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Nesting Success of American Robins (Turdus Migratorius) in Suburban Areas of the Arkansas River Valley
Get PDFThe American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is an abundant North American songbird species that thrives in suburban areas. Estimates of robin nesting success in suburban areas range from 31% to 90%. Robin nest site selection and success have not received much attention in the past few decades. Most passerines have a balanced sex ratio at fledging, but little is known about the fledgling sex ratio of robins. We located 44 robin nests in six public parks around Russellville, AR and on the Arkansas Tech University campus. Nest success was low; 27% (12/44) of nests fledged at least one young. Robins nested most frequently in American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), Pin Oak (Quercus palustris), and Willow Oak (Quercus phellos), but were also found nesting on buildings early in the breeding season. An average nest was approximately 5 m off the ground and was 66% concealed by vegetation. Fledglings survived for an average of twelve days and half of the fledglings (7/14) survived for less than seven days. Low fledgling survival in combination with low nesting success suggests that robin productivity was low in 2022. Environmental stressors like drought can lead to shifts in avian sex ratios. The sex ratio of fledgling robins we banded was skewed towards females (15:7). Further study is required to determine what characteristics of the suburban environment may lead to low reproductive success for robins, and how robins deal with the challenges of breeding in poor-quality habitat
Corporate Governance and Choice of Capital Structure
No full textIn this paper, we expand on the existing literature of corporate finance by analyzing the impact of corporate governance on the choice of capital structure for firms. Although other studies have analyzed this relationship, we extend the research by comparing the results across different industries such as healthcare, technology, consumer goods and industrial goods using a sample of 689 firms. The results show the relationship of corporate governance to the choice of capital is negative in the healthcare sector firms, positive in the consumer goods firms, and has no impact on technology or industrial goods firms
P-ring: The Conserved Nature of Phosphorus Enriched Cells in Seedling Roots of Distantly Related Species
Get PDFPlants require sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and mineral ions for their growth and development. Roots in vascular plants sequester water and ions from soil and transport them to the aboveground parts of the plant. Due to heterogeneous nature of soil, roots have evolved several regulatory barriers from molecular to organismic level that selectively allows certain ions to enter the vascular tissues for transport according to the physiological and metabolic demands of plant cell. Current literature profusely elaborates about apoplastic barriers, but the possibility of the existence of a symplastic regulation through phosphorous-enriched cells has not been mentioned. Recent investigations on native ion distribution in seedling roots of several species (Pinus pinea, Zea mays and Arachis hypogaea) identified an ionomic structure termed as “P-ring”. The P-ring is composed of a group of phosphorous-rich cells arranged in radial symmetry encircling the vascular tissues. Physiological investigations indicate that the structure is relatively inert to external temperature and ion fluctuations while anatomical studies indicates that they are less likely to be apoplastic in nature. Furthermore, their localization surrounding vascular tissues and in evolutionarily distinct plant lineages might indicate their conserved nature and involvement in ion regulation. Undoubtedly, this is an interesting and important observation that has significant merit for further investigations by the plant science community
Examining ESL Preservice Teachers’ Personal Factors That Best Predict Their Confidence to Integrate Technology in Future Classrooms
Get PDFThis study was designed to examine preservice teachers\u27 personal characteristics that can predict their confidence to integrate technology in their teaching practices. The investigators used a questionnaire designed based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory to ask 168 ESL preservice teachers enrolled in the English Department in a public university located in central Anatolia. The results of this study found that the use of technology during ESL preservice teachers\u27 training was the most significant predictor of their self-efficacy to integrate technology in their teaching practices, then followed by the number of years they are attending the education training and finally their learning preferences such as the use of multimedia and digital materials. The results of this study also found that ESL preservice teachers’ gender and age were insignificant causes for building their confidence to integrate technology. The study also has found that there is a significant relationship between ESL preservice teachers\u27 use of technology and their levels of self-efficacy and this relationship was strong and positive. These findings indicate that prior experience with technology among preservice teachers is a key component in determining their confidence in integrating technology into teaching and learning. The study offers vital insights into how teacher education programs might effectively prepare ESL preservice teachers for technology integration. Teacher education programs should prioritize chances for preservice teachers to obtain practical experience using technology in classroom settings. Finally, the investigators provide interpretation and recommendations based on these findings
Emotional Responses to COVID-19 Stressors Increase Information Avoidance About an Important Unrelated Health Threat
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic, like other crises, has had direct and indirect impacts on individuals, many of which have been negative. While a large body of research has examined the impacts of COVID-19 on people\u27s lives, there is little evidence about how COVID-19 affects decision-making broadly. Emotional responses to COVID-19-related stressors, such as illness and income loss, provide a pathway for these stressors to affect decision-making. In this study, we examine linkages between exposure to COVID-19-related stressors—focusing on temporally specific local case counts and loss of income due to the pandemic—and decisions to access information about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), another critically important health issue. COVID-19 constitutes a natural experiment in that people\u27s exposure to stressors does not result from those individuals\u27 current decisions...Copyright owned by Public Library of Science
