Revalume: Configurable Employee Evaluations in the Cloud

The software industry has seen a shift from annual to more frequent quarterly and even weekly employee reviews. As a result, there is a high demand for employee evaluations to be less costly and less time-consuming, while providing key insights for richer interactions between employees and their employers or managers. Tech com- panies are constantly looking for methods of producing high quality evaluations to prevent costly turnover. In an industry where software engineers are in high demand, tech companies face a challenging problem. Issues with employee evaluations typi- cally include the lack of performance transparency, unhelpful feedback, lack of metrics, lack of time, and lack of resources. This thesis addresses these challenges through the implementation of an employee evaluation tool. Revalume is a cloud-based web application that provides a stream-lined solution of creating, routing, completing, and viewing evaluation forms. Revalume allows users to use pre-existing and configurable templates, third-party APIs, and a friendly UI to ease the evaluation process. Revalume was evaluated with a longitudinal, semi-controlled study that demonstrates meaningful improvements over existing solutions

Occupational therapy practice used for children diagnosed with a dual diagnosis of cerebral palsy and visual impairment in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Johannesburg, 2016Occupational therapy aims to assist children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) to achieve independence in their occupational performance areas. Treatment includes the use of sensory stimulation but when a child’s vision is impaired the use of visual stimulation becomes difficult. Research guiding occupational therapists on how to combine treatment methods successfully when treating children with CP with a co-morbid diagnosis of visual impairment is limited(15)(16). This study aims to determine the occupational therapy practice used, including the therapists’ knowledge; skill and perceived confidence, for children with a dual diagnosis of CP and visual impairment in South Africa. It uses a descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional framework within a quantitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. This study finds uniformity in the approaches occupational therapists use when managing these children, but these approaches are not always based on best practice. Therapists use clinical expertise and integrate evidence based practice rather than the other way around. This study demonstrates a need for clear protocols on how to manage these children and more accessible postgraduate training in the management of them.MT201

Achieving a Scaled Implementation of Adaptive Learning through Faculty Engagement: A Case Study

This paper presents a case study describing the implementation of adaptive learning at Colorado Technical University (CTU) with a focus on faculty adoption. A number of barriers to the adoption of technology will be discussed and more importantly, how CTU overcame these barriers. A description of the key elements of faculty support including training will be outlined as well as the information about the adoption of faculty using data to inform teaching strategies. The authors argue that if given the choice, faculty at CTU would prefer adaptive learning technology in their courses and welcome the use of technology and data to enhance the classroom experience

Tuktoyaktuk Declaration: Coastal Zone Canada 2006 Conference Statement, 18 August 2006

At the seventh biennial Coastal Zone Canada Conference (CZC ‘06) held in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, on the theme “Arctic Change and Coastal Communities,” 270 participants identified priorities that require immediate action if we are to take advantage of opportunities and address challenges of Canada’s northern ocean. These views reflect perspectives of aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians from across the country, with a significant majority being from the Canadian Arctic, including Inuit and Inuvialuit leaders and elders deliberating through the Conference’s Northern Forum, and young people from across Canada through the Youth Forum. The action priorities relate to the Arctic Ocean and northern agenda of the Government of Canada, the next phase of Canada’s Oceans Action Plan, and commitments for research, dialogue, and engagement

Changing prevalence of prenatal substance abuse in Utah.

Journal ArticleOBJECTIVE: To estimate the current prevalence of prenatal exposure to methamphetamines and other drugs of abuse among infants born in Utah and compare the results with those of a maternal substance abuse prevalence study performed in 1991 in the same geographic area. METHODS: Thirteen well baby nurseries in calendar year 2000 and six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in 2001-2002 collected anonymous meconium samples and associated, but nonidentifiable, demographic data on consecutively born infants. Samples were screened by enzyme immunoassay and confirmed by gas chromotography/mass spectroscopy for methamphetamines, cannabinoids, and benzoylecognine. RESULTS: Meconium samples were collected from 1202 well baby nursery infants and 317 NICU infants. There were no significant differences in the rates of positivity for methamphetamines (0.6% versus 0.4%) or marijuana (2.9% versus 1.8%) between the 1991 and 2000/2001 studies. Cocaine prevalence declined from 1.1% in 1991 to 0.3% in 2000/2001 (P =.04). The prevalence of positivity for any of these three drugs declined over the 10-year period from 4.4% to 2.4% (P =.02). The prevalence for positivity for any of these three drugs was higher in the NICUs (4.7%) than in the well baby nurseries (1.9%, P =.008). CONCLUSION: The rate of drug-positive infants declined during the decade of the 1990s in a geographic area that is experiencing a sharp rise in the use of methamphetamine among women of childbearing age. Further studies that focus on women of childbearing age who use methamphetamine may help determine factors that impact their drug use during pregnancy and after the infant is born

Genetics of Cutaneous Melanoma

A portion of melanoma is familial and has been associated with atypical mole syndrome. This review outlines the current understanding of the genetics of melanoma and the relationship to cutaneous nevus phenotypes. A review of genetic studies of melanoma is presented, including linkage studies. Data from a linkage study of 12 Utah kindreds and one Texas kindred are detailed.There is strong evidence both for a genetic component to melanoma and, to a lesser extent, for a genetic component to the atypical mole phenotype. Reports of linkage of melanoma/dysplastic nevus syndrome to chromosome 1p markers are now strongly in doubt. The Utah group has shown strong evidence of linkage of melanoma to chromosome 9p21 without evidence for heterogeneity. This is in the same region where chromosomal deletions are common in tumors of numerous tissues.We conclude that there is a specific melanoma susceptibility locus located on chromosome 9p. The combination of the results of linkage in families with multiple cases of melanoma and the deletion of this chromosomal region in sporadic cases of melanoma strongly suggests that this melanoma susceptibility locus acts as a tumor suppressor. J Invest Dermatol 103:112S-116S, 199

Rapid Assessment Survey of Marine Species at New England Floating Docks and Rocky Shores

This report is a publication of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Management (CZM) pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NA12NOS4190086. This publication is funded (in part) by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies. This project has been financed, in part, by CZM and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant College Program, Massachusetts Bays Program, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, and Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team