Retention Rates and Pre-Matriculation Variables of First-Time, Full-Time Students at Three, Small, Private, Liberal Arts Universities in Georgia

The purpose of this non-experimental, correlational, quantitative study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship between pre-matriculation variables on retention of first-year, full-time students from fall-to-fall semesters at three small, private, liberal arts institutions in the Southeast United States. The findings will help to determine the significance of the relationships between retention and pre-matriculation variables on first-year, full-time students who entered each institutions the fall 2017 and fall 2018 semesters. Archival data at the participating institutions were used to test the significance of the relationships between retention rates and pre-matriculation variables (standardized test scores, high school GPAs, gender, first-generation status, and financial aid status). The sample for this study included approximately 3,612 first-year, full-time students who entered the three participating universities for the fall semesters of 2017 and 2018. Independent samples t-tests or two-way contingency tables using crosstabs were used to evaluate each of the respective research questions. Findings from this study demonstrated student demographic variables financial aid status (Pell Grant eligibility), gender, and first-generation status had a significant relationship to retention for Institutions 2 and 3; students who were not eligible for financial aid were retained at higher percentage rate than students who were eligible for financial aid; students who were first-generation students were retained at lower percentage rate than students who were continuing-generation students; and self- identified female students were retained at a higher percentage rate those students who were self-identified as males at Institution 1

Prostatic Acid Phosphatase Is Expressed in Peptidergic and Nonpeptidergic Nociceptive Neurons of Mice and Rats

Thiamine monophosphatase (TMPase, also known as Fluoride-resistant acid phosphatase or FRAP) is a classic histochemical marker of small- to medium-diameter dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and has primarily been studied in the rat. Previously, we found that TMPase was molecularly identical to Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) using mice. In addition, PAP was expressed in a majority of nonpeptidergic, isolectin B4-binding (IB4+) nociceptive neurons and a subset of peptidergic, calcitonin gene-related peptide-containing (CGRP+) nociceptive neurons. At the time, we were unable to determine if PAP was present in rat DRG neurons because the antibody we used did not cross-react with PAP in rat tissues. In our present study, we generated a chicken polyclonal antibody against the secretory isoform of mouse PAP. This antibody detects mouse, rat and human PAP protein on western blots. Additionally, this antibody detects PAP in mouse and rat small- to medium-diameter DRG neurons and axon terminals in lamina II of spinal cord. In the rat, 92.5% of all PAP+ cells bind the nonpeptidergic marker IB4 and 31.8% of all PAP+ cells contain the peptidergic marker CGRP. Although PAP is found in peptidergic and nonpeptidergic neurons of mice and rats, the percentage of PAP+ neurons that express these markers differs between species. Moreover, PAP+ axon terminals in the rat partially overlap with Protein kinase Cγ (PKCγ+) interneurons in dorsal spinal cord whereas PAP+ axon terminals in the mouse terminate dorsal to PKCγ+ interneurons. Collectively, our studies highlight similarities and differences in PAP localization within nociceptive neurons of mice and rats

Estimating Fertility using Adults : A Method for Under-enumerated Pre-adult Skeletal Samples

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their suggestions which contributed to the improvement of this article. This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Article Funding Open access publishing facilitated by Australian National University, as part of the Wiley - Australian National University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The History of Alma & Bacon County, Georgia

