Academic Success Of Non-Traditional Students: Factors Affecting Performance In An Upper-Division Undergraduate Accounting Course

Many assessment activities are conducted within the context of AACSB International reaffirmation of business programs. Central to the AACSB evaluation process is assurance of learning standards. Learning goals vary among institutions because of differences in mission, faculty expectations, and student body composition. The objective of this research is to determine the factors that influence the academic performance of students in upper-level accounting courses and to assess student performance against course learning goals. The study explores the relative importance of both academic and non-academic factors in predicting performance outcomes. The results indicate that several academic factors (GPA, student’s diagnostic exam score, and student’s self-assessment of course learning objectives) are significant in predicting a student’s final numerical course average. The study also examines the association between student achievement of course learning goals and various non-academic demographic and student success factors. The results indicate that student course loads, employment status, marital status, and family responsibilities do not equally impact student learning outcomes. The study extends existing research by using non-traditional students at an upper-division university and a variety of approaches to assess the achievement of course learning goals.&nbsp

International Space Station Utilization: Tracking Investigations from Objectives to Results

Since the first module was assembled on the International Space Station (ISS), on-orbit investigations have been underway across all scientific disciplines. The facilities dedicated to research on ISS have supported over 1100 investigations from over 900 scientists representing over 60 countries. Relatively few of these investigations are tracked through the traditional NASA grants monitoring process and with ISS National Laboratory use growing, the ISS Program Scientist s Office has been tasked with tracking all ISS investigations from objectives to results. Detailed information regarding each investigation is now collected once, at the first point it is proposed for flight, and is kept in an online database that serves as a single source of information on the core objectives of each investigation. Different fields are used to provide the appropriate level of detail for research planning, astronaut training, and public communications. http://www.nasa.gov/iss-science/. With each successive year, publications of ISS scientific results, which are used to measure success of the research program, have shown steady increases in all scientific research areas on the ISS. Accurately identifying, collecting, and assessing the research results publications is a challenge and a priority for the ISS research program, and we will discuss the approaches that the ISS Program Science Office employs to meet this challenge. We will also address the online resources available to support outreach and communication of ISS research to the public. Keywords: International Space Station, Database, Tracking, Method

Comparing hospital and telephone follow-up after treatment for breast cancer: randomised equivalence trial

Objective To compare traditional hospital follow-up with telephone follow-up by specialist nurses after treatment for breast cancer. Design A two centre randomised equivalence trial in which women remained in the study for a mean of 24 months. Setting Outpatient clinics in two NHS hospital trusts in the north west of England Participants 374 women treated for breast cancer who were at low to moderate risk of recurrence. Interventions Participants were randomised to traditional hospital follow-up (consultation, clinical examination, and mammography as per hospital policy) or telephone follow-up by specialist nurses (consultation with structured intervention and mammography according to hospital policy). Main outcome measures Psychological morbidity (state-trait anxiety inventory, general health questionnaire (GHQ-12)), participants’ needs for information, participants’ satisfaction, clinical investigations ordered, and time to detection of recurrent disease. Results The 95% confidence interval for difference in mean state-trait scores adjusted for treatment received (−3.33 to 2.07) was within the predefined equivalence region (−3.5 to 3.5). The women in the telephone group were no more anxious as a result of foregoing clinic examinations and face-to-face consultations and reported higher levels of satisfaction than those attending hospital clinics (intention to treat P<0.001). The numbers of clinical investigations ordered did not differ between groups. Recurrences were few (4.5%), with no differences between groups for time to detection (median 60.5 (range 37-131) days in hospital group v 39.0 (10-152) days in telephone group; P=0.228). Conclusions Telephone follow-up was well received by participants, with no physical or psychological disadvantage. It is suitable for women at low to moderate risk of recurrence and those with long travelling distances or mobility problems and decreases the burden on busy hospital clinics

Multiple Imputation When Rate of Change Is The Outcome of Interest

Little research has been devoted to multiple imputation (MI) of derived variables. We investigated various MI approaches for the outcome, rate of change, when the analysis model is a two-stage linear regression. Our simulations showed that competitive approaches depended on the missing data mechanism and presence of auxiliary terms

Assessing the mediating role of social support in childhood maltreatment and psychopathology among college students in Northern Ireland

The detrimental impact of early trauma, particularly childhood maltreatment, on mental health is well documented. Although it is understood that social support can act as a protective factor towards mental health for children who experience such adversity, few studies have addressed the experience of childhood maltreatment and the important function of social support in adulthood. The current study aimed to assess the mediating role of social support in the relationship between childhood experiences of maltreatment, and mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression, PTSD and problematic alcohol use in a sample of university students (N= 640). Results of binary logistic regression analyses indicated that those reporting experiences of childhood maltreatment were at increased odds of mental health outcomes of PTSD, anxiety and depression, but not alcohol use. Those reporting greater social support were significantly less likely to report on these mental health outcomes. Additionally, the indirect paths from childhood maltreatment through social support to PTSD, depression and anxiety were all significant, suggesting that social support, particularly family support, is a significant mediator of these relationships. Such findings have important implications for the social care response to children experiencing maltreatment and future support for such children as they transition to adolescence and adulthood

Neighborhood Factors Relevant for Walking in Older, Urban, African American Adults

