Patterns of Occurrence from Spring Bird Counts at Oak Lake Field Station, Brookings County, South Dakota

Over 400 bird species have been recorded from South Dakota. Many of these birds simply pass through to other habitats. Others take residence seasonally while a few species are permanent residents. Recent studies suggest that spring migrants may be arriving earlier than previously recorded and these shifting migration times may be reflected in annual spring bird counts. The objective of this effort was to summarize patterns in bird occurrence from spring bird counts held at the Oak Lake Field Station, Brookings County, South Dakota (mid-May from 1995 to 2008). Tallies of bird species seen along a regular route were made over a period of 3-4 hours by groups of 4-15 individuals. Since 1994, 16 orders, 41 families, 110 genera and 168 species of birds have been recorded from formal observations at the station. During the period 1996-2000, 64 bird species were recorded during the spring bird counts (average = 29/yr). Accounts from the same route during the period 2004-2008 yielded 86 total species (average = 48/yr). The Jaccard Coefficient of similarity in occurrence between these two survey periods was 48.5%. Woodpeckers, swallows, wrens, gulls and terns were noted more frequently from later surveys. Consistently implemented spring tallies together with data on dates of first arrival and warmth sum accumulations may be useful in detecting early biotic effects from global climate change

Effective range function below threshold

We demonstrate that the kernel of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, associated with interactions consisting of a sum of the Coulomb plus a short range nuclear potential, below threshold becomes degenerate. Taking advantage of this fact, we present a simple method of calculating the effective range function for negative energies. This may be useful in practice since the effective range expansion extrapolated to threshold allows to extract low-energy scattering parameters: the Coulomb-modified scattering length and the effective range.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

Benchmarking of RNA-sequencing analysis workflows using whole-transcriptome RT-qPCR expression data

RNA-sequencing has become the gold standard for whole-transcriptome gene expression quanti cation. Multiple algorithms have been developed to derive gene counts from sequencing reads. While a number of benchmarking studies have been conducted, the question remains how individual methods perform at accurately quantifying gene expression levels from RNA-sequencing reads. We performed an independent benchmarking study using RNA-sequencing data from the well established MAQCA and MAQCB reference samples. RNA-sequencing reads were processed using five workflows (Tophat-HTSeq, Tophat-Cuflinks, STAR-HTSeq, Kallisto and Salmon) and resulting gene expression measurements were compared to expression data generated by wet-lab validated qPCR assays for all protein coding genes. All methods showed high gene expression correlations with qPCR data. When comparing gene expression fold changes between MAQCA and MAQCB samples, about 85% of the genes showed consistent results between RNA-sequencing and qPCR data. Of note, each method revealed a small but speci c gene set with inconsistent expression measurements. A significant proportion of these method-specific inconsistent genes were reproducibly identified in independent datasets. These genes were typically smaller, had fewer exons, and were lower expressed compared to genes with consistent expression measurements. We propose that careful validation is warranted when evaluating RNA-seq based expression profiles for this specific gene set

Spelling errors and shouting capitalization lead to additive penalties to trustworthiness of online health information: randomized experiment with laypersons

Background: The written format and literacy competence of screen-based texts can interfere with the perceived trustworthiness of health information in online forums, independent of the semantic content. Unlike in professional content, the format in unmoderated forums can regularly hint at incivility, perceived as deliberate rudeness or casual disregard toward the reader, for example, through spelling errors and unnecessary emphatic capitalization of whole words (online shouting). Objective: This study aimed to quantify the comparative effects of spelling errors and inappropriate capitalization on ratings of trustworthiness independently of lay insight and to determine whether these changes act synergistically or additively on the ratings. Methods: In web-based experiments, 301 UK-recruited participants rated 36 randomized short stimulus excerpts (in the format of information from an unmoderated health forum about multiple sclerosis) for trustworthiness using a semantic differential slider. A total of 9 control excerpts were compared with matching error-containing excerpts. Each matching error-containing excerpt included 5 instances of misspelling, or 5 instances of inappropriate capitalization (shouting), or a combination of 5 misspelling plus 5 inappropriate capitalization errors. Data were analyzed in a linear mixed effects model. Results: The mean trustworthiness ratings of the control excerpts ranged from 32.59 to 62.31 (rating scale 0-100). Compared with the control excerpts, excerpts containing only misspellings were rated as being 8.86 points less trustworthy, those containing inappropriate capitalization were rated as 6.41 points less trustworthy, and those containing the combination of misspelling and capitalization were rated as 14.33 points less trustworthy (P<.001 for all). Misspelling and inappropriate capitalization show an additive effect. Conclusions: Distinct indicators of incivility independently and additively penalize the perceived trustworthiness of online text independently of lay insight, eliciting a medium effect size

