Opportunity and Equity: Enrollment and Outcomes of Black and Latino Males in Boston Public Schools

Boston Public School (BPS) leaders commissioned this study to examine patterns of enrollment, access, engagement, and performance of Black and Latino males from School Year 2009 to School Year 2012. This quantitative analysis constitutes Phase I of a larger study that will ultimately include qualitative case studies examining promising practices in BPS schools in which Black and Latino males perform well

Standard setting in Australian medical schools

Background: Standard setting of assessment is critical in quality assurance of medical programs. The aims of this study were to identify and compare the impact of methods used to establish the passing standard by the 13 medical schools who participated in the 2014 Australian Medical Schools Assessment Collaboration (AMSAC). Methods: A survey was conducted to identify the standard setting procedures used by participating schools. Schools standard setting data was collated for the 49 multiple choice items used for benchmarking by AMSAC in 2014. Analyses were conducted for nine schools by their method of standard setting and key characteristics of 28 panel members from four schools. Results: Substantial differences were identified between AMSAC schools that participated in the study, in both the standard setting methods and how particular techniques were implemented. The correlation between the item standard settings data by school ranged from − 0.116 to 0.632. A trend was identified for panel members to underestimate the difficulty level of hard items and overestimate the difficulty level of easy items for all methods. The median derived cut-score standard across schools was 55% for the 49 benchmarking questions. Although, no significant differences were found according to panel member standard setting experience or clinicians versus scientists, panel members with a high curriculum engagement generally had significantly lower expectations of borderline candidates (p = 0.044). Conclusion: This study used a robust assessment framework to demonstrate that several standard setting techniques are used by Australian medical schools, which in some cases use different techniques for different stages of their program. The implementation of the most common method, the Modified Angoff standard setting approach was found to vary markedly. The method of standard setting used had an impact on the distribution of expected minimally competent student performance by item and overall, with the passing standard varying by up to 10%. This difference can be attributed to the method of standard setting because the ASMSAC items have been shown over time to have consistent performance levels reflecting similar cohort ability. There is a need for more consistency in the method of standard setting used by medical schools in Australia

Nitrification and the ammonia-oxidizing communities in the central Baltic Sea water column

The redoxclines that form between the oxic and anoxic water layers in the central Baltic Sea are sites of intensive nitrogen cycling. To gain better understanding of nitrification, we measured the biogeochemical properties along with potential nitrification rates and analyzed the assemblages of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea using functional gene microarrays. To estimate nitrification in the entire water column, we constructed a regression model for the nitrification rates and applied it to the conditions prevailing in the area in 2008-2012. The highest ammonia oxidation rates were found in a thin layer at the top of the redoxcline and the rates quickly decreased below detection limit when oxygen was exhausted. This is probably because extensive suboxic layers, which are known to harbor pelagic nitrification, are formed only for short periods after inflows in the Baltic Sea. The nitrification rates were some of the highest measured in the water columns, but the thickness of the layer where conditions were favorable for nitrification, was very small and it remained fairly stable between years. However, the depth of the nitrification layer varied substantially between years, particularly in the eastern Gotland Basin (EGB) due to turbulence in the water column. The ammonia oxidizer communities clustered differently between the eastern and western Gotland Basin (WGB) and the composition of ammonia oxidizing assemblages correlated with the environmental variables. The ammonia oxidizer community composition was more even in the EGB, which may be related to physical instability of the redoxcline that does not allow predominance of a single archetype, whereas in the WGB, where the position of the redoxcline is more constant, the ammonia-oxidizing community was less even. Overall the ammonia oxidizing communities in the Baltic Sea redoxclines were very evenly distributed compared to other marine environments where microarrays have been applied previously. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Crowdlenders perceptions and willingness to finance agribusinesses

