The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

SDSS-III: Massive Spectroscopic Surveys of the Distant Universe, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Extra-Solar Planetary Systems

Building on the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I and II), SDSS-III is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes: dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars. In keeping with SDSS tradition, SDSS-III will provide regular public releases of all its data, beginning with SDSS DR8 (which occurred in Jan 2011). This paper presents an overview of the four SDSS-III surveys. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.5 million massive galaxies and Lya forest spectra of 150,000 quasars, using the BAO feature of large scale structure to obtain percent-level determinations of the distance scale and Hubble expansion rate at z<0.7 and at z~2.5. SEGUE-2, which is now completed, measured medium-resolution (R=1800) optical spectra of 118,000 stars in a variety of target categories, probing chemical evolution, stellar kinematics and substructure, and the mass profile of the dark matter halo from the solar neighborhood to distances of 100 kpc. APOGEE will obtain high-resolution (R~30,000), high signal-to-noise (S/N>100 per resolution element), H-band (1.51-1.70 micron) spectra of 10^5 evolved, late-type stars, measuring separate abundances for ~15 elements per star and creating the first high-precision spectroscopic survey of all Galactic stellar populations (bulge, bar, disks, halo) with a uniform set of stellar tracers and spectral diagnostics. MARVELS will monitor radial velocities of more than 8000 FGK stars with the sensitivity and cadence (10-40 m/s, ~24 visits per star) needed to detect giant planets with periods up to two years, providing an unprecedented data set for understanding the formation and dynamical evolution of giant planet systems. (Abridged)Comment: Revised to version published in The Astronomical Journa

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

The professional nursing and construction curricula

In Australia, as in many overseas countries, construction management and nursing programs include a requisite number of clinical placements or periods of industrial experience. This chapter reviews the structures, approaches, assessment and evaluation strategies adopted by nursing and construction management for work integrated learning (WIL) placements. The organisation of WIL presents universities with a number of logistical challenges. These include the difficulties inherent in sourcing suitable placement opportunities for large numbers of students while at the same time taking into account the competing demands of students’ paid work commitments. Following a discussion of these issues, this chapter maps the competencies in the two disciplines to illustrate the alignment of professional skills and attributes demonstrated during placement experiences. The aim of this exercise is to show how the attributes can be aligned and documented to enable students to link the theoretical concepts learned at university with real-world practices. This discussion provides a foundation for the next chapter, which addresses how these competencies can be a source of reflection for students and, further, embedded into an on-line system for documentation and assessment purposes

Can ePortfolios assist university students\u27 work integrated learning? exploring professional competencies in nursing and construction management

E-learning has increasingly come to the fore as a means to enhance students’ learning, and in particular, learning in the work place. Relevant professional bodies require Nursing and Construction Management (CM) university students to engage in practical/clinical placement experiences as part of their required activities. This paper explores whether ePortfolios have a significant role to play in demonstrating and improving students’ skills learnt from these practical placements in relation to their undergraduate studies. A recently awarded Australian Learning and Teaching Council project entitled ‘Facilitating work integrated learning through skills-enabled e-portfolios in the CM and Nursing disciplines’ conducted at the University of Newcastle investigates students’ work-based learning and assessment within the two disciplines. The project’s main aim is to develop a learning framework that will showcase to students how their university courses relate to each other and how the skills and competencies they acquire on campus and during their workbased experiences are integrated to enable them to graduate as qualified professionals in their discipline. A component of the project aims to explore whether ePortfolio platforms and e-learning technologies can both facilitate and support students’ learning engagement with their work integrated learning through the demonstration of these skills. Derived from the outcomes of the project’s initial phase, this paper presents the development of a learning framework that encourages reflective learning during work-based activities. It then sets out to explain how this framework can be linked to the use of ePortfolios. The process of creating the framework has so far involved an analysis of competencies from different accreditation bodies resulting in a hierarchy of skill sets within these competencies. It then analyses how different ePortfolios platforms could be used as a reflective online tool for students to help them link the knowledge learnt from their placement practices with the theoretical concepts learnt at university 189 (Levett-Jones, Fahey, Parsons, & Mitchell, 2006). Consequently, students could use their ePortfolio after graduating to demonstrate the practical experiences they have gained during their degree which would contribute to improving their professional skills in their respective fields. Further literature on students’ use of ePortfolios will be taken into account to demonstrate students own views of using ePortfolios for work based learning. In conclusion, the paper will examine how work based competencies can be documented and demonstrated through ePortfolios to enhance students work integrated learning