A new method to analyse the pace of child development: Cox regression validated by a bootstrap resampling procedure

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various perinatal factors influencing neuromotor development are known from cross sectional studies. Factors influencing the age at which distinct abilities are acquired are uncertain. We hypothesized that the Cox regression model might identify these factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Neonates treated at Aachen University Hospital in 2000/2001 were identified retrospectively (n = 796). Outcome data, based on a structured interview, were available from 466 children, as were perinatal data. Factors possibly related to outcome were identified by bootstrap selection and then included into a multivariate Cox regression model. To evaluate if the parental assessment might change with the time elapsed since birth we studied five age cohorts of 163 normally developed children.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Birth weight, gestational age, congenital cardiac disease and periventricular leukomalacia were related to outcome in the multivariate analysis (p < 0.05). Analysis of the control cohorts revealed that the parents' assessment of the ability of bladder control is modified by the time elapsed since birth.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Combined application of the bootstrap resampling procedure and multivariate Cox regression analysis effectively identifies perinatal factors influencing the age at which distinct abilities are acquired. These were similar as known from previous cross sectional studies. Retrospective data acquistion may lead to a bias because the parental memories change with time. This recommends applying this statistical approach in larger prospective trials.</p

Wikis, blogs and podcasts: a new generation of Web-based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and education

BACKGROUND: We have witnessed a rapid increase in the use of Web-based 'collaborationware' in recent years. These Web 2.0 applications, particularly wikis, blogs and podcasts, have been increasingly adopted by many online health-related professional and educational services. Because of their ease of use and rapidity of deployment, they offer the opportunity for powerful information sharing and ease of collaboration. Wikis are Web sites that can be edited by anyone who has access to them. The word 'blog' is a contraction of 'Web Log' – an online Web journal that can offer a resource rich multimedia environment. Podcasts are repositories of audio and video materials that can be "pushed" to subscribers, even without user intervention. These audio and video files can be downloaded to portable media players that can be taken anywhere, providing the potential for "anytime, anywhere" learning experiences (mobile learning). DISCUSSION: Wikis, blogs and podcasts are all relatively easy to use, which partly accounts for their proliferation. The fact that there are many free and Open Source versions of these tools may also be responsible for their explosive growth. Thus it would be relatively easy to implement any or all within a Health Professions' Educational Environment. Paradoxically, some of their disadvantages also relate to their openness and ease of use. With virtually anybody able to alter, edit or otherwise contribute to the collaborative Web pages, it can be problematic to gauge the reliability and accuracy of such resources. While arguably, the very process of collaboration leads to a Darwinian type 'survival of the fittest' content within a Web page, the veracity of these resources can be assured through careful monitoring, moderation, and operation of the collaborationware in a closed and secure digital environment. Empirical research is still needed to build our pedagogic evidence base about the different aspects of these tools in the context of medical/health education. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: If effectively deployed, wikis, blogs and podcasts could offer a way to enhance students', clinicians' and patients' learning experiences, and deepen levels of learners' engagement and collaboration within digital learning environments. Therefore, research should be conducted to determine the best ways to integrate these tools into existing e-Learning programmes for students, health professionals and patients, taking into account the different, but also overlapping, needs of these three audience classes and the opportunities of virtual collaboration between them. Of particular importance is research into novel integrative applications, to serve as the "glue" to bind the different forms of Web-based collaborationware synergistically in order to provide a coherent wholesome learning experience

Correction: Spelling Errors and Shouting Capitalization Lead to Additive Penalties to Trustworthiness of Online Health Information: Randomized Experiment With Laypersons.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/15171.]

Correction: Spelling Errors and Shouting Capitalization Lead to Additive Penalties to Trustworthiness of Online Health Information: Randomized Experiment With Laypersons.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/15171.]