Students\u27 Perceived Parenting Styles and Their Later Romantic Attachment Styles and Preferred Coping Tendencies

In the first of two studies, the use of data compiled from questionnaires concerning perceived parenting style and romantic attachment style of Coastal Carolina University students were used to test the hypothesis that the authoritative parenting style would be related to the secure attachment style. The researcher used the terms attachment style and romantic attachment style interchangeably throughout the study. These variables were then statistically analyzed by a chi-square test of independence and showed statistical significance to support the hypothesis. The frequency of students who answered to have both authoritative parenting and secure attachments was significantly higher than the other combinations of parenting and attachment style. In the second study the researcher focused on students’ preferred coping tendencies as a function of parenting style. These variables were then statistically analyzed by an unpaired t-test and were found to significantly support the hypothesis that students’ perceived parenting styles would be a function of coping styles. The data suggests the importance of parenting and the influence it can have on adult attachment style and coping tendency. This heightened awareness will hopefully make a difference in the decisions parents make in regard to their children. Parenting skills can have a tremendous impact on the psychological health and well being of children. Thus, knowledge about improving parenting skills may lead to improved emotional and social health

Behavioral ecology of savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) with respect to insectivory at Fongoli, Senegal

In this dissertation I examine the behavioral ecology of savanna chimpanzees in Senegal. I test hypotheses related to the effects of the environment on the diet of the chimpanzees at Fongoli, concentrating on their insectivory specifically. Fongoli is the hottest and driest site in which chimpanzees have been habituated for observational data collection. Grassland habitats (68%) dominate, characterizing the site as an open savanna mosaic, which is interspersed with woodland and small patches of closed forests. The environment at Fongoli presents a setting similar to that of Plio-Pleistocene hominans (Bobe & Behrensmeyer 2004, Bromage & Schrenk 1995, Cerling 1992, Reed 1997) and provides the opportunity to examine the behavior of apes in response to selective pressures associated with such an environment. I examine Fongoli chimpanzee insectivory in the larger context of activity and habitat use, with an emphasis on evaluating potential ecological influences in this environment. Most chimpanzee research over the last 40 years has emphasized behavior, with limited data on the ecological context. Here, I provide detailed data on food distribution and availability, using both plot and plotless methods. A major question I examined was whether termites were an important food resource for the Fongoli chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are highly frugivorous and usually rely on a few important food species, yet as omnivores, also incorporate animal prey in their diet. My previous research indicated that Fongoli chimpanzees often fished for termites with tools. I predicted that the environment of these savanna chimpanzees affected insect foraging. Thus, I expected that ecological factors at Fongoli influenced their insectivorous behavior and hypothesized that certain habitats were more important for feeding (open habitats), while other habitat types (closed habitats) were used mainly for resting and social behaviors. Over 900 hours of observation provided behavioral data on insect foraging, general activity, general diet, and habitat use of chimpanzees. Fongoli chimpanzees consume termites (Macrotermes subhyalinus) more often than any other chimpanzee population studied. The chimpanzee diet at Fongoli is composed mostly of fruit (61.3%) and termites (24.1%). Although termites were consumed throughout the year, with a peak during the transitional period to the beginning of the wet season, the inclusion of termites in the diet did not correlate significantly with rainfall or fruit scarcity. Termites are an essential resource for the Fongoli chimpanzees throughout the year, and chimpanzees spend an annual average of approximately 8% of their active time termite fishing. High soil and air temperatures correlated to greater proportion and longer bout length of termite fishing. Fongoli chimpanzees forage for termites most often in woodland habitat types. General foraging and feeding was conducted primarily in woodland and grassland habitat types, where all food resources exhibited the highest densities. While seasonality had no affect on termite foraging, seasonality did influence feeding and foraging behavior in general, in that more time was devoted to these activities in the dry season (November through May) when fruits are more abundant. The extensive termite feeding of Fongoli chimpanzees adds to the list of distinctive behaviors they display relative to chimpanzees living in more forested habitats (Pruetz 2001, 2007, Pruetz & Bertolani 2007). I incorporate the Fongoli chimpanzees\u27 behaviors in a relational model of hominan evolution. I found that these chimpanzees consume termites more than any other ape community across Africa. The relatively few mammalian prey species, high temperatures correlating with increased termite fishing, and abundant density of Macrotermes in savanna woodland habitat types at Fongoli are all variables indicating environmental influence on termite foraging. Paleoanthropologists can use these data to construct testable hypotheses about the ecology of hominan habitats. Environmental stresses associated with savanna paleo-habitat would likely be comparable to what is found at Fongoli. Hominan species living in similar habitats may have relied on termites as an animal resource when other foods were scarce resembling Fongoli chimpanzees. Finally, data in this thesis should also be brought to bear on the conservation of chimpanzees\u27 habitats. Emphasis on protecting closed forest habitats is usually a focus in conservation efforts. However, woodland and grassland habitat types contain the majority of the important food resources of the Fongoli chimpanzees and should be conserved to ensure the long-term survival of the West African chimpanzees in southeastern Senegal

