The Effects of Overshadowing in Drosophila melanogaster with Experimentally Evolved Preference

As seen in decades of psychology research, preferences play a major role in driving the decision-making process in both humans and animals. Researchers have advocated for using the technique of experimental evolution as a way to address some of the foundational questions on preferences. These preferences can also affect what is later learned and how well new experiences are learned. Salience is usually mentioned as an important component of what could influence preferences. Animals such as Drosophila melanogaster, that lay eggs without any additional maternal or paternal care, it is important to be selective when deciding where to lay those eggs for their offspring to survive. It has been found that olfactory and gustatory cues play a huge role as an oviposition stimulant and in guiding choice. Using populations of flies with a known evolutionary history (for the previous 200 generations), we are asking questions about how learning and preference interact. We are able to directly test this major assumption in animal learning because we have experimentally evolved populations of flies to have different substrate preferences for where females will lay their eggs; because this evolutionary history is known, and has been directly manipulated, we have an excellent ability to test this assumption. We have evidence of salience of orange as a stimulus that extends beyond the experimental evolution and with this, use a basic paradigm of taste aversion and find that evolutionary history or having an evolved innate bias does affect learning in an overshadowing paradigm

Influences on Vietnamese Consumers’ Preference for US Clothing Brands

Vietnam is one of the most attractive markets in the world with their fast-growing middle class and increasing purchasing power. It is predicted that the middle class will be tripled in Vietnam between 2012 and 2020 (“Vietnamese Consumers”, 2013). Vietnamese consumers are buying more sophisticated products. For example, urban Vietnamese women aged between 20 and 45 spend 18% of their monthly income on apparel (Breu, Salsberg and Tú, 2010). The majority of emerging market consumer studies investigate the two of the world’s largest emerging markets, China and India

Teaching Children to use a Context-plus-Phonics Strategy

The main purpose of this article is to describe in detail a procedure which teaches children to integrate two word identification strategies, ose of context and of phonics. A study was conducted which tested the effectiveness of this integrative strategy, and a secondary purpose of this article is to present the results of the study

Climate change vulnerability assessment for rare plants of the San Juan Region of Colorado

Prepared for: Tres Rios Bureau of Land Management and San Juan U.S. Forest Service.May 2014.Includes bibliographical references.The 5 million-acre San Juan Region lies in southwest Colorado and is considered part of the Four Corners area. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program tracks 122 plant species within this region. Recently published climate models for the Southern San Juan Region project a median decrease in May precipitation across southwestern Colorado and a 4.3° F increase in average annual temperatures, suggesting drought may become problematic for these species in the future (Lukas et al. 2014). As of 2014, we have conducted Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments using methodology developed by NatureServe for 60 of the tracked plant species known from the region, primarily focused on federally listed or agency sensitive species. Our results indicate that nearly 60% (36 species) of these plant species are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The most vulnerable species were from alpine, cliff and canyon, barrens, and groundwater dependent wetland habitats. Spruce-fir and ponderosa pine forests, and montane grasslands had the least amount of vulnerable species. Of the 60 species assesed, 37% (22 species) are endemic to the Four Corners region and most (19 species) are extremely vulnerable. Barrens support the highest number of endemic species of any habitat (7), and all but one barrens species is extremely vulnerable. We recommend developing climate adaptation strategies for extremely and highly vulnerable species and as time permits, assessing additional rare species

Implementation of Digital Flashcards to Increase Content-Specific Vocabulary Knowledge and Perceptions of Motivation and Self-Efficacy in an Eleventh-Grade U.S. History Course: An Action Research Study

