Interrogating the construct of communicative competence in language assessment contexts:What the non-language specialist can tell us

Models of communicative competence in a second language invoked in defining the construct of widely used tests of communicative language ability have drawn largely on the work of language specialists. The risk of exclusive reliance on language expertise to conceptualize, design and administer language tests is that test scores may carry meanings that are misaligned with the values of non-language specialists, that is, those without language expertise but perhaps with expert knowledge in the domain of concern. Neglect of the perspective of lay (i.e., non-linguistic) judges on language and communication is a serious validity concern, since they are the ultimate arbiters of what matters for effective communication in the relevant context of language use. The paper reports on three research studies exploring the validity of rating scales used to assess speaking performance on a number of high-stakes English-language tests developed for professional or general proficiency assessment purposes in Korea, Australia, China, and the UK. Drawing on Jacoby and McNamara's (1999) notion of “indigenous assessment”, each project attempted to identify the values underlying non-language specialists' judgements of spoken communication as they rated test performance or participated in focus-group workshops where they viewed and commented on video- or audio-recorded samples of performance in the relevant real-world domain. The findings of these studies raise the question of whether language can or should be assessed as object independently of the content which it conveys or without regard for the goal and context of the communication. The studies' findings also cast doubt on the notion that the native speaker should always serve as benchmark for judging communicative effectiveness, especially with tests of language for specific purposes, where native speakers and second-language learners alike may lack the requisite skills for the kind of effective interaction demanded by the context

The Grizzly, September 8, 1989

Hudson Gets $ Flowing • Earth Day Seed Planted • French Studies Papa\u27s Notes • Lopez Lures Listeners • Kruse Spot to Dawleys House • Presidential Candidates • Victory at GB Classic • Captains Lead Attack • Gros Sets Goals • Quest Continues • V-ball: Ichiban! • Coaches Added • Optimistic Lady Bears Start Season • Beaches No Bumshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1239/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 56, No. 2, Spring 1990

• Brasil • Plastic Flowers • Be a Pepper • Grunge • Handling the Responsibility • Returning to the Forest • How Nice • Nooze • Emma • Restoration • Chestnuts • Frozen Moments • Once Upon A • Clipped Wings • Gerard Manley Hopkins • Roaches • In Grand Central • The Steelville Shark • Panama 1989 • Betrayal • Violations • Detourhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1136/thumbnail.jp

​Residential mobility:Towards progress in mobility health research

Research into health disparities has long recognized the importance of residential mobility as a crucial factor in determining health outcomes. However, a lack of connectivity between the health and mobility literatures has led to a stagnation of theory and application on the health side, which lacks the detail and temporal perspectives now seen as critical to understanding residential mobility decisions. Through a critical re-think of mobility processes with respect to health outcomes and an exploitation of longitudinal analytical techniques, we argue that health geographers have the potential to better understand and identify the relationship that residential mobility has with health.“The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 615159 (ERC Consolidator Grant DEPRIVEDHOODS, Socio-spatial inequality, deprived neighbourhoods, and neighbourhood effects)”OLD Urban Renewal and Housin

The Grizzly, November 17, 1989

Inspired Voices Speak Out Nationally • Appealing for Unborn Lives • Boorstin Speaks at U.C. • Letters: Pledging Under Siege; Grizzly Growls; Did Berman Ask You?; Doctors do it Right; Only Doug; Wipe Mud From Shoudt\u27s Face; Wrong!; GDI Promotes Disunity • Changing Dining Atmosphere • Save a Forest: Recycle! • Career Day • Running Bears Finish Strong • Grizzlies Downed by Devils • Ladies Finish Winning Season • Praise Hockey Team • Swimming Prospectives • Greek News • Stroke on A\u27Bears • Don\u27t Talk Dirty to Me • Top Ten Things Loved at U.C.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1247/thumbnail.jp

Particulate Matter (PM) Research Centers (1999–2005) and the Role of Interdisciplinary Center-Based Research

Objective: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded five academic centers in 1999 to address the uncertainties in exposure, toxicity, and health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) identified in the “Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter” of the National Research Council (NRC). The centers were structured to promote interdisciplinary approaches to address research priorities of the NRC. In this report, we present selected accomplishments from the first 6 years of the PM Centers, with a focus on the advantages afforded by the interdisciplinary, center-based research approach. The review highlights advances in the area of ultrafine particles and traffic-related health effects as well as cardiovascular and respiratory effects, mechanisms, susceptibility, and PM exposure and characterization issues. Data sources and synthesis: The collective publications of the centers served as the data source. To provide a concise synthesis of overall findings, authors representing each of the five centers identified a limited number of topic areas that serve to illustrate the key accomplishments of the PM Centers program, and a consensus statement was developed. Conclusions: The PM Centers program has effectively applied interdisciplinary research approaches to advance PM science

A single cell characterisation of human embryogenesis identifies pluripotency transitions and putative anterior hypoblast centre.

