Articles
An instrument for measuring Assessment for Learning (AfL) in the classroom
This article introduces educational researchers to the Assessment for Learning Measurement instrument (AfLMi). Based on research by Zita Lysaght and Michael O’Leary at Dublin City University, in partnership with Larry Ludlow at Boston College, the AfLMi consists of 20 statements relating to four key assessment for learning (AfL) strategies recommended in the assessment literature. As designed, the instrument is intended […]
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The Multi-Objective Portfolio Optimization Tool: Helping the pharmaceutical industry manage its portfolio
The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for developing and providing life-saving drugs, yet this industry, like most others, needs to make a profit to survive. The industry’s dynamic portfolio has many inherent uncertainties, and through complex decision-making they attempt to avoid losses and maintain efficiency. Dr Mahboubeh Farid and Mikael Palmblad, from Captario AB, are leading research to help companies make […]
Geopolitics of the illicit global economy
‘Black spots’ are the safe havens that offer a base of operations for transnational criminal, insurgent, and terrorist organisations. At the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University, USA, Professors Stuart Brown and Margaret Hermann are attempting to shed greater light on these geopolitical places by looking at the intra-regional, cross-national, and international linkages among them. Their […]
Permafrost’s photosynthetic microorganisms thrive in the Arctic
Permafrost is found across the Arctic and Antarctic – perennially frozen landscapes that can harbour microscopic life. Researchers Dr Tatiana Vishnivetskaya from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Dr Elizaveta Rivkina from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Pushchino, have collected permafrost sediment samples from polar regions to study the photosynthetic microorganisms within. The results of […]
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What constitutes optimal leisure?
Large sections of our society have had an increasing amount of time on their hands outside of work since the inception of the industrial age. People have developed multiple ways of occupying this time through varied and multifaceted leisure activities. These activities have been extensively researched and documented in recent decades, and Professor Robert Stebbins at the University of Calgary […]
Linking Icelandic silica sinters to life on Mars
Piecing together the picture of the origins of life on Earth and throughout our solar system is a driving force for scientific research. Icelandic silica sinters provide clues about microbial communities that are adapted to living in extreme conditions. Dr J Javier Álvaro at the Instituto de Geociencias (CSIC-UCM), Madrid, is investigating the biomarkers and microbial textures left behind by […]
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The role of water dynamics in age-related bone weakening
The interaction of water with biological tissues plays crucial roles in maintaining cells and keeping complex organisms alive and healthy. Dysfunctions in biological processes involving water can lead to pathologies or death. For instance, age-related dehydration in bones leads to bone weakening with more frequent fractures, although the origin of this process is still poorly understood. Using powerful computational techniques, […]
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Rib fracture pain and disability: Do we need a more aggressive approach after all?
Rib fractures are the most common injury after thoracic (chest) trauma, accounting for approximately two-thirds of cases. The main challenge in treating them is controlling the associated pain that can lead to complications, such as chest infections and respiratory failure. Despite advances in pain control and anaesthesia, the conservative treatment of these injuries often results in chronic pain, in some […]
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Drug-adapted RET mutations
RET is a protein tyrosine kinase that is upregulated and activated in many diverse forms of cancer. Treatments using RET-specific inhibitors have been highly effective, but the threat of resistance to these drugs looms. For this reason, Dr Jie Wu and Dr Blaine Mooers from the University of Oklahoma, together with Dr Vivek Subbiah from the University of Texas, decided […]
Structured expert judgment using the Classical Method
When complex decisions must be made while data is unavailable, structured expert judgment can be used to combine uncertainty distributions resulting from experts’ assessments. Roger Cooke, the Chauncey Starr Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future, and Emeritus Professor at Delft University of Technology, created the well-known Classical Model to quantify uncertainty using expert opinion. Together with Dr Tina Nane, […]
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