Focus-group and photo-voice methodology were used to identify the salient factors of the neighborhood environment that encourage or discourage walking in older, urban African Americans. Twenty-one male (n = 2) and female (n = 19) African Americans age 60 years and older (M = 70 ± 8.7, range = 61–85) were recruited from a large urban senior center. Photographs taken by the participants were used to facilitate focus-group discussions. The most salient factors that emerged included the presence of other people, neighborhood surroundings, and safety from crime, followed by sidewalk and traffic conditions, animals, public walking tracks and trails, and weather. Future walking interventions for older African Americans should include factors that encourage walking, such as the presence of other friendly or active people, attractive or peaceful surroundings, and a sense of safety from crime

Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Survival and Nest Predator Habitat Use in North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Field

Recent advancements in extraction technologies have resulted in rapid increases of gas and oil development across the United States and specifically in western North Dakota. This expansion of energy development has unknown influences on local wildlife populations and the ecological interactions within and among species. Our objectives for this study were to evaluate nest success and nest predator dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in two study sites that represented areas of high and low energy development intensities in North Dakota. During the summers of 2012 and 2013, we monitored 163 grouse nests using radio telemetry. Of these, 90 nests also were monitored using miniature cameras to accurately determine nest fates and identify nest predators. We simultaneously conducted predator surveys using camera scent stations and occupancy modeling to estimate nest predator occurrence at each site. American badgers (Taxidea taxus) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) were the primary nest predators, accounting for 56.7% of all video recorded nest depredations. Nests in our high intensity gas and oil area were 1.95 times more likely to succeed compared to our minimal intensity area. Camera monitored nests were 2.03 times more likely to succeed than non-camera monitored nests. Occupancy of mammalian nest predators was 6.9 times more likely in our study area of minimal gas and oil intensity compared to the high intensity area. Although only a correlative study, our results suggest energy development may alter the predator community, thereby increasing nest success for sharp-tailed grouse in areas of intense development, while adjacent areas may have increased predator occurrence and reduced nest success. Our study illustrates the potential influences of energy development on the nest predator—prey dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse in western North Dakota and the complexity of evaluating such impacts on wildlife

Self-Esteem in Second Life: An inWorld Group Intervention for Women with Disabilities

We are developing and investigating the feasibility of a self-esteem enhancement intervention in Second Life for women with physical disabilities. We adapted the curriculum of a previously tested workshop intervention to include features unique to this environment. Results of the beta test were very positive. Everyone involved showed considerable enthusiasm for exploring the new world of SL. The group leaders were challenged to resolve technical problems on every occasion, but these diminished and were perceived as manageable as the intervention progressed. Beta testers gave positive ratings to the information presented, organization, and usefulness of the intervention and found it very enjoyable although fatigue and stress limited the participation of some. They appreciated the use of Internet technology as an accommodation to their disability, in place of requiring transportation and additional energy expenditure to attend face-to-face meetings. Research issues related to engagement, measurement, and participant safety, as well as future research directions, are discussed. We conclude that SL has great potential for delivering health promotion interventions to women with physical disabilities

Using a descriptive social norm to increase vegetable selection in workplace restaurant settings

Objective: Recent work has shown that exposure to social norm messages may enhance the consumption of vegetables. However, the majority of this work has been conducted in laboratories, often with student populations. Little is known about whether this approach can be successfully used in other contexts. In this study, a poster featuring a message based on social norms was tested to examine whether it could increase and maintain the purchase of meals with vegetables in workplace restaurants. Methods: A pretest-posttest design with three phases was used in three workplace restaurants in the United Kingdom. The first two weeks formed the pre-intervention phase, the second two weeks the intervention phase, and the last two weeks the post-intervention phase. During the intervention phase only, posters containing a social norm message relaying information about vegetable purchases of other diners were placed in each restaurant. The main outcome measure was the percentage of meals purchased with vegetables, which was analysed using Pearson’s chi-squared test. Results: Participants were judged to be: male (57%), not overweight (75%) and under the age of 60 (98%). The intervention was positively associated with the percentage of meals purchased with vegetables: baseline vs. intervention (60% vs. 64% of meals purchased with vegetables; p < 0.01); intervention vs. post-intervention (64% vs. 67% of meals purchased with vegetables; p < 0.01); and baseline vs. post-intervention (60% vs. 67% of meals purchased with vegetables; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Social norm messages may increase the purchase of vegetables in workplace settings. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved

Single agglutinates: A comparative study of compositions of agglutinitic glass, whole-grain, bulk soil, and FMR

Previous workers on single agglutinates have variously interpreted the composition of agglutinitic glass to represent impact melts of (1) bulk soil, (2) mixed components in finer sizes, and (3) microtargets. Separately, Papike has argued in favor of fusion of the finest fraction of bulk soils. Thirty-four single agglutinates were hand-picked from the mature Apollo 16 soil 61181 (I(sub s)/FeO = 82) and the FMR and chemical composition (INAA for Fe, Sc, Sm, Co, Ni, and Cr) of each agglutinate particle were measured. Thirteen of these single agglutinates were selected for electron beam microanalysis and imaging. Less than 1 micron spots were analyzed (for Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Ba) on pure glassy areas (approximately ten in each particle) selected on the basis of optical and BSE images (avoiding all clasts and inclusions) with an electron microprobe to obtain average glass compositions of each single agglutinate