Exploring resilience for effective learning in computer science education

Background and context: Many factors have been shown to be important for supporting effective learning and teaching – and thus progression and success – in formal educational contexts. While factors such as key introductory-level computer science knowledge and skills, as well as pre-university learning and qualifications, have been extensively explored, the impact of measures of positive psychology are less well understood for the discipline of computer science. This preliminary work investigates the relationships between effective learning and success, and two measures of positive psychology, Grit (Duckworth’s 12-item Grit scale) [6] and the Nicolson McBride Resilience Quotient (NMRQ) [3], in success in first-year undergraduate computer science to provide insight into the factors that impact on the transition from secondary education into tertiary education

Current Research: Recent Documentation of Ceramic Vessels and Other Funerary Objects in the Titus Phase Cemetery at the Tuck Carpenter Site, Camp County, Texas

Recently, we had the opportunity to complete the documentation of Late Caddo period Titus phase ceramic vessels and other funerary offerings from the Tuck Carpenter site (41CP5) in the Big Cypress Creek basin in Camp County, Texas. This portion of the funerary assemblage from the site has been in the hands of R. W. Walsh since the 1960s. Unable to properly care for the assemblage, he recently donated his collection to an anonymous individual, who graciously allowed us to fully document these funerary offerings. The Tuck Carpenter site (41CP5), on Dry Creek several miles from its confluence with Big Cypress Creek, is perhaps the best known Titus phase cemetery in the Big Cypress Creek basin in East Texas. This is due to the careful analysis and reporting of the recovered funerary offerings and remains from 45 burials excavated by Robert L.Turner and R. W. Walsh between 1963-1967. More than 95 percent of the graves had the bodies of single individuals laid in an extended supine position on the floor of the pit, but two burial features had two individuals placed side by side in the burial pit

Hispanic Subgroups, Acculturation, and Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes

This study explored Hispanic subgroup differences in substance use treatment outcomes, and the relationship of acculturation characteristics to these outcomes. Data were from a multisite randomized clinical trial of motivational enhancement therapy versus treatment as usual in a sample of Spanish-speaking substance abusers. Participants were Cuban American (n = 34), Mexican American (n = 209), Puerto Rican (n = 78), and other Hispanic American (n = 54). Results suggested that Cuban Americans and individuals with more connection to Hispanic culture had lower treatment retention. Hispanics born in the U.S and those who spoke English at home had a lower percentage of days abstinent during weeks 5–16, although Puerto Ricans born in the U.S. and Cuban Americans living more years in the U.S. had a higher percentage of days abstinent in weeks 1–4 and 5–16, respectively. Results may inform future hypothesis-driven studies in larger Hispanic treatment seeking samples of the relationship between acculturation and treatment outcome

Redwine or Pie-Crust Mode Forms in East Texas Caddo Ceramics and Comparisons with Sprocket-Rims of Southwest Arkansas

Caddo ceramics served many purposes, including cooking, storage, and the serving of foods and liquids. The various forms and shapes of these vessels were subject to the ideas of the potters themselves and the larger community of which they were a part. Products of human behavior reflect conscious and predictable actions that can be identified and measured in time and space. Artifacts are “embodiments of human behavior. The various elements that make up an artifact are termed attributes. Certain attributes that reflect customary usage or current fashion are termed nodes. Irving Rouse describes a mode as “any standard, concept, or custom which governs the behavior of the artisans of a community, which they hand down from generation to generation over considerable distances. The particular artifact that is the main focus of consideration in this article is a unique prehistoric Caddo ceramic rim mode defined as the Redwine or “pie-crust” mode. We also discuss the related Myers mode or “sprocket-rim” that is another particular form of rim identified in prehistoric Caddo sites. We examine specific Caddo ceramic vessels from East Texas sites, almost all of which date to the Middle Caddo period (ca. A.D. 1200-1400), and in particular one unique attribute found on those vessels, to hopefully better understand prehistoric Caddo communities and their interaction. The Middle Caddo period in East Texas was dynamic in terms of the artistic ceramic artifacts characteristic of the period. Different but contemporaneous groups were experimenting with new forms of ceramic vessels as well as how they chose to decorate their vessels, as exemplified by the appearance of the engraved canebrake rattlesnake motif on fine ware vessels. These vessel forms and designs became established patterns and through contact and interaction, movement of people, and/or the sharing and adoption of ideas, they spread to other groups. In the study of Caddo archeology, we are very fortunate that the Caddo potters left an extensive ceramic record that is very rich in its stylistic diversity. By studying the ties between different but contemporaneous groups of people through the similarities and differences in ceramic styles, attributes, modes, and techniques, we can arrive at a better understanding of how these diverse groups interacted with each other. It is becoming increasingly evident that ceramic vessels were widely traded amongst widelyspaced Caddo groups, and that some kinds of ceramic vessels (such as the Redwine mode vessels or other distinctive forms) were an important indication of the existence of exchange relationships, or special bonds and alliances, between groups

