Lessons from Five Years of Funding Digital Coursework, Executive Summary

As the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success strategy enters its fifth year of learning technology investments, it is a good time to take stock of what has been learned and to draw implications for future investments. The foundation asked SRI Education to review the major courseware-related projects in the Postsecondary Success portfolio and provide an independent synthesis of findings.The foundation identified the 12 major postsecondary courseware-related projects in Exhibit 1 as sufficiently completed to contribute to SRI's review. Three of the projects were actually sets of multiple grants or subgrants addressing a common goal. In total, the courseware investments reviewed by SRI involved 137 courses and represented approximately 90% of the foundation's financial investment in postsecondary courseware over the last five years.Primary data sources for this synthesis and review were final and interim reports submitted by the 12 projects and their subgrantees, interviews with principal investigators, and project-related research articles and additional data provided in response to SRI's request. Proposals, RFPs (requests for proposals), and project websites provided additional background information.SRI analyzed the features of the 137 different courses developed or evaluated through these projects and performed a quantitative meta-analysis of student outcomes for those projects that provided the data needed to estimate the impact of the project's courseware.It is important to keep in mind that this review reflects a window in time. Technology advances rapidly, and product features and approaches that are commonplace today were either just emerging or even unheard of in 2009 when the first of the grants reviewed here was awarded. To take a prominent example, MOOCs (massive open online courses) as they are known today did not really arrive on the scene until 2012, and the MOOCs that were the products of some of the Postsecondary Success grants reviewed here were using early versions of MOOC platforms that have since been revised

Balancing International Aspirations with Honors Expectations: Expanding Honors to a Branch Campus in Florence, Italy

Education abroad has the potential to leave a deep and transformative impact on the lives of honors students. That education abroad and a broader focus on the larger world beyond the boundaries of campuses comprises a core value of many honors programs and colleges comes as no surprise. In addition to providing a rigorous education and undergraduate research opportunities, many honors programs aspire to making their students more cosmopolitan in their worldview. The philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah explains that cosmopolitanism blends two important values: it stretches us “beyond those to whom we are related by the ties of kith and kind, and even the more formal ties of a shared citizenship,” and helps us recognize that “[p]eople are different . . . and there is much to learn from our differences” (xv). Cosmopolitanism has intrinsic and extrinsic value for honors students and indeed for all students studying abroad. Studying abroad exposes students to art, languages, philosophies, and cultures that can enrich their understanding of the range of human expression and ideas, and they learn important lessons about their own humanity and the world around them. On its own terms, this engagement with an increasingly complex world, opens their eyes to relevant and living alternatives to many of the beliefs and practices they embrace, often only through the force of custom, habit, or convenience. Education abroad also has an instrumental purpose in building and sharpening essential intellectual and interpersonal skills that play a critical role in students’ academic, personal, and professional development (Dwyer; Dwyer and Peters). While abroad, students may develop important critical reasoning skills and intellectual virtues (Nguyen), as well as greater confidence, maturity, empathy, and creativity (Gray et al.; Maddux and Galinsky). International experiences are also linked to the honors thesis project in unexpected but significant ways, and they sometimes alter career paths and graduate degrees pursued after graduation (Markus et al.). Finally, education abroad uniquely prepares students to compete for selective international post-graduate opportunities, including the Fulbright Student Program and the Marshall and Rhodes scholarships. These benefits appear to impact students positively long after graduation (Mulvaney, “Long-Term Impact”—also reprinted in this volume)

Determination of a predictive cleavage motif for eluted major histocompatibility complex class II ligands

