Challenging Pre-Service Students\u27 Teaching Perspectives in an Inquiry-Focused Program

Inquiry teaching based on constructivist learning theory has been an emphasis in pre-service education for over a decade. In general, a developmental teaching perspective supports inquiry-based instruction where teachers view learners as constructors of knowledge and teaching as providing questions, problems, and challenges that form a bridge from the learners\u27 prior knowledge to a new, more sophisticated form of reasoning. Since teaching perspectives influence student learning, teacher effectiveness, and teacher attrition, challenging pre-service teachers to overcome experience-based convictions of a transmission perspective is necessary in teacher education. In this study, we examined the teaching perspectives of secondary, pre-service methods students at the midpoint of an inquiry-focused program. Our findings suggest that, despite being introduced to a variety of teaching perspectives, overcoming preconceptions of good teaching and considering a perspective counter to one\u27s disciplinary major presents a dilemma for pre-service teachers

2013 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Bermudagrass Test: 2016 Data

Kansas represents the northernmost region in the central United States where bermudagrass can be successfully grown as a perennial turfgrass. Historically, few cultivars that have both acceptable quality and adequate cold tolerance have been available to local growers. Because new introductions are continually being selected for improved hardiness and quality, both seeded and vegetative types need regular evaluation to determine their long-range suitability for use in Kansas

Surprisingly Little O VI Emission Arises in the Local Bubble

This paper reports the first study of the O VI resonance line emission (1032, 1038 Angstroms) originating in the Local Bubble (or Local Hot Bubble) surrounding the solar neighborhood. In spite of the fact that O VI absorption within the Local Bubble has been observed, no resonance line emission was detected during our 230 ksec Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observation toward a ``shadowing'' filament in the southern Galactic hemisphere. As a result, tight 2 sigma upper limits are set on the intensities in the 1032 and 1038 Angstrom emission lines: 500 and 530 photons cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1}, respectively. These values place strict constraints on models and simulations. They suggest that the O VI-bearing plasma and the X-ray emissive plasma reside in distinct regions of the Local Bubble and are not mixed in a single plasma, whether in equilibrium with T ~ 10^6 K or highly overionized with T ~ 4 to 6 x 10^4 K. If the line of sight intersects multiple cool clouds within the Local Bubble, then the results also suggest that hot/cool transition zones differ from those in current simulations. With these intensity upper limits, we establish limits on the electron density, thermal pressure, pathlength, and cooling timescale of the O VI-bearing plasma in the Local Bubble. Furthermore, the intensity of O VI resonance line doublet photons originating in the Galactic thick disk and halo is determined (3500 to 4300 photons cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1}), and the electron density, thermal pressure, pathlength, and cooling timescale of its O VI-bearing plasma are calculated. The pressure in the Galactic halo's O VI-bearing plasma (3100 to 3800 K cm^{-3}) agrees with model predictions for the total pressure in the thick disk/lower halo. We also report the results of searches for other emission lines.Comment: accepted by ApJ, scheduled for May 2003, replacement astro-ph submission corrects typos and grammatical errors in original versio

2012 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Tall Fescue Test: 2016 Data

Research efforts to improve cultivar quality include selecting for stress tolerance and disease resistance as well as finer leaf texture, a rich green color, and better sward density. Several cultivars included in the 2012 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Tall Fescue Test performed well and showed good brown patch resistance in south central Kansas during the 2016 growing season

Effect of protein and energy sources and bulk density of diets on growth performance of chicks

Four completely randomized designed experiments (EXP) were conducted to determine the effect of energy, amino acid (AA) levels, and bulk density of diets on growth performance of chicks fed diets containing corn (C) or cornstarch:dextrose (CD) as energy sources and soybean meal (SBM) or soy protein isolate (SPI) as protein sources. The chicks were fed C-SBM diets 6 to 8 d posthatching before allotment to treatment, and the assay periods ranged from 7 to 14 d. Initial weights were 86, 93, 94, and 71 g in EXP 1 to 4, respectively. Treatments were replicated 6 to 8 times with 4, 5, or 6 chicks per replicate. In EXP 1, the treatments were 1) CSBM (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 2) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,460 kcal of ME/kg); 3) CD-SPI (1.36% Lys and 3,460 kcal of ME/kg); and 4) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg). The AA in all diets were increased in proportion to Lys. In EXP 2, chicks were fed C or CD as the energy source and SBM or SPI as the protein source in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. In EXP 3, the treatments were 1) C-SBM (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 2) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 3) Diet 1 limit-fed to chicks consuming 90% of Diet 2; 4) Diet 2 limit-fed to chicks consuming 90% of Diet 2. In EXP 4, Diets 1 and 2 were the same as Diets 1 and 2 in EXP 3, but fed in mash or pelleted form. In all EXP, chicks with access ad libitum to diets with SPI had decreased (P \u3c 0.02) average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (ADFI) compared with those with access ad libitum to diets with SBM. In EXP 2, feeding C- or CD-dextrose as the energy source had no effect (P \u3e 0.05) on ADG, ADFI, or gain:feed. In EXP 3, ADG was decreased in chicks fed the diets with SPI relative to those fed diets with SBM, but the decrease was much greater in chicks that had access ad libitum to feed (protein source x feed intake, P \u3c 0.01) than in those limit-fed to the same feed intake. In EXP 4, ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed were decreased (P \u3c 0.01) in chicks fed diets with SPI as the protein source. Pelleting increased (P \u3c 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed regardless of protein source, but the increase was much greater in chicks fed the diets with SPI (protein source x feed form, P \u3c 0.01). Results from these EXP indicate that diets with SPI compared with SBM do not result in maximum growth performance in commercial broilers, and the problem may be due somewhat to nutrient deficiency but more to the physical form of the diet. ©2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc

Cancer-specific variation in emergency presentation by sex, age and deprivation across 27 common and rarer cancers.

