Front Matter

Includes Acknowledgement from Jennifer E. Brannen & Serena R. Wheaton, Co-Editors-In-Chie

Effectiveness of Group Work Contracts to Facilitate Collaborative Group Learning and Reduce Anxiety in Traditional Face-to-Face Lecture and Online Distance Education Course Formats

Group work (GW) in undergraduate education facilitates the development of communication and collaborative skills. However, dysfunctional and inequitable group dynamics can have adverse effects, leading to increased anxiety. This research sought to determine the effectiveness of a Group Work Contract to facilitate the GW process in the face-to-face (n=168) and online (n=105) formats of a third year nutritional science course. Changes in students’ attitudes and approaches to GW were assessed before (semester week 4) and after (semester week 12) completion of the contract and assignment via online surveys. The results in both course formats were similar, wherein the Group Work Contract reduced student anxiety and improved group dynamics and communication between group members, resulting in an improved learning experience overall . Further, the preferred methods of GW online communication utilized social networking platforms. This data demonstrates the benefits of formally structuring the GW process to optimize the student learning experience

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

The bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa affects the leaf ionome of plant hosts during infection.

Xylella fastidiosa is a plant pathogenic bacterium that lives inside the host xylem vessels, where it forms biofilm believed to be responsible for disrupting the passage of water and nutrients. Here, Nicotiana tabacum was infected with X. fastidiosa, and the spatial and temporal changes in the whole-leaf ionome (i.e. the mineral and trace element composition) were measured as the host plant transitioned from healthy to diseased physiological status. The elemental composition of leaves was used as an indicator of the physiological changes in the host at a specific time and relative position during plant development. Bacterial infection was found to cause significant increases in concentrations of calcium prior to the appearance of symptoms and decreases in concentrations of phosphorous after symptoms appeared. Field-collected leaves from multiple varieties of grape, blueberry, and pecan plants grown in different locations over a four-year period in the Southeastern US showed the same alterations in Ca and P. This descriptive ionomics approach characterizes the existence of a mineral element-based response to X. fastidiosa using a model system suitable for further manipulation to uncover additional details of the role of mineral elements during plant-pathogen interactions. This is the first report on the dynamics of changes in the ionome of the host plant throughout the process of infection by a pathogen

Glidden at Walmart: There for You

Hectic, busy, tiring—these are just a few words our target markets use to describe their day-to-day lives. Millennials, young families, and Baby Boomers all feel the pressure of life. With jobs, schoolwork, and family, they find it hard to keep up. Because of these busy lifestyles, savvy consumers crave home improvement solutions that are both quick and reliable. Glidden offers a solution to these issues by placing its top-quality paint in the most convenient store on Earth, Walmart. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln NSAC Team has created a plan to promote this symbiotic relationship of Glidden’s quality and Walmart’s convenience as an invaluable asset for any Millennial, young family, or Baby Boomer to pursue. Glidden paint at a convenient location appeals to Millennials, young families, and Baby Boomers. However, home improvement stores already have a firm hold on the paint retail market. The partnership of Glidden at Walmart must define itself as different enough to break the status quo. When we conducted our research, we wanted to find the point where the attributes of Walmart meet what consumers want from a paint retailer. The audience generally views Walmart as the ultimate one-stop shop for anything and everything they need. With paint specifically, the audience wants an affordable, high-quality product. Furthermore, we found that life events inspire people to paint. Many of these life events happen so quickly that there is often little time to get the job done. In conclusion, consumers want a convenient, high-quality solution to their DIY projects. That is where Glidden at Walmart comes in. Glidden at Walmart is convenient. Glidden at Walmart is helpful. Glidden at Walmart is superior quality. Glidden at Walmart is . . . There for you. This entire campaign focuses on highlighting the partnership between Glidden and Walmart. We promote this through traditional, online, and in-store methods. Furthermore, we show Glidden at Walmart being there for you in the form of personal assistance, engaging point-of-purchase, and public relations strategies. This entire campaign demonstrates how Glidden at Walmart is truly there for you

Changes in element concentrations by leaf position over time.

<p>Element concentrations in tobacco leaves inoculated with buffer (green circle, control plants) or <i>X. fastidiosa</i> cell suspension (red circle, infected treatment) were followed over time considering relative leaf position in the plant (1 = most basal leaf, 10 = most apical leaf). Data correspond to leaves in positions ≥#4. For the first column (initial), leaves were collected between 25–27 days post infection (dpi); for the second column (intermediate), samples were collected 39–47 dpi; and for the third column (final), samples were obtained 56–59 dpi. From top to bottom, rows of graphs correspond to concentrations of Ca and P expressed in mg per g of plant tissue. Values represent means and standard errors (n = 5) from one out of three experimental sets conducted. *Indicates significant difference (<i>p</i><0.05) between treatments at a specific leaf position according to one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis.</p

Ionome comparisons of greenhouse tobacco and field-grown host plants.

1<p>Mean and standard error (SE) are calculated from all infected and non-infected leaves at all positions in greenhouse experiments.</p

Canonical discriminate analysis of treatment and leaf position as classification variables.

<p>Concentrations of 12 elements analyzed were considered as independent variables, while experimental set and time points were considered as replicates. A) Leaves were separated according to relative position in the plant between leaves #1–3 (circles<b>)</b> which are older, directly-inoculated and leaves ≥ #4 (inverted triangles) that represent new growth after inoculation. B) Leaves at the same position were compared according to presence or absence of <i>X. fastidiosa</i>. Circle = position #4; inverted triangle<b> = </b>position #5; square<b> = </b>position #6; diamond<b> = </b>position #7; triangle<b> = </b>position #8. Phenotypic correlations for Can1 are driven significantly (<i>p</i><0.05) by Ca (r = −0.98), Mg (r = −0.89), Na (r = 0.85), K (r = 0.74), and Mn (r = −0.59) and for Can2 by Cu (r = 0.57) and S (r = −0.52). B, Fe, Mo, P, and Zn have no significant effect on discrimination among classes. Red symbols indicate leaves infected with <i>X. fastidiosa</i> and green symbols indicate non-infected leaves. The length of the axes is proportional to the accounted for percentage of the total multivariance.</p

Changes in total ionome of tobacco leaves infected with <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i>.

<p>Tobacco plants (<i>Nicotiana tabacum</i> ‘Petite Havana SR1’) growing in the greenhouse were inoculated with <i>X. fastidiosa</i> or buffer (control) and the ionome of each leaf was characterized by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Mean values of element concentrations (in mg/g of plant tissue) were obtained from leaves in positions ≥ #4. Mean relative percentage of change with corresponding standard errors (represented only towards 0 value) were calculated by comparing mean leaf concentrations across five time points and three experimental sets between leaves where <i>X. fastidiosa</i> was detected (‘infected’) against those were the bacterium was not detected (‘non-infected’) (n∼375/treatment). <i>P</i> values for main treatment effects are included for each element; those highlighted in bold with red bars are considered significant (<i>p</i><0.05).</p