Text- and document-dependent courses like high school U.S. History require students to have strong content literacy and vocabulary skills. Traditionally, content-area courses neglect vocabulary skills and those that do address vocabulary often teach words in isolation without context. Students needing more content comprehension skills frequently need more motivation and higher self-efficacy. Three research questions were used to evaluate the impact of digital flashcards on learning content-specific vocabulary and student perceptions in an eleventh-grade U.S. History course: (a) How and to what extent do digital flashcards affect eleventh-grade U.S. History students’ learning content-specific vocabulary knowledge?; (b) How and to what extent do digital flashcards affect eleventh-grade U.S. History students’ perception of their motivation to learn content-specific vocabulary?; and (c) How and to what extent do digital flashcards affect eleventh-grade U.S. History students’ perception of their self-efficacy to learn content-specific vocabulary? Participants were eight students (n = 8) in a small suburban alternative school. This mixed methods study followed an action research model and used quantitative and qualitative data collection. Quantitative data collection included a 70-item pre- and posttest on vocabulary knowledge and Likert-type classroom exit tickets; data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews and analyzed through inductive analysis. Data were analyzed separately and then integrated. Descriptive findings indicated that using digital flashcards increased vocabulary learning from pre- to posttest for the participants. Exit ticket data examined three subscales (i.e., vocabulary knowledge, motivation, self-efficacy), and all three subscales showed positive student perceptions (M \u3e 3.00). Two themes were identified from participant interviews: (a) digital flashcards aided student learning; and (b) digital flashcards supported students’ motivation and confidence. From the students’ perceptions, there was less emphasis on the grades signaling success and more on learning and confidence. The findings suggest that eleventh-grade U.S. History students can successfully use digital flashcards to learn content-specific vocabulary while positively affecting their motivation and self-efficacy. Limitations of this study include the small sample size and the specific setting for the research, so readers should not generalize these findings beyond the current context. Implications for practice and further research are also presented

Moral Distress Experienced by Behavioral Health Clinicians Who Have Worked with Maternal, Opioid-Using Clients

Moral distress (MD) is a concept that has been well studied in nursing and other medical fields as a precursor to provider burnout. Understanding how MD impacts behavioral health (BH) clinicians provides insights for counselor educators and supervisors to identify clinical situations that often lead to MD. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how MD was experienced by five BH clinicians who have worked in residential and hospital settings providing counseling to maternal, opioid-using clients. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) informed the research methodology and data analysis. Substance use during pregnancy is highly stigmatized in society; thus, a feminist conceptualization was integrated as the theoretical framework. Themes centered on specific systems that cause MD when working with the population, ways to mitigate MD (including advocating against bias towards maternal, opioid using women), and how personal and professional experience impacted the clinician’s experiences of MD situations as providers and organization leaders. The study\u27s outcomes provide a foundation for future research to explore MD as it relates to the impact MD has on BH clinicians. Recommendations include integrating information about MD in formal and continuing counselor education and further exploring how those in leadership positions identify and approach MD. Like other health care professions, the counseling profession is experiencing post-pandemic stresses and workforce shortages. Understanding MD is pivotal to training and retaining healthy counseling practitioners

Short-term voiding patterns after vaginal hysterectomy and pelvic floor repair

Background: Post-operative transient voiding dysfunction is a known complication of vaginal hysterectomy (VH) with pelvic floor repair (PFR). This study aims to determine the duration of urinary catheterization prior to resumption of normal voiding and hospital length of stay for patients who have undergone VH, PFR with or without concomitant application of transvaginal mesh (TVM) and/or mid-urethral sling (MUS).Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent VH with PFR at a single urogynaecology centre in Singapore between 01 October 2016 and 30 September 2017. Patients’ files were reviewed for data collection and analysis.Results: A total of 238 women with VH with PFR were studied, of whom 68 (28.6%) did not have any implant, 60 (25.2%) had only TVM, 50 (21.0%) had only MUS, and 60 (25.2%) had both TVM and MUS. Overall, 1/68 (1.5%) patients without implants, 16/110 (14.5%) patients with one implant and 13/60 (21.7%) patients with two implants failed at least 1 inpatient voiding trial. Patients undergoing VH PFR without implants had shorter duration of catheterization compared to those with concomitant implants (2.2 versus 5.6 days, p<0.01). Duration of catheterization was shorter in patients with only MUS compared to patients with only TVM (3.5 versus 4.7 days, p<0.01). Patients with single implant had significantly shorter duration of catheterization compared to those with two implants (4.2 versus 5.6 days, p=0.001).Conclusions: One in 68 patients with VH with PFR without implants experienced short term voiding difficulties. This risk increased to 1 in 5 when concomitant implants were inserted

Rural Schools' Mental Health Needs

This is the publisher's official version. It is also available electronically from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0095970.Rural schools often can not provide the same access to mental health service as schools in larger population areas can.. Understanding the implications of these sometimes limited services is important in overcoming barriers to adequate services for those in rural areas. This study surveyed a national sample of (n = 80) teachers, administrators, and other school professionals serving rural schools about their perceptions of mental health needs, available services, and barriers to services. The results indicate that respondents perceive needs as generally met, although available services across a variety of areas are not readily accessible. Barriers to meeting those needs include staff turnover rate and lack of funding. Suggestions for addressing these issues are considered