Closing the communications loop on the computerized peer‐assessment of essays

The use of self‐ and peer‐assessment is not new to higher education. Traditionally its use has required the complex and time‐consuming management of coursework submissions by the tutor, in an attempt to maintain validity and anonymity of the assessment process. In the last few years a number of computerized systems have been developed that are capable of automatically supporting, managing and performing the assessment process. The requirement for student anonymity and the release of the tutor from the process of marking have reduced the ability to develop the iterative process of feedback. This feedback is considered essential in supporting student learning and developing reflective practice. This paper describes the enhancement of a computerized assessment system to support anonymous computer‐mediated discussion between marker and marked having previously performed peer‐assessment. A detailed description is provided of the integrated assessment process, and an analysis of the use of this anonymous discussion is presented. Anonymous student feedback is presented and analyzed with respect to the perceived benefits of using the system with respect to enhancing the student learning process

Landmark-based morphometric and meristic variations of endangered mrigal carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosus (Bloch 1795), from wild and hatchery stocks

Wild stocks of endangered mrigal carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosus (Bloch 1795), continues to decline rapidly in the Indo-Ganges river basin. With an objective to evaluate its population status, landmark-based morphometric and meristic variations among three different stocks viz., hatchery (Jessore), baor (Gopalganj) and river (Faridpur) in Bangladesh were studied. Significant differences were observed in 10 of the 15 morphometric measurements viz., head length, standard length, fork length, length of base of spinous, pre-orbital length, eye length, post-orbital length, length of upper jaw, height of pelvic fin and barbel length, two of the 8 meristic counts viz., scales above the lateral line and pectoral fin rays and 10 of the 22 truss network measurements viz., 1 to 10, 2 to 3, 2 to 8, 2 to 9, 2 to 10, 3 to 4, 3 to 8, 4 to 5, 4 to 7 and 9 to 10 among the stocks. For morphometric and landmark measurements, the 1st discriminant function (DF) accounted for 58.1% and the 2nd DF accounted for 41.9% of the among-group variability. In discriminant space, the river stock was isolated from the other two stocks. On the other hand, baor and hatchery stocks formed a very compact cluster. A dendrogram based on the hierarchical cluster analysis using morphometric and truss distance data placed the hatchery and baor in one cluster and the river in another cluster and the distance between the river and hatchery populations was the highest. Morphological differences among stocks are expected, because of their geographical isolation and their origin from different ancestors. The baseline information derived from the present study would be useful for genetic studies and in the assessment of environmental impacts on C. cirrhosus populations in Bangladesh

A paraplegic patient with fever and leucocytosis: not always what it seems

A 54-year-old obese woman with a history of spina bifida was admitted to the hospital with malaise and fever accompanied by leucocytosis, thrombocytosis, and hypercalcaemia. As treatment for neurogenic bladder dysfunction she had a suprapubic catheter. Diagnostic workup for osteomyelitis revealed an unknown mass originating from the urinary bladder on MRI of the pelvis. Further diagnostic analyses showed that the mass was a squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) with laboratory abnormalities as paraneoplastic phenomena mediated by PTH-related peptide and cytokines released by the SCC. Despite radiotherapy the patient died within two months after initial diagnosis. Squamous-cell carcinoma of the bladder is rare in western countries. In unresectable or metastatic disease survival rates are low due to low responsiveness to standard chemotherapy. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy might be an alternative in unresectable or locally advanced disease; however, evidence to support this is lacking. The poor survival in these patients raises the question of whether high-risk groups for SCC of the bladder, like paraplegic patients or patient with neurogenic bladder dysfunction, should receive screening even though the ideal starting point and frequency are still unknown.

Anterior joint capsule of the normal hip and in children with transient synovitis: US study with anatomic and histologic correlation

PURPOSE: To study the anatomic components of the anterior joint capsule of the normal hip and in children with transient synovitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six cadaveric specimens were imaged with ultrasonography (US) with special attention to the anterior joint capsule. Subsequently, two specimens were analyzed histologically. These anatomic findings were correlated with the US findings in 58 healthy children and 105 children with unilateral transient synovitis. RESULTS: The anterior joint capsule comprises an anterior and posterior layer, mainly composed of fibrous tissue, lined by only a minute synovial membrane. Both fibrous layers were identified separately at US in 98 of 116 (84%) hips of healthy subjects and in all hips with transient synovitis. Overall, the anterior layer was thicker than the posterior layer. In transient synovitis compared with normal hips, no significant thickening of both layers was present (P = .24 and .57 for the anterior and posterior layers, respectively). Normal variants include plicae, local thickening of the capsule, and pseudodiverticula. CONCLUSION: Increased thickness of the anterior joint capsule in transient synovitis is caused entirely by effusion. There is no US evidence for additional capsule swelling or synovial hypertrophy

Adaptive time-lapse optimized survey design for electrical resistivity tomography monitoring

