An alternative to STEBI‑A: validation of the T‑STEM science scale

Background: The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument A (STEBI-A; Riggs & Enochs, 1990 in Science Education, 74(6), 625-637) has been the dominant measurement tool of in-service science teacher self-efficacy and outcome expectancy for nearly 30 years. However, concerns about certain aspects of the STEBI-A have arisen, including the wording, validity, reliability, and dimensionality. In the present study, we revised the STEBI-A by addressing many concerns research has identified, and developed a new instrument called the T-STEM Science Scale. The T-STEM Science Scale was reviewed by expert panels and piloted first before it was administered to 727 elementary and secondary science teachers. The combination of classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) approaches were used to validate the instrument. Multidimensional Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were run. Results: Based on the results, the negatively worded items were found to be problematic and thus removed from the instrument. We also found that the three-dimensional model fit our data the best, in line with our theoretical conceptualization. Based on the literature review and analysis, although the personal science teaching efficacy beliefs (PTSEB) construct remained intact, the original outcome expectancy construct was renamed science teacher responsibility for learning outcomes beliefs (STRLOB) and was divided into two dimensions, above- and below-average student interest or performance. The T-STEM Science Scale had satisfactory reliability values as well. Conclusions: Through the development and validation of the T-STEM Science Scale, we have addressed some critical concerns emergent from prior research concerning the STEBI-A. Psychometrically, the refinement of the wording, item removal, and the separation into three constructs have resulted in better reliability values compared to STEBI-A. While two distinct theoretical foundations are now used to explain the constructs of the new T-STEM instrument, prior literature and our empirical results note the important interrelationship of these constructs. The preservation of these constructs preserves a bridge, though imperfect, to the large body of legacy research using the STEBI-A

Exchange rate dynamics in South Africa.

The structure of the nominal exchange rates in South Africa is examined by using fractional integration. We investigate the levels and the volatilities against the US dollar, the British pound, the Euro, the Japanese yen, the Chinese yuan, the Australian dollar, and the Botswanan pula. The results indicate that most series are unit root, I(1) and though there is some evidence of mean reversion, the orders of integration are close to 1, implying high levels of persistence. However, there is evidence of mean reversion for Bostwana Pula in various subsamples. For the volatilities, the stationary long memory is observed in all cases.pre-print521 K

Prevalence of Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia (short-leaved evax) at Ocean Ranch, Humboldt County, California: exploring the effects of disturbance

The prevalence of special-status plants within a landscape can be an indicator of the ecological health of that site, and therefore inform restoration efforts and post-restoration monitoring. Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia (short-leaved evax) is a special status species found within the Ocean Ranch unit of Humboldt, California. A primary threat to native plant communities are invasive plant species. Coastal dune ecosystems are largely dominated by invasive species, including Ammophila arenaria (European beachgrass). To work towards the eradication of A. arenaria, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife utilized treatment combinations of herbicide and prescribed fire at Ocean Ranch in the fall of 2022. We worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to study the density and abundance of H. sparsiflora var. brevifolia, proximity to A. arenaria, soil compaction, and distance to the road within specified areas. We estimated a total of 14,354,293 H. sparsiflora var. brevifolia individuals in the polygons we measured. We found that the further from A. arenaria, the greater the likelihood of H. sparsiflora var. brevifolia individuals. However, our findings showed that the number of individuals and distance to the road was not a significant relationship, and the relationship between the number of individuals in burned versus unburned quadrats was not significant. This project can serve to monitor the establishment of special-status species to observe the success of recent restorative treatments and to guide future restoration

Modelling persistence in the conditional mean of inflation using the ARFIMA process with GARCH and GJRGARCH innovations: The case of Ghana and South Africa

This paper contributes to the debate on inflation persistence by extending an ARFIMA process with GARCH and GJR-GARCH models to describe the time-dependent heteroskedasticity and persistence in the conditional mean of Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation series of Ghana and South Africa, under three distributional assumptions (i.e., Normal, Student-t and Generalised Error Distributions). ARFIMA-GJR-GARCH under Generalised Error Distribution and Student-t Distribution respectively, provided the best fit for modelling the time-dependent heteroskedasticity and persistence in the conditional mean of CPI inflation rate of Ghana and South Africa. The results from the study provided evidence of persistence, mean reverting though, and asymmetric effect of economic shocks on the conditional mean of CPI inflation rate of the two countries. These results would, therefore, be useful to both countries in making good portfolio decisions, assessing the efficacy of a monetary policy or programme meant to control inflation persistence and also serving as a tool for detecting volatility and its impact, for the Ghanaian and South African inflation rates and their economies at large.Keywords: CPI Inflation; Fractional integration; Persistence; Conditional mean; ARFIMA; GARCH; GJR-GARCH model

Southern Hemisphere sea-surface temperatures during the Cenomanian-Turonian:Implications for the termination of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2

Mesozoic oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) were major perturbations of the Earth system, associated with high CO2 concentrations in the oceans and atmosphere, high temperatures, and widespread organic-carbon burial. Models for explaining OAEs and other similar phenomena in Earth history make specific predictions about the role and pattern of temperature change, which can be tested through comparison with the geological record. Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2) occurred ~94 m.y. ago and is commonly considered as the type example of an OAE. However, temperature change during this event is constrained largely from Northern Hemisphere sites. In order to understand whether such records represent global patterns, we use an organic geochemical paleothermometer (TEX86) to provide the first detailed Cenomanian–Turonian record of paleotemperatures from the Southern Hemisphere (Ocean Drilling Program Site 1138; paleolatitude of ~47°S). Consideration of this record, Northern Hemisphere records, and general circulation model simulations suggests that global temperatures peaked during OAE 2 but remained high into the early Turonian due to elevated CO2. These results suggest that the burial of organic carbon during the whole of OAE 2 did not, of itself, lead to global cooling and that CO2 remained high into the early Turonian. This climatic evolution suggests that cooling was not the driving mechanism for the termination of OAE 2 and that cessation of widespread anoxic conditions required changes in other factors, such as sea levels, the availability of easily weathered silicate rocks, and/or nutrient sequestration in black shales

