The Development Of The Metacognitive Elements Of Study Scale

Current theories suggest that metacognitive skills are an important aspect of effective studying. However, few learning and study questionnaires assess the metacognitive components of studying and those that do often assume that certain strategies are more appropriate than others, regardless of the person or the task. The questionnaire developed in this research was designed to measure the metacognitive elements of study strategies, regardless of the type of strategies used. This questionnaire should provide additional information regarding a person\u27s metacognitive skills, beyond what is assessed by other measures of studying ability. The new questionnaire (Metacognitive Elements of Study Scale; MESS) was designed based on three theoretical constructs: (a) Knowledge of Self and Task, (b) Knowledge of Alternate Study Strategies, and (c) Self-Monitoring Ability. Statistical analyses did not support the proposed three-construct model. Therefore, a factor analysis of the MESS items was performed, resulting in two viable scales: (a) Prediction and Planning, and (b) Study Techniques and Their Control. The two-scale solution is consistent with some theoretical models of metacognitive skill (Flavell, 1978; Schraw, 1994; Tei & Stewart, 1985). The revised MESS (based on the 20 items that loaded highly on either factor) demonstrated adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validity of the MESS was assessed using research participants\u27 grade point averages (GPA\u27s) and their performance on another measure of learning, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Scores on the MESS factors were significantly correlated with GPA, as well as with similar constructs on the MSLQ. Additionally, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the MESS accounts for a significant amount of the variance in GPA not accounted for by either American College Testing (ACT) scores or MSLQ scores. It may be possible to use the MESS to identify college students with deficits in metacognitive ability. Once identified, those students may benefit from training programs aimed at improving metacognitive skills. Current literature regarding the effectiveness of such programs is discussed

A Case Study in Revitalizing a State Library Association and Keeping It Vital during COVID

The Kentucky Medical Library Association (KMLA) is an organization dedicated to building a networking community and providing resources to the health sciences and medical librarians of Kentucky. Medical and health science libraries within the state of Kentucky are encouraged to become annual members of KMLA. Organization membership exists on two levels: (1) individual and (2) institutional. Individual membership includes access to three KMLA business meetings a year, voting rights at business meetings, any conferences KMLA holds, an opportunity for continuing education (CE) reimbursement, and access to any CEs presented by KMLA. Institutional memberships are unique in that they provide interlibrary loan reciprocity among member institutions. Over the previous four years, KMLA has experienced diminishing membership, a lack of interest from members in serving on the KMLA Executive Committee, insufficient documentation on association practices, and a centric involvement that surrounded Louisville institutions. Kentucky has endured several hospital closures and restructurings over the last five years. That change has also brought about several medical library closures; despite that, Kentucky health sciences and medical libraries have seen a recent growth in new health sciences and medical librarians. In turn, KMLA’s Executive Committee (President, Secretary, and Treasurer) has noticed a change in overall KMLA membership, attendance, and interest

Host jumps shaped the diversity of extant rust fungi (Pucciniales)

* The aim of this study was to determine the evolutionary time line for rust fungi and date key speciation events using a molecular clock. Evidence is provided that supports a contemporary view for a recent origin of rust fungi, with a common ancestor on a flowering plant. * Divergence times for > 20 genera of rust fungi were studied with Bayesian evolutionary analyses. A relaxed molecular clock was applied to ribosomal and mitochondrial genes, calibrated against estimated divergence times for the hosts of rust fungi, such as Acacia (Fabaceae), angiosperms and the cupressophytes. * Results showed that rust fungi shared a most recent common ancestor with a mean age between 113 and 115 million yr. This dates rust fungi to the Cretaceous period, which is much younger than previous estimations. Host jumps, whether taxonomically large or between host genera in the same family, most probably shaped the diversity of rust genera. Likewise, species diversified by host shifts (through coevolution) or via subsequent host jumps. This is in contrast to strict coevolution with their hosts. * Puccinia psidii was recovered in Sphaerophragmiaceae, a family distinct from Raveneliaceae, which were regarded as confamilial in previous studies

Paleobiología del género Hypericum (Hypericaceae): una revisión del registro fósil y sus implicaciones paleogeográficas

Genus Hypericum is one of the 100 largest genera in angiosperms with nearly 500 species. Despite its worldwide, nearly cosmopolitan distribution and apparently old age – there are fossil remains of relatives from the Mid Cretaceous - the fossil record of Hypericum has been largely overlooked in phylogenetic studies. Here, we survey the fossil record of Hypericum from the literature, with special emphasis on the oldest fossil remain, Hypericum antiquum, from which we reassess its diagnostic characters. We evaluate the implications of this record in reconstructing the past geographic distribution of genus Hypericum.El género Hypericum contiene 500 especies aproximadamente y es uno de los 100 géneros más grandes dentro de las angiospermas. A pesar de que tiene una distribución cosmopolita y de que es presumiblemente muy antiguo –existen restos fósiles de grupos emparentados filogenéticamente del Cretácico medio– el registro fósil de Hypericum no ha sido utilizado en estudios filogenéticos. En este trabajo hacemos una revisión de la literatura sobre el registro fósil de Hypericum con especial énfasis en los restos más antiguos de la especie Hypericum antiquum, del que reevaluamos sus caracteres diagnósticos. Finalmente, discutimos las implicaciones que este registro fósil tiene en la reconstrucción paleogeográfica del género Hypericum

Herbivorous dinosaur jaw disparity and its relationship to extrinsic evolutionary drivers

COPYRIGHT: © 2016 The Paleontological Society. All rights reserved This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.MacLaren JA, Anderson PSL, Barrett P, Rayfield EJ (2016) Data from: Herbivorous dinosaur jaw disparity and its relationship to extrinsic evolutionary drivers. Dryad Digital Repository. http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c78k