Ages of D/d,n/He sup 3 and T/d,n/He sup 4 neutrons in water and tungsten-water mixtures

Ages for D-D and D-T neutrons in water and tungsten-water mixture

Postcard: #36 An Inspiring Sight on the Plains, Antelope

This black and white photographic postcard features three antelope in the background. The top half of the card is white and prairie land covers the bottom half of the image. Written text is at the bottom of the card. Handwriting is on the back of the card. (Note indicates the photo was taken by Liberal, Kansas photographer Hal Reid.)https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_postcards/2344/thumbnail.jp

Investigating Student Learning of Analog Electronics

Instruction in analog electronics is an integral component of many physics and engineering programs, and is typically covered in courses beyond the first year. While extensive research has been conducted on student understanding of introductory electric circuits, to date there has been relatively little research on student learning of analog electronics in either physics or engineering courses. Given the significant overlap in content of courses offered in both disciplines, this study seeks to strengthen the research base on the learning and teaching of electric circuits and analog electronics via a single, coherent investigation spanning both physics and engineering courses. This dissertation has three distinct components, each of which serves to clarify ways in which students think about and analyze electronic circuits. The first component is a broad investigation of student learning of specific classes of analog circuits (e.g., loaded voltage dividers, diode circuits, and operational amplifier circuits) across courses in both physics and engineering. The second component of this dissertation is an in-depth study of student understanding of bipolar junction transistors and transistor circuits, which employed the systematic, research-based development of a suite of research tasks to pinpoint the specific aspects of transistor circuit behavior that students struggle with the most after instruction. The third component of this dissertation focuses more on the experimental components of electronics instruction by examining in detail the practical laboratory skill of troubleshooting. Due to the systematic, cross-disciplinary nature of the research documented in this dissertation, this work will strengthen the research base on the learning and teaching of electronics and will contribute to improvements in electronics instruction in both physics and engineering departments. In general, students did not appear to have developed a coherent, functional understanding of many key circuits after all instruction. Students also seemed to struggle with the application of foundational circuits concepts in new contexts, which is consistent with existing research on other topics. However, students did frequently use individual elements of productive reasoning when thinking about electric circuits. Recommendations, both general and specific, for future research and for electronics instruction are discussed

Investigating the role of model-based reasoning while troubleshooting an electric circuit

We explore the overlap of two nationally-recognized learning outcomes for physics lab courses, namely, the ability to model experimental systems and the ability to troubleshoot a malfunctioning apparatus. Modeling and troubleshooting are both nonlinear, recursive processes that involve using models to inform revisions to an apparatus. To probe the overlap of modeling and troubleshooting, we collected audiovisual data from think-aloud activities in which eight pairs of students from two institutions attempted to diagnose and repair a malfunctioning electrical circuit. We characterize the cognitive tasks and model-based reasoning that students employed during this activity. In doing so, we demonstrate that troubleshooting engages students in the core scientific practice of modeling.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables; Submitted to Physical Review PE

Some factors influencing efficient production of sows

Cover title.Includes bibliographical references

Global-scale equatorial Rossby waves as an essential component of solar internal dynamics

The Sun's complex dynamics is controlled by buoyancy and rotation in the convection zone and by magnetic forces in the atmosphere and corona. While small-scale solar convection is well understood, the dynamics of large-scale flows in the solar convection zone is not explained by theory or simulations. Waves of vorticity due to the Coriolis force, known as Rossby waves, are expected to remove energy out of convection at the largest scales. Here we unambiguously detect and characterize retrograde-propagating vorticity waves in the shallow subsurface layers of the Sun at angular wavenumbers below fifteen, with the dispersion relation of textbook sectoral Rossby waves. The waves have lifetimes of several months, well-defined mode frequencies below 200 nHz in a co-rotating frame, and eigenfunctions of vorticity that peak at the equator. Rossby waves have nearly as much vorticity as the convection at the same scales, thus they are an essential component of solar dynamics. We find a transition from turbulence-like to wave-like dynamics around the Rhines scale of angular wavenumber of twenty; this might provide an explanation for the puzzling deficit of kinetic energy at the largest spatial scales.Comment: This is the submitted version of the paper published in Nature Astronomy. 23 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl