Alternative dimensions in assessment : an overview

This four-part paper is the 'highlights' of the 2009 Australian Technology Network conference, 'Assessment in Different Dimensions: a conference on teaching and learning in tertiary education', held at RMIT University, 19–20 November 2009.

The main theme of this paper is an exploration of how 'progressive and innovative' assessment techniques from other higher education providers might be used to 'progress and innovate' the assessment of Media and Communication students at Deakin University.

As lecturers and tutors have traditionally had almost total control over the learning and assessment environment, for most students, the approach to assessment has changed little. The arrival of 'new media', 'digital culture' and 'dispersed learning' threatens this stability and control. Students are now able to operate in a more open, collaborative, interactive and distributed manner, and this fact challenges many of the traditional perceptions about what constitutes a 'university experience' and what are now 'appropriate' assessment tasks (Crisp 2009).

Each of the four speakers will present a 'spotlight' initiative from the 2009 Australian Technology Network conference, describing how each assessment innovation might be useful to (a) confront our current ideas and values around what is 'good' and 'bad' assessment; (b) explain why some assessment myths are 'hard to shift'; and (c) suggest how these new approaches might be useful in the years to come.

A monotonicity index for the monotone fuzzy modeling problem

In this paper, the problem of maintaining the (global) monotonicity and local monotonicity properties between the input(s) and the output of an FIS model is addressed. This is known as the monotone fuzzy modeling problem. In our previous work, this problem has been tackled by developing some mathematical conditions for an FIS model to observe the monotonicity property. These mathematical conditions are used as a set of governing equations for undertaking FIS modeling problems, and have been extended to some advanced FIS modeling techniques. Here, we examine an alternative to the monotone fuzzy modeling problem by introducing a monotonicity index. The monotonicity index is employed as an approximate indicator to measure the fulfillment of an FIS model to the monotonicity property. It allows the FIS model to be constructed using an optimization method, or be tuned to achieve a better performance, without knowing the exact mathematical conditions of the FIS model to satisfy the monotonicity property. Besides, the monotonicity index can be extended to FIS modeling that involves the local monotonicity problem. We also analyze the relationship between the FIS model and its monotonicity property fulfillment, as well as derived mathematical conditions, using the Monte Carlo method.

Alternative TEL-JAK2 fusions associated with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia dissected in zebrafish

Background Chromosomal translocations resulting in alternative fusions of the human TEL (ETV6) and JAK2 genes have been observed in cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia, but a full understanding of their role in disease etiology has remained elusive. In this study potential differences between these alternative TEL-JAK2 fusions, including their lineage specificity, were investigated.

Design and Methods TEL-JAK2 fusion types derived from both T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia were generated using the corresponding zebrafish tel and jak2a genes and placed under the control of either the white blood cell-specific spi1 promoter or the ubiquitously-expressed cytomegalovirus promoter. These constructs were injected into zebrafish embryos and their effects on hematopoiesis examined using a range of molecular approaches. In addition, the functional properties of the alternative fusions were investigated in vitro.

Results Injection of the T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-derived tel-jak2a significantly perturbed lymphopoiesis with a lesser effect on myelopoiesis in zebrafish embryos. In contrast, injection of the atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia-derived tel-jak2a resulted in significant perturbation of the myeloid compartment. These phenotypes were observed regardless of whether expressed in a white blood cell-specific or ubiquitous manner, with no overt cellular proliferation outside of the hematopoietic cells. Functional studies revealed subtle differences between the alternative forms, with the acute lymphoblastic leukemia variant showing higher activity, but reduced downstream signal transducer and activator of transcription activation and decreased sensitivity to JAK2 inhibition. JAK2 activity was required to mediate the effects of both variants on zebrafish hematopoiesis.

Conclusions This study indicates that the molecular structure of alternative TEL-JAK2 fusions likely contributes to the etiology of disease. The data further suggest that this class of oncogene exerts its effects in a cell lineage-specific manner, which may be due to differences in downstream signaling.

