The Benefits and Limitations of the Leveled Literacy Intervention System

The purpose of this study was to identify the benefits and limitations of the Leveled Literacy Intervention System developed by authors and researchers Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. The benefits and limitations that were identified as a result of this study were from the perspective of the professional administering this intervention. Data collection for this study included video and audio taped sessions of three fourth grade students who participated in the Leveled Literacy Intervention System, surveys completed by reading specialists who have administered this intervention, and student surveys. Another purpose of this study was to further investigate the compliance of the Leveled Literacy Intervention System with the tiered framework of Response to Intervention, as mandated by the school district where the data was collected

Network Models: An Underutilized Tool in Wildlife Epidemiology?

Although the approach of contact network epidemiology has been increasing in popularity for studying transmission of infectious diseases in human populations, it has generally been an underutilized approach for investigating disease outbreaks in wildlife populations. In this paper we explore the differences between the type of data that can be collected on human and wildlife populations, provide an update on recent advances that have been made in wildlife epidemiology by using a network approach, and discuss why networks might have been underutilized and why networks could and should be used more in the future. We conclude with ideas for future directions and a call for field biologists and network modelers to engage in more cross-disciplinary collaboration

Reactivity Control Schemes for Fast Spectrum Space Nuclear Reactors

Several different reactivity control schemes are considered for future space nuclear reactor power systems. Each of these control schemes uses a combination of boron carbide absorbers and/or beryllium oxide reflectors to achieve sufficient reactivity swing to keep the reactor subcritical during launch and to provide sufficient excess reactivity to operate the reactor over its expected 7-15 year lifetime. The size and shape of the control system directly impacts the size and mass of the space reactor\u27s reflector and shadow shield, leading to a tradeoff between reactivity swing and total system mass. This paper presents a trade study of drum, shutter, and petal control schemes based on reactivity swing and mass effects for a representative fast-spectrum, gas-cooled reactor. For each control scheme, the dimensions and composition of the core are constant, and the reflector is sized to provide $5 of cold-clean excess reactivity with each configuration in its most reactive state. The advantages and disadvantages of each configuration are discussed, along with optimization techniques and novel geometric approaches for each scheme

Proton NMR studies of the electronic structure of ZrH/sub x/

The proton spin lattice relaxation times and Knight shifts were measured in f.c.c. (delta-phase) and f.c.t. (epsilon-phase) ZrH/sub x/ for 1.5 or = to x or = to 2.0. Both parameters indicate that N(E/sub F/) is very dependent upon hydrogen content with a maximum occurring at ZrH1 83. This behavior is ascribed to modifications in N(E/sub F/) through a fcc/fct distortion in ZrH/sub x/ associated with a Jahn-Teller effect

“I just want to be skinny.”: A content analysis of tweets expressing eating disorder symptoms

There is increasing concern about online communities that promote eating disorder (ED) behaviors through messages and/or images that encourage a “thin ideal” (i.e., promotion of thinness as attractive) and harmful weight loss/weight control practices. The purpose of this paper is to assess the content of body image and ED-related content on Twitter and provide a deeper understanding of EDs that may be used for future studies and online-based interventions. Tweets containing ED or body image-related keywords were collected from January 1-January 31, 2015 (N = 28,642). A random sample (n = 3000) was assessed for expressions of behaviors that align with subscales of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) 16.0. Demographic characteristics were inferred using a social media analytics company. The comprehensive research that we conducted indicated that 2,584 of the 3,000 tweets were ED-related; 65% expressed a preoccupation with body shape, 13% displayed issues related to food/eating/calories, and 4% expressed placing a high level of importance on body weight. Most tweets were sent by girls (90%) who were ≤19 years old (77%). Our findings stress a need to better understand if and how ED-related content on social media can be used for targeting prevention and intervention messages towards those who are in-need and could potentially benefit from these efforts.</div

Economic Impacts of Drought on Kentucky Corn, Hay, and Soybeans

Understanding climatic impacts is important if we are to comprehend the relationship between climate and society. Weather phenomena can have environmental, economical, and social impacts. Drought is the natural hazard that affects people the most. It is also the most complex and least understood. There is no one universally accepted definition for drought which makes its examination difficult. Droughts’ duration is also difficult to determine because it has no clearly defined onset and end. Also, drought varies both geographically and temporally making uniform drought monitoring difficult. Since drought is difficult to monitor and access, drought impacts are often poorly documented. The purpose of this research was to quantify (in dollars) the impacts of drought on Kentucky’s agriculture. Drought has been recorded historically in Kentucky since the late 1800s. According to the Kentucky Climate Center, the most significant drought years occurred in 1930-31, 1940-42, and 1952-55. Analyses of these years are included as well as the most recent significant drought years in 1987-88, 1999- 2000 and 2007. Four of Kentucky’s important commodities, including corn, soybeans, hay, and beef cattle, were examined during the significant drought years. The total state revenue for these commodities was analyzed during severe drought years vs. non-severe drought years. The result of this research identified how much of a deficit severe drought causes on Kentucky revenue for each of these commodities. This research is important to the general public as well as planners and policy makers. Proper documentation of drought impacts will help identify drought vulnerabilities and result in better risk management and mitigation. Key Words: Drought, Agriculture, Impact Assessmen

