Formative assessment: What we don\u27t learn from just answers

High stakes summative assessments include questions that are proxies of expectations outlined in standards as evidence of students’ proficiency in mathematics. While these proxies can provide valuable snapshots of student learning, this does not always neatly translate to classrooms in support of formative assessment

The Emergence of Leadership in Children: The Role of Play, Athletics, and School

Leadership studies and leadership development have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, much of this popularity has been focused on leadership in adults. This thesis explores the emergence and development of leadership skills in children as they gain experience from play, athletics, and school. The definition of leadership is examined as well as the skills needed for proficient leadership. The skills are structured around the Big Five personality factors. Each of the areas discussed – play, athletics, and school – gives children many opportunities to interact with their peers allowing for valuable development. Overall, this thesis asserts that leadership and its development can occur at the beginning of an individual’s lifetime and does not need to be restricted to adulthood

Investigation of Sulfur Cycling in Marine Sponge Cinachyrella spp. from a South Florida Reef

Symbionts within marine sponges are actively participating in the biogeochemical cycles. Among them, the role of symbiont microbes in the sulfur cycle remains a mystery. This study measured the abundance of microbes within the genus Cinachyrella before and after exposure to hydrogen sulfide. A four-part study was conducted: a) five-hour drop experiments, b) vertical distribution experiments, c) five-hour uptake experiments, and d) long-term exposure experiments. The five-hour drop experiment utilized a microsensor to measure sulfide levels, which was lowered 1.0 mm every thirty minutes for a total of 5 hours. Three trials were performed, each with one sponge and a control with no sponge. The vertical distribution experiments measured hydrogen sulfide levels throughout 9.0 mm. A five-hour uptake experiment measured hydrogen sulfide over five hours without the use of microsensors. The bacterial composition was detailed during long-term exposure experiments, where three sponges were exposed to 60 μmol/L for several weeks. Tissue samples collected from the long-term exposure experiment underwent microbial DNA extractions and high-throughput sequencing. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations from the five-hour drop, vertical-distribution, and five-hour experiments underwent various generalized additive models and generalized linear models. A significant relationship between time (depth for the vertical-distribution) and hydrogen sulfide concentration (p-valueDraconibacterium, family Rhodobacteraceae, and genus Halodesulfovibrio within sponges. These data suggest that Cinachyrella spp. can filter and process hydrogen sulfide from the water column with help from its microbiome

Effects of Control Device and Task Complexity on Performance and Task Shedding During a Robotic Arm Task

The use of robotic arms across domains is increasing, but the relationship between control features and performance is not fully understood. The goal of this research was to investigate the difference in task performance when using two different control devices at high and low task complexities when participants can shed tasks to automation. In this experiment, 40 undergraduates (24 females) used two control devices, a Leap Motion controller and an Xbox controller, to teleoperate a robotic arm in a high or low complexity peg placement task. Simultaneously, participants were tasked with scanning images for tanks. During the experiment, participants had the option to task shed the peg task to imperfect automation. Analyses indicated a significant main effect of control device on task completion rate and time to first grasp the peg, with completion rate higher and time lower when using the Leap. However, participants made significantly more errors with the Leap Motion controller than with the Xbox controller. Participants in both conditions task shed similarly with both control devices and task shed at similar times. The 2 x 2 mixed ANOVAs somewhat supported the proposed hypotheses. The results of this study indicate that control device impacts performance on a robotic arm task. The Leap Motion controller supports increased task completion rate and quicker peg grasps in high and low task complexity when compared with the Xbox controller. This supports the extension of Control Order Theory into three-dimensional space and suggests that the Leap Motion controller can be implemented in some domains. However, the criticality and frequency of errors should be carefully considered

Entanglement Cost of Nonlocal Measurements

For certain joint measurements on a pair of spatially separated particles, we ask how much entanglement is needed to carry out the measurement exactly. For a class of orthogonal measurements on two qubits with partially entangled eigenstates, we present upper and lower bounds on the entanglement cost. The upper bound is based on a recent result by D. Berry [Phys. Rev. A 75, 032349 (2007)]. The lower bound, based on the entanglement production capacity of the measurement, implies that for almost all measurements in the class we consider, the entanglement required to perform the measurement is strictly greater than the average entanglement of its eigenstates. On the other hand, we show that for any complete measurement in d x d dimensions that is invariant under all local Pauli operations, the cost of the measurement is exactly equal to the average entanglement of the states associated with the outcomes.Comment: 14 pages; new result in v4: cost of an arbitrary measurement invariant under local Pauli operation

Space Shuttle 2 Advanced Space Transportation System. Volume 1: Executive Summary

