Soil and Agricultural Problems in Subarctic and Arctic Canada

Contains account of pedological research conducted by the Canadian government for the past 11 years, mainly in the Northwest; the experimental stations (two) north of 60 degrees North, their lands, staff, problems, future research needed: soil surveys, formation and fertility; micro-organisms; permafrost; agro-meteorology; crop production, selection and breeding; animal husbandry, etc

The Kinect project: group motion-based gaming for people living with dementia

Engaging in enjoyable activities is an essential part of well-being, but people with dementia can find participation increasingly difficult. Motion-based technologies can provide meaningful engagement in a wide range of activities, but for people with dementia to take advantage of these devices requires a good understanding of how best to select and present these activities to this population. The objective of this study was to explore the use of motion-based technology (Xbox Kinect) as a group activity for people with dementia who attend adult day programs. This qualitative study took place in an adult day program for older adults with age-related challenges. Participants (n=23) were observed while playing a digital bowling game presented on Xbox Kinect one hour per week for a period of 20 weeks, to capture naturalistic data. Field notes generated through observations were transcribed and analyzed to identify emerging themes. The findings revealed three predominant themes which illustrate the potential of motion-based technology as a group activity for people with dementia who attend adult day programs: (a) the importance of having a trained trainer, (b) learning vs. mastery, and (c) playing ‘independently together’. People with dementia can learn to play games presented on motion-based technology and enjoy doing so. Furthermore, using the technology in a group setting fostered an encouraging and supportive environment which further contributed to the leisure experience. However, to be used most effectively, staff must be trained to set-up and interact with the technology, as well as introduce, teach, and support people with dementia to use it

Postenucleation adjuvant chemotherapy with vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin for the treatment of high-risk retinoblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of 52 eyes with high-risk retinoblastoma managed with postenucleation adjuvant chemotherapy using vincristine sulfate, etoposide phosphate, and carboplatin showed no evidence of systemic metastasis in any case during a mean (range) follow-up of 66 (12-202) months. PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of postenucleation adjuvant chemotherapy with vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin in the prevention of metastasis for patients with high-risk retinoblastoma. METHODS: Retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional case series of 52 eyes in 51 patients with high-risk retinoblastoma consisting of tumor invasion into the anterior segment, posterior uvea 3 mm or greater, postlaminar optic nerve, or any combination of posterior uvea and optic nerve involvement. RESULTS: Of 51 consecutive patients with high-risk retinoblastoma, there were 30 males (59%) and 21 females (41%), with a median age of 28 months at diagnosis. All 52 eyes were classified as group E. The main histopathologic risk factors included anterior segment invasion (7 [13%]), isolated massive posterior uveal invasion of 3 mm or greater (6 [12%]), isolated postlaminar optic nerve invasion (15 [29%]), or any posterior uveal invasion with any optic nerve involvement (24 [46%]). There was additional invasion into the sclera (3 [6%]) and extrascleral structures, including the orbit (1 [2%]). A single histopathologic high-risk factor was present in 32 eyes (62%), whereas 20 eyes (38%) manifested 2 or more high-risk characteristics. Based on previously published series, untreated high-risk retinoblastoma carries at least a 24% risk for metastatic disease. In the present series, using vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin in all cases, there was no metastasis during a mean follow-up of 66 months (median [range], 55 [12-202] months). CONCLUSIONS: Retinoblastoma with invasion into the postlaminar optic nerve and/or posterior uvea is at high risk for metastasis and death. In this study, postenucleation chemotherapy using vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin was effective in preventing metastasis in every case (100%)

Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy, volume 25, issue 1

Contents include: Editors\u27 Note: Dramaturgical Snapshots of the Americas; Breaks in the Common Good: Dramaturging MayDay within the Heart of the Beast; I Fight With My Blood // Battle With My Tongue: A Dramaturgy of Survival in the Southwest; More Makes More: Indigenous Theatre in Canada; The Impact of Involvement: Peoplmovr\u27s Creative Director; Three Confessions of a Dramaturg: Staging Marguerite Duran\u27s India Song; Thebes in Utah: Translating in Ali Salim\u27s Egyptian The Comedy of Oedipushttps://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdareview/1053/thumbnail.jp

Characterizing a scientific elite: the social characteristics of the most highly cited scientists in environmental science and ecology