Student Willingness to Report Weapons and School Violence at a Rural Secondary School in Arkansas: A Quantitative Study
No full textSchool safety continues to be a concerning and vital topic in education. This quantitative study examines the willingness of students from a rural Arkansas school district to report weapons being brought to school or violent occurrences happening at school and analyzes the behavior associated with students reporting or not reporting. The study examines barriers that exist to help to explain why students would not report weapons or violent incidents to staff members or adults in the school district. The study surveyed 52 students from a secondary school with Likert-style survey questions. The questions were grouped into different variables such as demographics, academic success, relationship to the perpetrator, reporting frequencies, and knowledge of available school resources. This allowed the researcher to analyze any data trends from students who were willing to report violent occurrences or weapons being brought to school versus those who would not. The relationship between the victim/perpetrator and the potential reporting student was a statistically significant indicator of reporting behaviors. The fear of retaliation was also a statistically significant variable in students’ willingness to report. Lastly, the knowledge of available resources at school to report and whom to report to was statistically significant in comparing the groups of students who were willing to report versus those who were not. The findings of this study allow the school district to revisit or implement its school safety plans and procedures to add emphasis to educating students and staff about the importance of reporting. A suggested recommendation from the findings would also be to increase reporting methods and opportunities for students and to have continuous education on how to report within the school
Distracted Driving Detection System
No full textIn 2020, distracted driving claimed 3,142 lives in the United States[1]. Using current technology, our project aims to prototype a device that uses computer vision to crack down on this dangerous behavior while working with insurance agencies that provide incentives for customers to adopt the device. At the heart of this project is a deep learning algorithm trained to classify images on a set of 10 classes: safe driving, texting - right, talking on the phone - right, texting - left, talking on the phone - left, operating the radio, drinking, reaching behind, hair and makeup, and talking to passenger. This algorithm is deployed onto a microcontroller, which is mounted above the passenger side window with a connected camera and power supply, taking images like the one shown above. In short, the algorithm classifies periodically taken images and determines the motorist’s safe-driving performance. The driver\u27s performance is then sent to the insurance company through a mobile application. From there, the insurance company will adjust the user’s insurance rate based on their safe driving performance. Thus, an incentive for drivers is made to adopt the product and practice safe driving more thoroughly
Antibacterial properties of Devil’s Walking Stick and Winged Sumac extracts
Get PDFMany native plants are used for the treatment of various diseases. Mainly those species in high chemical compound plant families can have antimicrobial properties. We selected two native plants in Arkansas, Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa), and Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum), and tested them for antibacterial properties. We used three gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and three gram-negative bacteria (Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens). The disc diffusion method is employed to identify any potential antibacterial properties for the two plant species. For this experiment, 6.50 g of dehydrated plant material (leaves of each plant species) was combined with 50 mL of 75% ethanol creating their respective tinctures which were processed to remove alcohol and make power samples. The antibacterial activity of the powders in sterile Milli-Q water was tested against 75% ethanol and hydrogen peroxide controls. After 24 and 48 hours of incubation at 37°C, the zones of inhibition were measured for each bacteria/plant sample combination. The plant samples were tested for inhibition of each bacterial species. We used nested ANOVA (analysis of variance) to examine the effect of different concentrations of plant samples and two different incubation times (24h and 48h) of each plant species on zones of inhibition for six different bacteria. Preliminary investigations showed antibacterial properties in the samples. This indicates that native plant species can have potential medicinal properties
A Phenomenological Examination of the Lived Experiences of African American Female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas
No full textAbstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. One of the major educational issues is the limited number of African American female superintendents in the USA and the state of Arkansas, in particular. African American women venturing into the superintendency are hindered in their goals by their double minority status as women and African Americans (Wiley et al., 2017). A qualitative, narrative research lens was used in this study to capture the individual career advancement of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. Data collection centered on personal, one-on-one interviews with African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. The primary and guiding research questions for this study were focused on the women backgrounds, experiences, and educational paths that led to their superintendent position. A series of common themes emerged from the interviews and produced a clear understanding of the path the female superintendents traveled to assume the most important decision-making role in their respective school districts. Key themes which emerged were leadership ability, leadership desire, and mentorship. Participants indicated they had developed a keen sense of self-efficacy, which led to broader goals and career advancements. In future research, it is important to analyze opportunities women have which help shape, encourage, and support other African American women moving into the role of Superintendent in the State of Arkansas.
Keywords: Superintendent, African American, women, female, leadership, and Arkansa