a primary brain tumour

Background This is the second updated version of the Cochrane Review published in Issue 3, 2010 and first updated in Issue 5, 2013. People with a primary brain tumour oGen experience depression, for which drug treatment may be prescribed. However, they are also at high risk of epileptic seizures, cognitive impairment, and fatigue, all of which are potential adverse side effects of antidepressants. The benefit, or harm, of pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a primary brain tumour is unclear. Objectives To assess the benefits and harms of pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a primary brain tumour. Search methods We updated the search to include CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO to September 2019. As in the original review, we also handsearched Neuro-Oncology, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, and Journal of ClinicalOncology: for the current update we handsearched the latest three years of articles from these journals (up to November 2019). Selection criteria We searched for all randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies of any pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a histologically diagnosed primary brain tumour. Data collection and analysis No studies met the inclusion criteria. Main results We found no eligible studies evaluating the benefits of any pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a primary brain tumour. Authors' conclusions We identified no high-quality studies that investigated the value of pharmacological treatment of depression in people with a primary brain tumour. RCTs and detailed prospective studies are required to inform the effective pharmacological treatment of this common and important complication of brain tumours. Since the last version of this review none of the related new literature has provided additional information to change these conclusions