The Writing Strategies of Post-SecondaryStudents with Writing Difficulties

Writing samples were examined from 42 post-secondary students with or without writing difficulties. Guided by the Simple View of Writing (Berninger et al., 2002), the samples were examined for evidence of difficulties with lower-order transcription processes and higher-order composition skills. Retrospective reports on writing strategies were also obtained. The students with writing difficulties achieved significantly lower scores across both dimensions of writing than the students without difficulties. For those with writing difficulties, strategy reports indicated an awareness of difficulties with lower-order (e.g., spelling) writing skills and an over-emphasis on these skills during the writing process, compared to the students without writing difficulties. Results are discussed in relation to the cognitive and linguistic aspects involved in skilled writing in adulthood, and the implications for accommodations and interventions for students struggling with writing at the post-secondary level

Feasibility of Manual Teach-and-Replay and Continuous Impedance Shaping for Robotic Locomotor Training Following Spinal Cord Injury

Robotic gait training is an emerging technique for retraining walking ability following spinal cord injury (SCI). A key challenge in this training is determining an appropriate stepping trajectory and level of assistance for each patient, since patients have a wide range of sizes and impairment levels. Here, we demonstrate how a lightweight yet powerful robot can record subject-specific, trainer-induced leg trajectories during manually assisted stepping, then immediately replay those trajectories. Replay of the subject-specific trajectories reduced the effort required by the trainer during manual assistance, yet still generated similar patterns of muscle activation for six subjects with a chronic SCI. We also demonstrate how the impedance of the robot can be adjusted on a step-by-step basis with an error-based, learning law. This impedance-shaping algorithm adapted the robot's impedance so that the robot assisted only in the regions of the step trajectory where the subject consistently exhibited errors. The result was that the subjects stepped with greater variability, while still maintaining a physiologic gait pattern. These results are further steps toward tailoring robotic gait training to the needs of individual patients

Examining Mentoring Relationships within the Sport Management Academy: perspectives of mentors and protégés

Mentoring has typically been studied in business environments, with fewer studies focusing on academic contexts and even fewer in the field of sport management. This study sought to examine the mentoring relationships among sport management doctoral dissertation advisors (mentors) and their former doctoral students (protΘgΘs). Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 participants. Participants collectively described examples of all of Kram\u27s (1988) mentoring functions, with counselling, coaching, and exposure and visibility among the most frequently reported. Mentors and protΘgΘs described their current relationships as positive as well as both personal and professional in nature. Participants desired a wide range of characteristics in the other member (mentor or protΘgΘ) and cited numerous personal and professional benefits, including friendship and advanced career progression, as a result of their mentoring relationships. A discussion of these findings within the context of the relevant previous academic literature and suggestions for future research are also provided

Colloidal gas aphron extraction of bioactive compounds from brazilian pinot noir grape pomace.

Residues from the food industry are a problem worldwide. Alternatives have been developed in an attempted to extract compounds from fruit pomace in other to apply those as a natural component in different products. This work has the objective to produce two extracts: (1) ethanolic extract and (2) hot water extract; and characterize the chemical composition of these extracts for future application. In sequence an extraction using surfactants (Colloidal Gas Aphron) was applied in order to obtain a more concentrate and pure extract, in a foam form with better physical properties. The ethanolic extraction was more efficient, obtaining 4 times more bioactive compound (in 100g of pomace: 2670.63 mg Gallic Acid; 65.70 mg anthocyanins and 45,564.78 mmol of Trolox). However the CGA was able to concentrate more the compounds from hot water extract, 61.62% of phenolics compounds were concentrated in the Aphron phase

Caracterização molecular de duas cepas do flavivírus Rocio, isoladas durante a epidemia de encefalite no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil e desenvolvimento do teste one-step RT-PCR para diagnóstico

Rocio virus (ROCV) was responsible for an explosive encephalitis epidemic in the 1970s affecting about 1,000 residents of 20 coastland counties in São Paulo State, Brazil. ROCV was first isolated in 1975 from the cerebellum of a fatal human case of encephalitis. Clinical manifestations of the illness are similar to those described for St. Louis encephalitis. ROCV shows intense antigenic cross-reactivity with Japanese encephalitis complex (JEC) viruses, particularly with Ilheus (ILHV), St. Louis encephalitis, Murray Valley and West Nile viruses. In this study, we report a specific RT-PCR assay for ROCV diagnosis and the molecular characterization of the SPAn37630 and SPH37623 strains. Partial nucleotide sequences of NS5 and E genes determined from both strains were used in phylogenetic analysis. The results indicated that these strains are closely related to JEC viruses, but forming a distinct subclade together with ILHV, in accordance with results recently reported by Medeiros et al. (2007).O vírus Rocio (ROCV) foi responsável por uma explosiva epidemia de encefalite que ocorreu nos anos 70 afetando cerca de 1.000 habitantes de 20 municípios litorâneos do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. ROCV foi isolado em 1975 de cerebelo de caso humano fatal de encefalite. As manifestações clínicas da doença são semelhantes àquelas descritas para encefalite St. Louis. ROCV apresenta intensa reatividade cruzada com os vírus do Complexo da Encefalite Japonesa (JEV), particularmente com o vírus Ilhéus (ILHV) e com os vírus das encefalites St. Louis, Murray Valley e West Nile. Neste estudo, relatamos o desenvolvimento de um teste de RT-PCR específico para diagnóstico de ROCV e a caracterização molecular das cepas SPAn37630 e SPH37623. Foi realizada a análise filogenética das seqüências parciais dos genes NS5 e E, de ambas as cepas. Os resultados indicaram que essas cepas são intimamente relacionadas ao complexo JEV, mas formando um subgrupo com o ILHV, de acordo com os resultados recentemente publicados por MEDEIROS et al. (2007)

