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Ambulatory assessment (AA) studies are becoming more and more popular. However, it can be challenging to motivate participants to comply with study protocols. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible predictors of compliance in AA studies with diverse samples and study designs. To do so, we extracted compliance information, study characteristics, and sample characteristics from 488 previously published studies. The average compliance across the studies was rather high. The total number of measurement occasions and the number of study days were negatively related to the compliance rate. Moreover, a higher percentage of healthy controls in clinical studies was associated with a higher compliance rate. By contrast, other study characteristics (e.g., the amount of financial compensation) and sample characteristics (clinical vs. healthy sample) were not related to compliance. The findings have implications for the design of future AA studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to increase the number of women who pursue and complete advanced degrees in computer and information sciences (CIS) have been limited, in part, by a lack of research on pathways into and out of community college CIS classes. This longitudinal study tests three widely held beliefs about how to increase the number of CIS majors at 4-year universities, particularly among females. Data were collected from 741 women and men from 15 community colleges in California who enrolled in an introductory programming class. The results highlight the importance of preparation and interactions with professors for male students, and of motivational, relational, and behavioral factors for female students, specifically peer support, expectations for success in computing, and computer gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer game programming has been touted as a promising strategy for engaging children in the kinds of thinking that will prepare them to be producers, not just users of technology. But little is known about what they learn when programming a game. In this article, we present a strategy for coding student games, and summarize the results of an analysis of 108 games created by middle school girls using Stagecast Creator in an after school class. The findings show that students engaged in moderate levels of complex programming activity, created games with moderate levels of usability, and that the games were characterized by low levels of code organization and documentation. These results provide evidence that game construction involving both design and programming activities can support the learning of computer science concepts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Few early intervention efforts have improved the representation of women in computer science and engineering (CSE) disciplines, but pair programming has shown promise for reducing gender differences among college students. The current study is the first to examine this promising practice in middle school. In an effort to better understand what pair programming looks like, we describe an observational study of middle school girls. We coded audiotape transcripts to show the kinds of interactions that appear to promote or undermine effective problem solving. The findings are interpreted in terms of how to promote the kinds of interactions that make it more likely that middle school students will persist in the kind of problem solving that will prepare them for further CSE coursework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the Girls Creating Games (GCG), an after-school and summer program for sixth-through eighth-grade girls designed to address the barriers to girls' active participation in information technology. The program focuses on computer game development for two reasons. First, computer games are considered a gateway to more active use of technology. Not playing games disposes girls to relatively less active roles with the computer and delays improvement of spatial and problem-solving skills. The second reason for teaching game design and production is that it puts girls in the role of technology leaders, which can break down personal identity barriers as well as external barriers, such as gender role stereotyping and discrimination. Educators need to overcome several barriers to increase girls' active participation in technology. Personal barriers include lack of self-confidence, lack of fluency in technology skills, lack of early positive experiences, lack of information about careers, and a belief that technology careers require a solitary lifestyle in front of a computer.

Objective—To identify surrogate markers of passive transfer of immunity in kittens. Design—Prospective clinical trial. Animals—55 kittens from 12 specific-pathogen-free queens. Procedure—Kittens were allocated at birth into colostrum-fed (n = 27) and colostrum-deprived (28) groups. Blood was collected at birth and on days 1, 2, 4, 7 14, 28, and 56. Serum samples were analyzed for activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyltransferase, amylase, and lipase and for concentrations of albumin, total protein, bilirubin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, cholesterol, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, and triglycerides by use of an automated analyzer. Total serum solids concentrations were estimated by use of refractometry. Serum lgG concentrations were quantified by use of radial immunodiffusion. Results—All kittens were agammaglobulinemic at birth. Colostrum-fed kittens had significantly higher lgG concentrations than did colostrum-deprived kittens from 1 though 28 days of age. Transient significant differences in serum biochemical variables between the colostrum-deprived and colostrum-fed groups were substantially resolved by day 4. Passive transfer of immunity could be reliably determined at 1 day of age and to a lesser extent at 2 days of age only by measurement of serum activity of ALP Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Adequacy of passive transfer in kittens initially correlated with serum activity of ALP but quantification of serum IgG concentration was necessary after 2 days of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective—To determine the effect of age on reference intervals of serum biochemical values in kittens. Design—Prospective clinical trial. Animals—55 kittens from 12 specific-pathogen-free queens. Procedure—Kittens were allocated at birth into colostrum-fed (n = 27) and colostrum-deprived (28) groups. Blood was collected at birth and on days 1, 2, 4, 7! 