Why would they try? Motivation and motivating in low-stakes information skills testing

In 2008 the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) University Libraries piloted the Educational Testing Service’s standardised test of information, communication, and technology (ICT) skills (iSkills) in spring and autumn 2008. In the course of administering the test we explored motivational strategies, a critical component in low-stakes, low-personal-consequences testing. Motivational strategies included providing feedback on test performance, highlighting the value of the test for the individual student, and appealing to the student’s willingness to improve the overall performance of the institution. We addressed ways to motivate students in order to enhance their level of participation in and performance on the test. As the use of standardised testing to benchmark student information skills is increasing within the information literacy community, it is vital to address these motivational aspects to ensure the generation of reliable data. This article describes the strategies and language the University Libraries used to convey value and stimulate interest; it also provides feedback from test-takers on why they tried to do their best on the test

Upgrade of the SPS extraction Kickers for LHC and CNGS Operation

The extraction kickers of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) need to be upgraded to meet the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and CERN Neutrino to Grand Sasso (CNGS) requirements. Commissioning of the extraction towards one of the LHC rings and the CNGS facility under construction is foreseen for 2003. The ferrites of the kicker magnets will be heated significantly by the circulating beam and need to be cooled to stay below the Curie temperature. A cost-effective solution to this problem is presented consisting of AlN water cooled plates on the top and bottom of the ferrites. Model predictions are compared with preliminary laboratory measurements and machine data from the SPS. Commissioning of the extraction towards the other LHC ring is planned for 2006. Beyond the heat load issues, this latter extraction needs a larger horizontal "kick" and thus a higher magnetic field and larger horizontal beam aperture. The rise and fall time requirements of these kickers are less strict, therefore a new system with lower impedance permitting a larger magnetic field can be used

Tracheal cryopreservation: caspase-3 immunoreactivity in tracheal epithelium and in mixed glands

Cryopreservation has an immunomodulating effect on tracheal tissue as a result of class II antigen depletion due to epithelium exfoliation. However, not all epithelium is detached. We evaluated the role of apoptosis in the remaining epithelium of 30 cryopreserved tracheal grafts. Caspase-3 immunoreactivity of tracheal epithelium was studied in canine tracheal segments cryopreserved with F12K medium, with or without subsequent storage in liquid nitrogen at -196°C for 15 days. Loss of structural integrity of tracheal mixed glands was observed in all cryopreserved tracheal segments. Caspase-3 immunoreactivity in tracheal mucosa and in mixed glands was significantly decreased, in contrast to the control group and to cryopreserved tracheal segments in which it remained high, due to the effect of storage in liquid nitrogen (P < 0.05, ANOVA and Tukey test). We conclude that apoptosis can be triggered in epithelial cells during tracheal graft harvesting even prior to cryopreservation, and although the epithelial caspase-3 immunoreactivity is reduced in tracheal cryopreservation, this could be explained by increased cell death. Apoptosis cannot be stopped during tracheal cryopreservation

Identifying Clusters of Complex Urban–Rural Issues as Part of Policy Making Process Using a Network Analysis Approach: A Case Study in Bahía de Los Ángeles, Mexico

Improving human settlements diagnosis is a key factor in effective urban planning and the design of efficient policy making. In this paper, we illustrate how network theory concepts can be applied to reveal the topological structure of functional relationships in a network of heterogeneous urban–rural issues. This mapping is done using clustering algorithms and centrality value techniques. By analyzing emergent groups of urban–rural related issues, our methodology was applied to a rural community, considering in this exercise environmental matters and real estate interests as a way to better understand the structure of salient issues in the context of its urban development program design. Results show clusters that arrange themselves not by an obvious similarity in their constituent components, but by relations observed in urban–rural settings that hint on the issues that the urban development program must focus. Due to its complex nature, the classification of these emerging clusters and how they must be treated in traditional planning instruments is a new challenge that this novel methodology reveals

Commissioning of the CNGS Extraction in SPS LSS4

The CNGS project (CERN Neutrino to Gran Sasso) aims at directly detecting νμ - Î½Ï oscillations. For this purpose an intense νμ beam is generated at CERN and directed towards LNGS (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso) in Italy, about 730 km from CERN. The neutrinos are generated from the decay of pions and kaons which are produced by 400 GeV protons hitting a graphite target. The protons are extracted from the SPS straight section 4 (LSS4) in two 10.5 ï­s batches, nominally 2.4 Ñ 1013 protons each, at an interval of 50 ms. The high intensity extracted beam can cause damage to equipment if lost in an uncontrolled way, with the extraction elements particularly at risk. In addition, the beam losses at extraction must be very well controlled to avoid unacceptably high levels of radiation. To guarantee safe operation and limit radiation, the LSS4 extraction system was thoroughly commissioned with beam during the CNGS commissioning in summer 2006. The obtained results in terms of aperture in the extraction channel, longitudinal loss patterns, extraction losses and radiation during nominal operation are summarised in this note