In science, a relatively small pool of researchers garners a disproportionally large number of citations. Still, very little is known about the social characteristics of highly cited scientists. This is unfortunate as these researchers wield a disproportional impact on their fields, and the study of highly cited scientists can enhance our understanding of the conditions which foster highly cited work, the systematic social inequalities which exist in science, and scientific careers more generally. This study provides information on this understudied subject by examining the social characteristics and opinions of the 0.1% most cited environmental scientists and ecologists. Overall, the social characteristics of these researchers tend to reflect broader patterns of inequality in the global scientific community. However, while the social characteristics of these researchers mirror those of other scientific elites in important ways, they differ in others, revealing findings which are both novel and surprising, perhaps indicating multiple pathways to becoming highly cited

Academic team formation as evolving hypergraphs

This paper quantitatively explores the social and socio-semantic patterns of constitution of academic collaboration teams. To this end, we broadly underline two critical features of social networks of knowledge-based collaboration: first, they essentially consist of group-level interactions which call for team-centered approaches. Formally, this induces the use of hypergraphs and n-adic interactions, rather than traditional dyadic frameworks of interaction such as graphs, binding only pairs of agents. Second, we advocate the joint consideration of structural and semantic features, as collaborations are allegedly constrained by both of them. Considering these provisions, we propose a framework which principally enables us to empirically test a series of hypotheses related to academic team formation patterns. In particular, we exhibit and characterize the influence of an implicit group structure driving recurrent team formation processes. On the whole, innovative production does not appear to be correlated with more original teams, while a polarization appears between groups composed of experts only or non-experts only, altogether corresponding to collectives with a high rate of repeated interactions

Effect of teammates on changes in physical activity in a statewide campaign

Objective—Most Americans do not meet physical activity recommendations. Statewide campaigns can effectively increase activity levels. Reported herein are physical activity outcomes from Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) 2007, a statewide campaign to increase steps through team-based competition. Given the importance of social networks in behavior change, this paper focused on the effects of team and team characteristics on activity outcomes. Method—For 16-weeks, 5333 adults comprising 652 teams wore pedometers and reported their steps online. Results—Participants’ daily steps increased from 7029(3915) at baseline to 9393(5976) at SURI end (p\u3c.001). There was a significant intraclass correlation for step change among team members (ICC=.09); thus, an individual’s change in steps was influenced by what team they were on. Moreover, baseline team characteristics predicted individual step change; being on a more active team was associated with greater increases in activity for individual members (p\u3c.001), whereas being on a team with a broad range of steps was associated with smaller changes in activity for individual members (p=.02). Conclusion—These findings are the first to suggest that team members influence individual activity outcomes in team-based statewide campaigns. Future research should explore ways to use social network factors to enhance team-based physical activity programs

MEIS2 Is an Adrenergic Core Regulatory Transcription Factor Involved in Early Initiation of TH-MYCN-Driven Neuroblastoma Formation.

Roughly half of all high-risk neuroblastoma patients present with MYCN amplification. The molecular consequences of MYCN overexpression in this aggressive pediatric tumor have been studied for decades, but thus far, our understanding of the early initiating steps of MYCN-driven tumor formation is still enigmatic. We performed a detailed transcriptome landscaping during murine TH-MYCN-driven neuroblastoma tumor formation at different time points. The neuroblastoma dependency factor MEIS2, together with ASCL1, was identified as a candidate tumor-initiating factor and shown to be a novel core regulatory circuit member in adrenergic neuroblastomas. Of further interest, we found a KEOPS complex member (gm6890), implicated in homologous double-strand break repair and telomere maintenance, to be strongly upregulated during tumor formation, as well as the checkpoint adaptor Claspin (CLSPN) and three chromosome 17q loci CBX2, GJC1 and LIMD2. Finally, cross-species master regulator analysis identified FOXM1, together with additional hubs controlling transcriptome profiles of MYCN-driven neuroblastoma. In conclusion, time-resolved transcriptome analysis of early hyperplastic lesions and full-blown MYCN-driven neuroblastomas yielded novel components implicated in both tumor initiation and maintenance, providing putative novel drug targets for MYCN-driven neuroblastoma

Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy, volume 26, issue 1

Contents include: Editors\u27 Note; When Fierceness and Kindness Collide: The Dramaturgy of a Drag Storytime; Trauma-Informed Approaches to Dramaturgy and Rehearsal: An Exploration of Daphne’s Dive in the Time of COVID-19; Reframing Shakespeare\u27s Taming to Rally for Political Change; Relational Audience Engagement in Guarded Girls: A Critical Reflection.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdareview/1055/thumbnail.jp