The Expanded Evidence-Centered Design (e-ECD) for Learning and Assessment Systems: A Framework for Incorporating Learning Goals and Processes Within Assessment Design.

Evidence-centered design (ECD) is a framework for the design and development of assessments that ensures consideration and collection of validity evidence from the onset of the test design. Blending learning and assessment requires integrating aspects of learning at the same level of rigor as aspects of testing. In this paper, we describe an expansion to the ECD framework (termed e-ECD) such that it includes the specifications of the relevant aspects of learning at each of the three core models in the ECD, as well as making room for specifying the relationship between learning and assessment within the system.

Thermally induced amorphous to amorphous transition in hot-compressed silica glass.

Raman and Brillouin light scattering techniques were used to study thermally induced high-density amorphous (HDA) to low-density amorphous (LDA) transition in silica glass densified in hot compression (up to 8 GPa at 1100 °C). Hot-compressed silica samples are shown to retain structural and mechanical stability through 600 °C or greater, with reduced sensitivity in elastic response to temperature as compared with pristine silica glass. Given sufficient thermal energy to overcome the energy barrier, the compacted structure of the HDA silica reverts back to the LDA state.

Structure and Properties of Silica Glass Densified in Cold Compression and Hot Compression.

Silica glass has been shown in numerous studies to possess significant capacity for permanent densification under pressure at different temperatures to form high density amorphous (HDA) silica. However, it is unknown to what extent the processes leading to irreversible densification of silica glass in cold-compression at room temperature and in hot-compression (e.g.

Pressure-enabled phonon engineering in metals.

We present a combined first-principles and experimental study of the electrical resistivity in aluminum and copper samples under pressures up to 2 GPa. The calculations are based on first-principles density functional perturbation theory, whereas the experimental setup uses a solid media piston-cylinder apparatus at room temperature. We find that upon pressurizing each metal, the phonon spectra are blue-shifted and the net electron-phonon interaction is suppressed relative to the unstrained crystal.

Interdisciplinary palliative care intervention in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objective: Challenges and barriers continue to hinder the integration of palliative care models into comprehensive, ambulatory oncology care. This article aims to describe how symptoms, distress, and quality of life (QOL) data from the usual care phase of a National Cancer Institute-supported Program Project informed the development of an interdisciplinary, tailored palliative care intervention for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Patients receiving usual care for metastatic NSCLC were recruited into this prospective longitudinal study over a 1-year period.

Spiritual care for Jewish patients facing a life-threatening illness.

Providing biopsychosocial/spiritual care for patients facing a life threatening illness can be complex, and this complexity can be amplified when a patient identifies as Jewish. A common but incorrect assumption is that a person who identifies him or herself as Jewish abides by the tenets of the Jewish religion. However, many Jews consider themselves Jewish in an ethnic or cultural sense rather than connected to a religion or belief in God.

A study of cathodoluminescence and trace element compositional zoning in natural quartz from volcanic rocks: mapping titanium content in quartz.

This article concerns application of cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy to volcanic quartz and its utility in assessing variation in trace quantities of Ti within individual crystals. CL spectroscopy provides useful details of intragrain compositional variability and structure but generally limited quantitative information on element abundances. Microbeam analysis can provide such information but is time-consuming and costly, particularly if large numbers of analyses are required.

The FACIT-AI, a new tool for assessing symptoms associated with malignant ascites.

Objective: The objectives of this study are to assess the clinical relevance and validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Ascites Index (FACIT-AI) in women with ovarian cancer and malignant ascites, and to modify the instrument guided by qualitative feedback from patients with recurrent malignant ascites.

Methods: Fourteen adult female patients with recurrent symptomatic malignant ascites were enrolled from three centers. All completed an open-ended symptom list to identify their primary concerns regarding their condition.

Palliative care.

These guidelines were developed and updated by an interdisciplinary group of experts based on clinical experience and available scientific evidence. The goal of these guidelines is to help patients with cancer experience the best quality of life possible throughout the illness trajectory by providing guidance for the primary oncology team for symptom screening, assessment, palliative care interventions, reassessment, and afterdeath care. Palliative care should be initiated by the primary oncology team and augmented by collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of palliative care experts.

Michel Hersen and the administration of professional psychology programs.

From 1997 until his retirement in 2011, Michel Hersen served as the dean of the School of Professional Psychology (SPP) at Pacific University in Oregon. Through teaching, supervision, and modeling, Michel promoted his vision of a professional school that could compete on the national stage. He grew the program from a regional focus to one with a strong national presence through careful faculty hires and by anticipating national trends in diversity issues and interprofessional education.