Regional History Series at Valdosta State Univeristy Archives and Special Collections. Digitized 2014. The History of Alma & Bacon County, Georgia by Bonnie Taylor Baker. Exclusive digitization content. Physical copy not available. Fair Use.In 1914, Bacon County was created, and named for Senator Augustus O. Bacon, a distinguished politician of Georgia birth. In 1914 this newly created 'piney woods’ county and a handfull of pioneer settlers joined together to begin a long journey into history. Its destiny is interrupted now only long enough to record between the covers of this book the progression of past events out of which has come the Bacon County of today’s modern living. Bacon County, unlike Williamsburg, is not rich in history. There is only one historic marker in the 293 square miles of thinly popu­lated land which lie within it’s boundaries. A million years ago the land of Bacon County lay beneath the ocean water, yet no one locally claims to have found proof or marked a spot of suspicion. Surrounding the county seat of Alma can be found 'Sand Hills’ of beautiful coarse yellow sand whom some refer to as 'the ocean bottom’ while others never question their existence. Evidence of prehistoric life in what is now Georgia have been exposed by accident or by geological research, but none of record can be found within the area of Bacon County. Shark teeth are among the most abundant fossil remains found in South Georgia, but none are recorded as having been found in Bacon County. Between 1970 and 1980, archaeological research was done by a pro­fessional research team, mainly as a requirement of the Federal Government to justify the funds of the Model City Project which were being spent locally. Some students, as their history teacher have also, and as a class project, engaged in research in areas of the county where it was believed there was evidence of primitive, prehistoric, but most likely, Indian life. In the event discoveries were made by anyone, the resulting artifacts are not displayed as evidence that such a civilization existed. Bacon County is today a small area cen­tered in the southeast section of South Geor­gia. It is often referred to as 'Wiregrass Country’. It’s grayish sandy loam produces, among other things, several varieties of pine tree. A characteristic feature of the pinelands of the 1800’s was a wiregrass, which carpeted the ground and provided a nutritious grazing range for cattle. Later in the century and on into the 1900’s much of the land began to be developed into prosperous agriculture which produced first cotton, and later tobacco. Dur­ ing the same period the area was also noted for it’s valuable turpentine and forestry industries. Razorback hogs and unbranded cattle roamed the piney woods and tried to survive on the wiregrass’ tender roots. Bacon County is, in all areas except the west and northwest flat areas of sandy loam soil, ideal for farming. In the excepted area the sea level rises to form clay hills overlook­ ing a gully of black water, the larger of these known as 'Hurricane Creek.’ Overall, though, the county has an average elevation of 215 feet above mean sea level. To most of the early settlers it was nothing more than a flat land of grayish loamy soil, vast areas of pine trees, occasionally interspersed with agricultural ventures of dubious profit poten­tial which depended almost entirely on the ‘Will of God’. U.S Highway Number 1, which extends from Maine to Key West, Florida, crosses Bacon County from north to south. Georgia Highway Number 32, running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Alabama border on the west, crosses the County from east to west. In recent years Bacon County has received Fed­eral and State money for road paving pro­jects throughout the county, particularly since the consolidation of county and city schools. Today there are still too many dusty dirt country roads throughout Bacon County which need special attention. Many of these are firebreaks used as a public road, but con­structed mainly for fighting destructive woods fires, lit most often from the cigarette of a careless smoker.Bacon County Historical Societ

Foetal testosterone and autistic traits in 18 to 24-month-old children.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum conditions have been characterised as an extreme presentation of certain male-typical psychological traits. In addition, several studies have established a link between prenatal exposure to testosterone and cognitive sex differences in later life, and one study found that foetal testosterone (FT) is positively correlated to autistic traits in 6 to 10 year-old children. In this study, we tested whether FT is positively correlated with autistic traits in toddlers aged 18-24 months. METHODS: Levels of FT were analysed in amniotic fluid and compared with autistic traits, measured using the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) in 129 typically developing toddlers aged between 18 and 24 months (mean +/- SD 19.25 +/- 1.52 months). RESULTS: Sex differences were observed in Q-CHAT scores, with boys scoring significantly higher (indicating more autistic traits) than girls. In addition, we confirmed a significant positive relationship between FT levels and autistic traits. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings in children between 18 and 24 months of age are consistent with observations in older children showing a positive association between elevated FT levels and autistic traits. Given that sex steroid-related gene variations are associated with autistic traits in adults, this new finding suggests that the brain basis of autistic traits may reflect individual differences in prenatal androgens and androgen-related genes. The consistency of findings in early childhood, later childhood and adulthood suggests that this is a robust association.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Visual Supports Checklist

The Visual Supports Checklist is based on a review of current literature, practical knowledge, and reported experiences from early childhood educators on the topic of visual supports

On the exoneration of Dr. William H. Stewart: debunking an urban legend

Abstract Background It is one of the most infamous quotes in the history of biomedicine: “It is time to close the book on infectious diseases, and declare the war against pestilence won.” Long attributed to the United States Surgeon General, Dr. William H. Stewart (1965-1969), the statement is frequently used as a foil by scientific and lay authors to underscore the ever-increasing problems of antibiotic-resistant and emerging infections. However, the primary source for the quote has never been identified. Methods We undertook a comprehensive search of multiple databases encompassing medical literature, news articles, and congressional records to attempt to identify sources for the quote. Results No source of the quote was identified. However, a trail of source documents was identified that clearly serves as the basis for subsequent, incorrect attribution of the quote to Dr. Stewart. In multiple source documents, Dr. Stewart made statements to the opposite effect, clearly recognizing that infectious diseases had not been conquered. The urban legend was created by a combination of lack of primary witnesses to the originating speech, misunderstanding of points made by Dr. Stewart in the speech, and increasing societal concern about emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Conclusions Attribution to Dr. Stewart of a belief that it was time to close the book on infectious diseases is an urban legend; he never made any such statement. Numerous other verifiable sources, however, confirm that other people in academia adopted this belief. Dr. Stewart should no longer be cited in this regard, and should be replaced with verifiable sources