Assessment worlds colliding? Negotiating between discourses of assessment on an online open course

Using the badged open course, Taking your first steps into Higher Education, this case study examines how assessment on online open courses draws on concepts of assessment used within formal and informal learning. Our experience was that assessment used within open courses, such as massive open online courses, is primarily determined by the requirements of quality assurance processes to award a digital badge or statement of participation as well as what is technologically possible. However, this disregards much recent work in universities that use assessment in support of learning. We suggest that designers of online open courses should pay greater attention to the relationship of assessment and learning to improve participant course completion

Quantum Discord and Quantum Computing - An Appraisal

We discuss models of computing that are beyond classical. The primary motivation is to unearth the cause of nonclassical advantages in computation. Completeness results from computational complexity theory lead to the identification of very disparate problems, and offer a kaleidoscopic view into the realm of quantum enhancements in computation. Emphasis is placed on the `power of one qubit' model, and the boundary between quantum and classical correlations as delineated by quantum discord. A recent result by Eastin on the role of this boundary in the efficient classical simulation of quantum computation is discussed. Perceived drawbacks in the interpretation of quantum discord as a relevant certificate of quantum enhancements are addressed.Comment: To be published in the Special Issue of the International Journal of Quantum Information on "Quantum Correlations: entanglement and beyond." 11 pages, 4 figure

Stromal control of oncogenic traits expressed in response to the overexpression of GLI2, a pleiotropic oncogene.

Hedgehog signaling is often activated in tumors, yet it remains unclear how GLI2, a transcription factor activated by this pathway, acts as an oncogene. We show that GLI2 is a pleiotropic oncogene. The overexpression induces genomic instability and blocks differentiation, likely mediated in part by enhanced expression of the stem cell gene SOX2. GLI2 also induces transforming growth factor (TGF)B1-dependent transdifferentiation of foreskin and tongue, but not gingival fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, creating an environment permissive for invasion by keratinocytes, which are in various stages of differentiation having downregulated GLI2. Thus, upregulated GLI2 expression is sufficient to induce a number of the acquired characteristics of tumor cells; however, the stroma, in a tissue-specific manner, determines whether certain GLI2 oncogenic traits are expressed

‘Collective intelligence’ is not necessarily present in virtual groups

When we communicate online, we miss an important element of group intelligence: social sensitivity, write Jordan B. Barlow and Alan R. Denni

A Novel Use of Light Guides and Wavelength Shifting Plates for the Detection of Scintillation Photons in Large Liquid Argon Detectors

Scintillation light generated as charged particles traverse large liquid argon detectors adds valuable information to studies of weakly-interacting particles. This paper uses both laboratory measurements and cosmic ray data from the Blanche dewar facility at Fermilab to characterize the efficiency of the photon detector technology developed at Indiana University for the single phase far detector of DUNE. The efficiency of this technology was found to be 0.48% at the readout end when the detector components were characterized with laboratory measurements. A second determination of the efficiency using cosmic ray tracks is in reasonable agreement with the laboratory determination. The agreement of these two efficiency determinations supports the result that minimum ionizing muons generate ${\mathcal N}_{phot} = 40,000$ photons/MeV as they cross the LAr volume.Comment: Accepted version (without final editorial corrections

Electrostatics of ions inside the nanopores and trans-membrane channels

A model of a finite cylindrical ion channel through a phospholipid membrane of width $L$ separating two electrolyte reservoirs is studied. Analytical solution of the Poisson equation is obtained for an arbitrary distribution of ions inside the trans-membrane pore. The solution is asymptotically exact in the limit of large ionic strength of electrolyte on the two sides of membrane. However, even for physiological concentrations of electrolyte, the electrostatic barrier sizes found using the theory are in excellent agreement with the numerical solution of the Poisson equation. The analytical solution is used to calculate the electrostatic potential energy profiles for pores containing charged protein residues. Availability of a semi-exact interionic potential should greatly facilitate the study of ionic transport through nanopores and ion channels

Maps for Lorentz transformations of spin

Lorentz transformations of spin density matrices for a particle with positive mass and spin 1/2 are described by maps of the kind used in open quantum dynamics. They show how the Lorentz transformations of the spin depend on the momentum. Since the spin and momentum generally are entangled, the maps generally are not completely positive and act in limited domains. States with two momentum values are considered, so the maps are for the spin qubit entangled with the qubit made from the two momentum values, and results from the open quantum dynamics of two coupled qubits can be applied. Inverse maps are used to show that every Lorentz transformation completely removes the spin polarization, and so completely removes the information, from a number of spin density matrices. The size of the spin polarization that is removed is calculated for particular cases.Comment: 7 Pages, 3 Figure