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A contribution to the characterization of the diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with American chestnut at the UTC Fortwood Street nursery
Get PDFEctomycorrhizas play several essential roles in the biosphere and have immeasurable implications on the ecosystems in which they exist. Much has been discovered about the relationships between ectomycorrhizal fungi and the trees with which they associate, but there is still much to learn. Due to the nature of ectomycorrhizal morphology, DNA analysis is frequently required in order to accurately identify the fungal partner. Some ectomycorrhizal fungi produce above-ground fruiting bodies that presumably contain the same DNA sequences as the fungi encapsulating corresponding plant root tips below the soil; these fruiting bodies have been frequently observed growing in nursery containers at the UTC Fortwood Street nursery. We hypothesized that DNA extracted from fruiting bodies found in these containers would match the DNA of fungi enveloping the tree’s root tips. Additionally, we hypothesized that the variety of sequences produced by ectomycorrhizal root tips may display a greater diversity of mycorrhizal fungi than is represented by hypergeous fruiting bodies alone. In the course of this thesis, genomic DNA was extracted from mycorrhizal American chestnut root tips and fruiting bodies found in nursery containers at the Fortwood Street nursery; the DNA underwent PCR and was purified prior to sequencing and BLAST alignment. However, due to complications in the preparation of DNA for sequencing and the finite timeframe provided, the results of this project are limited. An ITS sequence from one fruiting body was successfully amplified and sequenced; the identity of this sporocarp was determined to be the obligate ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma hiemale s.l
Who\u27s writing what we read: authorship in criminological research
Get PDFThis thesis seeks to evaluate and identify authorship trends within criminological journals based on presumed gender and current institutional affiliation from four major criminal justice and criminological (CCJ) journals from 2014 through 2019. A content analysis was conducted on articles from these journals in order to determine the author gender and affiliation. Findings indicate that a vast majority of authors are housed in universities. Moreover, the gender of first authors significantly varied by journal type, with a majority of first authors in Criminology and Critical Criminology being male. In contrast, gender of first authors in Race & Justice was equally distributed, while an overwhelming portion of first authors in Feminist Criminology were female. Additionally, gender of author teams varied significantly across all journals, with the largest percentage of all male teams being published in Critical Criminology, and the largest percentage of all female teams published in Feminist Criminology. Other significant findings regarding gender authorship in CCJ journals are discussed
Support from below and above: The impact of perceived subordinate support, leader-member exchange, and perceived supervisor support on supervisor attitudes
Get PDFExisting research indicates that perceived support is positively related to job performance and can influence perceptions of support by those with whom they interact. While there is a large body of research examining employees’ perceived support from their supervisors (i.e., perceived supervisor support: PSS) and the organization (i.e., perceived organizational support: POS), little research has examined the impact of supervisors’ perceptions of support from their subordinates. The present study evaluates the relationship between Perceived Subordinate Support (PSubS) and organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions, and the moderating impact of PSS and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) on these relationships. Data were collected from adults in supervisory positions (n = 43) and analyzed using correlational and multi-regression techniques. Results suggest that, although there are significant correlations between perceived support from subordinates (PSubS) and organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions, supervisor’s felt support from above (PSS and LMX) did not moderate these relationships
In support of natural history digitization: assistive tools for the mobilization of biodiversity data
Get PDFMuch of the primary biodiversity data supporting biology and environmental science are preserved in natural history collections (NHCs). Recently, these collections began to make those data digitally available through online portals thereby improving their accessibility and usability. The processes involved in creating digital representations of these physical objects are, as of now mostly manual and labor intensive. The goal of this work is to assist NHCs in making these data available. Pursuant to this goal, three assistive tools were produced based on experiences digitizing herbaria (i.e., NHCs focusing on the kingdom Plantae). The tools produced through this effort are: (1) a labor estimation model, (2) a program to assist in the capture and refinement of herbarium specimen images, and (3) a pair of programs which when used while collecting new specimens circumvents the most labor intensive step in the process of digitization
Envisioning success: a naturalistic investigation into prospective memory performance, reminder use, and memory strategies in an academic context
Get PDFProspective memory encompasses the ability to remember to carry out future intentions. Prospective memory performance is essential for students. College students are expected to remember and complete a variety of assignments on a daily basis. In these naturalistic experiments taking place before and after COVID-19, college students were required to set academic goals for themselves for three consecutive days following specific guidelines. Each day, the participant identified a time specific academic goal and a non-time specific academic goal. Participants were randomizing assigned experimental or control condition. The experimental group performed an episodic future thinking exercise during encoding. Additionally, each time students submitted a goal, they also identified how they remembered to complete the goal, either with internal or external reminders. Results showed no significant correlation between episodic future thinking and academic goal performance. However, in both experiments a significant correlation was observed between external reminder use and academic goal completion. Moreover, participants in both experiments completed more non-time specific tasks than time-specific tasks and reported use of both external reminders and internal reminders. Thus, these experiments are suitable for providing evidence for the benefits of cognitive offloading for academic success. They also open a discussion for the effect of modality change on academic goal performance
It’s Not All About the Healthy Sibling: Sibling Relationships from the Perspective of Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis
Get PDFResearch on sibling relationships of chronically ill children has mostly focused on the healthy sibling. This study presents data on the quality of sibling relationships from the perspective of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). Participants (N =75, aged 10-18) with CF from German-speaking countries completed the “Students Life Satisfaction Scale” (SLSS) and the “Questions on Life Satisfaction for Adolescents and Adults with Cystic Fibrosis” (FLZM-CF). Participants who had one sibling (n = 50) were additionally given the “Sibling Relationship Questionnaire” (SRQ). SRQ scales Warmth/Closeness and Rivalry were significantly elevated compared to normative data. Most participants had a positive view of their sibling relationships. Compared to normative data life satisfaction was significantly lower. Participants with and without siblings did not differ on SLSS and FLZM-CF
Relations between Self-Efficacy and Procrastination Types in College Students
Get PDFThe relation of self-efficacy to procrastination was assessed using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995), Active Procrastination Scale (Chu & Choi, 2005), and items from the General Procrastination Scale (Lay, 1986). Each of 106 college students was assigned a self-efficacy score and multiple procrastination scores. General procrastination was negatively correlated with self-efficacy (p = .001), whereas active procrastination was positively correlated with self-efficacy (p = .02). In domains where students feel more competent, they are more likely to engage in active forms of procrastination rather than maladaptive procrastination. Relations between self-efficacy and different types of procrastination, along with potential mediating motivational factors, are discussed. Potential strategies to identify and target maladaptive procrastination in college students are proposed
Examining the Relationship between Applicant Reactions and Selection Test Performance: Is the Relationship Curvilinear?
