Code girl

Despite the growing importance of technology and computing, fewer than 1% of women in college today choose to major in computer science.[1] Educational programs and games created to interest girls in computing, such as Girls Who Code and Made With Code, have been successful in engaging girls with interactive and creative learning environments, but they are too advanced for young girls to bene t from. To address the lack of educational, computer science games designed speci cally for young girls, we developed a web-based application called Code Girl for girls age ve to eight to customize their own avatar using Blockly, an open-source visual coding editor developed by Google. Girls learn basic computer science and problem-solving skills by successfully using puzzle-piece like blocks to complete challenges that unlock new accessories for their avatar. In conducting user testing with a Girl Scouts ages six to eight, we assessed the complexity of the application and identi ed ways make Code Girl more user-friendly and intuitive. The overall feedback we received on Code Girl in user testing was positive, as a majority of the girls expressed an interest in playing the game again and playing more games designed to teach programming. Code Girl thus appeals to the general pastimes of young girls to interest them in computer science from an early age and hopefully inspires them to pursue computing as a career. Before being released to the public, a few improvements are necessary. The application must be made fully responsive, the page load time when deployed must be reduced, and additional challenges and accessories for the avatar should be incorporated, all of which will better reach and engage users in learning about computing, thereby educating and empowering them even more

Code Girl

Despite the growing importance of technology and computing, fewer than one percent of women in college today choose to major in computer science. Educational programs and games created to interest girls in computing, such as Girls Who Code and Made With Code, have been successful in engaging girls with interactive and creative learning environments, but they are too advanced for young girls to benefit from. To address the lack of educational, computer science games designed specifically for young girls, we developed a web-based application called Code Girl for girls age five to eight to customize their own avatars using Blockly, an open-source visual coding editor developed by Google. Girls learn basic computer science and problem-solving skills by successfully using puzzle-piece like blocks to complete challenges that unlock new accessories for their avatars. In conducting user testing, we assessed the usability and complexity of the application and identified ways to better meet research goals of educating and inspiring young girls to pursue computer science. The overall feedback we received on Code Girl in user testing was positive, as a majority of the girls expressed an interest in playing the game again and playing more games designed to teach programming. Code Girl thus appeals to the general pastimes of young girls to interest them in computer science from an early age and hopefully inspires them to pursue computing as a career. The application, which though it can continue to be developed with even more challenges and clothes and accessories, and thereby teach additional concepts, is ready to be released to the public. Initial steps are provided to incorporate Code Girl into educational programs at local and national levels

Genomic regions associated with kyphosis in swine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A back curvature defect similar to kyphosis in humans has been observed in swine herds. The defect ranges from mild to severe curvature of the thoracic vertebrate in split carcasses and has an estimated heritability of 0.3. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions that affect this trait.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations performed with 198 SNPs and microsatellite markers in a Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire resource population (U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USMARC resource population) of swine provided regions of association with this trait on 15 chromosomes. Positional candidate genes, especially those involved in human skeletal development pathways, were selected for SNP identification. SNPs in 16 candidate genes were genotyped in an F2 population (n = 371) and the USMARC resource herd (n = 1,257) with kyphosis scores. SNPs in <it>KCNN2 </it>on SSC2, <it>RYR1 </it>and <it>PLOD1 </it>on SSC6 and <it>MYST4 </it>on SSC14 were significantly associated with kyphosis in the resource population of swine (<it>P </it>≤ 0.05). SNPs in <it>CER1 </it>and <it>CDH7 </it>on SSC1, <it>PSMA5 </it>on SSC4, <it>HOXC6 </it>and <it>HOXC8 </it>on SSC5, <it>ADAMTS18 </it>on SSC6 and <it>SOX9 </it>on SSC12 were significantly associated with the kyphosis trait in the F2 population of swine (<it>P </it>≤ 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data suggest that this kyphosis trait may be affected by several loci and that these may differ by population. Carcass value could be improved by effectively removing this undesirable trait from pig populations.</p

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Hierarchical neural networks for reducing systematic prediction errors

Abstract not available

Biophysical Characterization of a Riboflavin-Conjugated Dendrimer Platform for Targeted Drug Delivery

The present study describes the biophysical characterization of generation-five poly­(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers conjugated with riboflavin (RF) as a cancer-targeting platform. Two new series of dendrimers were designed, each presenting the riboflavin ligand attached at a different site (isoalloxazine at N-3 and d-ribose at N-10) and at varying ligand valency. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the binding activity for riboflavin binding protein (RfBP) in a cell-free solution. The ITC data shows dendrimer conjugates have <i>K</i>_D values of ≥465 nM on a riboflavin basis, an affinity ∼93-fold lower than that of free riboflavin. The N-3 series showed greater binding affinity in comparison with the N-10 series. Notably, the affinity is inversely correlated with ligand valency. These findings are also corroborated by DSC, where greater protein–conjugate stability is achieved with the N-3 series and at lower ligand valency

P1 Laos bats Astrovirus Data_2019Aug16_1656

Data pertaining to bats sampled in Lao PDR for which Astrovirus family testing was performe

P1 Cambodia bats Astrovirus data_2019Aug16_1658

Data pertaining to bats sampled in Cambodia for which Astrovirus family testing was performe

Data from: Diversity of bat astroviruses in Lao PDR and Cambodia

Astroviruses are known to infect humans and a wide range of animal species, and can cause gastroenteritis in their hosts. Recent studies have reported astroviruses in bats in Europe and in several locations in China. We sampled 1876 bats from 17 genera at 45 sites from 14 and 13 provinces in Cambodia and Lao PDR respectively, and tested them for astroviruses. Our study revealed a high diversity of astroviruses among various Yangochiroptera and Yinpterochiroptera bats. Evidence for varying degrees of host restriction for astroviruses in bats was found. Furthermore, additional Pteropodid hosts were detected. The astroviruses formed distinct phylogenetic clusters within the genus Mamastrovirus, most closely related to other known bat astroviruses. The astrovirus sequences were found to be highly saturated indicating that phylogenetic relationships should be interpreted carefully. An astrovirus clustering in a group with other viruses from diverse hosts, including from ungulates and porcupines, was found in a Rousettus bat. These findings suggest that diverse astroviruses can be found in many species of mammals, including bats