Implementation and perceived benefits of an after-school soccer program designed to promote social and emotional learning: A multiple case study

Social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies such as self-awareness and relationship skills are predictors of academic success, overall well-being, and avoidance of problematic behaviors. Among school-aged children, research has demonstrated that well-implemented programs teach SEL competencies and life skills (e.g., leadership, responsible decision making) that can transfer to other settings. Similar claims have been made in the field of sport-based youth development (SBYD), however, the SEL framework has not been widely applied in sport programming. Implementation, student learning, and transfer of learning in SBYD programs designed to promote SEL require further exploration. Therefore, the current study examined the implementation and perceived benefits of an after-school soccer program designed to promote SEL. Participants were six coaches and 51 students from three different sites where this program is offered. A multiple case study design was used, integrating data from customized feedback surveys, interviews, systematic observation, and field notes. Results indicated the program reflects many SBYD best practices. Although implementation varied between sites, program culture and core values were consistent. Evidence indicated students learned and applied SEL lessons in the soccer program and that transfer beyond the program was promoted. Participants were most likely to report transfer to the school setting, therefore, future studies should examine this topic more directly. Other implications for research and program implementation are discussed

Applications of mass spectrometry in the analysis of proteins, modified peptides and chiral isomers

The current expansion in the application of mass spectrometry (MS) to determine the primary structures of proteins and peptides is reflected in the bulk of this thesis. At the protein level, electrospray and fast atom bombardment (FAB) MS have been integrated with conventional Edman sequencing to establish the sequences of two isoforms of annexin V co-expressed in bovine brain. Using a similar approach the sequences of plastocyanins from the cyanobacterium Scenedesmus obliquus and the blue green alga Anabaena variabilis have also been ascertained. Peptide studies focus on several post translationally modified species. N-terminal acetylation has been proven to exist in thioesterase II from rat mammary gland. The sequences of thymosin β11 and a novel isoform β12 have been determined and shown to be acetylated at their N-termini. The less common modification of N-terminal myristoylation is encountered in the analysis of a pp60src derived peptide. The formation of pyroglutamate has been proven to occur in a novel tripeptide present in human seminal fluid, together with C-terminal amidation. A study is described to identify a similar species present in rabbit prostate complex by FAB sequencing. Phosphorylation is a major post treinslational modification having an essential role in cell regulation, the phosphorylation of a peptide derived from a major substrate of protein kinase C is described. The sequences of peptides derived from bovine heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex possessing lipoic acid prosthetic modifications have been determined. The final studies of modified peptides focus on the use of FAB-MS to characterise synthetic peptides, with important advantages noted over conventional protocols. The remainder of the thesis concerns a study in the detection of chirality using FAB-MS. The differentiation of dialkyl tartrate enantiomers due to dimer effects is described, however attempts to resolve enantiomers of threonine and serine derivatives were unsuccessful

Investigation of a New Analog-to-digital Conversion Technique

In the past decade, significant progress has been made in the technology of digital electronic systems. These are systems in which information is represented by numbers, usually in the form of groups of binary digits. These systems were developed for the purpose of processing information. Devices, which fit into this category, are digital computers and digital control systems. In order to utilize these devices, information must be taken from nature and presented. To the digital device in a form it can understand. Previously, man had to act as an encoder to link the information into the digital machine. Physical sensors changed a quantity (such as temperature or pressure) into a decimal numb, which was understandable to man. Man coded this information into digital form so that the machine could operate on this information. This was a very slow and expensive process, where the machine received the information long after the actual physical occurrence. To alleviate this problem, physical sensors have been made which convert the physical information into an analog signal, such as a voltage variation. The magnitude of this analog signal gives the value of the physical quantity as a function of time. An encoder is needed which converts the analog signal into a digital representation. A device which preforms this function is called an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter

The Engineering Entrepreneurial Program at Lawrence Technological University

This paper describes a new Engineering Entrepreneurial Program at Lawrence Technological University. LTU’s Engineering Entrepreneurial Program is integrated into its undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree. This program is designed to prepare students to be business leaders and entrepreneurs as well as engineers. The program includes a total of 17 entrepreneurial semester credits integrated throughout the civil, computer, mechanical, and electrical engineering curriculum. These one unit modules include topics such as: technical communication, writing a business plan, marketing technical products, financing the emerging enterprise, strategic planning, project management, business law, intellectual property, and starting new ventures. Industry experts and entrepreneurs in the Detroit area teach these non-traditional modules providing undergraduate engineering students direct exposure to practitioners. The culmination of the program is a multi-disciplinary practical experience in which they participate in a student run company including writing a business plan, design, production and marketing a technical product. The student run companies include participation by business majors with oversight provided by a multi-disciplinary advisory council comprised of both faculty and business leaders

Lobster movements in response to a hurricane

There are several anecdotal reports of the American lobster Homarus americanus moving to deeper water, or suffering increased mortality, in response to storm events. It has also been reported that changes in salinity and temperature, similar to those resulting from storm events, can elicit avoidance behaviors. In 1991, during an ongoing lobster study, Hurricane Bob caused a substantial drop in salinity in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hamphire, USA. This freshet, and possibly related environmental perturbations, was associated with increased movement of lobsters down the estuary toward the coast and a rise in catch in areas closer to the coast. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that storms can induce movements of lobsters and subsequent transient shifts in the demographics of the lobster population

Lobster movements in response to a hurricane

There are several anecdotal reports of the American lobster Homarus americanus moving to deeper water, or suffering increased mortality, in response to storm events. It has also been reported that changes in salinity and temperature, similar to those resulting from storm events, can elicit avoidance behaviors. In 1991, during an ongoing lobster study, Hurricane Bob caused a substantial drop in salinity in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hamphire, USA. This freshet, and possibly related environmental perturbations, was associated with increased movement of lobsters down the estuary toward the coast and a rise in catch in areas closer to the coast. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that storms can induce movements of lobsters and subsequent transient shifts in the demographics of the lobster population

A Search for Variable Stars and Planetary Occultations in NGC2301 I: Techniques

We observed the young open cluster NGC 2301 for 14 nights in Feb. 2004 using the orthogonal transfer CCD camera (OPTIC). We used PSF shaping techniques ("square stars") during the observations allowing a larger dynamic range (4.5 magnitudes) of high photometric precision results ($\le$2 mmag) to be obtained. These results are better than similar observing campaigns using standard CCD imagers. This paper discusses our observational techniques and presents initial results for the variability statistics found in NGC 2301. Details of the variability statistics as functions of color, variability type, stellar type, and cluster location will appear in paper II