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

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

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

Comparing outcomes of biopsy-proven anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody–associated glomerulonephritis patients treated with cyclophosphamide in the 20th and 21st centuries: a 23-year study

Background Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Approximately 80–90% of patients have circulating ANCAs. Long-term outcomes appear to be improving. This retrospective study analyses the incidence and patient outcomes over a period of 23 years at a single tertiary centre. Methods Outcomes of patients diagnosed with AAV between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2010 were collected retrospectively. Data including patient demographics, age of diagnosis, dates of starting renal replacement therapy, death and biochemistry results were collected. Patients were divided into two cohorts (1988–99 and 2000–10) and analysed using Stata software (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). Results A complete dataset was obtained for 273 patients. Of these patients, 101 were diagnosed between 1988 and 1999 while 172 were diagnosed between 2000 and 2010. The number of patients diagnosed with AAV increased from 2.2/million in 1988 to 10.3/million in 2010. A higher proportion of patients (56.4%) in the earlier cohort presented with creatinine >500 μmol/L compared with the later cohort (30.2%; P < 0.001). Overall patient survival improved significantly between the two cohorts. Cohort 1 had a median survival of 59 months compared with 125 months for Cohort 2 (P = 0.003). Conclusions This study shows that AAV is being diagnosed at an earlier stage, resulting in improved outcomes. This may be because of improvements in the management of AAV and chronic kidney disease

Pair distribution function and structure factor of spherical particles

The availability of neutron spallation-source instruments that provide total scattering powder diffraction has led to an increased application of real-space structure analysis using the pair distribution function. Currently, the analytical treatment of finite size effects within pair distribution refinement procedures is limited. To that end, an envelope function is derived which transforms the pair distribution function of an infinite solid into that of a spherical particle with the same crystal structure. Distributions of particle sizes are then considered, and the associated envelope function is used to predict the particle size distribution of an experimental sample of gold nanoparticles from its pair distribution function alone. Finally, complementing the wealth of existing diffraction analysis, the peak broadening for the structure factor of spherical particles, expressed as a convolution derived from the envelope functions, is calculated exactly for all particle size distributions considered, and peak maxima, offsets, and asymmetries are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Using Fan Passion to Investigate Constraints to Student Attendance at College Football Games

Given the decline in average student attendance at college football games nationwide, it is important for marketers to understand the constraints inhibiting student attendance. The current study addresses this issue by testing for differences in constraints affecting student nonattendance decisions based on their passion for the home team. Data were collected from students not attending games on six college campuses during actual football games. A total of 33 potential constraints to attendance were assessed. Results indicated statistically significant differences among intrapersonal, event-specific, and marketing-related constraints. Regardless of passion level, prior commitments to school and work were among the most highly-rated constraints to attendance. For highly-passionate fans, beverage costs, poor team performance, and watching the game on television were also highly-rated constraints. Low-passion fans, however, were constrained by time commitment necessary to attend, as well as lack of interest in football

Targeted disruption of py235ebp-1: Invasion of erythrocytes by Plasmodium yoelii using an alternative Py235 erythrocyte binding protein

Plasmodium yoelii YM asexual blood stage parasites express multiple members of the py235 gene family, part of the super-family of genes including those coding for Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding proteins and Plasmodium falciparum RH proteins. We previously identified a Py235 erythrocyte binding protein (Py235EBP-1, encoded by the PY01365 gene) that is recognized by protective mAb 25.77. Proteins recognized by a second protective mAb 25.37 have been identified by mass spectrometry and are encoded by two genes, PY01185 and PY05995/PY03534. We deleted the PY01365 gene and examined the phenotype. The expression of the members of the py235 family in both the WT and gene deletion parasites was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and RNA-Seq. py235ebp-1 expression was undetectable in the knockout parasite, but transcription of other members of the family was essentially unaffected. The knockout parasites continued to react with mAb 25.77; and the 25.77-binding proteins in these parasites were the PY01185 and PY05995/PY03534 products. The PY01185 product was also identified as erythrocyte binding. There was no clear change in erythrocyte invasion profile suggesting that the PY01185 gene product (designated PY235EBP-2) is able to fulfill the role of EBP-1 by serving as an invasion ligand although the molecular details of its interaction with erythrocytes have not been examined. The PY01365, PY01185, and PY05995/PY03534 genes are part of a distinct subset of the py235 family. In P. falciparum, the RH protein genes are under epigenetic control and expression correlates with binding to distinct erythrocyte receptors and specific invasion pathways, whereas in P. yoelii YM all the genes are expressed and deletion of one does not result in upregulation of another. We propose that simultaneous expression of multiple Py235 ligands enables invasion of a wide range of host erythrocytes even in the presence of antibodies to one or more of the proteins and that this functional redundancy at the protein level gives the parasite phenotypic plasticity in the absence of differences in gene expression