Validation of a Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) among Iranian adolescents

PURPOSE: Limited research has validated eating pathology assessments in Iranian adolescent boys and girls. In particular, the measures that have been validated do not capture both boys\u27 and girls\u27 eating behaviors in adolescence. The purpose of the current study was to validate a Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) for use in Iranian adolescents. METHODS: Participants (N = 913; 85.3% girls) were adolescents who completed a battery of questionnaires including the F-EPSI. In addition, F-EPSI data for Iranian adolescents were compared with those of previously published data of adult Iranian college students. RESULTS: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that the F-EPSI had an acceptable fit to the data and supported the eight-factor model. The scale was invariant by gender, weight status, eating disorder, and age groups. Boys reported higher scores than girls on the Excessive Exercise, Muscle Building, Body Dissatisfaction, and Binge Eating subscales. Adolescents with higher weight and eating disorder symptoms endorsed higher scores on the F-EPSI subscales. Older adolescents and adults reported higher scores than younger adolescents and adolescents, respectively. Adolescents had higher scores than adults on Restricting and Excessive Exercise subscales. The F-EPSI demonstrated good convergent validity through correlations with other eating pathology symptoms. The F-EPSI subscales were associated with depression and body mass index (zBMI) in expected directions that indicate criterion validity of the scale. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the F-EPSI is a reliable and valid measure in Iranian non-clinical adolescents. The F-EPSI will enable researchers to examine a broad array of eating pathology symptoms in adolescents for whom Farsi is their official language. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V; Cross-sectional descriptive study

A framework for applying natural language processing in digital health interventions

BACKGROUND: Digital health interventions (DHIs) are poised to reduce target symptoms in a scalable, affordable, and empirically supported way. DHIs that involve coaching or clinical support often collect text data from 2 sources: (1) open correspondence between users and the trained practitioners supporting them through a messaging system and (2) text data recorded during the intervention by users, such as diary entries. Natural language processing (NLP) offers methods for analyzing text, augmenting the understanding of intervention effects, and informing therapeutic decision making. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present a technical framework that supports the automated analysis of both types of text data often present in DHIs. This framework generates text features and helps to build statistical models to predict target variables, including user engagement, symptom change, and therapeutic outcomes. METHODS: We first discussed various NLP techniques and demonstrated how they are implemented in the presented framework. We then applied the framework in a case study of the Healthy Body Image Program, a Web-based intervention trial for eating disorders (EDs). A total of 372 participants who screened positive for an ED received a DHI aimed at reducing ED psychopathology (including binge eating and purging behaviors) and improving body image. These users generated 37,228 intervention text snippets and exchanged 4285 user-coach messages, which were analyzed using the proposed model. RESULTS: We applied the framework to predict binge eating behavior, resulting in an area under the curve between 0.57 (when applied to new users) and 0.72 (when applied to new symptom reports of known users). In addition, initial evidence indicated that specific text features predicted the therapeutic outcome of reducing ED symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The case study demonstrates the usefulness of a structured approach to text data analytics. NLP techniques improve the prediction of symptom changes in DHIs. We present a technical framework that can be easily applied in other clinical trials and clinical presentations and encourage other groups to apply the framework in similar contexts

Sensitivity analysis for lexicographic ordering in radiation therapy treatment planning

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134937/1/mp0218.pd

Detection of functional PTEN lipid phosphatase protein and enzyme activity in squamous cell carcinomas of the head andeck, despite loss of heterozygosity at this locus

The human tumour suppressor gene PTEN located at 10q23 is mutated in a variety of tumour types particularly metastatic cases and in the germline of some individuals with Cowdens cancer predisposition syndrome. We have assessed the status of PTEN and associated pathways in cell lines derived from 19 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Loss of heterozygosity is evident at, or close to the PTEN gene in 5 cases, however there were no mutations in the remaining alleles. Furthermore by Western analysis PTEN protein levels are normal in all of these SCC-HN tumours and cell lines. To assess the possibility that PTEN may be inactivated by another mechanism, we characterized lipid phosphatase levels and from a specific PIP3 biochemical assay it is clear that PTEN is functionally active in all 19 human SCCs. Our data strongly suggest the possibility that a tumour suppressor gene associated with development of SCC-HN, other than PTEN, is located in this chromosomal region. This gene does not appear to be MXI-1, which has been implicated in some other human tumour types. PTEN is an important negative regulator of PI3Kinase, of which subunit alpha is frequently amplified in SCC-HN. To examine the possibility that PI3K is upregulated by amplification in this tumour set we assessed the phosphorylation status of Akt, a downstream target of PI3K. In all cases there is no detectable increase in Akt phosphorylation. Therefore there is no detectable defect in the PI3K pathway in SCC-HN suggesting that the reason for 3q26.3 over-representation may be due to genes other than PI3K110α. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co