Spanish Government in New Mexico at the End of the Colonial Period

Three years ago when this study was initiated, the intent was to describe the nature of political government in New Mexico during the Mexican period, 1821-1846. This task had been undertaken by Lansing B. Bloom almost fifty years previously and the results published in the journal Old Santa Fe. Much new material had since come to light, however, and it was felt that an entirely new appraisal of this era was in order. As research progressed, it became more and more obvious that no adequate treatment of the Mexican period could be attempted until a full understanding of government toward the end of colonial rule was achieved, since many Spanish institutions and practices were continued after independence. A survey of the available documents in the Santa Fe archives revealed a wealth of information relating to governmental administration in the late colonial years. The problem, then, became one of reconstructing a picture of this administration from the records remaining to us. The task assumed such proportions that all consideration of the Mexican period was abandoned

Student Perceptions of Motivation and their Impact on Effort and Performance: A Grounded Theory Study of Affect and Achievement Motivation

Motivation research is plentiful but applications of motivation in the academic environment remain sparse. This study examined student perceptions of motivation in relation to their effort and academic achievement. This research centered upon four research questions: 1) To what extent do student perceptions confirm extant motivation literature? 2) How do student perceptions of interest, effort, motivation, and achievement relate to one another? 3) How do affective states relate to students’ perceptions of effort and performance? 4) To what degree can students self-identify motivating or demotivating factors? Several findings emerged from this study. The most surprising was the connection between motivation and mental health with 50% of the female participants reporting mental health issues, despite the fact that this study was not designed to investigate aspects of mental health. Another finding that emerged was the participants’ near unanimous reporting that interest is tied to both effort and achievement, and that student choice is directly related to interest. These findings led to the emergence of two theories of motivation among students. The first theory that emerged was Economy of Effort Theory which explains the discrepancy between the value that both the teacher and the student each place on an assigned task. The second theory that emerged was a Theory of Student Engagement which describes motivational factors in order to help teachers create engaging classroom environments. Implications for this research include the importance for teachers to put theory into practice by constructing environments that enhance engagement in order to increase student achievement. Implications for further research include investigating how mental health concerns inhibit student motivation as well as academic achievement. Additional research suggestions include investigating the affective domain to examine how to nurture students through a culture of care, as well as engineering opportunities for interest in the classroom to promote student engagement

Biochemical and clinical response after umbilical cord blood transplant in a boy with early childhood-onset beta-mannosidosis.

BACKGROUND: Deficiency in the enzyme β-mannosidase was described over three decades ago. Although rare in occurrence, the presentation of childhood-onset β-mannosidase deficiency consists of hypotonia in the newborn period followed by global development delay, behavior problems, and intellectual disability. No effective pharmacologic treatments have been available. METHODS: We report 2-year outcomes following the first umbilical cord blood transplant in a 4-year-old boy with early childhood-onset disease. RESULTS: We show restoration of leukocyte β-mannosidase activity which remained normal at 2 years posttransplant, and a simultaneous increase in plasma β-mannosidase activity and dramatic decrease in urine-free oligosaccharides were also observed. MRI of the brain remained stable. Neurocognitive evaluation revealed test point gains, although the magnitude of improvement was less than expected for age, causing lower IQ scores that represent a wider developmental gap between the patient and unaffected peers. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that hematopoietic cell transplant can correct the biochemical defect in β-mannosidosis, although preservation of the neurocognitive trajectory may be a challenge