CD4+ T cells have a major role in regulating immune responses. They are activated by recognition of peptides mostly generated from exogenous antigens through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II pathway. Identification of epitopes is important and computational prediction of epitopes is used widely to save time and resources. Although there are algorithms to predict binding affinity of peptides to MHC II molecules, no accurate methods exist to predict which ligands are generated as a result of natural antigen processing. We utilized a dataset of around 14,000 naturally processed ligands identified by mass spectrometry of peptides eluted from MHC class II expressing cells to investigate the existence of sequence signatures potentially related to the cleavage mechanisms that liberate the presented peptides from their source antigens. This analysis revealed preferred amino acids surrounding both N- and C-terminuses of ligands, indicating sequence-specific cleavage preferences. We used these cleavage motifs to develop a method for predicting naturally processed MHC II ligands, and validated that it had predictive power to identify ligands from independent studies. We further confirmed that prediction of ligands based on cleavage motifs could be combined with predictions of MHC binding, and that the combined prediction had superior performance. However, when attempting to predict CD4+ T cell epitopes, either alone or in combination with MHC binding predictions, predictions based on the cleavage motifs did not show predictive power. Given that peptides identified as epitopes based on CD4+ T cell reactivity typically do not have well-defined termini, it is possible that motifs are present but outside of the mapped epitope. Our attempts to take that into account computationally did not show any sign of an increased presence of cleavage motifs around well-characterized CD4+ T cell epitopes. While it is possible that our attempts to translate the cleavage motifs in MHC II ligand elution data into T cell epitope predictions were suboptimal, other possible explanations are that the cleavage signal is too diluted to be detected, or that elution data are enriched for ligands generated through an antigen processing and presentation pathway that is less frequently utilized for T cell epitopes.Fil: Paul, Sinu. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Karosiene, Edita. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Dhanda, Sandeep Kumar. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Jurtz, Vanessa. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Edwards, Lindy. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Nielsen, Morten. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentina. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Sette, Alessandro. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unidos. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Peters, Bjoern. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados Unidos. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unido

The acquisition of clostridium difficile-associated disease: the role of nutritional care

In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified Clostridium difficile, the bacterium responsible for Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD), as one of the three most threatening microorganisms to human health. C. difficile has outpaced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as the most common healthcare pathogen, and is currently the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and gastroenteritis-related deaths in the United States. Advances in research, national campaigns for healthcare safety, mandated disease reporting, legislation for hospital accountability, and the creation of new antibiotics have all proven ineffective. The current treatment standards, which have been utilized since the discovery of C. difficile pathogenesis in pseudomembranous colitis in the 1970’s, have shown waning effectiveness and may actually increase disease recurrence and treatment failure. Interest in non-antibiotic alternatives, the evolving understanding of the microbiome as a critical defense against pathogens, and the efficacy of oral nutrition supplements in hospitalized populations with gastrointestinal disease suggest that targeted nutritional therapy may provide a clinical benefit. The intestinal microbiota can be modified by diet, and is critical for immunity, metabolism, synthesis of vitamins and other bioactive substances, and resistance against pathogens; the microbiota prevents pathogen adherence directly through physical competition, and indirectly through the proliferation of anti-inflammatory and antibiotic-like substances. Any event that disturbs the microbiome may allow opportunistic pathogens, like C. difficile, to adhere, colonize, and produce disease. Therefore, the ability to protect or reestablish the microbiota could have vast therapeutic implications. Preliminary data suggest that nutritional status may relate directly to CDAD susceptibility. CDAD patients show markedly reduced gastrointestinal microbial diversity, which may promote pathological colonization and disease recurrence. Possible methods of repopulating the GI tract with healthful bacteria include fecal microbiota transplants and the administration of probiotics or prebiotics. The recent popularity of fecal transplants for treatment of GI infections is promising, but the process is expensive, unregulated, and aesthetically unappealing. Similarly, the ingestion of probiotics has generally shown potential in patients with recurrent CDAD, but premature degradation in the upper GI tract can be problematic, and caution is advised for use in critically ill or immunocompromised patients. Although prebiotics have the unique advantage of being well-tolerated, stable, commercially available, and easily incorporated into the diet, clinical studies in this area have been diverse, small, and scarce. Improvements in human studies have been attributed to measurable elevations in butyrate, an anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acid byproduct of prebiotic fermentation, as well as an attenuated pro-inflammatory cytokine response. The first aim of this research was to summarize the existing clinical literature regarding prebiotic administration and CDAD with a systematic review. The systematic review search identified five studies, yet only three were suitable for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Studies were heterogenous, but appeared to slightly, though not significantly, favor prebiotics, as 35/374 (9.36%) supplemented patients experienced CDAD compared to 64/393 (16.28%) patients in the control groups (OR 0.43, P=0.05). Neither side effects nor mortality differed between treatments, and further research is needed to determine whether prebiotics may provide a clinical benefit for either current or potential CDAD patients. We next evaluated medical records from Carle Foundation Hospital (CFH) in two separate time periods to identify risk factors for CDAD and to determine whether malnutrition was related to CDAD prevalence and patient outcomes. A month-long preliminary study identified six risk factors (advanced age, admission from another healthcare unit or facility, recent hospitalization, and a history of diarrhea or documented CDAD diagnosis within the previous year) correlated with CDAD prevalence. These risk factors were then used to separate 1,277 patients from 2014, and then 973 patients from 2016, into high-risk groups for primary studies. Initial analysis revealed that advanced age, previous diarrhea, previous CDAD, malnutrition, nutrition consultation requests, and admission from a healthcare facility were individually associated with CDAD diagnosis in both 2014 and 2016. However, when multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictor variables for CDAD, only previous CDAD (OR 111.49, P<0.0001), age ≥65 years (OR 0.43, P=0.004), nutrition consultation requests (OR 1.70, P=0.04), and BMI (OR 0.96, P=0.02) retained significance in 2014, and only previous CDAD (OR 52.95, P<0.0001) and nutrition consultation requests (OR 1.96, P=0.004) in 2016. Although malnutrition was not independently associated with CDAD, we believe that it may more accurately mirror critical overlooked factors, such as frailty or comorbidity. CDAD prevalence did not change between 2014 and 2016 (18.6% vs 17.7%, P=0.57), although both malnutrition (10.4% vs 14.7%, P=0.002) and mortality (14.9% vs 18.9%, P=0.01) increased within the same time period. While our retrospective studies showed many consistencies between the two years and appeared to successfully identify high-risk patients within our sample, data restrictions prevented assessment of disease severity. Both the prevalence of malnutrition and CDAD were unusually low in comparison with national averages for hospitalized patients. Although the exclusive use of a high-risk group prevents comparison with current literature, we intend to use the results of these projects to better direct interventions to prevent CDAD in at-risk individuals, and thereby mitigate bacterial transmission and lessen the overall CDAD disease burden

