On well-rounded sublattices of the hexagonal lattice

We produce an explicit parameterization of well-rounded sublattices of the hexagonal lattice in the plane, splitting them into similarity classes. We use this parameterization to study the number, the greatest minimal norm, and the highest signal-to-noise ratio of well-rounded sublattices of the hexagonal lattice of a fixed index. This investigation parallels earlier work by Bernstein, Sloane, and Wright where similar questions were addressed on the space of all sublattices of the hexagonal lattice. Our restriction is motivated by the importance of well-rounded lattices for discrete optimization problems. Finally, we also discuss the existence of a natural combinatorial structure on the set of similarity classes of well-rounded sublattices of the hexagonal lattice, induced by the action of a certain matrix monoid.Comment: 21 pages (minor correction to the proof of Lemma 2.1); to appear in Discrete Mathematic

Alien Registration- Moore, Elizabeth (Madison, Somerset County)

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Examining the Longitudinal Effects of the PE Class' Climate on Students' Goal Orientations and Intrinsic Motivation to be Physically Active

Nicholls' Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT) research has been examined within the PE and sport domains (Roberts & Treasure, 2012). However, very limited longitudinal research has been conducted, particularly with youth and adolescents. Research is needed to examine the impact of the PE motivational class climate on students' goal orientations toward PE and intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The first study assessed a professional development (PD) session with a school district's PE teachers focused on maximizing their development of a caring and task-involving climate. The effect of this session was assessed by comparing the secondary students' perceptions of the motivational climate for two semesters prior to the PD with student perceptions the semester immediately after the PD. Three important findings were revealed by analyzing each teacher's (N=8) multi-group SEM: a) significant effects from the PD were not found, b) experienced, individual PE teacher's motivational climate development is very consistent over time, and c) 75% of the teachers' models showed no significant correlation between intrinsic motivation and ego-involving climate perceptions. Together these results suggest that future PD for current PE teachers should emphasize ways to enhance the caring and task-involving climate, because these aspects were consistently correlated with the students' reported intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The second study tracked sixth grade students into their first seventh grade semester. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the seventh grade PE class climate on students' goal orientations, competence, and effort in PE. Enrolled PE students (N=376) were surveyed twice in sixth grade, and twice the following fall semester (N=216). Importantly, significant, positive within time correlations were found between the students' perceptions of the caring climate and their PE competence, effort, and task goal orientation adoption. The majority of the within time correlations were constrainable across the four time-points. This preliminary finding suggests that when students perceive a caring climate, they are also more likely to report greater competence, effort, and task orientation in PE. The findings support that these outcome variables are uniquely related to caring climate above and beyond their relationships with the task-involving climate

Developing a Caring Coaching Climate Fosters Confidence

When athletes buy-in to a positive training climate their training effort, enjoyment, and desire to continue all increase. This article focuses on practical approaches coaches can use today to promote a safe, personalized, and respect-filled atmosphere – integral building blocks for developing a successful caring climate

Planned Missingness Study Design: Two Methods to Developing the Study Survey Versions

A planned missingness data study design takes advantage of modern techniques for handling data missingness that is MCAR (Missing Completely at Random) and MAR (Missing at Random) (Brown, 2006; Enders, 2010). As modern data imputation techniques have improved, this study design option has become a powerful, cost-effective option for collecting the most data across the largest sample possible, while keeping the fatigue effect and expense of the study minimized (Little, 2010a, 2010b, 2012). The purpose of this guide is to provide an applied example for designing the surveys necessary when conducting a planned missingness research study design

Developing Youth\u27s Positive View of Physical Activity

Many youth start withdrawing from voluntary physical activity and physical education programs as they approach adolescence. Developmentally, this is also when youth can become more aware of their ability compared to others, and the amount of work it may take to improve their ability level. This focus on comparative performance standards can be affected by our coaching emphasis. This article highlights the characteristics and impacts of two coaching approaches. Particular emphasis is given to the specific behaviors adolescents have reported as fostering their effort, enjoyment, sportspersonship, and interest in continuing to be active

Exploring college students' relationship with God as a potential mediator between religious behaviors and sexual and alcohol risk behavior among college students

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on June 4, 2013Dissertation advisor: Jannette Y. Berkley-PattonVitaIncludes bibliographic references (pages 67-77)Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dept. of Psychology and School of Education. University of Missouri-- Kansas City, 2013Many college students frequently engage in two behaviors - sexual activity and alcohol use - that can potentially lead to significant negative consequences, such as contracting a sexually transmitted infection or personal injury, respectively. College students also tend to be a population with strong religious beliefs and regular engagement in religious behaviors. Some research indicates that more frequent engagement in religious behavior is associated with less risky behavior (e.g., initiation of sex, fewer sexual partners, decreased alcohol use) among college students. However, previous research is mixed on why this association exists. The current study explored “relationship with God” as a religious construct that potentially mediates the relationship between religious behaviors and alcohol and sexual risk behaviors (lifetime and last 3 months). The sample consisted of 406 University of Missouri-Kansas City students. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics Version 19 and AMOS Version 18. Findings indicated participants' increased engagement in religious behaviors was significantly associated with stronger beliefs that God influenced their alcohol use decision-making, which was in turn, associated with less alcohol use in the last three months. This finding suggested that God control beliefs partially mediated the protective relationship between religious behaviors and recent alcohol use. There were no significant relationships between relationship with God variables and lifetime alcohol use and lifetime or recent sexual risk. Future research should continue to explore this area with larger samples that allow for sex and race/ethnicity comparisons regarding relationship with God and risk behavior. Interventions for reducing college students' alcohol use may consider incorporating messages that discuss God control beliefs.Introduction -- Review of literature -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion -- Appendi

Construct-Validity of the Engagement with Challenge Measure for Adolescents: Structural- and Criterion-Validity Evidence

For adolescents, engaging with challenge is a key developmental task, hypothesized to support development of adult-like competencies (e.g., agency and self-direction; Larson, 2000). This study aimed to assess the construct-validity (structural- and concurrent-validity) of a new self-report measure assessing adolescents’ engagement with challenge to help researchers understand how different settings and the conditions in these settings support adolescents’ development. The sample consisted of 337 adolescents in 10 FFA programs along with the adult advisors in each program. Adolescents completed a questionnaire, which included the Engagement with Challenge measure and the following criterion variables: number of contests completed, participation frequency, and leadership roles. In addition to the self-reported criterion variables, the adult advisor evaluated Engagement with Challenge for each FFA student member in that program using a single item. The findings of this study provided strong evidence for the structural-validity of the engagement with challenge construct measured by the new scale, including having passed confirmatory factor analysis configural, weak, and strong invariance tests across four grade groupings. The findings also provided further evidence of construct-validity, as Engagement with Challenge correlated in the a priori hypothesized direction and magnitude. Suggestions for analysis with the new measure and for future research are presented

Strategies to Increase Athletes\u27 Transformational Leadership Behaviors During Strength and Conditioning Sessions

Often, leadership is presumed to naturally result from athletic experiences. However, leadership behaviors require practice. Strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) can provide opportunities for all athletes to practice transformational leadership behaviors, which can increase team cohesion and performance. This article reviews athlete leadership, including leadership roles and four transformational leadership behaviors (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation). Then, daily strategies SCCs can incorporate into training to foster athletes’ transformational leadership are presented. Followed by strategies for larger, rotating leadership experiences. These strategies can work with athletes across age, gender, and competitive level