Expert systems modeling for assessing climate change impacts and adaptation in agricultural systems at regional level

Australian agriculture is very susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change, with major shifts in temperature and rainfall projected. In this context, this paper describes a research methodology for assessing potential climate change impacts on, and formulating adaptation options for, agriculture at regional level. The methodology was developed and applied in the analysis of climate change impacts on key horticultural commodities—pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (peaches and nectarines) and wine grapes—in the Goulburn Broken catchment management region, State of Victoria, Australia. Core components of the methodology are mathematical models that enable to spatially represent the degree of biophysical land suitability for the growth of agricultural commodities in the region of interest given current and future climatic conditions. The methodology provides a sound analytic approach to 1) recognise regions under threat of declines in agricultural production due to unfolding climatic changes; 2) identify alternative agricultural systems better adapted to likely future climatic conditions and 3) investigate incremental and transformational adaptation actions to improve the problem situations that are being created by climate change.

Optimizing prediction of binge eating episodes : a comparison approach to test alternative conceptualizations of the affect regulation model

Background : Although a wealth of studies have tested the link between negative mood states and likelihood of a subsequent binge eating episode, the assumption that this relationship follows a typical linear dose–response pattern (i.e., that risk of a binge episode increases in proportion to level of negative mood) has not been challenged. The present study demonstrates the applicability of an alternative, non-linear conceptualization of this relationship, in which the strength of association between negative mood and probability of a binge episode increases above a threshold value for the mood variable relative to the slope below this threshold value (threshold dose response model).

Methods : A sample of 93 women aged 18 to 40 completed an online survey at random intervals seven times per day for a period of one week. Participants self-reported their current mood state and whether they had recently engaged in an eating episode symptomatic of a binge.

Results : As hypothesized, the threshold approach was a better predictor than the linear dose–response modeling of likelihood of a binge episode. The superiority of the threshold approach was found even at low levels of negative mood (3 out of 10, with higher scores reflecting more  negative mood). Additionally, severity of negative mood beyond this threshold value appears to be useful for predicting time to onset of a binge episode.

Conclusions : Present findings suggest that simple dose–response formulations for the association between  negative mood and onset of binge episodes miss vital aspects of this relationship. Most  notably, the impact of mood on binge eating appears to depend on whether a threshold value  of negative mood has been breached, and elevation in mood beyond this point may be useful  for clinicians and researchers to identify time to onset.

Numerical modeling of dual phase microstructure behavior under deformation conditions on the basis of digital material representation

Development of a digital material representation (DMR) model of dual phase steel is presented within the paper. Subsequent stages involving generation of a reliable representation of microstructure morphology, assignment of material properties to component phases and incorporation of the model into the commercial finite element software are described within the paper. Different approaches used to recreate dual phase morphology in a digital manner are critically assessed. However, particular attention is placed on innovative identification of phase properties at the micro scale by using micro-pillar compression tests. The developed DMR model is finally applied to model influence of micro scale features on failure initiation and propagation under loading conditions.

Modeling dual role preferences for trust-aware recommendation

Unlike in general recommendation scenarios where a user has only a single role, users in trust rating network, e.g. Epinions, are associated with two different roles simultaneously: as a truster and as a trustee. With different roles, users can show distinct preferences for rating items, which the previous approaches do not involve. Moreover, based on explicit single links between two users, existing methods can not capture the implicit correlation between two users who are similar but not socially connected. In this paper, we propose to learn dual role preferences (truster/trustee-specific preferences) for trust-aware recommendation by modeling explicit interactions (e.g., rating and trust) and implicit interactions. In particular, local links structure of trust network are exploited as two regularization terms to capture the implicit user correlation, in terms of truster/trustee-specific preferences. Using a real-world and open dataset, we conduct a comprehensive experimental study to investigate the performance of the proposed model, RoRec. The results show that RoRec outperforms other trust-aware recommendation approaches, in terms of prediction accuracy. Copyright 2014 ACM.