Exploring How Well UK Coach Education Meets the Needs of Women Sports Coaches

Inclusive and equitable processes are important to the development of sports coaching. The aim of this study was to explore how well UK coach education meets the needs of women sports coaches in order to make recommendations to further enhance the engagement of, and support for, aspiring and existing women coaches. The national governing bodies (NGBs) of four sports (Cycling, Equestrian, Gymnastics and Rowing) volunteered to participate and semi-structured interviews using the tenants of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) within a Self Determination Theory (SDT) framework were undertaken with 23 coaches, eight coach educators and five NGB officers. The data themed into an analytic structure derived from SDT comprising ‘Autonomy: Freedom to coach’, ‘Coaching competence’, and ‘Relatedness and belonging’. The coaches perceived potential benefit from enhanced relatedness and belonging within their sport with the findings suggesting that NGBs should embrace coach-led decision making in terms of the developmental topics which are important and should adopt the development of competence, rather than assessing technical understanding, as the foundational principle of more inclusive coach education. Future research should investigate the impact of the inclusive practices which are recommended within this investigation such as the softening of the technocratic focus of formal coach education

What do we know about livestock diseases in Ethiopia? A birds-eye view of recent evidence

The systematic evidence map allows users to quickly take stock of evidence on livestock disease prevalence and mortality. The map reveals the distribution and quantity of available evidence, and highlights areas for further investment and research

Machine Learning Reveals a Non-Canonical Mode of Peptide Binding to MHC class II Molecules

MHC class II molecules play a fundamental role in the cellular immune system: they load short peptide fragments derived from extracellular proteins and present them on the cell surface. It is currently thought that the peptide binds lying more or less flat in the MHC groove, with a fixed distance of nine amino acids between the first and last residue in contact with the MHCII. While confirming that the great majority of peptides bind to the MHC using this canonical mode, we report evidence for an alternative, less common mode of interaction. A fraction of observed ligands were shown to have an unconventional spacing of the anchor residues that directly interact with the MHC, which could only be accommodated to the canonical MHC motif either by imposing a more stretched out peptide backbone (an 8mer core) or by the peptide bulging out of the MHC groove (a 10mer core). We estimated that on average 2% of peptides bind with a core deletion, and 0·45% with a core insertion, but the frequency of such non‐canonical cores was as high as 10% for certain MHCII molecules. A mutational analysis and experimental validation of a number of these anomalous ligands demonstrated that they could only fit to their MHC binding motif with a non‐canonical binding core of length different from nine. This previously undescribed mode of peptide binding to MHCII molecules gives a more complete picture of peptide presentation by MHCII and allows us to model more accurately this event.Fil: Andreatta, Massimo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Jurtz, Vanessa I.. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Kaever, Thomas. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Sette, Alessandro. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Peters, Bjoern. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Nielsen, Morten. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentina. Technical University of Denmark; Dinamarc

