Scaffolding Full-length Texts in a Middle School Classroom to Promote Reading Engagement

The research question addressed in this capstone project is: How can teachers scaffold a full-length text in order to increase reading accountability and engagement from students in a middle school setting? The capstone paper documents multiple approaches to reading consistency, growth, accountability and engagement. Additionally, this document follows with the creation of a middle school reading unit meant to engage with the works of Reutzel and Juth (2014), Gallagher (2009), and Daniels (2002). The topics focused on are approaches to reading, influences on student reading motivation, and classroom scaffolds and strategies to promote reading engagement. Included within this capstone paper and project are a literature review of research, a curriculum unit plan, and materials and resources used for this curriculum. Lastly, it concludes with a reflection of the limitations of the curriculum and suggestions for both future usage of the curriculum and continued research on the topic of sustaining reading engagement and accountability in longer texts within a middle school setting

Effects of UV Light on Local Stream Frog Behavior

Amphibian declines have been well documented throughout the world. Several studies have examined whether UV radiation from the sun is a possible contributing cause to declining populations. In Southern California, two closely related species of treefrogs, Pseudacris hypochondriaca and Pseudacris cadaverina, coexist in many perennial streams. P. hypochondriaca is primarily nocturnal while P. cadaverina is known to bask in direct sunlight. The purpose of the study is to determine how the two different species of frogs will react under different types of light emitted by a portable flashlight. The light was emitting either UV radiation or visible light, or was turned off as it was slowly brought toward the frog. When the frog jumped from its resting position, the light was held stationary and the distance from the light to the original frog perch was recorded. Our results suggest that both species are more sensitive to the UV light than to the light that was turned off or the visible light. Frogs jumped much sooner when presented with UV even the light was farther away from them. There appeared to be no differences in the sensitivity of the two species to the UV light. Our results suggest that both species of treefrogs are sensitive to UV. This sensitivity may be due in part to the large levels of UV that reach streams after wildfires. Wildfires are a natural part of these ecosystems and the removal of tree canopy by wildfire may create periodic strong selection on riparian animals to avoid increased levels of UV radiation

Domestic chickens activate a piRNA defense against avian leukosis virus

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect the germ line by targeting transposable elements (TEs) through the base-pair complementarity. We do not know how piRNAs co-evolve with TEs in chickens. Here we reported that all active TEs in the chicken germ line are targeted by piRNAs, and as TEs lose their activity, the corresponding piRNAs erode away. We observed de novo piRNA birth as host responds to a recent retroviral invasion. Avian leukosis virus (ALV) has endogenized prior to chicken domestication, remains infectious, and threatens poultry industry. Domestic fowl produce piRNAs targeting ALV from one ALV provirus that was known to render its host ALV resistant. This proviral locus does not produce piRNAs in undomesticated wild chickens. Our findings uncover rapid piRNA evolution reflecting contemporary TE activity, identify a new piRNA acquisition modality by activating a pre-existing genomic locus, and extend piRNA defense roles to include the period when endogenous retroviruses are still infectious. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24695.00

Determination of Ligand Pathways in Globins: Apolar Tunnels Versus Polar Gates

Background: O2 pathways in animal hemoglobins and myoglobins are controversial. Results: Ligands enter and exit sperm whale Mb and Cerebratulus lacteus Hb by completely different pathways. Conclusion: Rational mutagenesis mapping can identify ligand migration pathways and provides experimental benchmarks for testing molecular dynamics simulations. Significance: Globins can use either a polar gate or an apolar tunnel for ligand entry

