Using Wikis to Support Peer Assessment Activities in Higher Education

This study explored the effectiveness of using wikis as an environment to support peer-assessment in higher education settings. The participants of this study were nineteen per-serviced teachers who enrolled in an undergraduate course on the application of instructional technologies in classroom. In the study, the participants created their personal wiki pages within a course wiki and formed groups of three or four. Five peer-assessment activities were assigned, in which the participants uploaded their class projects to their wiki pages and went to their group member’s pages to provide feedback. The participants were expected to evaluate other’s projects in terms of educational values, visual effects and the format. A short survey was conducted after each activity asking participants’ perceived learning and a post-survey was conducted at the end of the study to ask their general experience of peer-assessment activities in the wiki environment. The survey results and the analysis of participants’ wiki posts indicated that the wiki was an interactive environment that facilitated the peer-assessment effectively. With proper guidance, the participants were able to provide critical peer feedback within the wiki environment

Learning Outside of Classroom: Exploring the Active Part of an Informal Online English Learning Community in China

This study explored how the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum, an informal online language learning community in China, functioned to support its members to improve their English writing proficiency. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model was used as the theoretical framework to explore the existence of teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum. The transcript analysis of postings in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum was used to find the existence of teaching, cognitive presence, and social presence, and an adapted CoI survey was sent to members to measure their perceived teaching, cognitive, and social presences. The results showed strong evidences of teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence, and high levels of perceived teaching, cognitive, and social presences in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum. The well-designed technological environment, distributed teaching presence shared by moderators and members, and extensive evidences of social presence in the discussion forum worked together to support learning in the GRE Analytical Writing Section Discussion Forum

Dogs attending primary-care practice in England with clinical signs suggestive of Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia

Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia (CM/SM) in dogs describes a developmental disorder that can cause pain and reduced quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to report the period prevalence, clinical signs and risk factors for diagnosis of symptomatic CM/SM in the veterinary primary-care setting using a cross-sectional design. The study population included all dogs within the VetCompass Programme (September 1, 2009–June 13, 2014). Overall, the period prevalence of symptomatic CM/SM was 0.05 per cent (95 per cent CI 0.04 per cent to 0.06 per cent) for all breeds. The period prevalence in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) was 1.6 per cent (95 per cent CI 1.2 to 2.06). Other breeds at increased odds included the King Charles Spaniel (KCS), Affenpinscher, Chihuahua and Pomeranian. Insured dogs had 4.6 times the odds (95 per cent CI 2.95 to 7.17) of having a diagnosis of CM/SM compared with uninsured dogs. Pain was the most commonly associated clinical sign (67 dogs, 72 per cent). Analgesics were prescribed to 72 (77.4 per cent) of the symptomatic dogs. Despite its low overall period prevalence, the high proportion of affected dogs identified with chronic pain suggests a significant welfare issue. Financial implications could impede the diagnostic process and lead to underestimation of the true prevalence. This study may help to inform clinicians about the clinical relevance and the need for improved awareness of clinical signs, particularly in high-risk breeds, to optimise the management of CM/SM in primary-care practice

An exploration of the potential utility of fetal cardiovascular MRI as an adjunct to fetal echocardiography

Objectives: Fetal cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a potential alternative to echocardiography, although in practice, its use has been limited. We sought to explore the need for additional imaging in a tertiary fetal cardiology unit and the usefulness of standard MRI sequences. Methods: Cases where the diagnosis was not fully resolved using echocardiography were referred for MRI. Following a three‐plane localiser, fetal movement was assessed with a balanced steady‐state free precession (bSSFP) cine. Single‐shot fast spin echo and bSSFP sequences were used for diagnostic imaging. Results: Twenty‐two fetal cardiac MRIs were performed over 12 months, at mean gestation of 32 weeks (26–38 weeks). The majority of referrals were for suspected vascular abnormalities (17/22), particularly involving the aortic arch (n = 10) and pulmonary vessels (n = 4). Single‐shot fast spin echo sequences produced ‘black‐blood’ images, useful for examining the extracardiac vasculature in these cases. BSSFP sequences were more useful for intracardiac structures. Real‐time SSFP allowed for dynamic assessment of structures such as cardiac masses, with enhancement patterns also allowing for tissue characterisation in these cases. Conclusions: Fetal vascular abnormalities such as coarctation can be difficult to diagnose by using ultrasound. Fetal MRI may have an adjunctive role in the evaluation of the extracardiac vascular anatomy and tissue characterisation. © 2016 The Authors. Prenatal Diagnosis published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

3D Honeycomb‐Like Structured Graphene and Its High Efficiency as a Counter‐Electrode Catalyst for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99676/1/9210_ftp.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99676/2/anie_201303497_sm_miscellaneous_information.pd

The HY5-PIF regulatory module coordinates light and temperature control of photosynthetic gene transcription

The ability to interpret daily and seasonal alterations in light and temperature signals is essential for plant survival. This is particularly important during seedling establishment when the phytochrome photoreceptors activate photosynthetic pigment production for photoautotrophic growth. Phytochromes accomplish this partly through the suppression of phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), negative regulators of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis. While the bZIP transcription factor long hypocotyl 5 (HY5), a potent PIF antagonist, promotes photosynthetic pigment accumulation in response to light. Here we demonstrate that by directly targeting a common promoter cis-element (G-box), HY5 and PIFs form a dynamic activation-suppression transcriptional module responsive to light and temperature cues. This antagonistic regulatory module provides a simple, direct mechanism through which environmental change can redirect transcriptional control of genes required for photosynthesis and photoprotection. In the regulation of photopigment biosynthesis genes, HY5 and PIFs do not operate alone, but with the circadian clock. However, sudden changes in light or temperature conditions can trigger changes in HY5 and PIFs abundance that adjust the expression of common target genes to optimise photosynthetic performance and growth

Evaluating Adaptation Scenarios for Fishing Communities Facing Climate-Driven Species Changes

Climate projections indicate that ocean temperatures will continue increasing, potentially shifting the distribution of marine fish species and affecting the economics of the fishing industry and fishing communities. In this study, an integrated ecological-economic framework is used to evaluate the economic impacts of climate-driven species changes and assesses the value of specific adaptation strategies available to fishermen. A quantitative species distribution model coupled with qualitative expert vulnerability assessment ratings is used to project relative changes in the presence of over 50 commercially important fish species out to 2050 based on ocean temperatures projected by the CMIP5 ensemble of climate models (RCP 8.5 scenario). The results are used to estimate changes in species catchability, which are used as inputs to a port-specific economic optimization model. The optimization model assumes profit-maximizing behavior by the commercial fishing fleet at each port and adjusts the effort level of fishing activities— defined by the combination of gear used, vessel size, and species targeted— to changes in catchability. Future adaptation scenarios are elucidated through interviews and focus groups with fishermen and municipal leaders in diverse New England ports. The economic model is then used to assess how adaptation scenarios can buffer climate-related impacts and to evaluate the relative value of different adaptation options, such as switching gear types, species targeted, and fishing area. We also consider specific policy changes that may be required to facilitate adaptation and measure the potential benefits of such changes

Gender Differences in Relationship between Fat-Free Mass Index and Fat Mass Index among Korean Children Using Body Composition Chart

∙ The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2011 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licens