Demographic Predictors of Math Anxiety in Elementary School Children

Due to the increasing interest of math anxiety in elementary level children, the present study explored math anxiety contextual factors through Bandura’s (1999) Social Cognitive perspective. Using the Children’s Anxiety in Math Scale, researchers gathered data from 40 primary-level children to explore four demographic predictors--grade-level, special needs identification, gender identity, and socioeconomic status-- of mathematics anxiety through a hierarchical regression model. Findings indicated demographic variables accounted for over one-third of the variance in math anxiety scores at 38.2% (grade level: 12.3%, SNI: 8.4%, gender identity: 13.2%, SES: 4.1%). With the exception of socioeconomic status, all predictors were significant. These findings provide implications and recommendations for educators, parents, and future researchers

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements