UCLIC – UCL Interaction Centre 6 March 2025 A new Times Higher Education article explores how sampled viva voce exams could provide a scalable solution for maintaining academic integrity and engagement in the AI era. With 88% of UK students now using AI tools in assessments, universities face an urgent challenge: how to uphold academic integrity while ensuring students remain actively engaged in learning. Traditional detection methods are unreliable, and relying solely on in-person exams risks excluding more inclusive and flexible assessment formats. Professor Duncan Brumby has co-authored a new article in Times Higher Education with Professor Anna Cox, Dr Advait Sarkar and Dr Sandy Gould, exploring how sampled viva voce assessments could offer a scalable, practical way forward. The challenge of AI in assessment: Generative AI allows students to produce written work with minimal engagement, raising concerns about the reliability of coursework-based assessments. The article highlights how universities must go beyond reacting to AI and proactively define how it should be used in education – ensuring assessments measure genuine understanding, not just text production. Read the full article: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/sampled-vivas-are-pivotal-combating-ai-cheating
UCL News 9 August 2024 Multiple biological pathways involving organs and the brain play a key part in physical and mental health, according to a new study from UCL, the University of Melbourne and the University of Cambridge. The study, published in Nature Mental Health, analysed UK Biobank data from more than 18,000 individuals. Of these, 7,749 people had no major clinically-diagnosed medical or mental health conditions, while 10,334 had reported a diagnosis of either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety. Using advanced statistical models, the researchers found a significant association between poorer organ health and higher depressive symptoms, and that the brain plays an important role in linking body health and depression. The organ systems studied included the lungs, muscles and bones, kidneys, liver, heart, and the metabolic and immune systems. Dr Ye Ella Tian, lead author of the study from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, said. “Overall, we found multiple significant pathways through which poor organ health may lead to poor brain health, which may in turn lead to poor mental health. “By integrating clinical data, brain imaging and a wide array of organ-specific biomarkers in a large population-based cohort, for the first time we were able to establish multiple pathways involving the brain as a mediating factor and through which poor physical health of body organ systems may lead to poor mental health. “We identified modifiable lifestyle factors that can potentially lead to improved mental health through their impact on these specific organ systems and neurobiology. “Our work provides a holistic characterisation of brain, body, lifestyle and mental health.” Physical health was also taken into account, as well as lifestyle factors such as sleep quality, diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Professor James Cole, an author of the study from UCL Computer Science, said: “While it’s well-known in healthcare that all the body’s organs and systems influence each other, it’s rarely reflected in research studies. So, it’s exciting to see these results, as it really emphases the value in combining measures from different parts of the body together.” Professor Andrew Zalesky, an author of the study from the Departments of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne, said. “This is a significant body of work because we have shown the link between physical health and depression and anxiety, and how that is partially influenced by individual changes in brain structure. “Our results suggest that poor physical health across multiple organ systems, such as liver and heart, the immune system and muscles and bones, may lead to subsequent alterations in brain structure. “These structural changes of the brain may lead to or exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as neuroticism.” Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6995 Email: m.midgley [at] ucl.ac.uk
Published on By ‘It was seamless’ – Akpata says after casting vote
Response of the domestic observer who was manhandled by the alleged vote buyer at Ward 4 polling units OREDO LGA Benin City
Governor Godwin Obaseki arrived his polling units at OREDO LGA ward 4 unit 19 for accreditation and voting.