Techno-economic model of a second-life energy storage system for utility-scale solar power considering li-ion calendar and cycle aging

While the use of energy storage combined with grid-scale photovoltaic power plants continues to grow, given current lithium-ion battery prices, there remains uncertainty about the profitability of these solar-plus-storage projects. At the same time, the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles is creating a fleet of millions of lithium-ion batteries that will be deemed unsuitable for the transportation industry once they reach 80 percent of their original capacity. The repurposing and deployment of these batteries as stationary energy storage provides an opportunity to reduce the cost of solar-plus-storage systems, if the economics can be proven. We present a techno-economic model of a solar-plus-second-life energy storage project in California, including a data-based model of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide battery degradation, to predict its capacity fade over time, and compare it to a project that uses a new lithium-ion battery. By setting certain control policy limits, to minimize cycle aging, we show that a system with SOC limits in a 65 to 15 percent range, extends the project life to over 16 years, assuming a battery reaches its end-of-life at 60 percent of its original capacity. Under these conditions, a second-life project is more economically favorable than a project that uses a new battery and 85 to 20 percent SOC limits, for second-life battery costs that are less than 80 percent of the new battery. The same system reaches break-even and profitability for second-life battery costs that are less than 60 percent of the new battery. Our model shows that using current benchmarked data for the capital and O&M costs of solar-plus-storage systems, and a semi-empirical data-based degradation model, it is possible for EV manufacturers to sell second-life batteries for less than 60 percent of their original price to developers of profitable solar-plus-storage projects.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Principal Leadership in a Virtual Environment

Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, which supports efforts to promote effective school leadership, this report sets out to define what high-quality, equitable learning looks like in a virtual environment. It poses questions for school district leaders to ask if they want to develop principals who can lead their schools to this type of learning. It also describes strategies for districts to consider in efforts to develop a whole pipeline of principals adept at high-quality, equitable virtual learning—using a definition of an "aligned, comprehensive principal pipeline" that emerged through research and field work funded by The Wallace Foundation. The report is based on an examination of research literature supplemented by interviews with 11 principals and administrators knowledgeable about virtual learning. It also draws on Digital Promise's experience in working with schools and school districts. The final chapter looks at topics that merit further exploration in the areas of virtual learning, equity, and school leadership

Innovation activities of firms in Germany - results of the German CIS 2012 and 2014 : background report on the surveys of the Mannheim Innovation Panel conducted in the years 2013 to 2016

Innovation is regarded as a key driver of productivity and market growth and thus has a great potential for increasing wealth. Surveying innovation activities of firms is an important contribution to a better understanding of the process of innovation and how policy may intervene to maximise the social returns of private investment into innovation. Over the past three decades, research has developed a detailed methodology to collect and analyse innovation activities at the firm level. The Oslo Manual, published by OECD and Eurostat (2005) is one important outcome of these efforts. In 1993 both organisations have started a joint initiative, known as the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), to collect firm level data on innovation across countries in concord (with each other). The German contribution to this activity is the so-called Mannheim Innovation Panel (MIP), an annual survey implemented with the first CIS wave in 1993. The MIP fully applies the methodological recommendations laid down in the Oslo Manual. It is designed as a panel survey, i.e. the same gross sample of firms is surveyed each year, with a biannual refreshment of the sample. The MIP is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) and the Institute for Applied Social Science (infas). This publication reports main results of the MIP surveys conducted in the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The surveys of the years 2013 and 2015 were the German contribution to the CIS for the reference years 2012 and 2014. The purpose of this report is to present descriptive results on various innovation indicators for the German enterprise sector