14, 28, and 56. Serum samples were analyzed for activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyltransferase, amylase, and lipase and for concentrations of albumin, total protein, bilirubin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, cholesterol, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, and triglycerides by use of an automated analyzer. Total serum solids concentrations were determined by use of refractometry. Serum lgG concentrations were quantified by use of radial immunodiffusion. Results—For several analytes, reference intervals changed rapidly, most notably during the first few days of life. Reference intervals for alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and triglycerides were higher from birth to 8 weeks than adult reference intervals. Aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, urea nitrogen, and creatinine were higher than in adults at birth but were similar to or lower than adult reference intervals by 8 weeks. Compared with adult reference intervals, reference intervals for calcium and phosphorus concentrations were higher and for albumin and total protein concentrations were lower throughout the study period. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Important differences exist between reference intervals for serum biochemical values of neonatal and adult cats. Age-appropriate reference intervals should be used for accurate assessment of serum biochemical test results in cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purification of low-abundance protein complexes and detection of in vivo protein-protein interactions in complex biological samples remains a challenging task. Here, we devised crosslinking and tandem affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry (XL-TAP-MS), a quantitative proteomics approach for analyzing tandem affinity-purified, crosslinked protein complexes from plant tissues. We exemplarily applied XL-TAP-MS to study the MKK2-Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK4) signaling module in Arabidopsis thaliana. A tandem affinity tag consisting of an in vivo-biotinylated protein domain flanked by two hexahistidine sequences was adopted to allow for the affinity-based isolation of formaldehyde-crosslinked protein complexes under fully denaturing conditions. Combined with 15N stable isotopic labeling and tandem MS we captured and identified a total of 107 MKK2-MPK4 module-interacting proteins. Consistent with the role of the MPK signaling module in plant immunity, many of the module-interacting proteins are involved in the biotic and abiotic stress response of Arabidopsis. Validation of binary protein-protein interactions by in planta split-luciferase assays and in vitro kinase assays disclosed several direct phosphorylation targets of MPK4. Together, the XL-TAP-MS approach purifies low abundance protein complexes from biological samples and discovers previously unknown protein-protein interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival but may cause late side effects. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate long-term side effects after whole breast RT in a randomized clinical trial initiated in 1991 and to report dose-volume data based on individual 3-dimensional treatment plans for organs at risk.Methods and Materials: The trial included 1187 patients with T1-2 N0 breast cancer randomized to postoperative tangential whole breast RT or no further treatment. The prescription dose to the clinical target volume was 48 to 54 Gy. We present 20-year follow-up on survival, cause of death, morbidity, and later malignancies. For a cohort of patients (n = 157) with accessible computed tomography-based 3-dimensional treatment plans in Dicom-RT format, dose-volume descriptors for organs at risk were derived. In addition, these were compared with dose-volume data for a cohort of patients treated with contemporary RT techniques.Results: The cumulative incidence of cardiac mortality was 12.4% in the control group and 13.0% in the RT group (P = .8). There was an increase in stroke mortality: 3.4% in the control group versus 6.7% in the RT group (P = .018). Incidences of contralateral breast cancer and lung cancer were similar between groups. The median Dmean (range) heart dose for left-sided treatments was 3.0 Gy (1.1-8.1), and the corresponding value for patients treated in 2017 was 1.5 Gy (0.4-6.0).Conclusions: In this trial, serious late side effects of whole breast RT were limited and less than previously reported in large meta-analyses. We observed no increase in cardiac mortality in irradiated patients. Doses to the heart were a median Dmean of 3.0 Gy for left-sided RT. The observed increase in stroke mortality may partly be secondary to cardiac side effects, complications to anticoagulant treatment, or to chance, rather than a direct side effect of tangential whole breast irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether friendship facilitates or hinders learning in a dyadic instructional setting. Working in 80 same-sex pairs, 160 (60 girls, 100 boys) middle school students ( M = 12.13 years old) were taught a new computer programming language and programmed a game. Students spent 14 to 30 ( M = 22.7) hours in a programming class. At the beginning and the end of the project, each participant separately completed (a) computer programming knowledge assessments and (b) questionnaires rating their affinity for their partner. Results support the proposition that liking promotes learning: Greater partner affinity predicted greater subsequent increases in computer programming knowledge for both partners. One partner's initial programming knowledge also positively predicted the other partner's subsequent partner affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collected from partners in a dyadic instructional setting are, by definition, not statistically independent. As a consequence, conventional parametric statistical analyses of change and influence carry considerable risk of bias. In this article, we illustrate a strategy to overcome this obstacle: the longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Participants included 60 girls and 100 boys enrolled in public middle schools, who ranged in age from 10 to 14 at the outset. Students worked in pairs assigned by teachers. At the beginning and end of the instructional period, students completed surveys rating the degree to which the partner was a friend, confidence in one's own computing skills, and computer programming knowledge. APIM analyses revealed partner influence over the acquisition of computer programming skills among friends but not nonfriends. Students with higher initial levels of confidence in their own computing skills were more apt to be influenced by friends. This association was especially strong when confident partners were paired with friends who knew relatively more about computer programming. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]