Patterns and Sources of Variation in Heterospecific Pollen Deposition in Flowers of the Native Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica)

Plants species interactions via pollinators are a model system to understand the mechanisms that generate plant diversity in nature. However, most studies have focused on plant-plant interactions via pollinator attraction while ignoring the role of plant-plant interactions via pollen transfer. Heterospecific pollen transfer (henceforth HP) can be common and have negative fitness effects. Negative HP fitness effects may prompt the evolution of adaptive strategies to minimize them. However, the extent of spatial variation in HP load size within and among populations, a tenet for natural selection, remains unexplored. Such knowledge would hence constitute a first step in advancing our understanding of the importance of HP transfer as an evolutionary force promoting plant diversification. For instance, the opportunity for natural selection would only be expected under strong among population variation in HP load size. In this study we aim to answer the following specific questions: Is there variation in the amount and diversity of HP load in Lobelia siphilitica? How is the variation partitioned across different levels of organization (populations, individuals, and flowers among an individual)? Greater among-population variance would suggest that community attributes, such as plant density and diversity are the major drivers of HP load size. Greater among-plant variance would indicate plant traits that affect pollinator foraging behavior may play an important role. Greater variance among flowers within an individual plant, would suggest stochastic events may underlie variation in HP load size and diversity. In order to test these hypotheses, samples of the native perennial Lobelia siphilitica were taken from 10 populations in the Northeast Tennessee region (500 total). The styles were processed in the lab and pollen grains counted separating them into two categories, heterospecific and conspecific pollen. There was variation in the amount and diversity of HP load received. Populations are expected to have the largest variation among them due to different environments (disturbance levels, pollinators, plant communities, etc.) Since populations are expected to have the largest variation in HP received, they are also expected to have the greatest opportunity for natural selection to act. Looking at HP receipt within-species is important for identifying the mechanisms that can generate diversity in plant communities

The Perception of the Value of the Use of Primary Source Documents among East Tennessee Lakeway Area History Teachers in Grades 5-12.

This study examines the perceptions of history and social studies teachers in the Lakeway Area of East Tennessee concerning the use of primary source materials in classroom instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine what value the educators in the intact group held for the use of primary source documents, how much time was devoted to the analysis of primary source documents by students in those classes, and potential barriers to the implementation of the use of primary source materials. The research design was descriptive and used data gathered from a survey instrument constructed by the researcher. A pilot test of the instrument was conducted, reliability coefficients were calculated, and the survey instrument was modified. The final survey consisted of 44 statements, a demographic section, and four open-response questions. A total of two hundred eighteen surveys were sent to eligible educators in Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Hawkins,and Jefferson counties. One hundred fourteen of the surveys were returned and were used for this study. Other variables studied were gender, job classification, years of experience, the amount of time reported using primary sources in class, past or current membership in the National Council for Social Studies, participation in professional development emphasizing primary source analysis, and the type of teaching certification held by the respondents. The findings include: The two greatest obstacles to the implementation of the use of primary source materials were lack of training or relevant experience and the perceived access to materials; comfort in using technology and ability level of students did not appear to be significant obstacle barriers; all categories of respondents held a positive opinion of the use of primary sources. A review of the responses to the open-response questions revealed that time could also have been an obstacle barrier to the implementation of the use of primary sources. It appears that the lack of training or relevant experience, the perceived access to materials, and perhaps time may be limiting factors in determining the amount of time educators in this area devote the primary source analysis

Assessing forgiveness : development and validation of the act of forgiveness scale

Recently, considerable research attention has been devoted to the process of forgiving interpersonal transgressions. An unresolved issue in this literature concerns the measurement of the construct of forgiveness. The primary purpose of this research project was to develop a valid and reliable measure of state forgiveness, that is, the degree to which a respondent has forgiven a specific person or a specific instance of betrayal or hurt. Three separate phases of research were conducted. In Phase 1, an initial pool of items were written and subsequently refined using both traditional Likert analyses and itemmetric analyses. Initial estimates of reliability were computed from responses to the items by 397 college students. Subsequently, a 45-item scale, called the Act of Forgiveness Scale (AFS) was shown to be both internally consistent and reliable over time. Furthermore, the factor structure of the AFS was explored and appeared to be consistent with current conceptualizations of forgiveness. In Phase 2, the convergent and discriminant validity of the AFS was assessed in analyses involving data from over 1,000 college students. Specifically, the average correlation between the AFS and other state measures was found to be greater than the average correlation between the AFS and trait measures of forgiveness. In addition, significant correlations were found between forgiveness, as measured by the AFS, and related constructs, such as cynicism and attachment. In Phase 3, non-test validity analyses were undertaken by comparing AFS scores to coded narrative accounts of betrayal by students (n=311) and by a semi-structured interview with students (n=50) about betrayal and forgiveness. In the narrative study, forgiveness was reliably associated with perceptions of the severity of the offense and consequences for the relationship and victim, but relatively unrelated to objective characteristics of the betrayal (e.g., type of offense). Several of these findings were replicated in the interview studyFor example, participants\u27 AFS scores were related to severity of the offense, apology, and an impressionistic rating of forgiveness. Taken together, results strongly supported the utility of the AFS as a measure of state forgiveness and suggested several hypotheses of relevance to future research

Teacher Beliefs and the Instructional Practices of National Board Certified High School English Teachers.