PDP candidate Asuen Ighodalo in queue to cast his vote Edo 2024: Impressive turnout of voters across state The Edo 2024 gubernatorial election has witnessed an impressive turnout of voters across the state. Residents trooped out in their numbers to exercised their civic duties, DAILY POST reports. By 7:15am when reporters visited polling units within ward 12, residents had trooped out early, signaling a strong desire to shape the future of Edo State. Several civil society organizations monitoring the elections, including YIAGA Africa and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), commended the peaceful conduct and the large turnout of voters. The election is seen as a critical moment for the state, with three major political parties, the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party, LP, amongst others, vying for the governorship seat in a race that will shape Edo’s political landscape for the next four years. Edo decides: Ighodalo condemns late arrival of materials in Ewohimi The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Edo governorship election, Dr Asue Ighodalo, has condemned late arrival of officials of Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, and election materials to his polling unit. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, INEC Officials and materials arrived in Ighodalo’s Okaegben ward one, unit 3 in Ewohimi at exactly 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Ighodalo, who arrived at the voting centre at 10:30 a.m., also condemned the arrest of some PDP members in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of the state. He also decried the late arrival of election materials in Owan West Local Government Area. “As you can see, INEC Officials and materials just arrived and they are well over two hours late. “Well, we are still well around the allocated time for voting; let us see what we can achieve between now and close of voting hours,’’ he said. According to him, it will only be fair if the voting hours are extended by the numbers of hours lost. LP guber candidate, Akpata votes The Labour Party Candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Olumide Akpata has cast his vote. Akpata arrived around 10:30 am at his polling unit 11, ward in Oredo Local Government Area of the State. The LP candidate also expressed satisfaction with the voting process. A 75 year old man Ebagua Ogiugo expressing confidence in the process as he cast his vote at Ward 4, unit 19 Emokpoa Primary School, Oredo LG
Voting ongoing at Ward 4, unit 19 Emokpoa Primary School, Oredo LG
Nick Brown | March 29, 2021 Cargo ships at port. A rare mainstream international cargo shipping story reached a welcome turning point today as the skyscraper-sized container ship the Ever Given was finally dislodged from the banks of the Suez Canal in Egypt. The nearly weeklong blockage of the canal — a vital trade route between Asia and Europe — will carry an economic impact extending into the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. Yet the Ever Given story is only the latest in a yearlong parade of shipping industry disruptions that have affected the global coffee industry. Last week, Bloomberg issued a coffee-focused story with a headline depicting a “supply chain nightmare,” in part due to the ongoing shortage of shipping containers that began in the pandemic era and has worsened in recent months. Here’s the lead: Coffee supplies in the U.S. are shrinking and wholesale prices are surging, with the hard-hit market bracing for further fallout from a global shortage of shipping containers that’s upended the food trade.” While the Bloomberg piece is focused on the global coffee trade at large, DCN recently reached out to several coffee trading companies focused largely on the specialty coffee market, which is not immune to supply chain volatility, price volatility, and the realities of supply and demand. “It is relatively common to have container availability shortages at certain origins and especially during ‘peak’ months throughout the year,” Jorge Cuevas, Chief Coffee Officer at Portland, Oregon-based Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, told DCN. “The current situation, however, is systemic and worldwide. Compounding the issue are containers that may be stranded in trans-shipment ports half a world away, vessels canceling stops along previously scheduled routes, and lengthy offloading times at destination ports. We have never witnessed anything quite like this before.” Max Hurd, SVP of sourcing for Minneapolis-based green coffee company Cafe Imports, told DCN that there is generally “significantly more volatility in global shipping than there was pre-pandemic.” However, in its own supply chain, the company has not yet seen major price volatility or availability issues for U.S. buyers outside of coffees from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, according to Hurd. Nadine Rasch, director of Guatemala-focused coffee trading company Primavera Coffee, suggested shipping disruptions have affected buyers and sellers in similar manners. “We are seeing some disruptions in our shipping this year, with container ships being canceled or rescheduled more frequently than in the past,” Rasch said. “We still expect coffee to land in good time, but this is a logistical challenge that our small team spends a lot of time correcting. It’s just a lot harder and more time-consuming to get coffee to a port on time compared with previous years.” A host of factors beyond shipping are widely believed to be affecting global coffee prices, including reduced production in Brazil due to the biennial cycle and extended periods of drought, stable or increased demand, foreign exchange rates, and other macroeconomic factors. All these factors have the potential to affect prices paid by even the smallest specialty coffee roasters. “Roasters might see a lot of challenges with this situation,” said Rasch. “Roasters hoping to compete in 2021 will have to deal with this challenge in addition to all the challenges left over from last year’s pandemic and economic slowdowns. Small roasters that prefer to keep lower inventory might also be frustrated by shipping delays, so keeping inventory