Incidence and post-pollination mechanisms of nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis thaliana

Compatible pollinations from many differenttaxa display nonrandom mating. Here we describe a systemfor examining questions of nonrandom mating in Arabidopsisthaliana. Using this system, we demonstrate thatArabidopsis thaliana displays nonrandom mating betweendistinct accessions. Statistical analysis of these data demonstratesaspects of both pollen competition and male–female complementarity in these matings. Cytologicalexperiments implicate pollen germination and pollen tubegrowth rates as possible causal factors in these nonrandommating efficiencies

The Effects of Living On Campus Versus Off Campus on Student Engagement

As a Resident Assistant for two years, I saw how engaged my residents were on campus. However, when I would talk to people who lived off campus they seemed to be disengaged from campus activities. I wanted to see if what I already saw to be true, was shown through statistical analysis. In an effort to focus the scope of the study, the analysis focused on student engagement through involvement in extracurriculars. Thus the purpose of this thesis is to determine if there is a statistical relationship between students’ living situations and their involvement on campus. Student engagement includes much more than just involvement in extracurriculars as Coates (2007) defined, however, a much larger study would need to be done to look at all aspects of engagement. This thesis hopes to gain insight into the role on-campus living has as it relates to student engagement

A Qualitative Analysis of Caregiver Goals for Urban Children with and without Asthma

Pediatric asthma is a major public health concern that disproportionately affects children of color and youth living in low-income, urban areas. The implications for public health, child health, and family functioning necessitates our understanding and addressing experiences by families who are facing barriers within their socio-demographic context in addition to the stressors associated with managing pediatric asthma. The current study applied qualitative methods to interviews with caregivers of children with and without asthma in an effort to more deeply connect with caregivers’ experiences and yield richer information about the intersection of identities as Black caregivers living in an urban setting while managing a pediatric chronic illness. Eighty-five caregivers who self-identified as Black or African American participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their parenting beliefs and practices, as well as their goals for their children and perceived barriers and supports to these goals. Two questions were selected for analysis from the broader Everyday Parenting Interview (EPI). Interviews were transcribed and coded for emergent themes. A total of eight themes emerged for the first question and related questions/prompts (i.e., What are your goals for your child?), while a total of five themes emerged for the second question and associated questions/prompts (i.e., What do you think children in general need in order to reach those kinds of goals?). Emergent themes spanned several domains, yet health generally and asthma specifically, were rarely mentioned as goals for children. Instead, caregivers highlighted several goals related to achievement, individual responsibility, and social connection. Heavily discussed were caregiver concerns about neighborhood safety and perceived barriers to future success. Findings inform clinical recommendations for systematic screening efforts and intervention to address environmental stressors and competing priorities for Black caregivers of children with asthma

LONGITUDINAL RELATIONS BETWEEN PARENTAL MESSAGES SUPPORTING FIGHTING AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF POSITIVE PARENTING PRACTICES

The prevalence of physical aggression increases during adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes. It is important to identify risk and protective processes for adolescent aggression in the context of the parent-adolescent relationship. The current study examined the potential moderating role of positive parenting at Wave 1 on relations between perceived parental messages supporting fighting at Wave 1 and adolescent aggression based on parent- and student-report at Wave 2. Participants included a sample of 537 adolescents and their primary caregivers, recruited from four sites in the U.S. No significant moderating effects were found. However, parental messages supporting fighting were positively associated with increased student-reported aggression six months later, and positive parenting was related to decreased parent-reported aggression over the same timeframe. Implications suggest that parental messages supporting fighting and positive parenting represent a risk and promotive factor, respectively, in relation to aggressive behavior in early adolescence

Roles for Maine’s Physicians in the Climate Crisis

Physicians have important roles to play in the climate crisis because they deal with the health impacts of climate change. We surveyed physicians in Maine about climate change and health, and of the 108 respondents, 84 (78 percent) believe that climate change poses a threat to the health of their patients, particularly for asthma, vector-borne diseases, heat-related illnesses, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and mental health problems. Most reported that these conditions are becoming more prevalent, and they identified children, older adults, and patients with chronic health conditions as those most at risk. Despite this awareness, most respondents did not discuss climate change as a health determinant with their patients, although they identified communicating with patients and the public as a role for physicians

Money and Issue Voting in Missouri: 1990 - 1994

Powerpoint presentation concerning money and issues voting in the Missouri General Assembly from the years 1990 to 1994. Data is represented in text and tables

Electrical and Computer Engineering/ Undergraduates/ Carlson & SappNelson/ Purdue University/ 2012

This is a case study of a semester long data information literacy program employing an embedded librarian approach to teach students competencies in describing, organizing and documenting their work in developing software code. Materials include a book chapter describing the case study, a rubric for evaluating software code and its accompanying documentation, a handout to introduce the program to teaching assistants, a lesson plan for a skills session on documenting software code, and a list of possible activities to encourage good practice in describing and documenting code

Do Mindful Breathing Exercises Benefit Reading Comprehension? A Brief Report

A brief breathing exercise designed to induce a mindful state could benefit reading comprehension performance, but has not been previously examined. Furthermore, the mechanisms of how an induced mindful state benefits cognition are not well understood. The purposes of this study are to test the effectiveness of a brief mindful breathing exercise on reading comprehension performance and examine two potential mechanisms (mind wandering and stress reduction). Undergraduate students (N = 104) engaged in either a mindful breathing exercise or control sham exercise, indicated their stress levels, and completed a reading comprehension assessment during which they self-reported their mind wandering. The mindful breathing exercise benefited performance, but the mechanisms for this benefit were not mind wandering or stress reduction