The purpose of this study was to describe the development of content and performance standards for a rubric to evaluate secondary-level solo instrumental music performance using a modified bookmark standard setting procedure. The research questions that guided this study include (1) What are the psychometric qualities of a rubric to evaluate secondary-level solo instrumental music performance? (2) What is the quality of ratings obtained for the standard-setting panel of subject matter expert judges? (3) What cut scores best categorize secondary-level solo instrumental performances into four performance levels across the latent performance achievement variable? and (4) What content mastery of items best categorizes achievement in secondary-level solo music performance at each of the four performance levels? A panel of eight subject matter experts participated in the study. A 30-item rubric was used to collect the judging panel’s observed responses. The collected responses were transformed to linear measures using the multifaceted Rasch partial credit model. The bookmark procedure resulted in the setting of three cut points representing minimum pass levels on a latent continuum differentiating between four performance achievement levels (rudimentary, emerging, proficient, and exemplary) with clearly defined content standards. Implications for opportunity to learn are discussed.
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A novel and highly efficient approach to angularly fused tricycles has been developed through the employment of selective tandem ring closing metathesis reactions.
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable rubric to be used for the evaluation of large ensemble wind band performances. The guiding questions for this study were: (a) what are the psychometric qualities (i.e., reliability and validity) of the scale developed to assess wind band ensemble performance at the high school level? (b) how do the items fit the model and vary in difficulty? (c) how does the structure of the rating scale vary across individual items? and (d) how can the rating scale be transferred into an informative rubric? The primary data analysis tool used in this study was the Multifaceted Rasch Partial Credit Measurement Model. Music content experts ( N = 20) were solicited to evaluate 40 wind band performances, each evaluator listening to four. A 4-point Likert-type rating scale (e.g., Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree) was used to evaluate each recorded performance. Results indicated good model data fit and resulted in a final rubric containing 24 items ranging from two to four performance categories. Implications for classroom teaching and consequential validity are discussed.
The liver X receptor (LXR)α and β isoforms are members of the Type II nuclear receptor family that function as heterodimers with the retinoid X receptor (RXR). Upon agonist binding, the DNA binding domain (DBD) of LXR interacts with LXR response elements on target genes to initiate transcription. The ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCA1 is an LXR target gene, which is involved in the process of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) from macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques to high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in the plasma. Decreased levels of HDL are pro-atherogenic and, as such, increasing RCT by LXR agonism is a potential therapeutic mechanism for the treatment of atherosclerosis. A number of other genes are upregulated by LXR activation and may have positive or negative effects on atherosclerosis. One such target gene is sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c, which is involved in the process of lipogenesis leading to increased levels of triglycerides, which are pro-atherogenic. This review focuses on the structural and biological data reported for LXR agonists that have been claimed for the treatment of atherosclerosis in patent applications and associated literature. A brief reference is made to patent applications claiming the use of LXR agonists for other therapeutic indications. The importance of the interactions made between LXR agonists and the LXR ligand binding domain (LBD), which have been highlighted in recent X-ray crystallographic publications are also discussed.
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