A new paradigm for improvement: Student-faculty partnership in learning outcomes assessment

In the United States, higher education institutions assess the impact of program-level educational experiences through the process of program-level student learning outcomes assessment. The final step of the assessment cycle is to use assessment interpretations to make changes to educational programming. Nevertheless, few programs can demonstrate the use of assessment results in this way. Perhaps assessment work is missing a key perspective: that of the students it assesses. Cook-Sather, Bovill, and Felton (2014) define student-faculty partnership as “a collaborative, reciprocal process through which all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization, decision making, implementation, investigation, or analysis” (p. 6-7.). Research and practice into student-faculty partnership work has demonstrated many positive effects on the teaching, learning, and classroom assessment process. Yet, no work has focused on partnership efforts in program-level assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential to partner explicitly with students in the program and institutional level student learning outcomes assessment process. A grounded theory-based qualitative method was used to generate a framework for practitioners who wish to engage in partnership efforts in program-level assessment. Fifteen experienced higher education professionals and experts in student-faculty partnership provided more than 20 hours of interview and field note data. These data resulted in 6,258 lines of open line-by-line coding. These open codes were consolidated using focused coding, into 191 secondary-level themes. These secondary-level themes were consolidated using focused coding, into 11 primary-level themes. The themes are discussed in relation to their applicability to future student partnership work in program-level assessment and a framework for engaging in this work was developed. This framework was used to outline tentative examples of how student-faculty partnership work might be organized within program-level assessment practices. While in the early stages of prototype efforts, student-faculty partnership has the potential to radically alter the way we engage in program-level assessment

Metrics for Signal Temporal Logic Formulae

Signal Temporal Logic (STL) is a formal language for describing a broad range of real-valued, temporal properties in cyber-physical systems. While there has been extensive research on verification and control synthesis from STL requirements, there is no formal framework for comparing two STL formulae. In this paper, we show that under mild assumptions, STL formulae admit a metric space. We propose two metrics over this space based on i) the Pompeiu-Hausdorff distance and ii) the symmetric difference measure, and present algorithms to compute them. Alongside illustrative examples, we present applications of these metrics for two fundamental problems: a) design quality measures: to compare all the temporal behaviors of a designed system, such as a synthetic genetic circuit, with the "desired" specification, and b) loss functions: to quantify errors in Temporal Logic Inference (TLI) as a first step to establish formal performance guarantees of TLI algorithms.Comment: This paper has been accepted for presentation at, and publication in the proceedings of, the 2018 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), to be held in Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, FL, USA on Dec. 17-19, 201

Effect of exenatide on splanchnic and peripheral glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic subjects

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine the mechanisms via which exenatide attenuates postprandial hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). STUDY DESIGN: Seventeen T2DM patients (44 yr; seven females, 10 males; body mass index = 33.6 kg/m(2); glycosylated hemoglobin = 7.9%) received a mixed meal followed for 6 h with double-tracer technique ([1-(14)C]glucose orally; [3-(3)H]glucose i.v.) before and after 2 wk of exenatide. In protocol II (n = 5), but not in protocol I (n = 12), exenatide was given in the morning of the repeat meal. Total and oral glucose appearance rates (RaT and RaO, respectively), endogenous glucose production (EGP), splanchnic glucose uptake (75 g - RaO), and hepatic insulin resistance (basal EGP x fasting plasma insulin) were determined. RESULTS: After 2 wk of exenatide (protocol I), fasting plasma glucose decreased (from 10.2 to 7.6 mm) and mean postmeal plasma glucose decreased (from 13.2 to 11.3 mm) (P < 0.05); fasting and meal-stimulated plasma insulin and glucagon did not change significantly. After exenatide, basal EGP decreased (from 13.9 to 10.8 mumol/kg . min, P < 0.05), and hepatic insulin resistance declined (both P < 0.05). RaO, gastric emptying (acetaminophen area under the curve), and splanchnic glucose uptake did not change. In protocol II (exenatide given before repeat meal), fasting plasma glucose decreased (from 11.1 to 8.9 mm) and mean postmeal plasma glucose decreased (from 14.2 to 10.1 mm) (P < 0.05); fasting and meal-stimulated plasma insulin and glucagon did not change significantly. After exenatide, basal EGP decreased (from 13.4 to 10.7 mumol/kg . min, P = 0.05). RaT and RaO decreased markedly from 0-180 min after meal ingestion, consistent with exenatide\u27s action to delay gastric emptying. CONCLUSIONS: Exenatide improves 1) fasting hyperglycemia by reducing basal EGP and 2) postmeal hyperglycemia by reducing the appearance of oral glucose in the systemic circulation

