Recommendations For Future Assessments Research Articles

A Sing-ular Aid: Using Song to Help Teach Solution Set Cases for Systems of Linear Equations

A multi-section coordinated math for social sciences course at a Hispanic-Serving Institution went through a major revision which included the addition of many resources. One resource was educational songs, including a lyric video on the three possible outcomes when solving a system of linear equations. The learning objective associated with this topic is one where learning (if not also teaching) may fall short, thus motivating a creative way to increase engagement. We discuss results from anonymous surveys of students and instructors to assess this educational song’s potential to support student engagement (and hopefully learning), contextualized with qualitative data such as classroom observation. Recommendations for future assessment and class use are provided.

Environmental life cycle assessment of emerging solid-state batteries: A review

Energy storage systems are main drivers in various fields, especially in the context of energy and mobility transition. Battery technologies are one of those options offering good technical performance in multiple stationary and mobile applications. New batteries having potentially high energy density and higher safety with lower cost are in particular ideal candidates for mobility applications. At present especially, lithium-ion batteries are used, but they are facing challenges regarding sustainability and safety issues, which can be quantitatively analyzed with Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). New developments regarding various solid-state batteries (SSBs) are very promising to tackle these challenges, but only very few studies are available on the environmental assessment of SSBs. Prospective LCA methodology is used here to analyze the environmental hotspots over the different life cycle phases for emerging SSBs. This also helps in decisions making at an early stage of development. This review critically analyzes available LCA studies on SSBs focusing on the inventory data, scope of the assessment as well as the life cycle impact assessment results. An effort has been made to compare the different LCA studies considering global warming potential indicator. As a results, the analysis highlights difficulties in comparability due to inconsistencies associated with the data sources, goal and scope, system boundaries and the method of impact assessment etc. To facilitate a consistent comparison, a unification methodology has been proposed to compare different LCAs of SSBs. Overall, the proposed methodology will help to fill the knowledge gap between different existing LCA studies on emerging solid-state battery technologies and provides recommendations for future assessments.

Assessing Age-Friendliness: Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Cultures

ABSTRACT A major task ahead for South Korea is to create age-friendly communities and environments that can support older residents’ health, well-being, and quality of life. To that end, international partnerships have emerged to share information, assess need, and develop response strategies. In this study, the transferability of a US-developed age-friendly community resident survey, based on the WHO framework, was tested in two South Korean cities by comparing results to the same survey conducted in a US city. Descriptive, relational, and predictive analyses revealed the survey items were a better fit for the US city than the South Korean cities. Limited response variances collected in the Korean cities challenged the comparison of data between the Korean sites. Thus, a cultural lens was used to explain response patterns that reflect their understanding of social norms including avoiding disagreement and conflict in order to maintain social equilibrium and five cultural dimensions found in Western and Eastern societies (Individualism vs. collectivism, universalism vs. particularism, low vs. high power distance, low vs. high context, and inner vs, outer control). Recommendations for future assessments in South Korea include shifting focus away from the individual to the individual’s social network and community to improve understanding of need.

Loss of land and livelihoods from mining operations: A case in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

Loss or degradation of communal lands can have major implications for people’s livelihoods and well-being in rural underdeveloped areas. Mining operations are one driver of land loss with negative implications for people. This study assesses the livelihood effects of open-cast mining on a rural communal land village that lost 8 000 ha of land and compares it to another village nearby that did not. The results suggest that the loss of land and the ecosystem services they provide has negatively affected people’s livelihood strategies and outcomes. On average, only 23 % of households in the affected village had crop fields compared to an adjacent village, that did not lose land to the mine, where 90 % of households had a crop field. This accounts for substantial losses in income through agriculture, both as cash earnings and savings, and negatively affects household food security. As a result of the mine the affected community has also lost access to grazing, and now many households must pay to graze their livestock in other areas. Furthermore, the option to harvest several key natural resources (provisioning services) or non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as wild fruits and vegetables, edible insects, fuelwood, and to a lesser extent resources like reeds and medicinal plants were lost due to the mine, negatively impacting local livelihoods. NTFPs are important for rural livelihoods as they allow for cash saving, income generation and act as a safety net or fall-back option during times of increased vulnerability. The findings also give a good indication of changes in agriculture and resource use over time and the varying reasons for this. Other negative effects from the mine included; cracking of houses due to blasting, dust pollution, water contamination, social and cultural effects, community alterations and conflicts, and very little was seen to be gained in terms of employment through Social Labour Plans (SLPs) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Households in the village affected by the mine lose approximately R 15 000 per year through losses of agricultural potential and the ability to collect NTFPs, which is larger than the annual cash incomes for most households. This value is likely to be an underestimate of the total value lost, as reductions in grazing potential and the loss of supporting, regulating and cultural ecosystem services were not included in this figure. This study highlights the importance of considering land access and associated land-based livelihoods in rural communal land areas in the context of disturbance and change. Recommendations for future assessments and policy on compensation for rural communities are made and issues relating to CSR are discussed.

Vulnerability assessments of coastal river deltas - categorization and review

Coastal river deltas are densely populated areas and hotspots of vulnerability. The delta’s ecological, social, and economic components are vulnerable to a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic threats. Sea level rise, climate variability, and rapid socio-economic development exert pressure on the already highly dynamic regions. To protect river deltas and their components, it is necessary to assess the degree of vulnerability so that mitigation efforts can be recommended to stakeholders and policy makers. Many such vulnerability assessments have been undertaken for river deltas. However, as vulnerability and related terms, such as resilience, coping-, and adaptive capacity only entered geosciences in the past decades, these terms are often used ambiguously. This makes it hard to compare existing studies, which not only interpret the related terms differently, but also consider completely different threats to deltas and their components, at different spatial and temporal scales. A comprehensive overview of studies addressing vulnerability of river deltas is missing. This paper presents a review, based on a consolidated set of definitions of vulnerability and related concepts in the context of coastal river deltas. All studies reviewed were categorized depending on their focus on either the ecologic, social, or economic component of river deltas, and were classified according to their spatial scale, temporal resolution, and numerous other research characteristics. Clear trends on dominant research foci in the field of river delta vulnerability could be extracted. Additionally, based on the findings presented here, recommendations for future assessments considering existing research gaps, are formulated.

