137 research outputs found
A Century of Grading Research: Meaning and Value in the Most Common Educational Measure
Grading refers to the symbols assigned to individual pieces of student work or to composite measures of student performance on report cards. This review of over 100 years of research on grading considers five types of studies: (a) early studies of the reliability of grades, (b) quantitative studies of the composition of K-12 report card grades, (c) survey and interview studies of teachersâ perceptions of grades, (d) studies of standards-based grading, and (e) grading in higher education. Early 20th century studies generally condemned teachersâ grades as unreliable. More recent studies of the relationships of grades to tested achievement and survey studies of teachersâ grading practices and beliefs suggest that grades assess a multidimensional construct containing both cognitive and non-cognitive factors reflecting what teachers value in student work. Implications for future research and for grading practices are discussed
Exploring parentsâ understandings of their childâs journey into offending behaviours:a narrative analysis
Parents are perhaps the best placed individuals to comment upon their childâs life story, including early life experiences, transitions and their childâs needs. However, research has rarely focussed on the views of parents of young people who have committed serious offences. This research aimed to explore parentsâ opinions of which factors may have led to their child becoming involved with the criminal justice system. Interviews were undertaken with six parents who were asked to narrate their childâs life journey into offending behaviours. The data were then analysed using narrative analysis techniques, and a shared story was created which incorporated the main transitional stages in the childrenâs journeys, as seen by the parents. The findings suggest that it is not just the child, but the whole family who have been in a state of distress throughout the childâs life. Systemic and environmental factors are argued to contribute to this distress, and the use of diagnosis for this population is critically evaluated. The research highlights a life story in which the childâs and familyâs distress remains unheard and therefore unresolved. Clinical implications for working with this population are discussed
Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity
Managing invasive species with prevention and early-detection strategies can avert severe ecological and economic impacts. Horizon scanning, an evidence-based process combining risk screening and consensus building to identify threats, has become a valuable tool for prioritizing invasive species management and prevention. We assembled a working group of experts from academic, government, and nonprofit agencies and organizations, and conducted a multi-taxa horizon scan for Florida, USA, the first of its kind in North America. Our primary objectives were to identify high-risk species and their introduction pathways, to detail the magnitude and mechanism of potential impacts, and, more broadly, to demonstrate the utility of horizon scanning. As a means to facilitate future horizon scans, we document the process used to generate the list of taxa for screening. We evaluated 460 taxa for their potential to arrive, establish, and cause negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts, and identified 40 potential invaders, including alewife, zebra mussel, crab-eating macaque, and red swamp crayfish. Vertebrates and aquatic invertebrates posed the greatest invasion threat, over half of the high-risk taxa were omnivores, and there was high confidence in the scoring of high-risk taxa. Common arrival pathways were ballast water, biofouling of vessels, and escape from the pet/aquarium/horticulture trade. Competition, predation, and damage to agriculture/forestry/aquaculture were common impact mechanisms. We recommend full risk analysis for the high-risk taxa; increased surveillance at Florida's ports, state borders, and high-risk pathways; and periodic review and revision of the list. Few horizon scans detail the comprehensive methodology (including list-building), certainty estimates for all scoring categories and the final score, detailed pathways, and the magnitude and mechanism of impact. Providing this information can further inform prevention efforts and can be efficiently replicated in other regions. Moreover, harmonizing methodology can facilitate data sharing and enhance interpretation of results for stakeholders and the general public.</p
A standardized terminology for describing reproductive development in fishes
19 pĂĄginas, 12 figuras, 3 tablas.-- Open access journalAs the number of fish reproduction studies has proliferated, so has the number of gonadal classification schemes
and terms. This has made it difficult for both scientists and resource managers to communicate and for comparisons to
be made among studies.We propose the adoption of a simple, universal terminology for the phases in the reproductive
cycle, which can be applied to all male and female elasmobranch and teleost fishes. These phases were chosen because
they define key milestones in the reproductive cycle; the phases include immature, developing, spawning capable,
regressing, and regenerating. Although the temporal sequence of events during gamete development in each phase
may vary among species, each phase has specific histological and physiological markers and is conceptually universal.