The INFUSE-Morphine IIB study: use of recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) to enhance the absorption of subcutaneous morphine in healthy volunteers.

Morphine is usually given intravenously (IV) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pain, but subcutaneous (SC) administration is a viable alternative for parenteral delivery. The pharmacokinetics of SC morphine may be enhanced by coadministration with a hyaluronidase product. In this Phase IV, double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 18 healthy adults received a single dose of 2mg morphine SC with 150U of recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20), SC with 0.

The INFUSE-Morphine study: use of recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) to enhance the absorption of subcutaneously administered morphine in patients with advanced illness.

Morphine is often administered by the subcutaneous (SC) route when venous access is difficult to achieve. Hyaluronidase temporarily increases the permeability of SC connective tissues by degrading hyaluronan and has been shown to increase the dispersion and absorption of coadministered molecules. Therefore, hyaluronidase could enhance the pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous morphine.

Methylnaltrexone treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness.

Methylnaltrexone, a peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist with restricted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, reverses opioid-induced constipation (OIC) without affecting analgesia. A double-blind study in patients with advanced illness and OIC demonstrated that methylnaltrexone significantly induced laxation within four hours after the first dose compared with placebo. In this study, patients with advanced illness and OIC on stable doses of opioids and laxatives were randomized to methylnaltrexone 0.

Methylnaltrexone for treatment of opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness patients.

Methylnaltrexone, a peripheral mu-opioid receptor antagonist with restricted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, may relieve opioid-induced constipation (OIC) without reversing analgesia. A total of 154 patients with advanced illness and OIC enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, with optional open-label phases (up to 4 months) in hospice and palliative care centers during 2003-2005. They received a single subcutaneous injection of methylnaltrexone (0.

Palliative care and pain: new strategies for managing opioid bowel dysfunction.

Opioid analgesics are a cornerstone of pain therapy in the hospice and palliative care population. However, opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) is a commonly associated condition that frequently compromises the usefulness of these agents. Although its most common and debilitating symptom is constipation, the impact of OBD extends beyond constipation to encompass a myriad of gastrointestinal (GI) signs and symptoms, ranging from decreased gastric emptying and reflux to abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, nausea, and vomiting.

The symptomatic relief of dyspnea.

Dyspnea is a common symptom that causes considerable suffering in cancer patients. Although some knowledge of the sensory information that is transduced to the brain during dyspnea exists, we still have only a rudimentary understanding of the subjective perception of this symptom. There appear to be many parallels between pain and dyspnea.

Management of constipation in patients with cancer.

Constipation is highly prevalent in patients with cancer and is a source of tremendous suffering. The physiology of the gastrointestinal tract and the pathophysiology of constipation are being elucidated. Therapeutic agents include stool softeners, osmotic agents, stimulant laxatives, lubricants, and enemas.

Methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness.

Background: Constipation is a distressing side effect of opioid treatment. As a quaternary amine, methylnaltrexone, a mu-opioid-receptor antagonist, has restricted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. We investigated the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous methylnaltrexone for treating opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness.

Subcutaneous methylnaltrexone for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness: a double-blind, randomized, parallel group, dose-ranging study.

Methylnaltrexone, a peripherally-acting quaternary opioid antagonist, is an investigational treatment for opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness. This randomized, parallel-group, repeated dose, dose-ranging trial included a double-blind phase for one week followed by an open-label phase for a maximum of three weeks. Opioid-treated patients with advanced illness who met criteria for opioid-induced constipation despite laxative therapy were potentially eligible.

Assessing the role of human recombinant hyaluronidase in gravity-driven subcutaneous hydration: the INFUSE-LR study.

Background: Subcutaneous hydration has potential advantages over intravenous. Despite studies supporting the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous hydration it has not been studied extensively to date either with or without hyaluronidase.

Objectives: To compare flow rate, tolerability, and safety of gravity-driven subcutaneous fluid administration with and without recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) in healthy volunteers.

Opioid-induced bowel dysfunction.

Opioid-induced bowel dysfunction is a distressing condition that may persist indefinitely in the clinical setting. As we understand more about normal gastrointestinal (GI) physiology, we are also beginning to understand more fully how opioids cause bowel dysfunction. Current therapeutic interventions for opioid-induced bowel dysfunction can be burdensome and sometimes lack efficacy.