Integrative Genomic Analysis of Cholangiocarcinoma Identifies Distinct IDH -Mutant Molecular Profiles

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy of the bile ducts, with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Here, we describe the integrated analysis of somatic mutations, RNA expression, copy number, and DNA methylation by The Cancer Genome Atlas of a set of predominantly intrahepatic CCA cases and propose a molecular classification scheme. We identified an IDH mutant-enriched subtype with distinct molecular features including low expression of chromatin modifiers, elevated expression of mitochondrial genes, and increased mitochondrial DNA copy number. Leveraging the multi-platform data, we observed that ARID1A exhibited DNA hypermethylation and decreased expression in the IDH mutant subtype. More broadly, we found that IDH mutations are associated with an expanded histological spectrum of liver tumors with molecular features that stratify with CCA. Our studies reveal insights into the molecular pathogenesis and heterogeneity of cholangiocarcinoma and provide classification information of potential therapeutic significance

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

A Pre-Post -Retention Approach to Assess and Assure Learning in a Business Statistics Course and Beyond

Introduction Validation of learning has long been pursued by programs that desire to confirm the transfer of knowledge (Mirchandani, Lynch, and Hamilton, 2001). Moreover, pressure from accrediting agencies has led universities and business schools to increase their attention to assessment and assurance of learning. From the perspective of the university, the assessment continuum ranges from institutional measures to program measures to course measures. While each point on this continuum uses similar methodologies and are highly dependent, each level should have a different group of stakeholders (Huba and Freed, 2000). In this paper, we describe an approach to assess and assure learning as an extension of the assessment model - at the course level

How Machs Behave: Self and Peer Ratings

Faculty members are increasingly asked (and want) to challenge students to think critically about a variety of issues, including their own thinking/performance and the thinking/performance of others. Faculty members try to prepare students for the “real” world. At the same time, class size is increasing at many universities. Though not a substitute for instructor evaluations, self and peer evaluations do offer a mechanism for providing feedback regarding performance. Self and peer appraisals force students to examine critically their own thinking/performance and the thinking/performance of others. In their future work lives, students will almost certainly face the issue of evaluation, either as the rater and/or as the ratee. It is in this context that the current study investigates the use of peer appraisals in the classroom. This study builds on previous research that found students could provide accurate ratings. Given accurate student ratings, we consider if student ratings can be affected by whether or not they expect to interact with and discuss their ratings with ratees. The ability of specific personality attributes, such as Machiavellianism, to moderate this relationship is also considered. Specifically addressed is the impact of the interaction between rater anonymity and power on leniency in subjective evaluation of a qualitative assignment. Preliminary results indicate that there are some differences requiring further exploration. Faculty members are increasingly asked (and want) to challenge students to think critically about a variety of issues, including their own thinking/performance and the thinking/performance of others. Faculty members, especially business programs, try to prepare students for the “real” world. At the same time, class size is increasing at many universities. Though not a substitute for evaluations by the instructor, self and peer evaluations do offer a mechanism for providing evaluative information regarding performance. Self and peer appraisals also force students to examine critically their own thinking/performance and the thinking/performance of others. In their future work lives, students will almost certainly face the issue of evaluation, either as the rater and/or as the ratee. It is in this context that the current study investigates the use of peer appraisals in the classroom. In previous research, students seem to be able to give ratings that mirror those given by faculty (Cochran, Roach, and Mason, 2004). Hence, though an individual student’s ratings may be suspect, the average of several students’ ratings provides a reasonably accurate measure of peer performance (Cochran et al., 2004). This study builds on this finding and explores the impact of individual differences on student ratings. What impact does rater anonymity carry

Encouraging Academic Honesty in Student Work

This paper presents techniques for teaching students to recognize and avoid plagiarism. Though some students are deliberately deceitful and/or lazy, most students want to do the right thing but may need instruction and encouragement to do so. Many simply lack the knowledge or preparation needed to recognize and avoid plagiarism. Moreover, faculty members often provide insufficient direction and often either fail to take steps to recognize plagiarism or to hold students accountable for plagiarism when it is evident. No matter what the reason for the problem, the instructor has a responsibility to encourage academic honesty in student work

Peer Reviews: Are Web-Based Ratings More Accurate Than Paper-and-Pen Ratings?