No other Swedish industry is tied to as many of the environmental goals as the agriculture sector is. To successfully drive the green transition towards achieving these goals the agricultural sector needs more funding. Today, the largest amount of funding to the sector comes from banks and governmental contributions, but the funds are still insufficient and more capital needs to be allocated to the sector. One financial solution that has been growing worldwide is crowdlending, also known as Peer-to-Peer lending (P2P). Crowdlending refers to moneylending directly between individuals or entities without the intermediation of traditional institutions. This type of financing model is particularly interesting for the agricultural sector, where it can provide well-needed capital and flexibility. This thesis explores how Swedish investors and potential crowdlenders view the opportunity of participating in crowdlending towards agricultural businesses. The thesis further explores the interest in crowdlending and its perceptions of it. This was done by employing a mixed-methods approach, which combined quantitative data from a survey with qualitative data from interviews. The theoretical framework used in this study consists of concepts from information asymmetry and signaling theory which will be analyzed with the empirical findings to identify information gaps and transparency enhancements. The findings of this study show a demand for enhanced transparency and detailed information about investment risks and returns. Respondents express the need for comprehensive operational and financial disclosures, including environmental impacts and management practices, to conduct effective risk assessments and align investment decisions with their personal and financial goals. Analysis shows that signaling, supported by third-party validations and detailed risk assessments, is crucial for reducing information asymmetry and enhancing trust in crowdlending platforms. It is concluded that when a loan project is aligned with agendas that serves a higher purpose, such as social and environmental actions, it drives the interest in the opportunity to finance agricultural businesses through crowdlending.Ingen annan sektor i Sverige är knuten till så många hållbarhetsmål som lantbrukssektorn. För att framgångsrikt driva den gröna omställningen mot att uppfylla dessa hållbarhetsmål behöver lantbrukssektorn mer finansiering. Idag kommer den största delen av finansieringen från banker och statliga bidrag, men dessa medel är fortfarande otillräckliga och mer kapital behöver allokeras. En finansiell lösning som har vuxit över hela världen är crowdlending, även känt som Peer-to-Peer-lending (P2P) och avser penningutlåning direkt mellan individer och enheter utan hjälp av traditionella institutioner, som banker. Denna form av finansiering är speciellt intressant inom lantbruket då den kan erbjuda en mycket behövande finansiering samt en flexibel lösning. Denna uppsats undersöker hur svenska investerare och potentiella crowdlending-aktörer ser på möjligheten att delta i crowdlending till lantbruksföretag. Detta gjordes genom att använda en mixad metod ansats, vilket kombinerar kvantitativa data från en enkätundersökning med kvalitativa data från intervjuer. Det teoretiska ramverket består av teorier och begrepp från informationsasymmetri och signaleringsteori som kommer att analyserasmed de empiriska resultaten för att se informationsluckor och transparensförbättringar. Resultaten av denna studie visar att det finns en efterfrågan på ökad transparens och detaljerad information om investeringsrisker och avkastning. Investerarna uttrycker ett behov av omfattande operativ och finansiell information, inklusive miljöpåverkan och förvaltningsrutiner av projekten som lanseras, för att kunna göra effektiva riskbedömningar och anpassa investeringsbesluten till sina personliga och finansiella mål. Analysen visar att signalering, med stöd av tredjepartsvalideringar och detaljerade riskbedömningar, är avgörande för att minska informationsasymmetrin och öka förtroendet för crowdlending-plattformar. Slutsatsen är att när låneprojekt är anpassade till agendor som tjänar ett högre syfte, som sociala och miljörelaterade åtgärder, är det också en drivkraft för möjligheten att finansiera lantbruksföretag genom crowdlending

Leda genom samverkan : en fallstudie på Royal Djurgårdens nätverksarbete

Allt fler företag har insett att samverkan är ett sätt att profilera sig på marknaden för att vinna konkurrensfördelar. Royal Djurgården är en nätverksorganisation i stadsdelen Djurgården i Stockholm där alla 59 aktörer som är placerade i området samverkar tillsammans för att uppnå gemensamma mål. Med allt fler företag som samverkar innebär det att verksamheten behöver en tydlig struktur för att nätverket ska gå ihop. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till forskningen om hur företag kan samverka mot gemensamma mål, där tyngdpunkten i vår studie grundar sig i att undersöka det utmaningar och möjligheter som finns. Som ett bidrag till området introducerar den här uppsatsen ett tillvägagångssätt baserad på teorier inom organisationsteori och empiri från samverkansnätverk, en analys över utmaningar och möjligheter till hur företag kan samverka. Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ metod med en induktiv ansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts för att få djupgående information om värderingar, ledning, organisation och koordinering. Slutsatser som kan dras är att samverkan kräver en transformativ ledare som lämnar utrymme för åsikter och idéer där värderingar som gemensamt tagits fram av aktörer blir en grund för att kunna ta beslut. Koordinering blir ett viktigt verktyg för att få idéer att gå från ide till verklighet. där PDCA blir ett komplement för att hålla ihop samverkansstrukturer

Calpains are downstream effectors of bax-dependent excitotoxic apoptosis.

