Interpreting the Results of Three Different Standard-Setting Procedures

Different standard-setting procedures usually produce different cut points even if each has a rational basis. In 2000, three standard-setting procedures were implemented to set cut scores in each of the 18 grade/content areas comprising Kentucky's state assessment system: the Contrasting Groups, Bookmark, and Jaeger-Mills procedures. Subsequently, participants from each of the three procedures worked together in each grade/content area to synthesize the results. These synthesis participants considered the results of, and examined the materials and information provided by, each of the three separate procedures. In this article the synthesis processes are described and discussed.     

Withering on the Vine

For anyone who is in any way responsible for formulating responses to the problems with which teacher education in England and Wales is currently beset, the history of the last ten years makes remarkable reading. This article will examine some of the priorities for training which were being given prominence in the early seventies and will indicate the stark contrasts between such expressions of intent and the reality of what followed. It will be seen that the problems identified in the early seventies can scarcely yet be said to have been resolved.     

Sweat lactate response during cycling at 30 degrees C and 18 degrees C WBGT

Sweat lactate reflects eccrine gland metabolism. However, the metabolic tendencies of eccrine glands in a hot versus thermoneutral environment are not well understood. Sixteen male volunteers completed a maximal cycling trial and two 60-min cycling trials [30 degrees C = 30 +/- 1 degrees C and 18 degrees C = 18 +/- 1 degrees C wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)]. The participants were requested to maintain a cadence of 60 rev min(-1) with the intensity individualized at approximately 90% of the ventilatory threshold. Sweat samples at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min were analysed for lactate concentration. Sweat rate at 30 degrees C (1380 +/- 325 ml x h(-1)) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than at 18 degrees C (632 +/- 311 ml x h(-1)). Sweat lactate concentration was significantly greater (P < 0.05) at each time point during the 18 degrees C trial, with values between trials tending to converge across time. During the 30 degrees C trial, both heart rate (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min) and rectal temperature (30, 40, 50 and 60 min) were significantly higher than in the 18 degrees C trial. Higher sweat lactate concentrations coupled with lower sweat rates may indicate a greater relative contribution of oxygen-independent metabolism within eccrine glands during exercise at 18 degrees C. Decreases in sweat lactate concentration across time suggest either greater dilution due to greater sweat volume or increased reliance on aerobic metabolism within eccrine glands. The convergence of lactate concentrations between trials may indicate that time-dependent modifications in sweat gland metabolism occur at different rates contingent partially on environmental conditions.     

Community partnerships for health information training: medical librarians working with health-care professionals and consumers in Tennessee

In Tennessee, several medical library outreach projects have involved collaborative work with health-care professionals, public librarians, consumers, faith-based organizations and community service agencies. The authors are medical librarians who worked as consultants, trainers and project directors to promote health literacy using PubMed medline and other health information resources in the several funding projects described here. We explain the programmes briefly, focusing on lessons learned and suggestions for those who follow us.     

Mapping the margins and searching for higher ground: examining the marginalisation of black female graduate students at PWIs

The number of Black females enrolled in colleges and universities has grown in recent years, particularly at predominately white institutions (PWIs). Currently, research on the rise of Black females at PWIs is limited and fails to adequately address the emotional, social, and mental well-being of these students. Recent studies also largely ignore the critical roles that natural and formal Black female faculty play in serving as a buffer between Black female graduate students (BFGS) and PWIs more broadly. From a critical perspective using counter-narrative, we address the limitations of the scholarly literature on BFGS and other challenges faced by BFGS. We come to the disappointing – albeit unsurprising – conclusion that PWIs should do more to make the academy a welcoming place for BFGS, however, the ways in which PWIs function make support for BFGS unlikely. We conclude with a discussion about the implications of continued marginalisation of BFGS at PWIs for individuals, families, communities, disciplines, and for PWIs across the nation.