Adaptive optimal experimental design methods use previous data and results to guide the choice and design of future experiments. This paper describes the formulation of an adaptive survey design technique to produce optimal resistivity imaging surveys for time-lapse geoelectrical monitoring experiments. These survey designs are time-dependent and, compared to dipole–dipole or static optimized surveys that do not change over time, focus a greater degree of the image resolution on regions of the subsurface that are actively changing. The adaptive optimization method is validated using a controlled laboratory monitoring experiment comprising a well-defined cylindrical target moving along a trajectory that changes its depth and lateral position. The algorithm is implemented on a standard PC in conjunction with a modified automated multichannel resistivity imaging system. Data acquisition using the adaptive survey designs requires no more time or power than with comparable standard surveys, and the algorithm processing takes place while the system batteries recharge. The results show that adaptively designed optimal surveys yield a quantitative increase in image quality over and above that produced by using standard dipole–dipole or static (time–independent) optimized surveys

Penerapan Metode Analytical Hierarchy Process Pada Seleksi Calon Ketua Skynav

Skynav adalah mitra kerja di perusahaan Airnav Indonesia yang tujuannya memperjuangkan hak-hak karyawan . Seleksi calon ketua Skaynav melibatkan unit Telnav, Listrik, Operasi, Keuangan, Personalia Umum dan Komunikasi Penerbangan dengan ditunjuk langsung oleh setiap pimpinan unit, kemudian masing-masing calon akan dipilih dengan pemungutuan suara untuk menjadi ketua Skynav. Seleksi calon ketua selama ini dirasa kurang objektif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan analisis dalam seleksi calon ketua berdasarkan penilaian objektif terhadap kompetensi mereka. Kriteria yang digunakan untuk seleksi adalah pendidikan, ketrampilan manajerial, keahlian, kedisiplinan dan kepribadian serta subkriteria dan sub-subkriterianya yang membuat proses penilaian menjadi kompleks. Metode yang digunakan Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) yang mampu menangani tingkat kompleksitas dari kriteria. Penilaian tingkat kepentingan dari setiap elemen kriteria diperoleh dari hasil kuisioner yang diisi oleh masing-masing pimpinan unit. Hasil analisis yang diperoleh menunjukkan nilai numerik obyektif yang memuaskan masing-masing kandidat dimana irianto 0.84, Hidayat 0.83, Supriadi 0.62 dan Simon 0.74.Nilai tertinggi dari hasil analisis ini dijadikan rekomendasi kepada pimpinan unit untuk diusulkan menjadi  calon ketua Skynav

Adaptive time-lapse optimized survey design for electrical resistivity tomography monitoring

Adaptive optimal experimental design methods use previous data and results to guide the choice and design of future experiments. This paper describes the formulation of an adaptive survey design technique to produce optimal resistivity imaging surveys for time-lapse geoelectrical monitoring experiments. These survey designs are time-dependent and, compared to dipole-dipole or static optimized surveys that do not change over time, focus a greater degree of the image resolution on regions of the subsurface that are actively changing. The adaptive optimization method is validated using a controlled laboratory monitoring experiment comprising a well-defined cylindrical target moving along a trajectory that changes its depth and lateral position. The algorithm is implemented on a standard PC in conjunction with a modified automated multichannel resistivity imaging system. Data acquisition using the adaptive survey designs requires no more time or power than with comparable standard surveys, and the algorithm processing takes place while the system batteries recharge. The results show that adaptively designed optimal surveys yield a quantitative increase in image quality over and above that produced by using standard dipole-dipole or static (time-independent) optimized survey

Connected Green function approach to ground state symmetry breaking in Φ1+14\Phi^4_{1+1}-theory

Using the cluster expansions for n-point Green functions we derive a closed set of dynamical equations of motion for connected equal-time Green functions by neglecting all connected functions higher than $4^{th}$ order for the $\lambda \Phi^4$-theory in $1+1$ dimensions. We apply the equations to the investigation of spontaneous ground state symmetry breaking, i.e. to the evaluation of the effective potential at temperature $T=0$. Within our momentum space discretization we obtain a second order phase transition (in agreement with the Simon-Griffith theorem) and a critical coupling of $\lambda_{crit}/4m^2=2.446$ as compared to a first order phase transition and $\lambda_{crit}/4m^2=2.568$ from the Gaussian effective potential approach.Comment: 25 Revtex pages, 5 figures available via fpt from the directory ugi-94-11 of [email protected] as one postscript file (there was a bug in our calculations, all numerical results and figures have changed significantly), ugi-94-1

Unitarity as preservation of entropy and entanglement in quantum systems

The logical structure of Quantum Mechanics (QM) and its relation to other fundamental principles of Nature has been for decades a subject of intensive research. In particular, the question whether the dynamical axiom of QM can be derived from other principles has been often considered. In this contribution, we show that unitary evolutions arise as a consequences of demanding preservation of entropy in the evolution of a single pure quantum system, and preservation of entanglement in the evolution of composite quantum systems.Comment: To be submitted to the special issue of Foundations of Physics on the occassion of the seventieth birthday of Emilio Santos. v2: 10 pages, no figures, RevTeX4; Corrected and extended version, containing new results on consequences of entanglement preservatio