on hand during the 2021 year might be a worthwhile investment for roasters that are able to do so.” Sustainable Harvest’s Cuevas said that growth in consumer markets as COVID-19-related restrictions are eased may make existing supply issues for some roasters even more pressing. “Planning and logistics have become paramount as you have twice the pressure: expectations for growth and sales from economies reopening, combined with supply tightness and logistical disruptions,” Cuevas said. “Both of these occurring simultaneously make for a very stressful time for coffee buyers.” Hurd said that ocean freight costs tend to represent a smaller percentage of the total price of green coffee sold to roasters in the specialty market as opposed to the conventional coffee market. “For example, doubling of ocean freight costs would be reflected in the roaster’s price of coffee by 5-10 cents per pound, on the high side,” Hurd said. “However, most shipping lanes haven’t seen increases of this magnitude. The exception to this is the West Coast (USA), which is clogged with incoming containers from Asia.” While price runs both ways in the specialty or conventional coffee markets, so too does volatility. Coffee traders interviewed said shipping disruptions have the potential to affect farmers’ cash flow. “If there are delays and they can’t get the coffee out of the country it means they have to wait longer to get paid, as payments tend to be made once the coffee is in a container and loaded on a boat,” said Cafe Imports’ Hurd. Through its export operations in Guatemala, Primavera makes a practice of paying producers the full price within a week of delivery of the coffee, which accepts some financial risk. However, that’s not always the case with other coffee exporters. “Sometimes we see exporters that buy coffee at low prices and promise to pay the producer a high ‘quality premium’ upon sale of the coffee,” said Rasch. “These prices can be very good for farmers, but when the exporter uses the producer to finance their coffee, it also creates a highly uncertain situation for the farmer who doesn’t know when they will be paid.” Sustainable Harvest’s Cuevas said that cash flow issues due to shipping delays may simply be compounding existing logistical challenges for producers. “Coffee today is more costly to produce, process, and handle than ever before,” Cuevas said. “Lockdowns and workplace restrictions have been successfully implemented at source, but they are not free.” Most traders expect shipping disruptions to continue for at least a period of months, although there’s no true compass when navigating a years-long pandemic. “Things can still change, of course,” said Hurd. “I would imagine that if things get significantly worse the news coverage on container shipping woes will amplify quite a bit.” Nick Brown Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. Tags: Cafe Imports, exporters, green coffee, importers, logistics, Max Hurd, Minneapolis, Nadine Rasch, Portland, prices, Primavera Coffee, shipping, Sustainable Harvest E-News Subscribe
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Mr Ogunbanjo said that the project was developed in partnership with Globacom Nigeria Limited. A group under the platform of OMobile World on Friday in Abuja unveiled a hybrid digital learning application, Sabihub Mobile App, aimed at enhancing students’ learning experience through technology. The app, designed with dedicated tablets and restricted-access SIM cards, is part of a broader initiative to improve digital education and protect children from harmful online content. Speaking at the unveiling, the initiator and Chief Executive of OMobile World, David Ogunbanjo, said that the project was developed in partnership with Globacom Nigeria Limited. It will provide five million SIM cards under the first phase, with plans to scale up to 50 million students nationwide over five years. Other partners in the initiative include Industrial Awakening’s Missions, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), and Mastrade Cooperative Society Limited. According to Mr Ogunbanjo, the project will be officially inaugurated in Abuja on July 26, with education commissioners from all 36 states expected in attendance. He explained that the app aims to standardise digital learning across private schools, foster engagement, and enable real-time monitoring of content. He said, “Discussions are ongoing to extend the project to public schools. Students will not only stay connected through Sabihub App, but also gain access to curated educational resources, interactive tools, and learning experiences designed for the world of today and tomorrow. In a time when learning is moving online, and opportunity is increasingly linked to connectivity, our children must not remain disconnected. We are not just distributing devices. We are building a digital ecosystem where no Nigerian child will be left behind,” he said. Director of Industrial Awakening’s Missions, David Ibrahim, said the project would introduce tools to ensure safer access to education. He stressed the importance of early skills training for students to enhance productivity, likening the approach to models used in countries such as China. “In Nigeria, it is after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that people are exposed to skill acquisition. At that point, the brain is already congested. Starting from childhood is better. We aim to instil a new mindset in them and drive a paradigm shift,” he said. President of Mastrade Cooperative Society, Benjamin Aduli, urged parents and stakeholders to support the initiative, stressing that every Nigerian child deserves quality digital education regardless of background. Mrs Rukayat Agboola, who spoke on behalf of NAPPS, outlined the project as timely, with great potential to positively impact secondary school students. She noted that private schools had already embraced the idea, and NAPPS was hopeful that public schools would soon follow suit. (NAN) We have recently deactivated our website’s comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
The police spokesperson assured the public that the command remained committed to ensuring the safety and security of lives.
