2016-2017 Open Access Publishing Fund
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/7361
2024-03-29T00:30:19ZThe Valuation of an Equity-Linked Life Insurance Using the Theory of Indifference Pricing
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/7369
The Valuation of an Equity-Linked Life Insurance Using the Theory of Indifference Pricing
Choi, Jungmin
2016-11-26T00:00:00ZThe effects of an afterschool STEM program on students’ motivation and engagement
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6407
The effects of an afterschool STEM program on students’ motivation and engagement
Chittum, Jessica R.; Jones, Brett D.; Akalin, Sehmuz; Schram, Asta B.
Background: One significant factor in facilitating students’ career intentions and persistence in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields is targeting their interests and motivation before eighth grade. To reach students at this critical stage, a design-based afterschool STEM program, titled Studio STEM, was implemented to foster motivation and engagement in STEM topics and activities. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to investigate how Studio STEM affected students’ beliefs about science and whether these beliefs differed from their peers who did not participate in the program, and (b) to examine a case study of one Studio STEM implementation to investigate elements of the curriculum that motivated students to engage in the program.
Results: After completing two Studio STEM programs, participants’ ratings of their values for science and science competence were higher than those of non participants. In addition, the Studio STEM participants’ motivational beliefs about science and intentions to pursue a college degree were more resilient over time than their peers. We also found that students could be motivated in a voluntary afterschool program (Studio STEM) in which they grappled with STEM concepts and activities, and could verbalize specific program elements that motivated them.
Conclusions: Through this study, we found that students could be motivated in Studio STEM and that the experience had a positive impact on their perceptions about science as a field. Importantly, Studio STEM appeared to halt the decline in these students’ motivational beliefs about science that typically occurs during the middle school years, indicating that after school programs can be one way to help students maintain their motivation in science. Studying the program features that the students found motivating may help educators to make connections between research and theory, and their classroom instruction to motivate their students.
2017-06-12T00:00:00ZSeasonal home range dynamics and sex differences in habitat use in a threatened, coastal marsh bird
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6406
Seasonal home range dynamics and sex differences in habitat use in a threatened, coastal marsh bird
Kolts, Jaan Runyon; McRae, Susan B.
A comprehensive understanding of spatiotemporal ecology is needed to develop conservation strategies for declining species. The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a secretive marsh bird whose range historically extended across the eastern United States. Inland migratory populations have been greatly reduced with most remaining populations inhabiting the coastal margins. Our objectives were to determine the migratory status of breeding king rails on the mid-Atlantic coast and to characterize home range size, seasonal patterns of movement, and habitat use. Using radiotelemetry, we tracked individual king rails among seasons, and established that at least a segment of this breeding population is resident. Mean (±SE) home range size was 19.8 ± 5.0 ha (95% kernel density) or 2.5 ± 0.9 (50% kernel density). We detected seasonal variation and sex differences in home range size and habitat use. In the nonbreeding season, resident male home ranges coincided essentially with their breeding territories. Overwintering males were more likely than females to be found in natural emergent marsh with a greater area of open water. Females tended to have larger home ranges than males during the nonbreeding season. We report for the first time the use of wooded natural marsh by overwintering females. Brood-rearing king rails led their young considerable distances away from their nests (average maximum distance: ~600 ± 200 m) and used both wooded natural and impounded marsh. King rails moved between natural marsh and managed impoundments during all life stages, but the proximity of these habitat types particularly benefitted brood-rearing parents seeking foraging areas with shallower water in proximity to cover. Our results demonstrate the importance of interspersion of habitat types to support resident breeders. Summer draining of impounded wetlands that are seasonally flooded for wintering waterfowl allows regrowth of vegetation and provides additional habitat at a critical time for wading birds.
2016-12-22T00:00:00ZA high-efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 system for targeted mutagenesis in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6405
A high-efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 system for targeted mutagenesis in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
Zhang, Baohong; Li, Chao; Unver, Turgay
The complex allotetraploid genome is one of major challenges in cotton for repressing gene expression.
Developing site-specific DNA mutation is the long-term dream for cotton breeding scientists. The
clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system is emerging as a robust biotechnology for targeted-DNA mutation. In this study, two sgRNAs, GhMYB25-like-sgRNA1 and GhMYB25-like-sgRNA2, were designed in the identical genomic regions of GhMYB25-like A and GhMYB25-like D, which were encoded by cotton A subgenome and the D subgenome, respectively, was assembled to direct Cas9-mediated allotetraploid cotton genome
editing. High proportion (14.2–21.4%) CRISPR/Cas9-induced specific truncation events, either from GhMYB25-like A DNA site or from GhMYB25-like D DNA site, were detected in 50% examined transgenic cotton through PCR amplification assay and sequencing analyses. Sequencing results also demonstrated that 100% and 98.8% mutation frequency were occurred on GhMYB25-like-sgRNA1
and GhMYB25-like-sgRNA2 target site respectively. The off-target effect was evaluated by sequencing
two putative off-target sites, which have 3 and 1 mismatched nucleotides with GhMYB25-like-sgRNA1
and GhMYB25-like-sgRNA2, respectively; all the examined samples were not detected any off-targetcaused mutation events. Thus, these results demonstrated that CRISPR/Cas9 is qualified for generating DNA level mutations on allotetraploid cotton genome with high-efficiency and high-specificity.
2017-03-03T00:00:00Z