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The aim of the study is to identify a moderation method to effectively control and eliminate grade inflation. This retrospective study was undertaken to investigate the end semester outcomes of three consensus moderation processes namely, Group, Peer and Panel moderations implemented over three consecutive semesters. In Group moderation, group of faculty members of the college irrespective of their specialty were involved in moderating the question papers whereas in Peer to peer moderation the choice of moderator, a subject expert, was by individual faculty members. A three member Panel constituted by the college implemented Panel moderation. Care was taken to ensure security of assessment instruments. A total of 64 courses' results were considered for the purpose of analysis 19 courses from Spring 2014 15 semester 20 courses from Fall 2015 16 semester and 25 courses from Spring 2015 16 semester . Mann Whitney U test was utilized to compare between two groups. The result of Group moderation vs Panel moderation is significant at p = 0.02382. Similarly, the result of Peer to peer moderation vs Panel moderation showed the result is significant at p = 0.56192. Thus, it was shown that Group Moderation results were significantly inflated compared to the other two p = 0.02382 . Panel moderation process appears to give a better distribution of grades compared to the peer and group moderation processes. However, the Panel moderation has not yielded a satisfactory distribution of grades. Additional measures are required to bring in desired outcome of end semester examination results. Janitha Plackal Ayyappan | Kalyani Mohan Raj | J.F. Thomas "Grade Inflation: An Inquiry into the Cause" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-2 | Issue-1 , December 2017, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd5844.pdf

Small molecular weight GTP binding proteins of the ras family have been implicated in signal transduction from the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). To test the importance of p21ras in the control of thymocyte development, we generated mice expressing a dominant-negative p21ras protein (H-rasN17) in T lineage cells under the control of the lck proximal promoter. Proliferation of thymocytes from lck-H-rasN17 mice in response to TCR stimulation was nearly completely blocked, confirming the importance of p21ras in mediating TCR-derived signals in mature CD4+8- or CD8+4- thymocytes. In contrast, some TCR-derived signals proceeded unimpaired in the CD4+8+ thymocytes of mice expressing dominant-negative p21ras. Analysis of thymocyte development in mice made doubly transgenic for the H-Y-specific TCR and lck-H-rasN17 demonstrated that antigen-specific negative selection occurs normally in the presence of p21H-rasN17. Superantigen-induced negative selection in vivo also proceeded unhindered in H-rasN17 thymocytes. In contrast, positive selection of thymocytes in the H-Y mice was severely compromised by the presence of p21H-rasN17. These observations demonstrate that positive and negative selection, two conceptually antithetical consequences of TCR stimulation, are biochemically distinguishable.

Laboratory scale model streams were developed to assess the effects of oil-shale-related effluents on aufwuchs. The model stream design allowed variation of water temperature, chemical composition, flow rate, and illumination intensity and periodicity. Chemical constancy of the stream water was provided by continuously metering new water to the streams with doses of test effluents. Omega-98 water, the experimental retort water used, was studied at dilutions between 0.013 and 2.12 percent for 9 days. Day 3 samples generally showed stimulated growth at 1 percent or more Omega-9 water concentration. The more dilute effluent loads stimulated growth throughout the test period. The most marked effect of Omega-9 water was to lower the proportional contribution of diatoms to the aufwuchs biomass. 9 refs.

The purpose of this report is to evaluate and make recommendations concerning technologies that promise to improve the efilciency of compressed natural gas (CNG) light-duty vehicles. Technical targets for CNG automotive technology given in the March 1998 OffIce of Advanced Automotive Technologies research and development plan were used as guidance for this effort. The technical target that necessitates this current study is to validate technologies that enable CNG light vehicles to have at least 10% greater - fuel economy (on a miles per gallon equivalent basis) than equivalent gasoline vehicles by 2006. Other tar- gets important to natural gas (NG) automotive technology and this study are to: (1) increase CNG vehicle range to 380 miles, (2) reduce the incremental vehicle cost (CNG vs gasoline) to $1500, and (3) meet the California ultra low-emission vehicle (ULEV) and Federal Tier 2 emission standards expected to be in effect in 2004.

This report highlights important events and studies concerning surplus weapons-usable plutonium disposition in the United States. Included are major events that led to the creation of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fissile Materials Disposition in 1994 and to that DOE office issuing the January 1997 Record of Decision for the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Useable Fissile Materials Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Emphasis has been given to reactor-based plutonium disposition alternatives.

An application of symbolic language to the study of pulse sequences is presented. Using operator techniques it is possible to compute the evolution of the density operator through a sequence of pulses and delays. The program can handle AX n type systems with n ⩽ 4. As all parameters are formal variables it is possible to study the effect of pulse and / or delay times directly on the observables after Fourier transformation. Since phases themselves are variables, pulse phase programs are easily inferred from the multiplicative factors affecting the resonance lines. Several typical examples are shown.