This mixed-methods study explored the instructional methods that accomplished high school English teachers use in their classrooms to improve understanding of how those methods are influenced by the teachers\u27 beliefs. A survey regarding classroom practices and beliefs was sent to 313 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in English Language Arts--Adolescence and Young Adulthood across the United States with a response rate of 50.8%. From these data, I analyzed the variety and frequency of practices experienced teachers use and the beliefs that influence teachers\u27 instructional decisions. I then conducted follow-up interviews and classroom observations with selected survey participants from North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio and explored further the beliefs and motivations of those teachers who were both typical and outlying according to their survey responses. The study found that factors such as school setting, educational level, and gender had little impact on teachers\u27 instructional strategies, although a relationship was found between gender and approach to teaching literature. The study also found that reading instruction dominated the classroom instruction of those teachers, with writing instruction a distant second. In addition, those NBCTs were found to be teachers who developed positive relationships with students, created student-centered classrooms, challenged students academically, and were dedicated to being lifelong learners. In the end, 3 distinct teacher types were identified: teachers who focus on English as a discipline, teachers who focus on more generalized educational goals, and teachers who focus on their students\u27 emotional well-being. However, the study suggests that all the teachers who participated in the study formed a fairly homogenous group regardless of their differences and that teachers\u27 own educational experiences in school played a more significant role in determining their classroom behaviors than did their educational beliefs

Effects of Differences in Video and Traditional Markets on Feeder Cattle Prices

Few decisions are more important to feeder cattle producers than how to market their product. This study uses the hedonic pricing model to show which method of marketing results in higher prices (traditional auctions or video board sales) and which characteristics of cattle, conditions of sale, and market conditions result in price premiums and discounts. The two equations used were estimated by ordinary least squares in the SAS Reg procedure with 3131 observations over the 1996-2007 period. Model I (47 independent variables) was developed to estimate implicit values of various animal attributes, conditions of sale, and market conditions on the Tennessee Livestock Producers (TLP) video board sale. The dependent variable was sale price for each lot. Model II (36 independent variables) specified the ratio of TLP sale price to Tennessee auction market average price as a function of various animal attributes and conditions of sale. Lot characteristics that had significant positive implicit prices included: steers, larger lots, medium and large frame number 1 muscling, existence of a health program, animals penned the night before weighing, higher live cattle futures prices, and the fall season. Lot characteristics that had significant negative implicit prices included: mixed gender, fleshiness, higher weights, larger weight range, Charolais cross, longer distance to feedlot area, higher corn prices, and the spring season. TLP sale price exceeded Tennessee auction average price for similar cattle by 9 percent on average over the 12 years. The amount by which TLP price exceeded auction price was significantly positively affected by number of head in the lot, indication that animals were PVP certified, longer distance from farm to weigh point, allowance of pencil shrink, and allowing buyers to choose a load from a larger group of animals. The price difference was significantly negatively affected by the fact that the lot was of mixed gender, weight range for the lot was wide, the lot contained a larger percentage of animals that were not black or black baldy, animals showed substantial “ear”, animals had been fed supplement or were “home raised”, and location of animals was farther from typical feedlot areas

Measures of Anxiety and Mindfulness in Student Pharmacists after Conducting a Relaxation Activity