This paper examines advantages and disadvantages of using computers and networks to implement student peer evaluation of written work. Because data entry is accomplished electronically, web-based rating systems are less expensive and require less effort to administer than paper-based rating approaches for large groups. Thus, when adequate computers and internet access are available, web-based rating systems are an attractive alternative to traditional pencil-and-paper systems. Despite these advantages, questions remain. Will students engage in this process? Will students provide accurate ratings? What factors influence student performance in a peer review? In this paper, we compare the accuracy of ratings provided by students evaluating peers using a web-based system with those using a traditional pencil-and-paper system. We also examine the effect of contextual factors (anonymity, rater familiarity with computers, and length/complexity of rating item questions). The Business Review, Cambridg

The Effects of Humor and Goal Settings on Individual Brainstorming Performance

The efficacy of goal setting is widely accepted by researchers, managers, and the “man-on-the-street.” Given this agreement, the simple maxim to “set goals” seems obvious. However, individual, task, and context characteristics affect the characteristics of goals that lead to high performance. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effects of goal characteristics and a specific context variable, humor, on an individual brainstorming task. With respect to goal characteristics, we examine the effect of goal specificity (vague goals, specific attainable goals, and specific stretch goals) on individual brainstorming performance. With respect to humor, we examine the effect of the presence or absence of humor and the interaction of humor and goal characteristics on individual brainstorming performance. In addition, we examine the interaction between goal characteristics and humor on the task. We found that performance on a brainstorming task was highest when goals were both specific and challenging (stretching). While humor did not affect performance on specific goals, humor did improve performance with vague goals and humor radically improved performance with stretch goals. The research results suggest that humor may be an effective managerial lever for certain tasks and contexts. This paper reports on a study that examines the effects of goal characteristics and a specific context variable (humor) on an individual brainstorming task. The literature abounds with research on this topic, so we cite just a few specific studies on the relationships among goal setting (specificity and difficulty), performance, and humor. Next, we present the procedures, methods, and results of our study. Finally, we will discuss the implications and limitations of this research and present ideas for future research in this area. The impact of goal setting on performance is well established in organizational behavior and management research (Ambrose and Kulik, 1999; Locke, 2004; Latham, 2004). Performance is higher for specific, difficult goals than easy goals, do your best goals, or no goals (Locke, Shaw, Saari, & Latham, 1981). Reviewing extant literature, Locke et al. (1981) found that 99 out of 110 studies empirically demonstrated the effect of goal-setting on task performance. Specific, clear goals establish and communicate expected performance levels. When people know what is expected, they can focus their efforts on the target (Latham, 2004). Moreover, knowing performance expectations reduces anxiety concerning the performance appraisal process (Latham, 2004). Goal difficulty moderates the relationship between goal setting and performance (Wright, 1990; Ambrose and Kulik, 1999; Campbell and Furrer, 1995). People are motivated to exert more effort over time when presented with difficult goals (Latham, 2004)

Efficiency in Assessment: Can Trained Student Interns Rate Essays as Well as Faculty Members?

What are the most efficient and effective methods in measuring outcomes for assurance of learning in higher education? This study examines the merits of outsourcing part of the assessment workload by comparing ratings completed by trained student interns to ratings completed by faculty. Faculty evaluation of students\u27 written work samples provides the most detailed, actionable data useful for improving the curriculum. While this approach may be efficacious, it is also labor-intensive. Both the faculty and student interns were trained to use a scoring rubric developed for this assessment to rate undergraduate student essay responses to an ethical reasoning scenario. The convergent validity, discriminant validity, and source bias showed no significant difference between the values for the student raters versus those for the faculty raters. These findings support the hypothesis that trained student interns can do as well as faculty at evaluating undergraduate student work samples