Excitotoxicity resulting from excessive Ca(2+) influx through glutamate receptors contributes to neuronal injury after stroke, trauma, and seizures. Increased cytosolic Ca(2+) levels activate a family of calcium-dependent proteases with papain-like activity, the calpains. Here we investigated the role of calpain activation during NMDA-induced excitotoxic injury in embryonic (E16-E18) murine cortical neurons that (1) underwent excitotoxic necrosis, characterized by immediate deregulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis, a persistent depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ(m)), and insensitivity to bax-gene deletion, (2) underwent excitotoxic apoptosis, characterized by recovery of NMDA-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) increases, sensitivity to bax gene deletion, and delayed Δψ(m) depolarization and Ca(2+) deregulation, or (3) that were tolerant to excitotoxic injury. Interestingly, treatment with the calpain inhibitor calpeptin, overexpression of the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin, or gene silencing of calpain protected neurons against excitotoxic apoptosis but did not influence excitotoxic necrosis. Calpeptin failed to exert a protective effect in bax-deficient neurons but protected bid-deficient neurons similarly to wild-type cells. To identify when calpains became activated during excitotoxic apoptosis, we monitored calpain activation dynamics by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy using a calpain-sensitive Förster resonance energy transfer probe. We observed a delayed calpain activation that occurred downstream of mitochondrial engagement and directly preceded neuronal death. In contrast, we could not detect significant calpain activity during excitotoxic necrosis or in neurons that were tolerant to excitotoxic injury. Oxygen/glucose deprivation-induced injury in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures confirmed that calpains were specifically activated during bax-dependent apoptosis and in this setting function as downstream cell-death executioners

Rapid Saline Permafrost Thaw Below a Shallow Thermokarst Lake in Arctic Alaska

Permafrost warming and degradation is well documented across the Arctic. However, observation- and model-based studies typically consider thaw to occur at 0°C, neglecting the widespread occurrence of saline permafrost in coastal plain regions. In this study, we document rapid saline permafrost thaw below a shallow arctic lake. Over the 15-year period, the lakebed subsided by 0.6 m as ice-rich, saline permafrost thawed. Repeat transient electromagnetic measurements show that near-surface bulk sediment electrical conductivity increased by 198% between 2016 and 2022. Analysis of wintertime Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite imagery indicates a transition from a bedfast to a floating ice lake with brackish water due to saline permafrost thaw. The regime shift likely contributed to the 65% increase in thermokarst lake lateral expansion rates. Our results indicate that thawing saline permafrost may be contributing to an increase in landscape change rates in the Arctic faster than anticipated

“Could You Work in My Team?”: Exploring How Professional Clinical Role Expectations Influence Decision-Making of Assessors During Exit-Level Medical School OSCEs

Decision-making in clinical assessment, such as exit-level medical school Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), is complex. This study utilized an empirical phenomenological qualitative approach with thematic analysis to explore OSCE assessors' perceptions of the concept of a “prototypical intern” expressed during focus group discussions. Topics discussed included the concept of a prototypical intern, qualities to be assessed, and approaches to clinical assessment decision-making. The thematic analysis was then applied to a theoretical framework (Cultural Historical Activity Theory—CHAT) that explored the complexity of making assessment decisions amidst potentially contradicting pressures from academic and clinical perspectives. Ten Australasian medical schools were involved with 15 experienced and five less experienced assessors participating. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four major themes in relation to how the prototypical intern concept influences clinical assessors' judgements: (a) Suitability of marking rubric based on assessor characteristics and expectations; (b) Competence as final year student vs. performance as a prototypical intern; (c) Safety, trustworthiness and reliability as constructs requiring assessment and (d) Contradictions in decision making process due to assessor differences. These themes mapped well within the interaction between two proposed activity systems in the CHAT model: academic and clinical. More clinically engaged and more experienced assessors tend to fall back on a heuristic, mental construct of a “prototypical intern,” to calibrate judgements, particularly, in difficult situations. Further research is needed to explore whether consensus on desirable intern qualities and their inclusion into OSCE marksheets decreases the cognitive load and increases the validity of assessor decision making

AMP kinase–mediated activation of the BH3-only protein Bim couples energy depletion to stress-induced apoptosis

Disturbances in cellular ion gradients by excitotoxicity promote apoptosis through activation of the Bcl-2 family member Bim