Following implantation, the human embryo undergoes major morphogenetic transformations that establish the future body plan. While the molecular events underpinning this process are established in mice, they remain unknown in humans. Here we characterise key events of human embryo morphogenesis, in the period between implantation and gastrulation, using single-cell analyses and functional studies. First, the embryonic epiblast cells transition through different pluripotent states and act as a source of FGF signals that ensure proliferation of both embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. In a subset of embryos, we identify a group of asymmetrically positioned extra-embryonic hypoblast cells expressing inhibitors of BMP, NODAL and WNT signalling pathways. We suggest that this group of cells can act as the anterior singalling centre to pattern the epiblast. These results provide insights into pluripotency state transitions, the role of FGF signalling and the specification of anterior-posterior axis during human embryo development

Associations between branched chain amino acid intake and biomarkers of adiposity and cardiometabolic health independent of genetic factors: a twin study

Background: Conflicting data exist on the impact of dietary and circulating levels of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) on cardiometabolic health and it is unclear to what extent these relations are mediated by genetics.  Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 1997 female twins we examined associations between BCAA intake, measured using food frequency-questionnaires, and a range of markers of cardiometabolic health, including DXA-measured body fat, blood pressure, HOMA-IR, highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipids. We also measured plasma concentrations of BCAA and known metabolites of amino acid metabolism using untargeted mass spectrometry. Using a within-twin design, multivariable analyses were used to compare the associations between BCAA intake and endpoints of cardiometabolic health, independently of genetic confounding.  Results: Higher BCAA intake was significantly associated with lower HOMA-IR (-0.1, Ptrend 0.02), insulin (-0.5 µU/mL, P-trend 0.03), hs-CRP -0.3 mg/L, P-trend 0.01), systolic blood pressure (-2.3 mm Hg, P-trend 0.01) and waist-to-height ratio (-0.01, P-trend 0.04), comparing extreme quintiles of intake. These associations persisted in within-pair analysis for monozygotic twins for insulin resistance (P<0.01), inflammation (P=0.03), and blood pressure (P=0.04) suggesting independence from genetic confounding. There were no association between BCAA intake and plasma concentrations, although two metabolitespreviously associated with obesity were inversely associated with BCAA intake (alphahydroxyisovalerate and trans-4-hydroxyproline).  Conclusions: Higher intakes of BCAA were associated, independently of genetics, with lower insulin resistance, inflammation, blood pressure and adiposity-related metabolites. The BCAA intake associated with our findings are easily achievable in the habitual diet.  Abbreviations: BCAA, branched chain amino acids; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; DZ, dizygotic; FFQ, food frequency questionnaire; HDL-C, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; hs-CRP, high sensitivity C-reactive protein; MZ, monozygotic; SBP, systolic blood pressure; T2DM, type 2 diabetes; SBP, systolic blood pressure; WHtR, waist to height rati

The estimated prevalence of exposure to asthmagens in the Australian workforce

Background: There is very little information available on a national level as to the number of people exposed to specific asthmagens in workplaces. Methods: We conducted a national telephone survey in Australia to investigate the prevalence of current occupational exposure to 277 asthmagens, assembled into 27 groups. Demographic and current job information were obtained. A web-based tool, OccIDEAS, was used to collect job task information and assign exposure to each asthmagen group. Results: In the Australian Workplace Exposure Study – Asthma (AWES- Asthma) we interviewed 4878 participants (2441 male and 2437 female). Exposure to at least one asthmagen was more common among men (47 %) than women (40 %). Extrapolated to the Australian population, approximately 2.8 million men and 1.7 million women were estimated to be exposed. Among men, the most common exposures were bioaerosols (29 %) and metals (27 %), whilst the most common exposures among women were latex (25 %) and industrial cleaning and sterilising agents (20 %). Conclusions: This study provides information about the prevalence of exposure to asthmagens in Australian workplaces which will be useful in setting priorities for control and prevention of occupational asthma

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Particulate Matter Health Effects Research Centers Program: a midcourse report of status, progress, and plans.

In 1998 Congress mandated expanded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) health effects research on ambient air particulate matter (PM) and a National Research Council (NRC) committee to provide research oversight. The U.S. EPA currently supports intramural and extramural PM research, including five academically based PM centers. The PM centers in their first 2.5 years have initiated research directed at critical issues identified by the NRC committee, including collaborative activities, and sponsored scientific workshops in key research areas. Through these activities, there is a better understanding of PM health effects and scientific uncertainties. Future PM centers research will focus on long-term effects associated with chronic PM exposures. This report provides a synopsis of accomplishments to date, short-term goals (during the next 2.5 years) and longer-term goals. It consists of six sections: biological mechanisms, acute effects, chronic effects, dosimetry, exposure assessment, and the specific attributes of a coordinated PM centers program