Phase transitions in the systems VH x and VD x for 0.443 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.815 were determined using a resistiometric technique supplemented by differential scanning calorimetry. The use of inflection points in the resistivity versus temperature heating curve to determine the phase boundaries was found to give results consistent with those obtained using differential scanning calorimetry. Comparisons with recently published VH x and VD x phase diagrams give generally good agreement and verify the unusually large isotopic differences observed by other techniques. No evidence is found for the η phase or for the β 1 + β 2 mixed phase in the VH x system. The concentration dependence of the resistivity in the a phase shows a small isotope effect. For both VH x and VD x the variation with x indicates the existence of local regions of β phase the extent of which are of the order of 25A or more. In the β phase of VH x the x dependence of the resistivity indicates partial ordering of hydrogen in the β 1 region and complete disorder in the β 2 region.

A 100 ns 8K /spl times/ 8 CMOS EPROM has been developed. Internal clock signals generated by address transition detection are used to reduce power consumption. As a result, power dissipation is less than 5 mW/MHz in the active mode, and less than 1 /spl mu/W in both the standby mode and the active quiescent mode (chip enabled, but no address transitions sensed). Three special test features incorporated in the design can be used to reduce the time required for final test and reliability screening.

A new yield function for compressible P M materials has been derived based upon a yield criterion postulated by the authors. This function was experimentally verified for the uniaxial state of compressive stress using the P M aluminum alloy X7091 as a model material, and excellent agreement was found between theoretical and experimental results for the density dependence of the yield and geometrical hardening. Yield surfaces for various density levels have been generated in a three-dimensional principal-stress space using computer graphics.

Both normal heat-treatments and hot compression of Ti-6242 produce a rich variety of non-equilibrium microstructures. It was attempted to characterize subsequent phase transformations by monitoring dilatation during linear heating. The results seem anomalous when compared to simple transformation and solute effects but may be related to solute redistribution as equilibrium microstructures are approached. Dilatometric results are similar for heat-treated and hot-worked specimens.

A flow-based model for upset forging of cylindrical billets is presented. Four deformation zones are recognized. The size of the elastic zone (Zone I) is determined from empirical equations. Kinematically admissible velocity field equations are obtained for the other three zones. These equations are in terms of two arbitrary parameters which are optimized based on flow pattern observations. From the numerical solution of the velocity and strain rate equations the deformed grid patterns and the localized strains are determined. In general, good agreement with FEM solutions is observed. The phenomenon of side-surface foldover is also predicted with sufficient accuracy by the present solution.

The performance of a plastic panel-type heat exchanger, suitable for greenhouse heating using low-grade (25 to 60/sup 0/C water) power plant reject heat, was investigated theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical analysis showed that a plastic panel heat exchanger would have an overall heat transfer coefficient, U/sub 0/, of about 18 w/m/sup 2/-/sup 0/C compared to about 12 w/m/sup 2/-/sup 0/C for a fin-tube heat exchanger, under typical greenhouse conditions. Furthermore the plastic heat exchanger would require less fan power due to reduced air pressure losses. The experimental data revealed a similar functional relationship for U/sub 0/ and air flow when compared with the theoretical calculations, however the experimental values of U/sub 0/ were consistently larger by 20 to 30%. It was concluded that a properly designed plastic heat exchanger can compete with metal fin tube type exchangers on a performance basis, but the plastic heat exchangers are 3 to 4 times larger by volume. However, because of the lower cost of plastic, a substantial cost reduction is expected. It appears that further study, examining heat exchanger lifetime, performance and costs, is warranted.

In addressing the question of optimal, inter-temporal extraction policy for a near-urban aquifer, specification of an economic objective function requires decisions about benefit estimation, the relevance of alternative supply sources, linkages with urban planning or regional economic development policies, and the importance of environmental externalities such as the depletion of wetlands or land subsidence. Four stages of aquifer development are highlighted, namely those of (i) initial development, (ii) wetlands impact, (iii) depletion, with or without land subsidence, and (iv) exhaustion. Economic decisions in each stage are then discussed in terms of models drawn from the literature. The models are illustrated using examples from Perth (Western Australia), Tucson (Arizona) and Bangkok (Thailand).

A sensitive method for detecting fast neutrons and measuring their energy is described. It uses the delayed coincidence between the recoil protons and the thermal capture in a new liquid scintillator doped with 6 Li. A 5 l detector has been operated for a few days in the underground Gran Sasso laboratory to place an upper limit on the neutron flux above 3 MeV.

We have developed an electronic system based on a 100 MHz flash ADC for analysing the shape of the signals issued from photomultipliers. The purpose of this system is to improve appreciably the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique by means of the full knowledge on the time dependence of the collected light for electrons and heavy particles in the scintillating medium. We have obtained, without any particular optimisation, an order of magnitude improvement in the rejection of the electrons with a heavy particle efficiency of 93%.