The Relationships between Personality Characteristics and Health Related Behaviors with Pregnancy Outcomes

Master's ThesisWhile 10% of all births in the United States are preterm, we only know the cause of 60% of cases. One pathway overlooked may be anxiety. The goal of this study was to identify how much variance factors previously identified to contribute to preterm birth had on the outcomes of infant weight and preterm birth. Data were collected retrospectively via an online survey from women who live in the United States who had given birth within the last six months. There were 348 participants. For each of the outcome measures a multiple regression was run with three groupings. The first grouping was demographic variables. For the seconding grouping health variables were added to demographic variables. The third group included demographic variable, health variables and psychological variables. In the multiple regressions state and trait anxiety were significant predictors for infant birth weight even when accounting for the variance of health and demographics where women with more trait anxiety gave birth to higher weight infants and women with more state anxiety gave birth to lower weight infants. State and trait anxiety were also marginally significant for gestational length with the same relationship of trait increasing and state decreasing gestational length. While the total variances accounted for by the regression were small, trait and state anxiety are interesting as it shows that type or level of anxiety may play a role in whether anxiety contributes to poor birth outcomes.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152354/1/Tiedeman - The Relationships between Personality Characteristics and Health Related Behaviors with Pregnancy Outcomes.pdf13Description of Tiedeman - The Relationships between Personality Characteristics and Health Related Behaviors with Pregnancy Outcomes.pdf : Master's Thesi

Pedogenesis of ant-colonized soils at Doolittle Prairie State Preserve, Iowa

Ants are among the most prolific soil-dwelling organisms in terms of overall biomass, spatial distribution, and diversity. Though the breadth of ant activity within soil is tremendous, little work has been done to show the influence of ants on near-hydric and hydric soils. This study quantified the impact of Formica montana Wheeler activities on soil morphology and genesis in an undisturbed Iowa prairie. Soils were sampled to depths of 120 cm or greater along transects to include mound centers, peripheries, and adjacent areas. Results showed soil profiles within mounds had deeper A horizons and thinner B horizons than adjacent soils. Profile differences on and off of mounds also included color, structure, depth to carbonates, calcite and dolomite content, stable aggregate content, and total nitrogen

Embedding Social Emotional Learning Goals Into A Reading Curriculum For Third Grade

The inquiry into the best way to embed Social Emotional Learning in a literacy curriculum for 3rd grade, led the author to read literature explaining the components of social emotional learning, focusing on one competency: selfawareness. Effective curriculum elements, third grade standards and specific strategies were also reviewed. The author concluded that the best way to do this was through the reader’s workshop framework, specifically the mini-lesson. The author created a four-week curriculum, each week focusing on one children’s literature text that teaches both literacy standards and social emotional learning. Extension activities and strategies to implement throughout the school day are also included

Hydraulic Tomography: 3D Hydraulic Conductivity, Fracture Network, and Connectivity in Mudstone

We present the first demonstration of hydraulic tomography (HT) to estimate the three‐dimensional (3D) hydraulic conductivity (K) distribution of a fractured aquifer at high‐resolution field scale (HRFS), including the fracture network and connectivity through it. We invert drawdown data collected from packer‐isolated borehole intervals during 42 pumping tests in a wellfield at the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, in the Newark Basin. Five additional tests were reserved for a quality check of HT results. We used an equivalent porous medium forward model and geostatistical inversion to estimate 3D K at high resolution (K blocks m3), using no strict assumptions about K variability or fracture statistics. The resulting 3D K estimate ranges from approximately 0.1 (highest‐K fractures) to approximately 10−13 m/s (unfractured mudstone). Important estimated features include: (1) a highly fractured zone (HFZ) consisting of a sequence of high‐K bedding‐plane fractures; (2) a low‐K zone that disrupts the HFZ; (3) several secondary fractures of limited extent; and (4) regions of very low‐K rock matrix. The 3D K estimate explains complex drawdown behavior observed in the field. Drawdown tracing and particle tracking simulations reveal a 3D fracture network within the estimated K distribution, and connectivity routes through the network. Model fit is best in the shallower part of the wellfield, with high density of observations and tests. The capabilities of HT demonstrated for 3D fractured aquifer characterization at HRFS may support improved in situ remediation for contaminant source zones, and applications in mining, repository assessment, or geotechnical engineering

The Power of Intentional Planning

The purpose of this action research is to give teachers meaning and action to the word intentional. Interventions were used to support early childhood educators in improving the intentionality of their lesson planning and instruction. The interventions included a systematic planning tool, a resource binder, and a model through professional development. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected through an electronic survey of teachers both before and after the intervention. Quantitative data was collected through a rubric rating lesson plans on specific characteristics before, during, and after the intervention. Analysis of the data collected revealed when intentionality is well-defined and trained, teachers made considerable improvement in their comfortability and quality of lesson planning. Keywords: intentional, lesson planning, early childhoo

How Do Visuals Affect Challenging Behaviors in the Preschool Classroom?

Children with autism (ASD) are being included increasingly in the general education setting for preschool. This brings with it unique challenges as these children often are significantly discrepant from their peers in their communication abilities, both receptively and expressively. Beyond communication, ASD affects the child’s joint attention skills, necessary for observational learning and sharing social experiences, each of which are significant elements in a typical preschool setting. These delays lead the child to frustration, which can be expressed in aggression, disruption, and other challenging behaviors. These behaviors negatively affect the student’s ability to participate in preschool activities, make friends, and gain positive relationships with teaching staff. Research exploring the use of different types of visual supports in the preschool classroom shows some change in behavior when children are given access to alternative communication methods including PECS, visual schedules, social scripts, alternative augmented communication devices, and core vocabulary boards. Keywords: preschool, communication, autism, language delay, developmental delay, behavio

Participatory Approach to Common Use Grazing Management in Dry Area Developing Countries

Key points 1. Range restoration technology is available but useless when not followed by management. 2. Institutional mechanisms for grazing management are needed for communal range. 3. Community participatory approaches help pastoralists better manage rangeland grazing