The immature phase can occur only once. The developing phase signals entry into the gonadotropin-dependent stage
of oogenesis and spermatogenesis and ultimately results in gonadal growth. The spawning capable phase includes (1)
those fish with gamete development that is sufficiently advanced to allow for spawning within the current reproductive
cycle and (2) batch-spawning females that show signs of previous spawns (i.e., postovulatory follicle complex) and
that are also capable of additional spawns during the current cycle. Within the spawning capable phase, an actively
spawning subphase is defined that corresponds to hydration and ovulation in females and spermiation in males. The
regressing phase indicates completion of the reproductive cycle and, for many fish, completion of the spawning season.
Fish in the regenerating phase are sexually mature but reproductively inactive. Species-specific histological criteria
or classes can be incorporated within each of the universal phases, allowing for more specific divisions (subphases) while preserving the overall reproductive terminology for comparative purposes. This terminology can easily be
modified for fishes with alternate reproductive strategies, such as hermaphrodites (addition of a transition phase) and
livebearers (addition of a gestation phase)Fish Reproduction and Fisheries (FRESH; European
Cooperation in Science and Technology Action FA0601)
and theWest Palm Beach Fishing Club (Florida) provided funding
for the gonadal histology workshops where this terminology
was developed and refined. Additionally, we thank FRESH for
travel and publication fundsPeer reviewe
Genomic analysis of diet composition finds novel loci and associations with health and lifestyle
We conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of relative intake from the macronutrients fat, protein, carbohydrates, and sugar in over 235,000 individuals of European ancestries. We identified 21 unique, approximately independent lead SNPs. Fourteen lead SNPs are uniquely associated with one macronutrient at genome-wide significance (P < 5 Ă 10â8), while five of the 21 lead SNPs reach suggestive significance (P < 1 Ă 10â5) for at least one other macronutrient. While the phenotypes are genetically correlated, each phenotype carries a partially unique genetic architecture. Relative protein intake exhibits the strongest relationships with poor health, including positive genetic associations with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease (rg â 0.15â0.5). In contrast, relative carbohydrate and sugar intake have negative genetic correlations with waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and neighborhood deprivation (|rg| â 0.1â0.3) and positive genetic correlations with physical activity (rg â 0.1 and 0.2). Relative fat intake has no consistent pattern of genetic correlations with poor health but has a negative genetic correlation with educational attainment (rg ââ0.1). Although our analyses do not allow us to draw causal conclusions, we find no evidence of negative health consequences associated with relative carbohydrate, sugar, or fat intake. However, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that relative protein intake plays a role in the etiology of metabolic dysfunction
GA4GH: International policies and standards for data sharing across genomic research and healthcare.
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) aims to accelerate biomedical advances by enabling the responsible sharing of clinical and genomic data through both harmonized data aggregation and federated approaches. The decreasing cost of genomic sequencing (along with other genome-wide molecular assays) and increasing evidence of its clinical utility will soon drive the generation of sequence data from tens of millions of humans, with increasing levels of diversity. In this perspective, we present the GA4GH strategies for addressing the major challenges of this data revolution. We describe the GA4GH organization, which is fueled by the development efforts of eight Work Streams and informed by the needs of 24 Driver Projects and other key stakeholders. We present the GA4GH suite of secure, interoperable technical standards and policy frameworks and review the current status of standards, their relevance to key domains of research and clinical care, and future plans of GA4GH. Broad international participation in building, adopting, and deploying GA4GH standards and frameworks will catalyze an unprecedented effort in data sharing that will be critical to advancing genomic medicine and ensuring that all populations can access its benefits
ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research & recommendations
Sports nutrition is a constantly evolving field with hundreds of research papers published annually. For this reason, keeping up to date with the literature is often difficult. This paper is a five year update of the sports nutrition review article published as the lead paper to launch the JISSN in 2004 and presents a well-referenced overview of the current state of the science related to how to optimize training and athletic performance through nutrition. More specifically, this paper provides an overview of: 1.) The definitional category of ergogenic aids and dietary supplements; 2.) How dietary supplements are legally regulated; 3.) How to evaluate the scientific merit of nutritional supplements; 4.) General nutritional strategies to optimize performance and enhance recovery; and, 5.) An overview of our current understanding of the ergogenic value of nutrition and dietary supplementation in regards to weight gain, weight loss, and performance enhancement. Our hope is that ISSN members and individuals interested in sports nutrition find this review useful in their daily practice and consultation with their clients
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies,
expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling
for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least .
With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000
people realized that vision as the James Webb Space Telescope. A
generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of
the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the
scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000
team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image
quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief
history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing
program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite
detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space
Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure
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