The evaluation of partial binocular overlap on car maneuverability: A pilot study

An engineering approach to enlarge the helmet mounted display (HMD) field of view (FOV) and maintain resolution and weight by partially overlapping the binocular FOV has received renewed interest among human factors scientists. It is evident, based on the brief literature review, that any panoramic display with a binocular overlap, less than a minimum amount, annoys the viewer, degrades performance, and elicits undesirable behavior. The major finding is that across the 60 deg conditions, subjects moved their heads a greater distance (by about 5 degs on each side) than in the 180 deg condition, presumably to compensate for the lack of FOV. It is quite clear that the study, based on simple car maneuverability and two subjects, reveals differences in FOV, but nothing significant between binocular overlap levels and configurations. This tentatively indicates that some tradeoffs of binocular vision for a larger overall display FOV are acceptable

Blockchain for good?

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The blockchain innovation appears to represent viable catalysts for achieving global sustainable development targets. Projects and initiatives seeking to extend the reach of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) seem mostly intended for the benefit of for-profit businesses, governments, and consumers. DLT projects devised for the public good could aim, in theory, to fulfill the United Nation’s current sustainable development goals. Blockchain technology is being applied in ways that could transform this ambition for good into a practical reality

Predicting Survival of East Texas Loblolly and Slash Pine Plantations Infected with Fusiform Rust

Repeated measurement during 1982-1992 of East Texas Pine Plantation Research Project permanent plots in loblolly( Pinus taedaL .) and slash( Pinus elliottii Engelm.) pine plantations throughout East Texas were used to develop equations for predicting the future number of trees per acre. A typical condition of East Texas pine plantations is the incidence of fusiform rust( Cronatrium quercuum [Berk.] Miyabe ex Shirai f. sp. fusiforme). A regression procedure for fitting nonlinear systems of equations was used to fit survival models that considered the possibility that trees with no rust galls on the stem could either (1) remain uninfected and alive, (2) become infected yet still alive or (3) die. For infected stem so, only two possible outcomes were considered in the model:(1) remain infected and alive or (2) die.Analyses of the differences between predicted and observed values indicated no adverse trends for either of the two species. Apparently the models do represent observed survival patterns.South J. Appl. For. 20(1):30-35

Effects of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on the Herbaceous Layer of a Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest

Additions of nitrogen (N) have been shown to alter species diversity of plant communities, with most experimental studies having been carried out in communities dominated by herbaceous species. We examined seasonal and inter-annual patterns of change in the herbaceous layer of two watersheds of a central Appalachian hardwood forest that differed in experimental treatment. This study was carried out at the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, using two adjacent watersheds: WS4 (mature, second-growth hardwood stand, untreated reference), and WS3. Seven circular 0.04-ha sample plots were established in eachwatershed to represent its full range of elevation and slope aspect. The herbaceous layer was sampled by identifying and visually estimating cover (%) of all vascular plants. Sampling was carried out in mid-July of 1991 and repeated at approximately the same time in 1992. In 1994, these same plots were sampled each month fromMay to October. Seasonal patterns of herb layer dynamics were assessed for the complete 1994 data set, whereasinter-annual variability was based on plot data from 1991, 1992, and the July sample of 1994. There were nosignificant differences between watersheds for any sample year for any of the other herb layer characteristics measured, including herb layer cover, species richness, evenness, and diversity. Cover on WS4 decreased significantly from 1991 to 1992, followed by no change to 1994. By contrast, herb layer cover did not varysignificantly across years on WS3. Cover of the herbaceous layer of both watersheds increased from early in the growing season to the middle of the growing season, decreasing thereafter, with no significant differencesbetween WS3 and WS4 for any of the monthly cover means in 1994. Similar seasonal patterns found for herblayer cover—and lack of significant differences between watersheds—were also evident for species diversityand richness. By contrast, there was little seasonal change in herb layer species evenness, which was nearlyidentical between watersheds for all months except October. Seasonal patterns for individual species/speciesgroups were closely similar between watersheds, especially for Viola rotundifolia and Viola spp. Species richnessand species diversity were linearly related to herb layer cover for both WS3 and WS4, suggesting that spatialand temporal increases in cover were more related to recruitment of herb layer species than to growth of existingspecies. Results of this study indicate that there have been negligible responses of the herb layer to 6 yr of additions to WS3

Policy, system, and environmental approaches: Determining factors of use of PSE among extension educators in Oklahoma

