High-stakes Examinations to Support Policy

How can we help policy makers choose better exams? This question wasthe focus of the Assessment Working Group at the 2010 ISDDE Conferencein Oxford. The group brought together high-level international expertisein assessment. It tackled issues that are central to policy makers lookingfor tests that, at reasonable cost, deliver valid, reliable assessments ofstudents’ performance in mathematics and science with results that informstudents, teachers, and school systems.This paper describes the analysis and recommendations from the group’sdiscussions, with references that provide further detail. It has contributedto discussions, in the US and elsewhere, on “how to do better”. We hope itwill continue to be useful both to policy makers and to assessmentdesigners

Fluid mechanics of Na-Zn liquid metal batteries

Liquid metal batteries have been introduced as promising option to address the needs for new energy storage technologies. Currently, batteries based on sodium and zinc are under development and a favorable option due to their high theoretical cell potential, readily abundant materials, and cost-advantages. Nevertheless, they face the problem of self-discharge, which makes it inevitable to understand fluid dynamics in the whole cell. Motivated by that, several types of fluid mechanic instabilities in Na-Zn liquid metal batteries are identified and discussed here. On the one hand they can jeopardize secure operation, but on the other hand they can also improve mixing and increase the cell efficiency. In doing so, realistic cell as well as operation parameters are included and dimensionless numbers for identifying critical conditions are presented. The phenomena with highest significance for the discussed batteries are solutal convection, swirling flow, electrocapillary Marangoni convection, and droplet formation. Still, many open research questions remain and we aim at motivating researchers to dig deeper into some of these topics to contribute to an improved cell design and performance.publishedVersio

The Social Studies Curriculum in Atlanta Public Schools During the Desegregation Era

This historical investigation explores how teachers, students, and education officials viewed the social studies curriculum in the local context of Atlanta, and the broader state of Georgia, during the post-Civil Rights era, when integration was a court-ordered reality in the public schools. During the desegregation era, Atlanta schools were led by Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Superintendent, Dr. Alonzo Crim. Brought to Atlanta as part of a desegregation compromise, Dr. Crim became APS\u27s first African American superintendent. In particular, the authors investigate how national social studies movements, such as Man: A Course of Study (MACOS), inquiry-based learning, co-curriculum activities, and standards movements, adapted to fit this Southeastern locale, at a time when schools were struggling to desegregate. Local curriculum documents written in the 1970s reveal a traditional social studies curriculum. By the 1980s, APS\u27s social studies curriculum guides broadened to include a stronger focus on an enacted community—inside the classroom and around the world. In oral history interviews, however, former teachers, students, and school officials presented contrasting perspectives of how the social studies curriculum played out in the reality of Atlanta\u27s public schools during the desegregation era

Concordance between vocal and genetic diversity in crested gibbons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gibbons or small apes are, next to great apes, our closest living relatives, and form the most diverse group of contemporary hominoids. A characteristic trait of gibbons is their species-specific song structure, which, however, exhibits a certain amount of inter- and intra-individual variation. Although differences in gibbon song structure are routinely applied as taxonomic tool to identify subspecies and species, it remains unclear to which degree acoustic and phylogenetic differences are correlated. To trace this issue, we comparatively analyse song recordings and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence data from 22 gibbon populations representing six of the seven crested gibbon species (genus <it>Nomascus</it>). In addition, we address whether song similarity and geographic distribution can support a recent hypothesis about the biogeographic history of crested gibbons.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The acoustic analysis of 92 gibbon duets confirms the hypothesised concordance between song structure and phylogeny. Based on features of male and female songs, we can not only distinguish between <it>N. nasutus</it>, <it>N. concolor </it>and the four southern species (<it>N. leucogenys, N. siki, N. annamensis</it>, <it>N. gabriellae</it>), but also between the latter by applying more detailed analysis. In addition to the significant correlation between song structure and genetic similarity, we find a similar high correlation between song similarity and geographic distance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results show that the structure of crested gibbon songs is not only a reliable tool to verify phylogenetic relatedness, but also to unravel geographic origins. As vocal production in other nonhuman primate species appears to be evolutionarily based, it is likely that loud calls produced by other species can serve as characters to elucidate phylogenetic relationships.</p

Catalysing change in health and medical research policy: an Australian case study of deliberative democracy to reform sex and gender policy recommendations

Revising public health policy based on new data does not happen automatically. This is acutely relevant to the now undeniable evidence that many diseases develop differently between the sexes and may also be affected by gender. Current health and medical practices across the globe generally fail to cater for sex and gender effects in common diseases. Inadequate policy frameworks to guide the comprehensive inclusion of sex and gender in research jeopardises scientific rigour and ultimately the practices they underpin. To ensure that Australian health and medical research is fit-for-purpose, we realised that potent initiatives would be necessary to expedite strategic reframing of thought and behaviour. Here we report on our innovative engagement of end-users for democratic self-determined policy reform to guide health and medical research, based on robust data. We draw upon our specific study to outline seven key steps that can be adopted to accelerate effective change, across a breadth of evidence-based initiatives to reform health policies