Generalise not specialise: design implications for a national assessment bank

Within the framework of the Assessment is for Learning (AifL) programme1, two systems of national assessment are currently operating in Scottish schools: on-demand 5-14 National Assessments and the sample-based Scottish Survey of Achievement. This paper will discuss issues surrounding the design of an assessment bank intended to support both systems.2 It focuses in particular on the considerations underlying decisions about the structure of the shared materials database, the complex definition of an “item” that had to be adopted in order to accommodate a wide range of assessment types, the overall architecture of the wider information system, with its component databases (one being the bank) and information management subsystems, and the tensions arising from the need to accommodate the requirements of different systems of assessment while avoiding the dangers involved in data repetition and redundancy

Additional file 1: of Australian children living with rare diseases: experiences of diagnosis and perceived consequences of diagnostic delays

APSU Impact on Family Survey. (PDF 703 kb

siRNA downregulation of CCT-eta but not CCT-beta reduces α-SMA protein levels in adult fibroblasts.

<p>(a & b)Western blot showed effective reduction of both CCT-eta and α-SMA protein levels when CCT-eta siRNA was administered, leaving beta-actin largely unaffected. In contrast, downregulating CCT-beta did not lead to significant reduction in either α-SMA or beta-actin levels. GAPDH was used as loading internal control. A representative immunoblot of up to three similar such blots are shown for each analysis. Ntx- no transfection; EGF-EGF treatment (1 nM); siRNA-treatment with CCT-eta/CCT-beta siRNA; Scr- treatment with scrambled control siRNA.</p

CCT-eta but not CCT-beta protein and mRNA are differentially expressed in fetal versus adult fibroblasts.

<p>RNA and protein extracted from fetal and adult fibroblasts were subjected to qRT PCR (a & b) and Western blot (c & d) analyses respectively. CCT-eta mRNA was significantly more abundant in adult fibroblasts when compared to fetal fibroblasts (a); there was no significant difference in CCT-beta message levels between fetal and adult fibroblasts (b). Values are means ± SEM of three independent studies performed in duplicate. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's <i>t</i> test. NS = non-significant. Equal amounts of protein loaded from fetal and adult fibroblasts showed that adult fibroblasts express significantly greater CCT-eta protein(c). In contrast CCT-beta protein levels were not different between fetal and adult fibroblasts (d). Blots shown here are representative of at least three different experiments.</p

Cell migration of adult but not fetal fibroblasts is responsive to EGF and PDGF induction.

<p>Primary cultures of fibroblasts obtained from fetal and adult rabbit skin were tested for motility in an <i>in vitro</i> wound healing assay. Cells were treated with increasing concentrations of EGF (1 nM and 10 nM) and PDGF (40 nM, 100 nM, 200 nM). The values are normalized to baseline motility and shown as EGF- and PDGF-induced cell motility at each concentration. Fetal and adult fibroblasts had essentially identical baseline motility, but only adult cells responded to growth factor stimulation. The values are mean ± SEM of six independent studies each performed in triplicate. Statistical analyses were performed by Student's <i>t</i>-test.</p

siRNA against α-SMA inhibits both basal and EGF-induced cell migration in adult fibroblasts.

<p>Cells were incubated in the presence or absence of EGF(1 nM) +/− siRNA against α-SMA in an <i>in vitro</i> wound healing assay. In all experiments a non-specific control siRNA was used as a control. Cell motility is displayed as a relative percentage of baseline motility in the absence of EGF or siRNA exposure (100%). Active siRNA versus α-SMA reduced both basal and EGF-induced motility; a non-specific control siRNA had no such effect. Values are means ± SEM of eight independent studies, each performed in duplicate. Statistical analyses were performed with Student's <i>t</i> test.</p

siRNA against CCT-eta but not CCT-beta reduces PDGF-induced cellular traction force in adult fibroblasts.

<p>Adult fibroblasts transfected with CCT-eta (a) or CCT-beta siRNA (b) along with pDSRed2-C1 were quantified for microdisplacement fields of red fluorescent cells on the green fluorescent substrate. Each assay was repeated twice with more than 30 cells quantified in each experiment. CCT-eta siRNA abolished the increased cellular traction force seen with PDGF treatment (200 nM), whereas CCT-beta siRNA and scrambled controls did not. Values are means ± SEM of two independent experiments with statistical analyses performed using Student's <i>t</i> test.</p

siRNA against CCT-eta decreases EGF - induced fibroblast migration, whereas siRNA against CCT-beta does not.

<p>Cells were incubated in the presence or absence of EGF(1 nM) +/− siRNA against CCT-eta (a) or CCT-beta (b) in an <i>in vitro</i> wound healing assay. In all experiments a subunit -specific scrambled siRNA sequence was used as control. Cell motility is displayed as a relative percentage of baseline motility in the absence of EGF or siRNA exposure (100%). Active siRNA versus CCT-eta reduced both basal and EGF-induced motility; siRNA versus CCT-beta and scrambled controls had no effect. Values are means ± SEM of six independent studies, each performed in triplicate. Statistical analyses were performed with Student's <i>t</i> test.</p

Adult fibroblasts are more contractile than fetal fibroblasts.

<p>(a) Fetal fibroblasts are less contractile than adult fibroblasts as determined by traction force microscopy. Each bar represents mean ± SEM of more than 20 cells from two independent experiments. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's <i>t</i> test. (b) PDGF treatment of adult fibroblasts results in an increase in the observed cumulative traction force; EGF treatment results in a similar although smaller increase. Each bar represents mean ± SEM of more than 25 cells from two different experiments. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's <i>t</i> test.</p

siRNA against α-SMA specifically decreases both both basal and EGF- induced mRNA and protein levels of α-SMA in adult fibroblasts.

<p>(a) qRT-PCR analysis of α-SMA mRNA levels showed effective inhibition of both basal expression and EGF-induction in siRNA-transfected adult fibroblasts. Results are expressed as relative quotient (RQ) of measured α-SMA mRNA and were calculated as a percentage of baseline control levels (100%). Values are means ± SEM of six independent studies, each performed in duplicate. Statistical analyses were performed with Student's <i>t</i> test. Ntx- no transfection; EGF-EGF treatment (1 nM); siRNA-treatment with α-SMA siRNA; Ctr- treatment with a non-specific control siRNA. (b) Western blot results using α-SMA antibody (1∶500) showed effective reduction of α-SMA protein levels when siRNA was administered but no decrease when non-specific control siRNA was employed. GAPDH was used as a loading control. A representative immunoblot of up to four similar such blots is shown for each analysis.</p