Instructor and international student perceptions of mainstream and international-only sections of college composition

2014 Spring.Research has shown that NNSE may face struggles in American college composition classrooms that NSE typically do not. These struggles can stem from differences between L1 and L2 writing, different cultural and classroom expectations, and instructors who may be unfamiliar with the difficulties that NNSE face. Because of these struggles, debate has arisen as to the best instructional setting for NNSE in composition programs. This study sought to explore and compare the experiences of international students in two instructional settings: 1) international-only sections and 2) mainstream classes. Mainstream instructor experiences were also explored and compared with international students' experiences. Experiences were explored using a mixed-method approach with surveys and interviews and may help identify why students chose a particular instructional setting. Instructor perceptions of international students' experiences contrasted from students' experiences in most areas explored. Results suggest that international students should consider whether they feel comfortable working with and being assessed alongside NSE when making their enrollment choice. Mainstream instructors should consider using more pair than group work and provide training in peer review when there are international students enrolled in their class. Finally, the composition program should consider providing additional training on working with L2 writers for instructors who are interested and explore the possibility of developing a "mixed" composition class

Survival of bacterial isolates exposed to simulated Jovian trapped radiation belt electrons and solar wind protons

With missions to Jupiter, the spacecraft will be exposed for extended duration to solar wind radiation and the Jovian trapped radiation belt. This study is designed to determine the effect of these radiation environments on spacecraft bacterial isolates. The information can be used in the probability of contamination analysis for these missions. A bacterial subpopulation from Mariner Mars 1971 spacecraft (nine sporeforming and three nonsporeforming isolates) plus two comparative organisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 17917 and a strain of Bacillus subtilis var. niger, were exposed to 2-, 12-, and 25-MeV electrons at different doses with simultaneous exposure to a vacuum of 0.0013 N/sqm at 20 and -20 C. The radioresistance of the subpopulation was dependent on the isolate, dose, and energy of electrons. Temperature affected the radioresistance of only the sporeforming isolates. Survival data indicated that spores were reduced approximately 1 log/1500 J/kg, while nonsporeforming isolates (micrococci) were reduced 1.5 to 2 logs/1500 J/kg with the exception of an apparent radioresistant isolate whose resistance approached that of the spores. The subpopulation was found to be less resistant to lower energy than to higher energy electrons

Blocking variant surface glycoprotein synthesis alters endoplasmic reticulum exit sites/Golgi homeostasis in Trypanosoma brucei

The predominant secretory cargo of bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei is Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG), comprising ~10% total protein and forming a dense protective layer. Blocking VSG translation using Morpholino oligonucleotides triggered a precise pre/cytokinesis arrest. We investigated the effect of blocking VSG synthesis on the secretory pathway. The number of Golgi decreased, particularly in post/mitotic cells, from 3.5 ± 0.6 to 2.0 ± 0.04 per cell. Similarly, the number of ER exit sites (ERES) in post/mitotic cells dropped from (3.9 ± 0.6) to (2.7 ± 0.1) eight hours after blocking VSG synthesis. The secretory pathway was still functional in these stalled cells, as monitored using Cathepsin L. Rates of phospholipid and GPI/anchor biosynthesis were relatively unaffected, except for the level of sphingomyelin which increased. However, both ER and Golgi morphology became distorted, with the Golgi cisternae becoming significantly dilated, particularly at the trans/face. Membrane accumulation in these structures is possibly caused by reduced budding of nascent vesicles due to the drastic reduction in the total amount of secretory cargo, i.e. VSG. These data argue that the total flux of secretory cargo impacts upon the biogenesis and maintenance of secretory structures and organelles in T. brucei including the ERES and Golgi

Behavioral Interventions in the Stockton Unified School District

This poster abstract describes my internship experience this semester with Stockton Unified School District (SUDS). The relationship the University of the Pacific’s Psychology department has with SUSD providing me with the opportunity assist in with assessment of and interventions for preschool children’s behavioral issues. The preschool children are referred to the psychology department by social workers, teachers, or parents; psychology graduate students and undergraduate interns provide empirically supported behavioral interventions to decrease problem behavior and improve appropriate behavior. The assessments and interventions used fall under the umbrella of behavioral science or applied behavior analysis. The most common types of problem behavior I encountered in the preschool children included: not paying attention in class, being out of seat, disrupting the teacher, and acting aggressively towards other children or themselves. In my role as an undergraduate intern, I take data in the classrooms to track the rate of the problem behavior, assist with functional assessments to identify the variables maintaining behavior, and implement the Good Behavior Game in classrooms where many or all of the students are engaging in problem behaviors. The Good Behavior Game is an empirically supported group behavioral intervention in which two teams of children (per classroom) compete and the team with the fewest problem behaviors at the end of the session earns a reward (e.g. extra time at recess, lining up first for lunch, stickers). This experience has taught me how the behavioral principles I have come to love in class and research, are applied in real-life settings. As such, it has given me an appreciation for the real impact good science can have on bettering our society and each of our lives if we choose to implement it