The importance of including habitat-specific behaviour in models of butterfly movement

Dispersal is a key process affecting population persistence and major factors affecting dispersal rates are the amounts, connectedness and properties of habitats in landscapes. We present new data on the butterfly Maniola jurtina in flower-rich and flower-poor habitats that demonstrates how movement and behaviour differ between sexes and habitat types, and how this effects consequent dispersal rates. Females had higher flight speeds than males but their total time in flight was four times less. The effect of habitat type was strong for both sexes, flight speeds were ~2.5x and ~1.7x faster on resource-poor habitats for males and females respectively, and flights were approximately 50% longer. With few exceptions females oviposited in the mown grass habitat, likely because growing grass offers better food for emerging caterpillars, but they foraged in the resource-rich habitat. It seems that females faced a trade-off between ovipositing without foraging in the mown grass or foraging without ovipositing where flowers were abundant. We show that taking account of habitat-dependent differences in activity, here categorised as flight or non-flight, is crucial to obtaining good fits of an individual-based model to observed movement. An important implication of this finding is that incorporating habitat-specific activity budgets is likely necessary for predicting longer-term dispersal in heterogeneous habitats as habitat-specific behaviour substantially influences the mean (>30% difference) and kurtosis (1.4x difference) of dispersal kernels. The presented IBMs provide a simple method to explicitly incorporate known activity and movement rates when predicting dispersal in changing and heterogeneous landscapes

Safety, efficacy, and intraoperative characteristics of DisCoVisc and Healon ophthalmic viscosurgical devices for cataract surgery

Satish S Modi1, James A Davison2, Tom Walters3 1Seeta Eye Centers, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA; 2Wolfe Clinic, Marshalltown, IA, USA; 3Texas Eye Care, Austin, TX, USA Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of DisCoVisc ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD, Alcon Laboratories, Inc) with respect to a comparator, Healon OVD (Advanced Medical Optics, Inc). Patients and methods: In this prospective study, patients with cataracts were randomized to an OVD, and then received phacoemulsification and injection of an intraocular lens. After each surgery, unmasked investigators completed subjective questionnaires about OVD characteristics during each stage of the procedure. Masked technicians evaluated objective safety parameters of intraocular pressure (IOP) and endothelial cell density, with 90 days of follow-up. Results: The DisCoVisc OVD group (128 eyes) and the Healon OVD group (121 eyes) had statistically similar outcomes for IOP and for endothelial cell loss. Subjectively assessed viscosity was statistically different (P < 0.0001), with Healon OVD most often rated “cohesive” and DisCoVisc OVD most often rated “both dispersive and cohesive”. Workspace maintenance differed between groups (P < 0.0001), with workspace most frequently rated “full chamber maintained” when using DisCoVisc OVD and most frequently rated “workspace maintained” when using Healon OVD. “Flat” or “shallow” workspace ratings occurred only in the Healon OVD group. Conclusion: DisCoVisc OVD had both cohesive and dispersive properties, and was safe and effective for every stage of cataract surgery. Keywords: cataract, endothelial cell density, viscoelastic, phacoemulsificatio

A cost-effectiveness analysis of temperate silvoarable systems: what contribution do ecosystem services make?

Silvoarable systems have the potential to be an effective and productive form of sustainable agriculture, in part due to the enhancement of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. However, currently there is limited understanding of how higher biodiversity in silvoarable systems promotes ecosystem services, such as pest regulation, pollination and nutrient cycling (for example, see Peng et al. 1993; Thevathasan and Gordon 2004; Varah et al. 2013), versus ecosystem disservices, such as encouraging certain pests and weeds (Griffiths et al. 1998; Burgess et al. 2003), and, furthermore, how this cost-benefit ratio might change with how the system is designed, managed and matures over time (but see Burgess et al 2003; Stamps et al. 2009). This paper reports on preliminary results of a cost effectiveness analysis based on the FarmSAFE model (Graves et al. 2011; 2016), as part of a PhD investigating how management of silvoarable influences biodiversity-derived ecosystem services, and their economic implications. Our study is focussed on silvoarable systems in the UK that combine top-fruit production with arable alley-cropping, which are emerging as a promising design with limited shade effects (Smith et al. 2016). We compare our findings to a monocropped arable system, with and without purported associated biodiversity benefits (Varah et al. 2013, 2015)