Metabolic effects of muraglitazar in type 2 diabetic subjects

AIM: To assess the effect of muraglitazar, a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma-alpha agonist, versus placebo on metabolic parameters and body composition in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Twenty-seven T2DM subjects received oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), euglycaemic insulin clamp with deuterated glucose, measurement of total body fat (DEXA), quantitation of muscle/liver (MRS) and abdominal subcutaneous and visceral (MRI) fat, and then were randomized to receive, in addition to diet, muraglitazar (MURA), 5 mg/day, or placebo (PLAC) for 4 months. RESULTS: HbA1c(c) decreased similarly (2.1%) during both MURA and PLAC treatments despite significant weight gain with MURA (+2.5 kg) and weight loss with PLAC (-0.7 kg). Plasma triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, free fatty acid (FFA), hsCRP levels all decreased with MURA while plasma adiponectin and HDL cholesterol increased (p < 0.05-0.001). Total body (muscle), hepatic and adipose tissue sensitivity to insulin and beta cell function all improved with MURA (p < 0.05-0.01). Intramyocellular, hepatic and abdominal visceral fat content decreased, while total body and subcutaneous abdominal fat increased with MURA (p < 0.05-0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Muraglitazar (i) improves glycaemic control by enhancing insulin sensitivity and beta cell function in T2DM subjects, (ii) improves multiple cardiovascular risk factors, (iii) reduces muscle, visceral and hepatic fat content in T2DM subjects. Despite similar reduction in A1c with PLAC/diet, insulin sensitivity and beta cell function did not improve significantly

Violent and victimized bodies: sexual violence policy in England and Wales

This paper uses the notion of the body to frame an archaeology of sexual violence policy in England and Wales, applying and developing Pillow’s ideas. It argues that the dominant construction is of sexual violence as an individualized crime, with the solution being for a survivor to report, and with support often instrumentalized in relation to criminal justice objectives. However, criminal justice proceedings can intensify or create further trauma for sexual violence survivors. Furthermore, in addition to criminalizing the violent body and supporting the victimized one, there is a need for policy to produce alternative types of bodies through preventative interventions. Much sexual violence is situated within (hetero) sexual dynamics constructing a masculine aggressor and a feminine body which eventually yields. Prevention must therefore focus on developing embodied boundaries, and narratives at the margins of policy could underpin such efforts

Seasonal calibration of the end-cretaceous Chicxulub impact event

The end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact triggered Earth’s last mass-extinction, extinguishing ~ 75% of species diversity and facilitating a global ecological shift to mammal-dominated biomes. Temporal details of the impact event on a fine scale (hour-to-day), important to understanding the early trajectory of mass-extinction, have largely eluded previous studies. This study employs histological and histo-isotopic analyses of fossil fish that were coeval with a unique impact-triggered mass-death assemblage from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) boundary in North Dakota (USA). Patterns of growth history, including periodicity of ẟ18O and ẟ13C and growth band morphology, plus corroborating data from fish ontogeny and seasonal insect behavior, reveal that the impact occurred during boreal Spring/Summer, shortly after the spawning season for fish and most continental taxa. The severity and taxonomic symmetry of response to global natural hazards are influenced by the season during which they occur, suggesting that post-impact perturbations could have exerted a selective force that was exacerbated by seasonal timing. Data from this study can also provide vital hindsight into patterns of extant biotic response to global-scale hazards that are relevant to both current and future biomes

Gender Differences in Symptoms and Care Delivery for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract Background: Morbidity and mortality for women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are increasing, and little is known about gender differences in perception of COPD care. Methods: Surveys were administered to a convenience sample of COPD patients to evaluate perceptions about symptoms, barriers to care, and sources of information about COPD. Results: Data on 295 female and 273 male participants were analyzed. With similar frequencies, women and men reported dyspnea and rated their health as poor/very poor. Although more women than men reported annual household income <$30,000, no significant gender differences in frequency of health insurance, physician visits, or ever having had spirometry were detected. In adjusted models (1) women were more likely to report COPD diagnostic delay (odds ratio [OR] 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-2.45, p=0.01), although anxiety (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.10-3.06, p=0.02) and history of exacerbations (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.08-2.37, p=0.01) were also significant predictors, (2) female gender was associated with difficulty reaching one's physician (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.33-4.86, p=0.004), as was prior history of exacerbations (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.21-4.20, p=0.01), and (3) female gender (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.10-4.21, p=0.02) was the only significant predictor for finding time spent with their physician as insufficient. Conclusions: Significant gender-related differences in the perception of COPD healthcare delivery exist, revealing an opportunity to better understand what influences these attitudes and to improve care for both men and women.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98466/1/jwh%2E2012%2E3650.pd

Quantification of drought during the collapse of the classic Maya civilization.

The demise of Lowland Classic Maya civilization during the Terminal Classic Period (~800 to 1000 CE) is a well-cited example of how past climate may have affected ancient societies. Attempts to estimate the magnitude of hydrologic change, however, have met with equivocal success because of the qualitative and indirect nature of available climate proxy data. We reconstructed the past isotopic composition (δ18O, δD, 17O-excess, and d-excess) of water in Lake Chichancanab, Mexico, using a technique that involves isotopic analysis of the structurally bound water in sedimentary gypsum, which was deposited under drought conditions. The triple oxygen and hydrogen isotope data provide a direct measure of past changes in lake hydrology. We modeled the data and conclude that annual precipitation decreased between 41 and 54% (with intervals of up to 70% rainfall reduction during peak drought conditions) and that relative humidity declined by 2 to 7% compared to present-day conditions.ERC 339694 (Water Isotopes of Hydrated Minerals