AAC Penhold Canada Prairie Spring Red Wheat

AAC Penhold, an awned hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar, yielded significantly more grain than 5700PR while maturing 2 days earlier, and 7.5 cm shorter stature. The seed size was significantly larger than 5700PR and 5701PR, with a test weight significantly heavier than both checks. AAC Penhold expressed resistance to prevalent races of leaf rust and common bunt, and moderate resistance to fusarium head blight and stem rust. AAC Penhold had higher grain and flour protein than the checks and improved Hagberg Falling Number, amylograph viscosity, and water absorption. AAC Penhold is eligible for grades of the market class, Canada Prairie Spring Red wheat

Cationic Peptide Exposure Enhances Pulsed-Electric-Field-Mediated Membrane Disruption

Background: The use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to irreversibly electroporate cells is a promising approach for destroying undesirable cells. This approach may gain enhanced applicability if the intensity of the PEF required to electrically disrupt cell membranes can be reduced via exposure to a molecular deliverable. This will be particularly impactful if that reduced PEF minimally influences cells that are not exposed to the deliverable. We hypothesized that the introduction of charged molecules to the cell surfaces would create regions of enhanced transmembrane electric potential in the vicinity of each charged molecule, thereby lowering the PEF intensity required to disrupt the plasma membranes. This study will therefore examine if exposure to cationic peptides can enhance a PEF’s ability to disrupt plasma membranes. Methodology/Principal Findings We exposed leukemia cells to 40 μs PEFs in media containing varying concentrations of a cationic peptide, polyarginine. We observed the internalization of a membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in real time. Based on an individual cell’s PI fluorescence versus time signature, we were able to determine the relative degree of membrane disruption. When using 1–2 kV/cm, exposure to >50 μg/ml of polyarginine resulted in immediate and high levels of PI uptake, indicating severe membrane disruption, whereas in the absence of peptide, cells predominantly exhibited signatures indicative of no membrane disruption. Additionally, PI entered cells through the anode-facing membrane when exposed to cationic peptide, which was theoretically expected. Conclusions/Significance: Exposure to cationic peptides reduced the PEF intensity required to induce rapid and irreversible membrane disruption. Critically, peptide exposure reduced the PEF intensities required to elicit irreversible membrane disruption at normally sub-electroporation intensities. We believe that these cationic peptides, when coupled with current advancements in cell targeting techniques will be useful tools in applications where targeted destruction of unwanted cell populations is desired

Genomics in premature infants: A non-invasive strategy to obtain high-quality DNA

We used a cost-effective, non-invasive method to obtain high-quality DNA from buccal epithelial-cells (BEC) of premature infants for genomic analysis. DNAs from BEC were obtained from premature infants with gestational age ≤ 36 weeks. Short terminal repeats (STRs) were performed simultaneously on DNA obtained from the buccal swabs and blood from the same patient. The STR profiles demonstrated that the samples originated from the same individual and exclude any contamination by external DNAs. Whole exome sequencing was performed on DNAs obtained from BEC on premature infants with and without necrotizing enterocolitis, and successfully provided a total number of reads and variants corroborating with those obtained from healthy blood donors. We provide a proof of concept that BEC is a reliable and preferable source of DNA for high-throughput sequencing in premature infants

A Systematic Review of Durum Wheat: Enhancing Production Systems by Exploring Genotype, Environment, and Management (G × E × M) Synergies

According to the UN-FAO, agricultural production must increase by 50% by 2050 to meet global demand for food. This goal can be accomplished, in part, by the development of improved cultivars coupled with modern best management practices. Overall, wheat production on farms will have to increase significantly to meet future demand, and in the face of a changing climate that poses risk to even current rates of production. Durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.)] is used largely for pasta, couscous and bulgur production. Durum producers face a range of factors spanning abiotic (frost damage, drought, and sprouting) and biotic (weed, disease, and insect pests) stresses that impact yields and quality specifications desired by export market end-users. Serious biotic threats include Fusarium head blight (FHB) and weed pest pressures, which have increased as a result of herbicide resistance. While genetic progress for yield and quality is on pace with common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), development of resistant durum cultivars to FHB is still lagging. Thus, successful biotic and abiotic threat mitigation are ideal case studies in Genotype (G) × Environment (E) × Management (M) interactions where superior cultivars (G) are grown in at-risk regions (E) and require unique approaches to management (M) for sustainable durum production. Transformational approaches to research are needed in order for agronomists, breeders and durum producers to overcome production constraints. Designing robust agronomic systems for durum demands scientific creativity and foresight based on a deep understanding of constitutive components and their innumerable interactions with each other and the environment. This encompasses development of durum production systems that suit specific agro- ecozones and close the yield gap between genetic potential and on-farm achieved yield. Advances in individual technologies (e.g., genetic improvements, new pesticides, seeding technologies) are of little benefit until they are melded into resilient G × E × M systems that will flourish in the field under unpredictable conditions of prairie farmlands. We explore how recent genetic progress and selected management innovations can lead to a resilient and transformative durum production system