BACKGROUND: Although overall sociodemographic and cancer site variation in the risk of cancer diagnosis through emergency presentation has been previously described, relatively little is known about how this risk may vary differentially by sex, age and deprivation group between patients with a given cancer. METHODS: Data from the Routes to Diagnosis project on 749,645 patients (2006-2010) with any of 27 cancers that can occur in either sex were analysed. Crude proportions and crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated for emergency presentation, and interactions between sex, age and deprivation with cancer were examined. RESULTS: The overall proportion of patients diagnosed through emergency presentation varied greatly by cancer. Compared with men, women were at greater risk for emergency presentation for bladder, brain, rectal, liver, stomach, colon and lung cancer (e.g., bladder cancer-specific odds ratio for women vs men, 1.50; 95% CI 1.39-1.60), whereas the opposite was true for oral/oropharyngeal cancer, lymphomas and melanoma (e.g., oropharyngeal cancer-specific odds ratio for women vs men, 0.49; 95% CI 0.32-0.73). Similarly, younger patients were at higher risk for emergency presentation for acute leukaemia, colon, stomach and oesophageal cancer (e.g., colon cancer-specific odds ratio in 35-44- vs 65-74-year-olds, 2.01; 95% CI 1.76-2.30) and older patients for laryngeal, melanoma, thyroid, oral and Hodgkin's lymphoma (e.g., melanoma specific odds ratio in 35-44- vs 65-74-year-olds, 0.20; 95% CI 0.12-0.33). Inequalities in the risk of emergency presentation by deprivation group were greatest for oral/oropharyngeal, anal, laryngeal and small intestine cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with the same cancer, the risk for emergency presentation varies notably by sex, age and deprivation group. The findings suggest that, beyond tumour biology, diagnosis through an emergency route may be associated both with psychosocial processes, which can delay seeking of medical help, and with difficulties in suspecting the diagnosis of cancer after presentation.We acknowledge the authors of previous studies that led to the creation and curation of the Routes to Diagnosis project and data set. The work presented here is a collaboration between Public Health England’s National Cancer Intelligence Network and the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research of the University of Cambridge. GL was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship by the National Institute for Health Research (PDF-2011-04-047) to the end of 2014 and by a Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship award (A18180) from 2015.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2015.5

An Inversion Disrupting FAM134B Is Associated with Sensory Neuropathy in the Border Collie Dog Breed

Sensory neuropathy in the Border Collie is a severe neurological disorder caused by the degeneration of sensory and, to a lesser extent, motor nerve cells with clinical signs starting between 2 and 7 months of age. Using a genome-wide association study approach with three cases and 170 breed matched controls, a suggestive locus for sensory neuropathy was identified that was followed up using a genome sequencing approach. An inversion disrupting the candidate gene FAM134B was identified. Genotyping of additional cases and controls and RNAseq analysis provided strong evidence that the inversion is causal. Evidence of cryptic splicing resulting in novel exon transcription for FAM134B was identified by RNAseq experiments. This investigation demonstrates the identification of a novel sensory neuropathy associated mutation, by mapping using a minimal set of cases and subsequent genome sequencing. Through mutation screening, it should be possible to reduce the frequency of or completely eliminate this debilitating condition from the Border Collie breed population

“A Threat on the Ground”: The Consequences of Witnessing Stereotype-Confirming Ingroup Members in Interracial Interactions

Objectives: Three studies explored interpersonal consequences of engaging in interracial interactions after witnessing racial ingroup members’ stereotypical behavior. Method: Study 1 used experience-sampling methodology to assess ethnic minority students’ (n = 119) intergroup anxiety, metastereotypes, and anticipatory behaviors following one of three types of interpersonal interactions: (a) a White person and a racial ingroup member who had behaved stereotypically, (b) a White person and a nonstereotypical ingroup member, or (c) neither. Studies 2 (n = 273) and 3 (n = 379) experimentally examined whether witnessing an ingroup member’s stereotypically negative behavior in interracial interactions, compared to stereotypically positive (Study 2) or nonstereotypically negative behavior (Study 3) differentially affected anxiety, metastereotypes, and anticipatory behaviors in interracial versus intraracial interactions among Black Americans. Results: In Study 1, minorities reported greater anxiety, metastereotypes, and motivation to disprove stereotypes, but less interest in future interracial contact, following interracial interactions involving stereotype-confirming ingroup members compared to other interactions. In Studies 2 and 3, adverse interaction consequences were most severe when ingroup behavior was both negative and stereotypical compared to neutral, stereotypically positive, and nonstereotypically negative ingroup behavior. Additionally, metastereotypes (and, to a lesser degree, anxiety) mediated individuals’ motivation to disprove stereotypes and desire future interactions with White witnesses following stereotypically negative ingroup behavior in interracial (vs. intraracial) interactions. Conclusions: This research highlights the emotional, metaperceptual, and motivational outcomes following ingroup members’ stereotypical behavior in intergroup contexts that extend beyond dyadic encounters