Issues in Designing Assessments of Historical Thinking

Similar to educators in mathematics, science, and reading, history educators around the world have mobilized curricular reform movements toward including complex thinking in history education, advancing historical thinking, developing historical consciousness, and teaching competence in historical sense making. These reform movements, including the Common Core Standards, are beginning to include historical thinking. Despite these developments, inclusion of historical thinking in assessments has been slow: The great majority of history assessments, both large-scale and classroom-based, still focus on fragmented pieces of information. In this article, we discuss the challenges in assessment of historical thinking, describe how these issues were dealt with in a 1-hr test of students ability to reason about “enemy aliens” in Canada during World War I, and make recommendations for future assessments.

Ecohydrologic Description of Springs in the North Western Ghats, Maharashtra

Springs are essential components of the freshwater resources in the North Western Ghats yet they are not well studied and are under threat from ecological degradation. This study surveyed ecology and hydrogeology of five springs. Observations included geology, flora, fauna and impact of human pressures. The goal was to describe the range of ecological conditions to improve baseline understanding. Results show that spring recharge and discharge areas were found to hydrologically connect separate parts of the landscape, sometimes spanning different watersheds. While spring discharge is likely controlled in large part by catchment size and aquifer characteristics, impacts from human pressures may reduce spring discharge or water quality. Reduction in spring discharge may reduce biodiversity, particularly at the spring outlet where natural ponds or wetlands may dry up and destroy freshwater habitat. Grazing, fire, construction, pumping and fuel wood collection were common human pressures effecting nearly all springs. Discussed are refined definitions of a spring shed and recommendations for future assessment, conservation and management efforts.

Macrodebris and microplastics from beaches in Slovenia

The amount of marine debris in the environment is increasing worldwide, which results in an array of negative effects to biota. This study provides the first account of macrodebris on the beach and microplastics in the sediment (shoreline and infralittoral) in relation to tourism activities in Slovenia. The study assessed the quality and quantity of macrodebris and the quality, size and quantity of microplastics at six beaches, contrasting those under the influences of tourism and those that were not. Beach cleanliness was estimated using the Clean Coast Index. Tourism did not seem to have an effect on macrodebris or microplastic quantity at beaches. Over 64% of macrodebris was plastic, and microplastics were ubiquitous, which calls for classification of plastics as hazardous materials. Standard measures for marine debris assessment are needed, especially in the form of an all-encompassing debris index. Recommendations for future assessments are provided for the Adriatic region.

Can We Learn in the Sandbox Together? Interprofessional CaseConferences as Facilitation Tools

Duke Medicine utilized interprofessional case conferences (ICCs) from 2008 to 2012 with the objective of modeling and facilitating development of teamwork skills among diverse health profession students, including physical therapy, physician assistant, medical doctor and nursing. The purpose of this publication was to describe the operational process used to develop and implement the ICCs and measure the success of the ICCs in order to shape future work. The ICCs were offered to develop skills and attitudes essential for participation in healthcare teams. Students were facilitated by faculty of different professions to conduct a comprehensive historical assessment of a standardized patient (SP), determine pertinent physical and lab assessments to undertake, and develop and share a comprehensive management plan. Cases included patient problems that were authentic and relevant to each professional student in attendance. The main barriers to implementation are outlined and the focus on the process of working together is highlighted. Evaluation showed high satisfaction rates among participants and the outcomes from these experiences are presented. The limitations of these results are discussed and recommendations for future assessment are emphasized. The ICCs demonstrated that students will come together voluntarily to learn in teams, even at a research-focused institution, and express benefit from the collaborative exercise.

The health of Lake Illawarra - a status report

Lake Illawarra is a coastal water body in south-eastern Australia that has been dramatically influenced by human activities. This paper attempts to assess the current status of the Lake from an ecological health perspective. The issues associated with defining ecosystem health and the selection and use of indicators are discussed. Lake Illawarra is, geomorphologically, a middle-aged estuary, which, in terms of responding to recent stresses, is in reasonably good condition. Detailed analysis of current stresses and their possible impacts is difficult due to the nature of most of the available information Much of the data has come from short-term studies using a variety of techniques, making historical comparisons difficult. Nevertheless, indications of ongoing stress are apparent. Information gaps have been identified, and recommendations for future assessments of the condition of the Lake are presented.

Science and management of Lake Illawarra

Lake Illawarra is a coastal water body in south-eastern Australia that has been dramatically influenced by human activities. This paper attempts to assess the current status of the Lake from an ecological health perspective. The issues associated with defining ecosystem health and the selection and use of indicators are discussed. Lake Illawarra is, geomorphologically, a middle-aged estuary, which, in terms of responding to recent stresses, is in reasonably good condition. Detailed analysis of current stresses and their possible impacts is difficult due to the nature of most of the available information Much of the data has come from short-term studies using a variety of techniques, making historical comparisons difficult. Nevertheless, indications of ongoing stress are apparent. Information gaps have been identified, and recommendations for future assessments of the condition of the Lake are presented.