21884 research outputs found
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Handling the Heat: Extracting RNA for Heat-Shock Gene Analysis
No full textClimate change can have a variety of negative effects on organisms, ranging from processes within cells to global distributions. A family of genes of interest are Heat shock genes, which are expressed from stresses. Our research focuses on the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the cells of developing turtle embryos during heatwave exposure because these proteins protect cell integrity, function and prevent cell death. The image depicts the first step in the quantification of HSPs where we extract RNA from cells. The bright red highlights the RNA being removed from the tube, while the background and the scientist are grey-scaled to show the science behind this research is precise, and focused—capturing a moment of careful molecular work.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1024/thumbnail.jp
Insect Communities of Today\u27s Agriculture
No full textMy research has a lot to do with insects! Insects are crucial to environmental stability and human well-being. They provide numerous ecosystem services to us directly, whether we realize it or not, and the balance of their ecological communities is very important. If there are too many problematic species and not enough beneficial predacious species controlling them, this can result in pest outbreaks and huge problems for agriculture. Genetically modified crops could have impacts on these delicate insect communities. My research involves investigating the insect community response to genetic modification of a newly modified winter cash cover crop (pennycress). Here in this picture, you see one of my insect samples and a snapshot of the community represented on this crop. I spend a lot of time collecting insects and then looking at them under a microscope and recording what I find!https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1017/thumbnail.jp
Variable Infections but no Evidence of Immune Priming in Bumble Bee Hosts Against Novel Exposure to a Honey Bee Virus
No full textOngoing global change presents novel challenges to species persistence, including heightened emerging infectious disease (EID) exposure. While invertebrates lack vertebrate acquired immunity, many species exhibit “immune priming” with enhanced protection to repeated pathogen exposures. This phenomenon could be critical for species of conservation concern, such as for wild bumble bees, where EID risk is amplified through contact with managed bee pollinators. We investigate the potential for immune priming against the honey bee-derived Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) in Bombus impatiens bumble bees. We test the hypothesis that prior pathogen-associated exposure affords greater resistance and tolerance upon secondary pathogen exposure, due to the adaptive benefits of immune plasticity. However, we find no evidence from viral infection levels or survival for either specific or general priming from low dose or inactivated virus, or synthetic viral RNA constructs. Infection levels, however, show patterns indicative of immune senescence and an intriguing bimodal distribution that warrants further investigation. Our results indicate that antiviral immune priming in bumble bees may be limited in capacity against viral spillover and utility for strategic conservation interventions. They also contribute to our growing understanding that beneficial immune priming is not a universal phenomenon across or even within invertebrate host taxa
Navigating Retail Automation: The Impact of Perceived Autonomy Support on Frontline Employee Digital Adaptive Performance
No full textAs automated technologies become increasingly embedded in retail operations, understanding the antecedents of enhancing frontline employees’ digital adaptive performance has become critical. The study examines (a) how frontline employees’ perceptions of autonomy support from supervisors enhance their motivations in enhancing digital adaptive performance in retail automation contexts, and (b) how technology anxiety moderates the influence of perceived autonomy support from supervisors on psychological motivation. Survey data from U.S. frontline retail employees (n = 305) were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings highlight the significant role of perceived autonomy support from supervisors in positively associating with all employees’ three basic psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Satisfying autonomy and competence needs are emerged as the primary psychological factors of digital adaptive performance. Employees’ psychological need for relatedness plays distinct roles in enhancing different aspects of digital adaptive performance. Interestingly, technology anxiety strengthens the relationship between perceived autonomy support from supervisors and competence needs. The study contributes a nuanced theoretical framework to retail automation literature. It sheds light on the managerial implications of fostering an organizational culture that values autonomy-supportive supervision and addresses employees’ psychological needs to enhance distinctive aspects of digital adaptive performance in retail automation. By prioritizing these factors, retailers can ensure a smooth transition in navigating retail automation
Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives on Science of Reading Mandates: A Q methodology Study of Autonomy and Cultural Responsiveness
No full textThis study examines elementary teachers’ perspectives on Science of Reading (SoR) mandates, with particular attention to tensions between instructional autonomy and cultural responsiveness. Using Q methodology, 26 elementary literacy teachers sorted 48 statements reflecting beliefs about literacy instruction, assessment, and equity. Factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 3 distinct factors, with significant loading set at ± 0.37 (p \u3c .01). The resulting factor structures reveal differentiated viewpoints regarding the perceived benefits and constraints of SoR-aligned policies. While some teachers emphasized the value of structured, skills-based instruction for supporting early reading development, others foregrounded concerns about reduced professional autonomy and the marginalization of culturally responsive and contextually grounded practices. Post-sort interviews were analyzed alongside factor arrays to support interpretation and to clarify how teachers articulated the reasoning underlying their rankings. The findings indicate that teachers’ responses to SoR mandates are not uniformly oppositional or compliant but reflect nuanced negotiations among policy expectations, professional judgment, and commitments to equity. By integrating quantitative patterning with qualitative interpretation, this study contributes methodologically to Q research in education and substantively to ongoing debates about prescriptive literacy reforms and culturally responsive teaching
A Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher Collaboration in a STEAM Professional Development Program
No full textTeacher collaboration can be a powerful but challenging practice for K-12 educators. This is particularly true in the context of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education, in which disciplines are integrated through innovative, student-centered teaching strategies. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was employed to understand the impacts of a 5-year STEAM professional development program on K-12 teachers’ collaboration efforts. Using quantitative and qualitative methods and social network analysis (SNA), the study explored the nature of STEAM collaboration and identified aspects that supported and hindered successful collaboration. Quantitative analyses demonstrated that, after participating in the program, the teachers engaged in practices to support interdisciplinary STEAM collaboration more frequently. SNA revealed changes in the size, composition, and nature of collaboration within the network each year. Over time, teachers’ collaboration networks were increasingly made up of other teachers who participated in the STEAM program, including former program participants. In the early years of the program, collaboration was characterized by informal information exchange and resource sharing. In later years, there were increasing instances of joint work and advice giving or receiving help. Qualitative data provided additional evidence of strong collaboration between teachers, with variations in collaboration year-to-year as teachers navigated changing curricular constraints, new collaborators, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly in the final years of the program, participants spoke about the benefits of collaboration on their professional wellbeing and growth, their ability to integrate subjects more deeply, and the development of a supportive network of colleagues. Across all years, teachers described challenges to STEAM collaboration, consistently noting the need for common planning time and flexible scheduling, particularly when engaging in higher levels of collaboration, such as joint work. Teachers emphasized that sustaining STEAM efforts required finding colleagues or outside collaborators who were committed to STEAM and willing to collaborate. Collaboration across disciplines enabled teachers to leverage diverse expertise and build supportive networks, making STEAM initiatives more accessible and impactful. The findings of this study point to the importance of designing collaborative professional development programs that prioritize relationship-building and long-term support, creating networks that persist even beyond formal program participation
ISU Orchestra Concerto Finals: January 29, 2025
No full textCenter for the Performing Arts
January 29th, 2025
Wednesday Evening
7:00 p.m
Guest Artist Lecture-Recital: February 26, 2025
No full textKemp Recital Hall
February 26, 2025
Wednesday Evening
7:30 p.m
ISU Clarinet Choir: March 7, 2025
No full textKemp Recital Hall
March 7, 2025
Friday Evening
6:00 p.m