MINDSET, SELF-EFFICACY, AND FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS: PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

College-bound students move from various high school environments to a collegiate setting; this transition requires acclimation. There is increased interest in the understanding of college student adjustment to decrease student attrition, thus adjustment to college has been studied in different contexts, including social and academic. The construct of self-efficacy, or students’ judgments of their capabilities to organize courses of action to perform tasks, attributes to college adjustment. Another construct, mindset, defined as a person’s self-perception or “self- theory” effects learning, skill acquisition, success, and other aspects of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the use of mindset language in the college classroom, on student’s perceptions of self-efficacy and mindset. For one fall semester, this study required treatment participants to participate in classes where mindset language was delivered by professors. Terms were derived from the Growth Mindset Framing and Feedback tools, and treatment professors received training to deliver the language in the subsequent 15-week semester. The treatment group completed eight Self-Assessment Prompts on Performance Accomplishments and Mindset (SAPPAM). The researcher also measured first-year students’ self-efficacy and mindset using two qualitative instruments to explain perceptions of collegiate abilities (i.e., exam preparation and time management). Focused interviews and fidelity of treatment observations were conducted; the mixed-methods convergent parallel design was used to understand students’ perceptions. A MANOVA was used to examine academic, social, and social integration self-efficacy of students who participated in classes infused with mindset language and those who were not in these classes. In addition, an ANOVA was used to understand differences in mindset for each group. Quantitatively, there were no significant differences for either procedure, though the data collected from student responses provided information pertaining to the college experience

Factors Affecting Grazing Patterns Of Reindeer On Summer Tundra Ranges

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 198

The role of ras gene in the development of haemic neoplasia in Mytilus trossulus

Disseminated neoplasia has been reported in mussels (Mytilus spp) from numerous locations worldwide. This condition is progressive and fatal and the aetiology is unknown. In vertebrates, oncogenes such as ras, and tumour suppressor genes such as p53, play important roles in carcinogenesis. We have cloned a Mytilus trossulus homologue of the vertebrate ras gene, which shows conserved sequence in regions of functional importance. Neoplastic hemolymph samples derived from M. trossulus have been investigated for the presence of ras gene mutations and changes in expression

An Interpretation of the Theme of Snopesism in the Work of William Faulkner

Ever since the publication of the novel Sartoria, members of a strange new breed of people by the name of Snopes have appeared in every Faulkner novel and short story which constitutes a part of what is called the Yoknapatawpha chronicle. Heretofore, it has been popular to support the thesis that the Snopeses represented the embodiment of crass commercialism, the inevitable replacement for the dying cotton aristocracy, and the direct retribution for the sins that had caused the downfall of these degenerate Southern gentry. This thesis will attempt to show, not that such a contention is wholly wrong, but that the real meaning of Snopesism lies much deeper than this, far beyond such a simple interpretation

Soybean Hulls as an Alternative Feed for Horses

Soybean hulls (SH) have been successfully fed to ruminant animals as an economical substitute for hay. This feedstuff is a source of highly digestible fiber and does not contain starch. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate SH as a replacement fiber in horse diets. Four cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings, aged 6 to 10 years and averaging 502 kg, were used in a 4x4 Latin Square design with 21-day periods. Diets consisted of alfalfa-bromegrass hay (14.4% CP, 58.1% NDF, 39.1% ADF) with the addition of either 0, 25, 50, or 75% unpelleted SH (13.1% CP, 60.6% NDF, 43.7% ADF). Diets were offered at 2% of bodyweight (as fed) daily and body weights were measured weekly. Cecal samples (90-min post-feeding) and total fecal collections (3 d) were taken at the end of each treatment period. Fecal collection bags were emptied every 6 hours and 10% of the total amount was frozen for later analysis. Total cecal VFA production increased linearly from 70 mM to 109 mM as proportions of SH in diets increased (P = 0.02). Proportions of propionate increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) and cubically (P = 0.03) with means of 15.7, 18.0, 16.6, and 21.9 moles per 100 moles total VFA for the 0, 25, 50, and 75% SH diets respectively. Proportions of butyrate decreased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) from 5.3 to 3.9 moles per 100 moles total VFA. The acetate to propionate ratio decreased linearly (P = 0.02) and cubically (P = 0.03) with means of 4.9, 4.2, 4.9, and 3.3. Apparent digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, ADF, cellulose, and hemicellulose did not differ (P \u3e 0.24) with treatment. Apparent digestibility of N decreased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) as concentrations of SH increased in the diet, most likely due to increased cecal fermentation and microbial biomass production. Cecal pH decreased linearly (P = 0.01) from 7.00 to 6.45 as the level of SH increased, but there was no change (P linear = 0.68) for cecal ammonia (mean concentration of 3.85 mM). Soybean hulls appear to stimulate cecal fermentation and to be a suitable replacement for hay in equine diets. This may be an especially important finding for owners of geriatric horses that often have difficulty consuming roughages

The impact of cardiorespiratory fitness on classical cardiovascular disease risk factors in rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Advanced measures of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with CVD risk factors. The present study aimed to examine whether CVD risk factors can predict clinic-based measures of CRF, using the Siconolfi step test and to determine if exercise can improve RA patients’ cardiovascular health. Sixty-five RA patients (46 females, age 58 ± 11 years) completed assessments of CRF, CVD risk factors, body composition and RA characteristics. Ten patients participated in a follow-up 8-week exercise intervention. CRF was low (22 ml kg−1 min−1) and associated with higher diastolic blood pressure (r = − 0.37, p = 0.002), higher global CVD risk (r = − 0.267, p = 0.031) and worse body composition profile (body fat, r = − 0.48, p < 0.001; waist, r = − 0.65, p < 0.001; hip, r = − 0.58, p < 0.001). Regular exercise significantly improved CRF (p = 0.021), lower body strength (p < 0.001), agility (p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.021), body fat (p = 0.018), waist circumference (p = 0.035), hip circumference (p = 0.016), disease activity (p = 0.002), disability (p = 0.007) and QoL (p = 0.004). Elevated diastolic blood pressure and worse body composition profile are strong predictors of clinic-based measures of CRF. CRF is an important determinant of CVD risk and warrants inclusion in the routine assessment of RA patients. Regular exercise can improve CRF and CVD risk factors without any exacerbation of disease activity and should be offered as part of routine care

Comparison of Protein Phosphatase Inhibition Assay with LC-MS/MS for Diagnosis of Microcystin Toxicosis in Veterinary Cases

Microcystins are acute hepatotoxins of increasing global concern in drinking and recreational waters and are a major health risk to humans and animals. Produced by cyanobacteria, microcystins inhibit serine/threonine protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). A cost-effective PP1 assay using p-nitrophenyl phosphate was developed to quickly assess water and rumen content samples. Significant inhibition was determined via a linear model, which compared increasing volumes of sample to the log-transformed ratio of the exposed rate over the control rate of PP1 activity. To test the usefulness of this model in diagnostic case investigations, samples from two veterinary cases were tested. In August 2013 fifteen cattle died around two ponds in Kentucky. While one pond and three tested rumen contents had significant PP1 inhibition and detectable levels of microcystin-LR, the other pond did not. In August 2013, a dog became fatally ill after swimming in Clear Lake, California. Lake water samples collected one and four weeks after the dog presented with clinical signs inhibited PP1 activity. Subsequent analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) detected microcystin congeners -LR, -LA, -RR and -LF but not -YR. These diagnostic investigations illustrate the advantages of using functional assays in combination with LC-MS/MS