Finite element modeling and analysis of thrombosis in middle cerebral artery

Thrombotic stroke, which is caused by blood clot in the cerebral artery, is a major source of increased mortality and morbidity. Considering as efficient and fastest methods, mathematical approaches have gained significant importance for analyzing and understanding the biological events like thrombosis. This paper presents a computational model to analyze the effects of thrombosis using the theory of coupled fluid dynamics-structure interaction. The finite element method is used for the modeling of thrombosis (blood clot) of different stages in the middle cerebral artery with physiological compliance. The developed model is used to investigate the consequences that occur due to the various sizes of clots in the artery in the form of blood flow velocity, blood pressure, and artery wall stress. Such numerical assessment will facilitate better understanding of the biophysical process in case of thrombosis and thus would support medical practitioners to take faster curing steps.

Alternative service delivery models for families with a new speech generating device: perspectives of parents and therapists

Purpose: Research has revealed limitations in the provision of in-person services to families with a new speech generating device (SGD), both in Australia and overseas. Alternative service models such as parent training, peer support and telepractice may offer a solution, but their use with this population has not been researched to date.

Method: Using interviews and focus groups, this study explored the experiences and opinions of 13 speech-language pathologists and seven parents regarding alternatives to in-person support and training for families with a new SGD. Data were analysed using grounded theory. Themes explored in this paper include the benefits and drawbacks of alternative service models as well as participants’ suggestions for the optimal implementation of these approaches.

Result: Participants confirmed the utility of alternative service models, particularly for rural/remote and underserviced clients. Benefits of these models included reduced travel time for families and therapists, as well as enhanced information access, support and advocacy for parents.

Conclusion: Participants viewed the provision of ongoing professional support to families as critical, regardless of service modality. Additional issues arising from this study include the need for development of organizational policies, resources and training infrastructure to support the implementation of these alternative service models.

A preliminary phylogenetic study of late Palaeozoic spiriferoid brachiopods using cladistic and Bayesian approaches

Abstract The brachiopod Superfamily Spiriferoidea diversified greatly and was widely distributed in the late Palaeozoic (Carboniferous–Permian), and yet its phylogeny has been seldom investigated with analytical methods. This is reflected in the current flux of very different classification schemes for this superfamily. This paper provides the first attempt to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of spiriferoid brachiopods through both cladistic and Bayesian analyses involving 24 discrete and continuous characters. The continuous characters, from morphometric data, have been separately discretized using the gap weighting method, and the ‘as such’ option in TNT. Our results highlight the potential significance of continuous characters in reconstructing and elucidating phylogenies, as much as qualitative characters. Building on the outcomes of the analyses, we also briefly evaluate existing classification schemes of Spiriferoidea. We found that none of the existing classifications fully reflect the phylogeny properly; major families within the superfamily, such as Spiriferidae, Choristitidae, and Trigonotretidae, turned out to be polyphyletic. Although this study is considered preliminary, due to the selection of and restriction to certain taxa, combined with the use of a relatively small number of characters, it nevertheless demonstrates that potentially the true phylogenetic relationships of spiriferoid taxa sharply contrast with any of the existing classification schemes. This highlights the need to develop an alternative scheme that takes into account a more comprehensive range of phylogenetic variables.

An alternative node deployment scheme for WSNs

© 2001-2012 IEEE. Sensing coverage is a fundamental design problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This is because there is always a possibility that the sensor nodes may function incorrectly due to a number of reasons, such as failure, power, or noise instability, which negatively influences the coverage of the WSNs. In order to address this problem, we propose a fuzzy-based self-healing coverage scheme for randomly deployed mobile sensor nodes. The proposed scheme determines the uncovered sensing areas and then select the best mobile nodes to be moved to minimize the coverage hole. In addition, it distributes the sensor nodes uniformly considering Euclidean distance and coverage redundancy among the mobile nodes. We have performed an extensive performance analysis of the proposed scheme. The results of the experiment show that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing approaches.