An investigation into the feasibility of establishing a second generation space transportation system is summarized. Incorporating successful systems from the Space Shuttle and technological advances made since its conception, the second generation shuttle was designed to be a lower-cost, reliable system which would guarantee access to space well into the next century. A fully reusable, all-liquid propellant booster/orbiter combination using parallel burn was selected as the base configuration. Vehicle characteristics were determined from NASA ground rules and optimization evaluations. The launch profile was constructed from particulars of the vehicle design and known orbital requirements. A stability and control analysis was performed for the landing phase of the orbiter's flight. Finally, a preliminary safety analysis was performed to indicate possible failure modes and consequences

Space Shuttle 2 advanced space transportation system, volume 2

To determine the best configuration from all candidate configurations, it was necessary first to calculate minimum system weights and performance. To optimize the design, it is necessary to vary configuration-specific variables such as total system weight, thrust-to-weight ratios, burn durations, total thrust available, and mass fraction for the system. Optimizing each of these variables at the same time is technically unfeasible and not necessarily mathematically possible. However, discrete sets of data can be generated which will eliminate many candidate configurations. From the most promising remaining designs, a final configuration can be selected. Included are the three most important designs considered: one which closely approximates the design criteria set forth in a Marshall Space Flight Center study of the Shuttle 2; the configuration used in the initial proposal; and the final configuration. A listing by cell of the formulas used to generate the aforementioned data is included for reference

Stress Fractures of the Elbow in the Throwing Athlete: A Systematic Review.

Background: Stress fractures of the elbow are rare in throwing athletes and present a challenge from both a management and rehabilitation perspective. Although the incidence of stress fractures of the elbow is increasing, there is a lack of data in the literature focused on throwers. Purpose: To evaluate studies regarding the management and outcomes of stress fractures of the elbow in throwing athletes. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane Library electronic databases to identify studies reporting on the management and outcomes of stress fractures in overhead-throwing athletes. Management data included nonoperative and operative modalities, and outcome data included return to play, encompassing the timing and level of activity. Studies were excluded if the stress fracture of the elbow was not a result of a sport injury attributed to throwing or if the study failed to report whether an athlete returned to play. Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis. There were 52 patients in total (50 male, 2 female) with a mean age of 19.7 years (range, 13-29.1 years). The olecranon was the most common location of the stress fracture (51 patients; 98.1%), followed by the distal humerus (1 patient; 1.9%). The majority of patients (n = 40; 76.9%) were treated operatively. Of the 40 patients who were treated surgically, 14 (35.0%) underwent a period of conservative treatment preoperatively that ultimately failed because of persistent nonunion or continued elbow pain. A total of 50 patients (96.2%) returned to sport either at or above their preinjury level. Of the 2 patients (3.8%) who did not return to sport, 1 did not return because of continued elbow pain postoperatively, and the other was lost to follow-up. Complications occurred in 9 patients (17.3%), all of whom were treated surgically. Conclusion: On the basis of this systematic review, the majority of elbow stress fractures were treated operatively and approximately one-third after a period of failed nonoperative management. The return-to-sport rate was high. Further, higher level studies are needed to optimize management and return-to-sport rates in this population

Validation of an ICD code for accurately identifying emergency department patients who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

AIM: International classification of disease (ICD-9) code 427.5 (cardiac arrest) is utilized to identify cohorts of patients who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), though the use of ICD codes for this purpose has never been formally validated. We sought to validate the utility of ICD-9 code 427.5 by identifying patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) after OHCA. METHODS: Adult visits to a single ED between January 2007 and July 2012 were retrospectively examined and a keyword search of the electronic medical record (EMR) was used to identify patients. Cardiac arrest was confirmed; and ICD-9 information and location of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were collected. Separately, the EMR was searched for patients who received ICD-9 code 427.5. The kappa coefficient (κ) was calculated, as was the sensitivity and specificity of the code for identifying OHCA. RESULTS: The keyword search identified 1717 patients, of which 385 suffered OHCA and 333 were assigned the code 427.5. The agreement between ICD-9 code and cardiac arrest was excellent (κ = 0.895). The ICD-9 code 427.5 was both specific (99.4%) and sensitive (86.5%). Of the 52 cardiac arrests that were not identified by ICD-9 code, 33% had ROSC before arrival to the ED. When searching independently on ICD-9 code, 347 patients with ICD-9 code 427.5 were found, of which 320 were true arrests. This yielded a positive predictive value of 92% for ICD-9 code 427.5 in predicting OHCA. CONCLUSIONS: ICD-9 code 427.5 is sensitive and specific for identifying ED patients who suffer OHCA with a positive predictive value of 92%