Background: A nation-wide focus on Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) strategies has emerged as a complimentary approach to individual based strategies for obesity prevention. PSE changes are community-based strategies that aim to create environments that facilitate healthy eating and physical activity to support obesity prevention. The efforts are often planned and implemented through collaborative efforts with agencies, such as Cooperative Extension and community partners. The extent to which Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Educators use PSE strategies in their communities as well as the factors that affect their intention to carry out PSE strategies is not known.Objective: To determine the extent to which Extension Educators perceive obesity as a problem in their community and identify factors that influence Extension Educators' intentions to use PSE strategies as an approach to address public health issues.Design: The cross-sectional study used a 66-item online survey administered to Oklahoma State University Extension Educators in the 4 areas of Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition Education Assistants, 4-H Educators, and Agriculture Educators.Results: The Extension Educators identified obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as public health concerns. Three of the four identified contributing factors were environmental in nature, including availability of fatty and sugary foods, TV/screen time, perceived price of healthy food, and lack of nutrition knowledge/skill. The key components identified in the present study were Extension resources, Educators' attitudes and beliefs reflecting outcome expectancy of using PSE strategies, and networking with community agencies and organizations. These components are constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior including Perceived Control, Attitudes and Beliefs, and Networking (social norms).Conclusion: Findings from this study provide insight to factors related to Oklahoma Extension Educators' intent to use PSE approaches. The findings will be used to develop a second survey that will be applicable specifically for Oklahoma Extension Educators to identify if intentions differ between groups of educators, which will inform development of PSE training and technical assistance

Panel. Daughters and Siblings

Undutiful Daughters: Women and Kinship Beyond Family in Faulkner / Julie Beth Napolin, The New School“It Takes Two People to Make You”: Reading Brotherhood in As I Lay Dying / Josephine Adams, University of VirginiaThis paper addresses the relationship between Vardaman and Darl in As I Lay Dying in order to expose Faulkner’s understanding of the way in which sibling relationships—as opposed to parent-child relationships—can have a profound effect on the younger child’s psychological development. Much of the existing criticism on As I Lay Dying focuses on the Bundren children’s relationship to Addie: how they recognize, comprehend, and confront the loss of their mother. Engaging with the work of John Matthews, Judith Lockyer, and Stephen Ross, I argue that Vardaman creates his identity with and in terms of Darl, and that his interior monologues are a series of desperate, unconscious attempts to fill the void of his now-institutionalized older brother. In other words, Vardaman’s fundamental experience of loss in As I Lay Dying is not Addie’s death, but, rather, Darl’s departure for Jackson.Sibling Psychology and Silences in the Narrative: Racial Memory in The Unvanquished Thomas L. McLaughlin, Jr., Villanova UniversityMy talk argues that Bayard, the narrator of The Unvanquished, possesses a complex racial psychology, especially in how he internalizes his “sibling rivalry” with his enslaved friend and quasi-brother Ringo. Critics have labeled this book a “potboiler,” the bildungsroman aspects juvenile, and the racial psychology generalized and distant; some fault the narrative for failing to encapsulate the Southern reaction to Emancipation. However, the first-person account individualizes the experience of a Southern family left behind by war and faced with the complexities of Emancipation. Faulkner would have been unable to speak to a wider racial consciousness, historically, because of the silences in the archives. Thus, the narrative is not representational but specific, as Bayard is simultaneously both a claimant to and questioner of the Sartoris legacy. This legacy is informed by Bayard’s insecurities about Ringo’s increasingly important role in the family, as well as the ensuing subtle “sibling” power dynamic

Multi-gene panel testing for hereditary cancer predisposition in unsolved high-risk breast and ovarian cancer patients.

PurposeMany women with an elevated risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer have previously tested negative for pathogenic mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. Among them, a subset has hereditary susceptibility to cancer and requires further testing. We sought to identify specific groups who remain at high risk and evaluate whether they should be offered multi-gene panel testing.MethodsWe tested 300 women on a multi-gene panel who were previously enrolled in a long-term study at UCSF. As part of their long-term care, all previously tested negative for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 either by limited or comprehensive sequencing. Additionally, they met one of the following criteria: (i) personal history of bilateral breast cancer, (ii) personal history of breast cancer and a first or second degree relative with ovarian cancer, and (iii) personal history of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal carcinoma.ResultsAcross the three groups, 26 women (9%) had a total of 28 pathogenic mutations associated with hereditary cancer susceptibility, and 23 women (8%) had mutations in genes other than BRCA1 and BRCA2. Ashkenazi Jewish and Hispanic women had elevated pathogenic mutation rates. In addition, two women harbored pathogenic mutations in more than one hereditary predisposition gene.ConclusionsAmong women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer who have previously tested negative for pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, we identified three groups of women who should be considered for subsequent multi-gene panel testing. The identification of women with multiple pathogenic mutations has important implications for family testing