Systematics of Neotropical Satyrine Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Euptychiina) Based on Larval Morphology and DNA Sequence Data and the Evolution of Life History Traits.

Although satyrine butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) are highly diverse and found worldwide in most terrestrial habitats, they have received little attention from systematists. This research focuses on one of the largest satyrine groups, the euptychiines, found from central United States to Argentina, with the greatest diversity in the Amazon. The subtribe Euptychiina has a troubled taxonomic history. Most genera were erected without diagnoses and placed within the subtribe without being examined. Before this project was initiated, little was known of their basic biology and morphology. Therefore, considerable attention was given to this area in my research. I describe the larvae of 25 species and discuss morphological characters in detail, with chaetotaxy illustrations. Terminology of many morphological structures were reviewed and new terms proposed. Phylogenetic analyses using larval morphology and DNA sequence data found the subtribe paraphyletic. Five genera were excluded from the subtribe, redefined as Taygetiina. Numerous genera were also determined to be paraphyletic. Branching patterns were strongly supported with the larval data set, which was based on 157 characters taken from all instars. DNA sequence data between COI and EF-1∝ were largely congruent, although saturation and long branch attractions led to unusual groupings in the COI parsimony analyses, mostly resolved in the maximum likelihood tree. Incongruence between the morphological and molecular analyses revolved around placement of one taxon at the base of the ingroup. Placement of Megisto cymela in the ingroup or outgroup did not significantly alter the branching patterns of either data set. Three life history traits were mapped onto the phylogeny. Host use was conserved within the ingroup and diverse among the basal nodes. The ancestral satyrine grass-feeder is not known. Within Taygetiina, the two shifts to bamboo specialization were accompanied by a reduction in instar number. Ancestral reconstructions of these two traits were significantly associated. The selection pressure of predation and parasitism is thought to be a significant, but overlooked, force in the evolution of host use. I propose that the shift to bamboo (enemy-free space) and reduction in instar number (reduced vulnerability) were driven in part by parasitoid and predator pressure

A qualitative study analysing the journey towards an embedded approach to service user involvement

Service user involvement in the design and delivery of education programmes for professionals is a key tenet of current policy. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of young mothers, students and academics who participated in an initiative aimed to coproduce and deliver a teaching resource focusing on becoming a mother and receiving services. The findings from the focus group interviews suggested that involving service users in student learning can provide an opportunity for open and honest dialogue, where assumptions and stereotypes can be challenged and better understood. It can also encourage users who are often seen as ‘hard to reach’ to be more actively involved in shaping the development of professionals

Workshop: Tagging, Bookmarking and Scholarly References: How Web 2.0 Technologies Benefit the Student, Scholar and Researcher

A primary challenge for any student, scholar or researcher is organizing and managing the massive amount of content readily available in today’s digital world. Several attempts have been made to provide solutions to this problem but many have fallen short of expectations. For example, many of the reference management software programs such as EndNote or RefWorks, as licensed products, are designed to support individual researchers in managing personal reference collections. On the other hand, the Web, and in particular Web 2.0, represents an approach to an evolving use of the Internet as a dynamic, participatory and collaborative medium for finding, organizing, managing, and sharing sources of information. This workshop introduces the use of user-defined tagging and social bookmarking within the context of an online freely available resource (CiteULike) for managing and sharing scholarly sources of information. These Web 2.0 technologies were introduced and implemented in an interdisciplinary NSF funded project focused on teaching students to effectively assess web site validity, engage in collaborative sharing and organization of scientific literature, and utilize technologies they were familiar with, social bookmarking and tagging, to research a scientific question and synthesize their findings. The benefits of sharing scholarly resources to facilitate collaborative work were demonstrated through this project

Student Interaction with Online Course Content: Build It and They Might Come

Online learning continues to expand at educational institutions around the globe. Educators must better understand how interaction with online course content impacts student engagement and learning. Advances in technology amplify the imperative to gain further insights into how delivery of course materials can enhance and support the learning process. This study investigates student patterns of access to instructional resources provided in an asynchronous online digital literacy course offered at a regional university in the United States. Frequency counts and access rates collected from a learning management system were used to assess patterns of student retrieval of course materials in four categories: core materials, direct support, indirect support and ancillary materials. Results were consistent with student survey responses and indicate that students selectively access course content based upon the degree to which they perceive it will positively influence performance and outcomes on assignments and assessments

Rehabilitation Settings After Joint Replacement: An Application of Multiattribute Preference Elicitation

While advances in medical treatment and technologies have the potential to improve the delivery of health care, their use typically involves making multiple, complex decisions. Patients and their medical providers may share in the decision-making processes and balance a variety of criteria and/or attributes in the pursuit of improved health. This necessitates a stronger understanding of the role of human behavior in health care processes and presents a timely opportunity to use decision analysis tools to contribute to this important aspect of health care operations. This article reports on the application of multiattribute preference elicitation to identify postsurgical rehabilitation setting options for elective hip and knee replacement patients and their discharge planning team prior to placement in these settings. These preferences are analyzed to identify trends in emphases across patients and the discharge planning team, including a comparison with actual outcomes to determine the extent of congruence with each other, an important component of patient-centered care. Variances are identified in what patients and the discharge planning team expected and what actually happened. Reasons for these variances are discussed

Learner-Centered Assignments in Computer Literacy

Literacy is a concept that is understood to be the identifier of an educated populace. In today\u27s world, literacy includes computer literacy, as well as language and quantitative literacy. This paper describes exercises developed to improve first year students\u27 computer literacy through more learner-centered engagement. Exercises are designed to support learner-centered goals of independent and responsible learners, appropriate breadth and depth of content, teacher as facilitator, and assessment woven into learning. Exercise topics include purchase of a personal computer, basic logic via spreadsheets, an annotated bibliography built with electronic resources, and an integrated assignment customized by and for each student

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Paraprofessional Supervision: Crucial Components for Program Success

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) national leadership and university program partners initiated a discussion about EFNEP paraprofessional supervision due to concerns raised by state coordinators and a belief that the quality and adequacy of paraprofessional supervision have a considerable impact on program outcomes and effectiveness. An EFNEP Paraprofessional Supervision Committee was formed and tasked with developing a framework of paraprofessional supervisory components necessary for effective local supervision of EFNEP within various university and state contexts. The committee conceptualized EFNEP supervision as consisting of three crucial components: responsibilities; traits and skills; and critical support. Responsibilities outline the day-to-day tasks that EFNEP supervisors are expected to complete. Traits and skills underscore the qualities and behaviors that assist a supervisor with the effective implementation of duties, and are categorized as essential, important, or helpful. Critical support articulates the core functions that are shared by the EFNEP supervisor and those who support the supervisor and the program, both specifically and more generally, including administrators and directors. The committee outlined a call to action to address the needs expressed by those who implement EFNEP on a daily basis. The committee proposes that applying and further developing these crucial components will strengthen EFNEP supervision and enhance the program’s effectiveness.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/extension_pubs/1252/thumbnail.jp

A total-evidence approach to dating with fossils, applied to the early radiation of the Hymenoptera

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