Speed up health research through topic modeling of coded clinical data

Although random control trial is the gold standard in medical research, researchers are increasingly looking to alternative data sources for hypothesis generation and early-stage evidence collection. Coded clinical data are collected routinely in most hospitals. While they contain rich information directly related to the real clinical setting, they are both noisy and semantically diverse, making them difficult to analyze with conventional statistical tools. This paper presents a novel application of Bayesian nonparametric modeling to uncover latent information in coded clinical data. For a patient cohort, a Bayesian nonparametric model is used to reveal the common comorbidity groups shared by the patients and the proportion that each comorbidity group is reflected individual patient. To demonstrate the method, we present a case study based on hospitalization coding from an Australian hospital. The model recovered 15 comorbidity groups among 1012 patients hospitalized during a month. When patients from two areas of unequal socio-economic status were compared, it reveals higher prevalence of diverticular disease in the region of lower socio-economic status. The study builds a convincing case for routine coded data to speed up hypothesis generation.

Multivariate adaptive autoregressive modeling and kalman filtering for motor imagery BCI

Adaptive autoregressive (AAR) modeling of the EEG time series and the AAR parameters has been widely used in Brain computer interface (BCI) systems as input features for the classification stage. Multivariate adaptive autoregressive modeling (MVAAR) also has been used in literature. This paper revisits the use of MVAAR models and propose the use of adaptive Kalman filter (AKF) for estimating the MVAAR parameters as features in a motor imagery BCI application. The AKF approach is compared to the alternative short time moving window (STMW) MVAAR parameter estimation approach. Though the two MVAAR methods show a nearly equal classification accuracy, the AKF possess the advantage of higher estimation update rates making it easily adoptable for on-line BCI systems.

Reshaping the worldview: case studies of faith groups’ approaches to a new Australian land ethic

This study aimed to highlight the praxis of various mainstream and alternative faith traditions in Australia with relation to environmental sustainability issues. A mixed methods approach (surveys, interviews, site visits) was used to investigate the levels of awareness and involvement of faith communities on issues including biodiversity protection, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste management and cultural property heritage. The aim of this chapter is to highlight a theme of integration (or lack thereof) that arose out of the interviews which formed a critical part of the participants’ worldview. A brief overview of the relationships of attitudes and behaviours to environmental issues and the importance placed on values and worldviews is provided. Individuals from 40 faith groups participated in the study; in this chapter, individuals and case studies from ten different groups are highlighted. These range from the conventional, mainstream Christian traditions to alternative Christian and Eastern traditions as well as the new age movement. The study found that mainstream traditions were making important attempts at integrating their worldview into appropriate environmental management strategies; however, the impact was marginal overall. The lesser known and alternative traditions, however, were at a significant leading edge of integrating praxis; yet, because these traditions are viewed with an element of suspicion, their efforts were marginalized by members of other faiths and the public. Thus, there are several points of convergence and divergence that faith traditions have with regard to environmental sustainability.

Numerical modeling of vertical earth pipe cooling system for hot and humid subtropical climate

Energy crisis is one of the major problems facing the progress of human society. There are several energy-efficient technologies that can be applied to save energy and make a sustainable environment. Passive air cooling of earth pipe cooling technology is one of them to reduce the energy consumption for hot and humid subtropical climates. The technology works with a long buried pipe with one end for intake air and the other end for providing air cooled by soil to the desired space such as residential, agricultural, or industrial buildings. It can be an attractive economical alternative to conventional cooling since there are no compressors or any customary mechanical unit. This chapter reports the performance of a vertical earth pipe cooling system for a hot and humid subtropical climatic zone in Queensland, Australia. A series of buried pipes were installed in vertical arrangement in order to increase earth pipe cooling performance. To measure the performance of the system, a numerical model was developed and simulated using the CFD software Fluent in ANSYS 15.0. Data were collected from two modeled rooms built from two shipping containers and installed at the Sustainable Precinct at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia. The impact of air temperature and velocity on room cooling performance has also been assessed. A temperature reduction of 1.82 °C was observed in the room connected to the vertical earth pipe cooling system, which will save the energy cost for thermal cooling in buildings.