Online-based Rubric for Peer Assessment: Effectiveness and Implications

This study investigates using technology to promote authentic and meaningful learning in applying a peer assessment rubric for a public speaking assessment in a higher education institution in Brunei Darussalam. Three hundred six undergraduates from Universiti Teknologi Brunei's Schools of Business, Computing, and the Engineering Faculty conducted the assessments in real-time using online-based rubrics accessible via their smartphones or laptops. Comparisons were made between the lecturers' marks and students for each rubric criterion, and a set of questionnaires was distributed to investigate students' perceptions toward the peer assessment after the assessment. The results indicated a variable discrepancy between assessments by the lecturers and students for the rubric criteria. While in some disciplines, peer marking was found to overmark compared to the lecturer by more than 15%, in other cases, the marks were similar. Comparison between peer and lecturer assessment indicated that the level of agreement was sensitive to the lecturer, but less so between student cohort when assessed by the same lecturer. When differences were observed, there was no apparent discrepancy in an agreement between aspects of the rubric which evaluated content or delivery. Students’ feedback revealed a positive response towards peer assessment but highlighted issues surrounding the technological aspects of the implementation process

cfdm: a Python reference implementation of the CF data model

The cfdm open-source Python library implements the data model of the CF (Climate and Forecast) metadata conventions and so should be able to represent and manipulate all existing and conceivable CF-compliant datasets.The CF conventions are designed to promote the creation, processing, and sharing of climate and forecasting data using Network Common Data Form (netCDF) files and libraries. They cater for data from model simulations as well as from observations, made in situ or by remote sensing platforms, of the planetary surface, ocean, and atmosphere. For a netCDF data variable, they provide a description of the physical meaning of data and of its spatial, temporal, and other dimensional properties. The CF data model is an abstract interpretation of the CF conventions that is independent of the netCDF encoding.The cfdm library has been designed as a stand-alone application, e.g. as deployed in the pre-publication checks for the CMIP6 data request, and also to provide a CF data model implementation to other software libraries, such as cf-python

Risk factors for death in 632 patients with sickle cell disease in the United States and United Kingdom

Background: The role of pulmonary hypertension as a cause of mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD) is controversial. Methods and Results: We evaluated the relationship between an elevated estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure and mortality in patients with SCD. We followed patients from the walk-PHaSST screening cohort for a median of 29 months. A tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV)≥3.0 m/s cuttof, which has a 67-75% positive predictive value for mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥25 mm Hg was used. Among 572 subjects, 11.2% had TRV≥3.0 m/sec. Among 582 with a measured NT-proBNP, 24.1% had values ≥160 pg/mL. Of 22 deaths during follow-up, 50% had a TRV≥3.0 m/sec. At 24 months the cumulative survival was 83% with TRV≥3.0 m/sec and 98% with TRV47 years, male gender, chronic transfusions, WHO class III-IV, increased hemolytic markers, ferritin and creatinine were also associated with increased risk of death. Conclusions: A TRV≥ 3.0 m/sec occurs in approximately 10% of individuals and has the highest risk for death of any measured variable. The study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier: NCT00492531

Cross-slot extensional rheometry and the steady-state extensional response of long chain branched polymer melts

Stress-optical measurements at a flow stagnation point in confined geometries such as the cross-slot provide an elegant way to perform extensional testing for polymer melts. This technique is especially useful for samples which have a steady-state that cannot be reached (easily) in standard elongational rheometry, for example, highly branched polymers which show a non-homogeneous deformation that occurs in stretching experiments for Hencky strains above 4. In contrast to filament stretching, the cross-slot provides one point at which steady-state extensional flow may be sustained indefinitely. In this study, a Cambridge multi-pass rheometer [ Coventry, K. D., and M. R. Mackley, J. Rheol. 52, 401–415 (2008) ] is used to generate planar elongational flow in a cross-slot geometry for different polyethylene melts. The experimental results are compared to finite element flow simulations using the multi-mode Pompom constitutive equations. The steady-state elongational viscosity at the stagnation point is computed from the flow-induced stress birefringence and the strain-rate determined from numerical calculations of the flow field. We apply this technique to a range of different branched high- and low-density polyethylene melts. This demonstrates both the effectiveness of this technique and shows how the stress distribution in a complex flow depends on molecular structure. Cross slot extensional rheometry therefore provides a very promising technique for parameterizing molecular constitutive equations for LCB melts

An evaluation framework for videogame based tasking of remote vehicles

Unmanned vehicles (UV’s) are increasingly being employed in civil and military domains often for operations in dangerous environments. Typically these vehicles require some level of human supervision and therefore require a user interface to enable tasking and feedback. Most existing interfaces are specific to the UV and may require significant user training. One potential solution to this is to exploit proven videogame interfaces to improve UV control. There is however a lack of organised means by which these approaches can be evaluated. This paper describes an interface developed to serve as an experimental platform for investigating the potential benefits of various videogame based interfaces for remote vehicle tasking

Draft genome sequences of four citrobacter isolates recovered from wild australian shorebirds

Citrobacter is a ubiquitous bacterial genus whose members inhabit a variety of niches. Some species are clinically important for both antimicrobial resistance (AMR) carriage and as the cause of nosocomial infections. Surveillance of Citrobacter species in the environment can provide indicators of the spread of AMR genes outside clinical spaces. In this study, we present draft genome sequences of four Citrobacter isolates obtained from three species of wild Australian shorebirds. Copyright © 2021 Smith et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license

A randomised trial evaluating anakinra in early active rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unknown. We evaluated the efficacy of anakinra (combined with methotrexate) in a randomised clinical trial of early active RA patients.METHODS: The Combination Anti-Rheumatic Drugs in Early RA-2 (CARDERA-2) trial was a randomised trial of early (duration &lt;1 year) active RA. Patients were randomised to 12 months of: (1) methotrexate or (2) anakinra-methotrexate. Follow-up lasted 2 years. The primary outcome was erosive progression (changes from baseline in modified Larsen scores). Secondary outcomes were changes from baseline in disease activity score on a 28-joint count (DAS28), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), and quality of life (EQ-5D) scores alongside ACR responder rates.RESULTS: 154 patients received the allocated intervention (from 259 screened). Similar Larsen score progression was seen at 12 and 24 months in patients receiving anakinra-methotrexate (mean changes from baseline of 2.50 and 5.10, respectively) and methotrexate monotherapy (mean changes from baseline of 4.16 and 5.20, respectively). Lower improvements in DAS28 and HAQ scores were seen at all time-points in anakinra-methotrexate treated patients; these were significantly less at 24 months (DAS28 p=0.04; HAQ P=0.02). Significantly lower EQ-5D score increases were seen at 12 months with anakinra-methotrexate (p=0.03). Anakinra-methotrexate was associated with more serious adverse events compared with methotrexate monotherapy (11 vs. 6 patients), although this was not significant (p=0.59).CONCLUSIONS: Anakinra (combined with methotrexate) is not effective in early, active RA. It provided no clinical benefits beyond methotrexate monotherapy.</p