Behavioral Interventions in the Stockton Unified School District

This poster abstract describes my internship experience this semester with Stockton Unified School District (SUDS). The relationship the University of the Pacific’s Psychology department has with SUSD providing me with the opportunity assist in with assessment of and interventions for preschool children’s behavioral issues. The preschool children are referred to the psychology department by social workers, teachers, or parents; psychology graduate students and undergraduate interns provide empirically supported behavioral interventions to decrease problem behavior and improve appropriate behavior. The assessments and interventions used fall under the umbrella of behavioral science or applied behavior analysis. The most common types of problem behavior I encountered in the preschool children included: not paying attention in class, being out of seat, disrupting the teacher, and acting aggressively towards other children or themselves. In my role as an undergraduate intern, I take data in the classrooms to track the rate of the problem behavior, assist with functional assessments to identify the variables maintaining behavior, and implement the Good Behavior Game in classrooms where many or all of the students are engaging in problem behaviors. The Good Behavior Game is an empirically supported group behavioral intervention in which two teams of children (per classroom) compete and the team with the fewest problem behaviors at the end of the session earns a reward (e.g. extra time at recess, lining up first for lunch, stickers). This experience has taught me how the behavioral principles I have come to love in class and research, are applied in real-life settings. As such, it has given me an appreciation for the real impact good science can have on bettering our society and each of our lives if we choose to implement it

“Show Me Your Angry Faces!” Preschool Teachers’ Emotion Talk in the Classroom

Emotion talk plays an important role in the social and emotional development of preschoolers, but not much work has shown how teacher’s talk about emotions naturalistically, in the classroom. In this descriptive study, teachers’ emotion language was observed and was coded for function and affective tone and related to child emotion-related behaviors. All teachers (N=13) were observed for 15 hours each in 1-3 hour sessions during regular class time. Teachers’ emotion utterances were transcribed verbatim and descriptions of the child behaviors were recorded for 1 minute following the utterance. There were 633 total utterances observed and teachers ranged from 14 utterances (less than 1 per hour) to 165 utterances (11 per hour). Teacher age, education level, and years of teaching were not associated with the number, function, or affective tone of utterances. Emotion utterances occurred more frequently when children were engaged in compliant activities and less frequently when children were engaged in unproductive involvement, productive play, or negative responses to frustration. Explaining and questioning frequently occurred when children were compliant. Additionally, socialization and guiding statements were common when children were engaging in negative and frustrated behaviors. Further research should consider whether scaffolding teachers’ use of emotion language could help to increase the level of emotion talk in preschool classrooms and lead to better social and emotional outcomes for children

“Show Me Your Angry Faces!” Preschool Teachers’ Emotion Talk in the Classroom

Emotion talk plays an important role in the social and emotional development of preschoolers, but not much work has shown how teacher’s talk about emotions naturalistically, in the classroom. In this descriptive study, teachers’ emotion language was observed and was coded for function and affective tone and related to child emotion-related behaviors. All teachers (N=13) were observed for 15 hours each in 1-3 hour sessions during regular class time. Teachers’ emotion utterances were transcribed verbatim and descriptions of the child behaviors were recorded for 1 minute following the utterance. There were 633 total utterances observed and teachers ranged from 14 utterances (less than 1 per hour) to 165 utterances (11 per hour). Teacher age, education level, and years of teaching were not associated with the number, function, or affective tone of utterances. Emotion utterances occurred more frequently when children were engaged in compliant activities and less frequently when children were engaged in unproductive involvement, productive play, or negative responses to frustration. Explaining and questioning frequently occurred when children were compliant. Additionally, socialization and guiding statements were common when children were engaging in negative and frustrated behaviors. Further research should consider whether scaffolding teachers’ use of emotion language could help to increase the level of emotion talk in preschool classrooms and lead to better social and emotional outcomes for children

Emotion Displays in Storybooks within American Culture

Various outlets help children learn about emotions. Storybooks are one of the primary useful tools in this teaching of emotion. Emotion content in picture books varies across cultures and this variation has been a focus of past research (Tsai et al., 2007; Suprawati et al., 2014). In the present study, we analyzed popular story books in the U.S. whose characters and content represent three major ethnic groups within American culture, specifically African American, Asian American, and Hispanic/ Latino groups. We examined storybooks geared toward children ages 2 to 3 years. We identified books listed under “Best Sellers” on Amazon.com overall along with books listed as Best Sellers within subheadings listed under “Geography and Cultures” that were advertised as a way to inform children about the three diverse cultures (i.e., African American, Asian American, Hispanic and Latino). Coding is ongoing. For each page of the storybooks, we coded the main character as either showing emotion or no emotion. For each emotion displayed, a discrete emotion label was coded, i.e. happiness, sadness, excitement etc. Each emotion display was also coded for intensity of expression (coded from low (1) to high (3)). The main character’s level of arousal was also coded as low (e.g., sitting), moderate (e.g., walking), or high (e.g., running) (Tsai et al., 2007). Each page was also coded for social context. Social context was coded as in-group (familiar others such as parents), out-group (strangers), mixed, or alone (Wege et al., 2014). We expect happiness to be portrayed more than any other emotion across all groups of books. We also expected Asian American picture books to show low emotional arousal compared to books from other groups. Understanding variation in storybooks in American culture may facilitate understanding of variations in how children express emotions