Worlds apart? developing a professional competency assessment framework that links university education with \u27real world\u27 practices in the construction management and nursing disciplines

An important part of higher education for the Nursing and Construction Management (Con Mgt) disciplines is to promote the professional competencies of their students. However, the disciplines at times are perceived not to support these professional competency requirements. This impacts heavily on students as these professions require graduates who are ‘work ready’ on finishing their degrees. To address this potential issue, Australian professional accreditation bodies prescribe professional competencies that University degrees need to deliver. In addition, many accreditation bodies require students to engage in periods of practical work experience [often referred to as work integrated learning (WIL)]. However, studies have shown that students often question the relevance of the theoretical concepts they are taught at university in relation to what they learn from their ‘real world’ workplace experiences. Indeed, students and academics sometimes regard WIL and university learning as unrelated entities. A recently awarded Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) research grant entitled ‘Facilitating work integrated learning through skills-enabled ePortfolios in the Con Mgt and Nursing disciplines’ is currently being conducted at the University of Newcastle, Australia. It is investigating WIL within the two disciplines and aims to demonstrate how these practical skills may be embedded into ePortfolio platforms. The project deliverables will include online resources which align WIL with formal learning, reports on the potential of ePortfolios to enhance WIL practice, online teaching resources and support for academics incorporating WIL in their formal lessons and finally, discipline specific continuing professional development modules that link WIL with formal university curricula. Still in its initial stages, the project aims to develop a robust learning framework that facilitates and encourages reflective learning during students’ WIL activities. Such a framework will enable students to link theoretical concepts they have learnt at university with their practical experiences. To-date the project has been developing competency alignments for the framework that will showcase to students how their university courses relate to each other and to their profession. The framework shows how the skills and competencies students acquire at university and during WIL meld together to enable them to graduate as professionals in their respective disciplines. The process of creating the framework has so far involved an analysis of competencies from different accreditation bodies resulting in a hierarchy of skill sets within these competencies. For instance, generic synergies such as; ethical practice, team communication and occupation health and safety practice were identified in the competency domains. This paper will discuss the proposed learning framework development and review data gathered for the project. It will also discuss some of the related issues arising from developing the framework. In conclusion, the paper will examine how work based competencies can be documented, demonstrated and assessed to enhance students learning outcomes to strive towards creating a learning environment consisting of both practical and theoretical knowledge

Can ePortfolios assist students’ learning in the work place? exploring students’ demonstration of their professional work experience through ePortfolios in the construction management and nursing disciplines

E-portfolios have increasingly come to the fore as a means to enhance students’ learning, and in particular, to enhance work integrated learning. Nevertheless, literature often warns of putting too much emphasis on these online technologies as the answer for improving students’ learning experiences (Cotterill et al., 2005; Hung & Der-Thanq, 2001; Klenowski, Askew, & Carnell, 2006). Professional bodies in Australia require nursing and construction management university students to engage in practical/clinical placement experiences, such as working on construction sites and in clinical settings, as a requisite component of the undergraduate degree. This paper explores whether e-portfolios have a role to play in documenting and demonstrating the skills gained from work integrated learning experiences in relation to students’ undergraduate studies. A recently awarded Australian Learning and Teaching Council project entitled ‘Facilitating work integrated learning through skills-enabled e-portfolios in the construction management and nursing disciplines’ conducted at the University of Newcastle, Australia, is investigating work integrated learning and assessment in the two disciplines. Students in these disciplines are required to complete periods of industrial/clinical experience. The project’s main aim is to develop a learning framework that will showcase to students how their university courses relate to each other and how the skills and competencies they acquire on campus and off campus (during work integrated learning experiences) can be integrated to enable them to graduate as qualified professionals. A component of the project aims to explore whether eportfolio platforms and e-learning technologies can both facilitate and support students’ learning and engagement with their work integrated learning. Derived from the outcomes of the project’s initial phase, this paper presents the development of a learning framework that encourages reflective learning during work based activities. It then explains how this framework can be incorporated in e-portfolios. The framework may be embedded into different e-portfolio platforms and used as a reflective tool assisting students to link the knowledge gained from their placement/industrial experiences with the theoretical concepts learnt at university (T Levett-Jones, Fahey, Parsons, & Mitchell, 2006). Potentially, students could use their e-portfolio following graduation to demonstrate the acquisition of professional skills relevant to their respective fields. Further, data gathered on students’ responses to the use of e-portfolios will be taken into account to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of using e-portfolios for work integrated learning