Mr Oluyede reaffirmed the determination of the Nigerian Army to root out terrorism.
Kabir Shuaibu, C&BFPMAN president, said the increased harvest from the cultivation is the reason for the drop in price
Mr Sani also advocated for a review of the section of the constitution that empowers the president to appoint the IGP.
The spokesman for the Ondo police, Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed Mr Afolabi’s redeployment in a chat with The Gazette.
He said, “We have not properly professionalised boat making in Nigeria, that is why today we are still using wooden boats.”
The U.S. Supreme Court preserved a key element of the Affordable Care Act that helps guarantee that health insurers cover preventive care at no cost to patients. The justices reversed a lower court’s ruling that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which under the 2010 law has a major role in choosing what services will be covered, is composed of members who were not validly appointed. The suit started in Texas, where two Christian-owned businesses and individuals argued that health insurance plans they buy shouldn’t have to cover medical tests and drugs they object to on religious grounds, such as the HIV-prevention drug PrEP. But the legal question at the heart of the Supreme Court case was whether the task force is so powerful that, under the Constitution, its members must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the 6-3 majority that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can remove task force members at will and can review their recommendations before they take effect. “The Task Force members are removable at will by the Secretary of HHS, and their recommendations are reviewable by the Secretary before they take effect,” he wrote. “So Task Force members are supervised and directed by the Secretary, who in turn answers to the President preserving the chain of command.” The Health and Human Services secretary has always appointed task force members and ratified their recommendations, said MaryBeth Musumeci, teaching associate professor of health policy and management at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. But the ruling expanded on that authority by clarifying that the secretary also could remove members and block recommendations, she said. Given that Kennedy had recently fired all 17 original members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, another expert panel that issues health recommendations, Musumeci said “there is reason to be worried.” The secretary has never removed access to preventive services that have been proven to help people stay healthy, nor has the secretary “sought to shape the membership of our expert panel in any way,” task force chair Dr. Michael Silverstein said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. “While the HHS Secretary has long had authority over the USPSTF, historically they have only acted to increase access to preventive care, occasionally going beyond the evidence to secure enhanced coverage for preventive services,” he said. “Given our shared focus on preventing cancer and chronic disease, we certainly hope that the Secretary will allow our current work to continue unimpeded, as it has thus far.” Katherine Hempstead, senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a health nonprofit, praised the high court’s decision because it meant that millions of Americans still have access to preventive care such as mental health screenings, cancer screenings, STI testing and important medications. But she also called the ruling both an “ending and a beginning.” “It’s the ending of the challenge, but now it’s the beginning of something that’s going to unfold where we’re going to see someone exercise control over this expert panel that has very strong opinions about … many aspects of medical care,” she said. If Kennedy plans to target the preventive services task force, it’s unclear what preventive services could be at risk, Musumeci said. But insurance companies ultimately have the final decision. Even if the secretary vetoes a new recommendation or revokes an existing one, insurance companies can still decide to cover the preventive service. America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade association representing health insurance companies, plans to closely monitor the legal process but affirms that the court’s ruling will not affect any existing coverage, according to an emailed statement sent to USA TODAY. Contributing: Maureen Groppe and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Reuters. Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