Recombination Drives Vertebrate Genome Contraction

Selective and/or neutral processes may govern variation in DNA content and, ultimately, genome size. The observation in several organisms of a negative correlation between recombination rate and intron size could be compatible with a neutral model in which recombination is mutagenic for length changes. We used whole-genome data on small insertions and deletions within transposable elements from chicken and zebra finch to demonstrate clear links between recombination rate and a number of attributes of reduced DNA content. Recombination rate was negatively correlated with the length of introns, transposable elements, and intergenic spacer and with the rate of short insertions. Importantly, it was positively correlated with gene density, the rate of short deletions, the deletion bias, and the net change in sequence length. All these observations point at a pattern of more condensed genome structure in regions of high recombination. Based on the observed rates of small insertions and deletions and assuming that these rates are representative for the whole genome, we estimate that the genome of the most recent common ancestor of birds and lizards has lost nearly 20% of its DNA content up until the present. Expansion of transposable elements can counteract the effect of deletions in an equilibrium mutation model; however, since the activity of transposable elements has been low in the avian lineage, the deletion bias is likely to have had a significant effect on genome size evolution in dinosaurs and birds, contributing to the maintenance of a small genome. We also demonstrate that most of the observed correlations between recombination rate and genome contraction parameters are seen in the human genome, including for segregating indel polymorphisms. Our data are compatible with a neutral model in which recombination drives vertebrate genome size evolution and gives no direct support for a role of natural selection in this process

Livestock Mortality at Beef Farms with Chronic Wolf (Canis lupus) Depredation in the Western Great Lakes Region (WGLR)

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) depredation on beef calves has been studied extensively in recent years. As wolf populations increase throughout the United States there is a corresponding increase in wolf/livestock interactions. Most research concentrates on summaries of reported depredations and surveys of producers affected by depredations. The objective of this study was to present data on the fate of beef calves on 3 farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin over a 2-year period. Predator presence/absence was studied as an indicator of potential depredations. Also, data are presented comparing 2 techniques that may aid researchers and livestock producers with monitoring livestock. Radio telemetry collars and ear tags were applied to beef calves on 3 farms in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin during the spring and summer of 2006 and 2007. During this time, 4 calves were killed by wolves on the study farms. Wolves did not appear to be selecting the youngest calves and most depredations occurred from April through July. Although not statistically significant, wolf sign appeared at slightly higher rates on study farms than on land adjacent to these farms. Predator sign, including coyote (Canis latrans) and black bear (Ursus americanus), appeared more often in the heavily forested areas of the farms. Radio collars and radio ear tags were helpful for monitoring beef calves during this study. Radio collars had much longer transmitting distances than ear tags (2.3 ± 0.8 miles and 0.4 ± 0.2 miles, respectively). Radio ear tags had a potential for causing beef calves\u27 ears to droop or were ripped out, possibly lowering their market value. Currently, cost is prohibitive for the widespread use of radio transmitters for monitoring livestock but as the price of new technologies decreases, transmitters may become an integral part of livestock production on farms with chronic wolf depredation

Livestock mortality at beef farms with chronic wolf ( Canis lupus) depredation in the western Great Lakes region (WGLR)

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) depredation on beef calves has been studied extensively in recent years. As wolf populations increase throughout the United States there is a corresponding increase in wolf/livestock interactions. Most research concentrates on summaries of reported depredations and surveys of producers affected by depredations. The objective of this study was to present data on the fate of beef calves on 3 farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin over a 2-year period. Predator presence/absence was studied as an indicator of potential depredations. Also, data are presented comparing 2 techniques that may aid researchers and livestock producers with monitoring livestock. Radio telemetry collars and ear tags were applied to beef calves on 3 farms in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin during the spring and summer of 2006 and 2007. During this time, 4 calves were killed by wolves on the study farms. Wolves did not appear to be selecting the youngest calves and most depredations occurred from April through July. Although not statistically significant, wolf sign appeared at slightly higher rates on study farms than on land adjacent to these farms. Predator sign, including coyote ( Canis latrans) and black bear (Ursus americanus), appeared more often in the heavily forested areas of the farms. Radio collars and radio ear tags were helpful for monitoring beef calves during this study. Radio collars had much longer transmitting distances than ear tags (2.3 ± 0.8 miles and 0.4 ± 0.2 miles, respectively). Radio ear tags had a potential for causing beef calves' ears to droop or were ripped out, possibly lowering their market value. Currently, cost is prohibitive for the widespread use of radio transmitters for monitoring livestock but as the price of new technologies decreases, transmitters may become an integral part of livestock production on farms with chronic wolf depredation