Get PDFThere is evidence in the literature that negative reactions to employee selection procedures such as high anxiety and low motivation are related to poor performance by job applicants on a selection test (McCarthy, Van Iddekinge, Lievens, Kung, Sinar, Campion, 2013). However, to date the studies examining this relationship were correlational, meaning that no causal relationship could be established. This implies that while it is possible that negative reactions predict low test performance, it is also plausible that the reverse is true (i.e., poor performance at the early stages of a selection test leads to high anxiety and low motivation) or a third variable is responsible for the observed relationship. In addition, there is evidence that the relationship between stress and performance is not linear but in the shape of an inverse U (Muse, Harris, & Field, 2003; Srivastava & Krishna, 1991), suggesting that extremely negative and extremely positive reactions lead to lower levels of performance while test performance is maximized at moderate levels of positive or negative reactions Accordingly, the proposed study will examine the relationship between applicant anxiety and performance on a selection test. We hypothesize that there will be a curvilinear relationship between applicant anxiety and performance that is mediated by self-regulatory processing and off-task cognition. In order to establish causality, an experimental design will be utilized such that the level of anxiety participants face during the study will be manipulated through tailored instructions designed to evoke different levels of stress. After manipulating anxiety, participants will then complete a selection test. Random assignment to these anxiety conditions and a low level of test difficulty will ensure that the level of ability and self-efficacy on the task will be controlled for. The results of this study will allow for a more robust test of the relationship between applicant anxiety during selection procedures and test performance, and hence provide theoretical and practical implications for staffing researchers and practitioners
Generating a predictive model for injury rates for a chemical manufacturing company
Get PDFWorkplace safety is not a new field of study, but the application of data analytics as a predictive tool is relatively new to the area. Beyond the obvious harm caused to workers, fatal and nonfatal injuries accrue a significant financial burden nationwide. Previous safety measures have focused largely on reactive tools. While these have done a significant job reducing nonfatal workplace injuries, they have done little to assuage fatal ones. Predictive analysis may be the next step in reducing workplace injury. By mining and processing safety-related data, predictive analysis can inform employers of high risk situations before they happen. By taking this preventative approach, employers have the chance to stop workplace incidents before their employees suffer harm. While these analyses have generally used national-level data sources and shown great success at reducing injury in some industries, such as construction, there has been little work done either in the manufacturing sector or at the company level. Using company-level data collected from a chemical manufacturing company, this team will create a predictive model for workplace incidents. Data collected from the 2017 and 2018 years will be used to train and validate a prediction model. That model will then be tested in 2019 data to determine its predictive efficiency
A new short measure of the Dark Tetrad
Get PDFThis paper proposes a research project that aims to develop a new short measure of the Dark Tetrad, which is a term used to describe the combination of the dark personality traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism. These dark personality traits are characterized by social offensive traits that are not extreme enough to garner clinical attention. There is a need for a short measure of the Dark Tetrad because 1) there is currently no short measure of the Dark Tetrad, and 2) the current short measures of the Dark Triad (which includes Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) are inconsistent with well-established measures of each Dark Triad construct. This project is an extension of another research study that already created a preliminary 107-item Dark Tetrad measure and administered this measure to a sample of 230 participants. The data collected in this study will be used to determine which items from the preliminary measure will be included in the new Short Dark Tetrad measure through a confirmatory factor analysis. After the new Short Dark Tetrad measure is created, the current study will be used to provide validity evidence for the measure through a cross-validation study. In order to accomplish this, all participants will be administered both the new Short Dark Tetrad measure and a well-established measure of a Dark Tetrad construct. Each participant will be randomly assigned to either a well-established measure of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, or sadism. Results from the well-established measures will be compared to item responses on the new Short Dark Tetrad measure in order to determine whether the new measure is truly measuring Dark Tetrad constructs. Creating a short measure of the Dark Tetrad will help researchers quickly and effectively measure these constructs in future research studies