Machine learning enabled experimental design and parameter estimation for ultrafast spin dynamics

Advanced experimental measurements are crucial for driving theoretical developments and unveiling novel phenomena in condensed matter and material physics, which often suffer from the scarcity of facility resources and increasing complexities. To address the limitations, we introduce a methodology that combines machine learning with Bayesian optimal experimental design (BOED), exemplified with x-ray photon fluctuation spectroscopy (XPFS) measurements for spin fluctuations. Our method employs a neural network model for large-scale spin dynamics simulations for precise distribution and utility calculations in BOED. The capability of automatic differentiation from the neural network model is further leveraged for more robust and accurate parameter estimation. Our numerical benchmarks demonstrate the superior performance of our method in guiding XPFS experiments, predicting model parameters, and yielding more informative measurements within limited experimental time. Although focusing on XPFS and spin fluctuations, our method can be adapted to other experiments, facilitating more efficient data collection and accelerating scientific discoveries

Longitudinal genetic analyses of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage dynamics in a diverse population

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) nasal colonization plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections and SA eradication from the nares has proven to be effective in reducing endogenous infections. To understand SA nasal colonization and its relation with consequent disease, assessment of nasal carriage dynamics and genotypic diversity among a diverse population is a necessity. Results: We have performed extensive longitudinal monitoring of SA nasal carriage isolates in 109 healthy individuals over a period of up to three years. Longitudinal sampling revealed that 24% of the individuals were persistent SA nasal carriers while 32% were intermittent. To assess the genetic relatedness between different SA isolates within our cohort, multi locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed. MLST revealed that not only were strains colonizing intermittent and persistent nasal carriers genetically similar, belonging to the same clonal complexes, but strain changes within the same host were also observed over time for both types of carriers. More highly discriminating genetic analyses using the hypervariable regions of staphylococcal protein A and clumping factor B virulence genes revealed no preferential colonization of specific SA strains in persistent or intermittent carriers. Moreover, we observed that a subset of persistent and intermittent carriers retained clinically relevant community-acquired methicillin-resistant SA (CA-MRSA) strains in their nares over time. Conclusions: The findings of this study provides added perspective on the nasal carriage dynamics between strains colonizing persistent and intermittent carriers; an area currently in need of assessment given that persistent carriers are at greater risk of autoinfection than intermittent carriers

The Eurasian invasion: phylogenomic data reveal multiple Southeast Asian origins for Indian Dragon Lizards

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background: The Indian Tectonic Plate split from Gondwanaland approximately 120 MYA and set the Indian subcontinent on a ~ 100 million year collision course with Eurasia. Many phylogenetic studies have demonstrated the Indian subcontinent brought with it an array of endemic faunas that evolved in situ during its journey, suggesting this isolated subcontinent served as a source of biodiversity subsequent to its collision with Eurasia. However, recent molecular studies suggest that Eurasia may have served as the faunal source for some of India’s biodiversity, colonizing the subcontinent through land bridges between India and Eurasia during the early to middle Eocene (~35–40 MYA). In this study we investigate whether the Draconinae subfamily of the lizard family Agamidae is of Eurasian or Indian origin, using a multi locus Sanger dataset and a novel dataset of 4536 ultraconserved nuclear element loci. Results: Results from our phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses revealed support for two independent colonizations of India from Eurasian ancestors during the early to late Eocene prior to the subcontinent’s hard collision with Eurasia. Conclusion: These results are consistent with other faunal groups and new geologic models that suggest ephemeral Eocene land bridges may have allowed for dispersal and exchange of floras and faunas between India and Eurasia during the Eocene

Identification of a Hypomorphic FANCG Variant in Bernese Mountain Dogs

Bernese mountain dogs (BMDs), have an overall cancer incidence of 50%, half of which is comprised of an otherwise rare tumor, histiocytic sarcoma (HS). While recent studies have identified driver mutations in the MAPK pathway, identification of key predisposing genes has been elusive. Studies have identified several loci to be associated with predisposition to HS in BMDs, including near the MTAP/CDKN2A region, but no causative coding variant has been identified. Here we report the presence of a coding polymorphism in the gene encoding FANCG, near the MTAP/CDKN2A locus. This variant is in a conserved region of the protein and appears to be specific to BMDs. Canine fibroblasts derived from dogs homozygous for this variant are hypersensitive to cisplatin. We show this canine FANCG variant and a previously defined hypomorphic FANCG allele in humans impart similar defects in DNA repair. However, our data also indicate that this variant is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of HS. Furthermore, BMDs homozygous for this FANCG allele display none of the characteristic phenotypes associated with Fanconi anemia (FA) such as anemia, short stature, infertility, or an earlier age of onset for HS. This is similar to findings in FA deficient mice, which do not develop overt FA without secondary genetic mutations that exacerbate the FA deficit. In sum, our data suggest that dogs with deficits in the FA pathway are, like mice, innately resistant to the development of FA