Student pharmacists experience stress, work overload, and burnout throughout the intensive Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. In Spring 2016, ninety-five student pharmacists were recruited from Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy to be a part of a study to investigate the potential usefulness of relaxation in improving personal well-being. Study participants were assigned to conduct one of the following activities: body scan, mindful meditation, 4x4 breathing meditation, power posing, or mental stimulation by using the Word Streak mobile app. After conducting the activity and providing saliva samples for evaluation of physiological biomarkers, participants completed validated surveys to assess anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7, and Four System Anxiety Questionnaire, FSAQ) and mindfulness (Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, KIMS). In preparation for an upcoming mindfulness study, it was determined that the 2016 survey data was never analyzed. Therefore, our objectives were to examine past levels of anxiety and mindfulness in these student pharmacists, and to evaluate factors such as assigned activity, gender, and year in pharmacy school which could have impacted survey scores. Data were analyzed by Chi-Square tests for categorical data (GAD-7) and non-parametric tests for scores (FSAQ and KIMS) using JASP (Version 0.12.2) [JASP Team (2020), Amsterdam, the Netherlands]. No significant differences (p \u3e 0.05) were found when evaluating the effects of assigned activity on survey results. Anxiety, as measured by GAD-7 illustrated most student pharmacists had mild and minimal anxiety levels (p \u3c 0.001). The FSAQ results suggest student pharmacists overall had highest anxiety levels in the “somatic” category and lowest in the “feeling” category (p \u3c 0.001). As measured by KIMS, the “observe” component of mindfulness was found to be highest in student pharmacists, while their perceived ability to “describe” thoughts, feelings, and sensations was lowest (p \u3c 0.001). Neither gender nor year in pharmacy school significantly impacted KIMS (p \u3e 0.337) or GAD-7 scores (p \u3e 0.323). Within the somatic category of the FSAQ, female student pharmacists experienced higher anxiety as compared to their male counterparts (p = 0.047), and students in their second year of pharmacy school had higher anxiety scores as compared to first-year students (p \u3c 0.015). Findings from Spring 2016 suggest that, while overall anxiety levels were low in student pharmacists, specific components of anxiety and mindfulness could be targeted for improvement. These findings will be compared to the results of current studies as being performed by these researchers, who are investigating the anxiety, mindfulness, and application of relaxation techniques in student pharmacists dealing with the challenges and uncertainty of COVID-19

Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to genotypically characterize salmonellae grouped by serotype

The prevention and control of salmonellae in commercial swine operations are becoming increasingly important. The current approach focuses on identifying sources and/or origins of salmonellae contamination before swine are processed for human consumption. The objective of the current study was to assess strain variability among salmonellae grouped by serotype and to determine common origins of contamination (farm or slaughter plant). Salmonellae were previously collected from swine at slaughter, serotyped by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and stored at - 70??C. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to genotypically characterize serotypic isolates using restriction endonuclease XbaI. Dendrogram comparisons were also used to assess genotypic similarity when multiple genotypes existed. This study found PFGE to be more discriminatory than serotyping indicating that multiple genotypic strains existed among selected serotypes. On the basis of PFGE results alone, origins of contamination could not be determined in this study. It is suggested by the author, that origins of contamination could be further defined pending future research, in which in-depth longitudinal studies are included. When used as an adjunct to conventional typing methods, PFGE may prove to be a substantial subtyping system in epidemiologic investigations to identify point-of-entry contaminants to the food chain

Improving interprofessional practice and cultural competence with interprofessional education

Challenge/Issue: Interprofessional education (IPE) and cultural competence (CC) training have become a staple in healthcare education programs with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. IPE, where students from two or more professions learn from, about, and with each other to optimize care, resulting in great team building, sharing of knowledge, communication, and collaboration. CC involves an individual’s ability to recognize, assess, appreciate, and respect unique backgrounds such as race, ethnicity, sexual minorities, gender, identity, religion, and age, to make greater informed decisions in healthcare and minimize inequities. Within educational programs, both constructs can occur simultaneously to optimize learning and patient-centered outcomes.Objective: To identify the impact of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion IPE single-day event on the perceptions of interprofessional practice and ability to provide culturally competent care instudents enrolled in Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Pharmacy, and Athletic Training (AT) education programs.Approach: An experimental design used pre- and post-test measures of IPE and CC knowledge with a one day conference as the intervention. Participants included students (205- pre and 200- post) enrolled in DO, pharmacy, and AT programs at two Midwestern universities. Participants completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competences Attainments Survey (ICCAS) and three modified components of the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competence Training (mTACCT) before and after the event that included baseline information about the different professions, three CC presentations, and two case studies with small group discussions. Due to uneven sample sizes in the pre- and post-test, and violations of normality and homogeneity of variance, Kruskal Wallis tests were used to assess differences in the intervention.Results: Five items on the ICCAS and all items on the mTACCT demonstrated statistical significance. On the ICCAS, students demonstrated increases in their ability to; “actively list to Interprofessional (IP) team members’ ideas and concerns”, “working effectively with IP members to enhance care", “recognizing how others’ skills and knowledge complement and overlap with their own”, “to develop an effective care plan with IP team members”, and “negotiate responsibilities with overlapping scopes of practice”. This demonstrated that discussing the professions in general and utilizing case studies and small group discussions allowed students to understand the roles, skills, and responsibilities of their peer professionals which will lead to better communication and teamwork resulting in improved patient outcomes and satisfaction for both patients and staff. The results of the mTACCT demonstrated overall improvement in skills but highlighted students are consciously incompetent, where they recognize a deficiency but demonstrate a desire for greater understanding. Students felt that initially they lacked the ability to identify bias and stereotyping in healthcare but after the intervention felt better equipped. It is important to note that while we found improvements within CC, a single event should not be the only point of CC inclusion within curriculums. Our intervention provided students from three different healthcare programs with an educational opportunity to strengthen their skills in both IPE and C