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We present the complete mitochondrial genomes of the Critically Endangered whitespotted wedgefish, Rhynchobatus djiddensis (Forsskål, 1775), and bottlenose wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae (Whitley, 1939), with the R. djiddensis mitogenome documented for the first time. The genomes for R. djiddensis and R. australiae are 16,799 and 16,805 bp in length, respectively. Both comprise 13 protein-coding regions, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and a non-coding control region. All protein-coding regions consistently start with the ATG start codon; however, the alternative start codon GTG is observed at the start of the COX1 gene. NADH2, COX2, and NADH4 have incomplete stop codons: T or TA, and tRNALeu and tRNASer, have atypical codons: UAA, UGA, GCU, and UAG. The phylogenetic analysis places R. djiddensis and R. australiae within the Rhynchobatus genus, separate from other families in the order Rhinopristiformes. We also highlight the most variable gene regions to expedite future primer design, of which NADH2 was the most variable (4.5%) when taking gene length into account. These molecular resources could promote the taxonomic resolution of the whitespotted wedgefish species complex and aid in the genetic characterization of populations of these and related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored how preservice teachers engaged in collaborative inquiry with elementary students to facilitate social justice and equity in science education. By inviting elementary students as key stakeholders into collaborative inquiry, we examined how preservice teachers uncovered critical problems of science education in underserved communities and how they (re)imagined science learning environments. We also investigated how collaborative inquiry with students shaped the preservice teachers' identities as science educators. Guided by the critical ethnography and data analysis spiral, we analyzed qualitative data related to 34 preservice teachers from a US teacher preparation program embedded in clinical residencies on elementary school sites. Our findings showed that preservice teachers (1) leveraged collaborative inquiry to illuminate barriers and affordances to science learning, (2) became co-agents of change alongside elementary students, and (3) positioned themselves as science educators. We discussed the role of collaborative inquiry as a transformational pedagogical tool in teacher preparation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates if celebrity endorsement offsets the negative effect low prices have on quality perceptions. This research highlights the interactive effect between celebrity endorsement and pricing on purchases (Study 1) and shows that celebrity endorsers' level of expertise improves perceptions of low-priced offerings and increase purchases. Study 2 finds the mediated effect of price on purchase intentions via quality perceptions is moderated by endorser type such that a celebrity improves the quality perceptions of low-priced products. Study 3 shows price-quality perceptions mediate the effect of price on purchase intentions. Results suggest celebrity endorsements are effective in promoting low-priced offerings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms often make marketing missteps that offend minority consumers. Such missteps are attributed to the lack of diversity within the marketing field. This paper presents a corporate engagement program that partners minority students with a national company as an innovative approach to this problem. Leveraging both passive and active learning, students attend classes and work on original marketing plans for the company. Feedback from both students and the company suggests that both parties learned from each other, adding to the pipeline of future minority marketers while leading to a better understanding of minority consumers. The latter holds promise for the creation of effective communications that resonate with minority consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebranding is a widely utilized practice to change the image of a brand in the minds of the consumer through major or minor changes in both its positioning and aesthetics. Yet, evidence suggests it is not meaningfully covered in many marketing classes. This project provides an innovative, engaging, experiential learning opportunity that can be easily adapted for a wide array of marketing classes. Findings indicate the students' knowledge of, familiarity with, and ability to apply rebranding increase as a result of the experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm workers are at risk of heat related illness (HRI), but their work rates that contribute to HRI have not been objectively assessed. The CHIPS study collected accelerometer data and characterized the physical activity of major farm tasks. Demographic information, work characteristics, and accelerometer data were collected from 575 farm workers in California. Each participating worker contributed measurements over one work shift. An Actical accelerometer was attached securely to a belt worn at the hip. Data were collected at one-minute intervals throughout the work shift. A total of 13 major work-task categories were defined. The mean physical activity counts per minute (cpm) and percentage of the shift spent at moderate and/or vigorous levels of activity were described for each task. Multiple linear regression models were constructed to determine the worker and environmental characteristics contributing to the physical activity level. Mean levels of physical activity ranged from 700 cpm (workers who carry produce) to a low of 150 cpm "ground pruners" who tend low-level plants, with an overall mean of 345 cpm or "light" activity (2 to ≤3 metabolic equivalents). The environmental temperature was the major factor associated with physical activity. A 10°C increase in the median temperature reduced the mean cpm by 135 (95% CI = 87, 193). Age and the tasks of sorting, ground pruning, and harvesting low-level crops were also negatively and independently associated with mean cpm. Incentivized (piece rate) pay, multi-task work, and irrigator work were positively associated with cpm. An interaction was found between piece rate and sex. Men's activity significantly increased (p < 0.001) by a mean of 95 cpm, (95% CI = 38.3, 150.7) if they were paid by the piece, but there was a non-significant association with women's activity level. Workers conducting multiple tasks, irrigators, men, and those earning incentivized (piece rate) pay had higher adjusted mean physical activity levels and are likely at increased risk of heat-related illness on hot days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While current Spanish dual-language immersion (DLI) programme models frequently promote strict adherence to structured Spanish and English times, we present an alternative approach, which frames children as language acquirers rather than as language learners. The approach, situated within a Spanish, DLI preschool, framed with a Reggio-inspired, developmentally appropriate framework for early childhood, counters deficit notions of emergent bilinguals, validates and affirms linguistic and cultural diversity, and provides spaces for young children to translanguage as they acquire first and second languages. In this study, we document the ways in which language is used in the space and how a first-year teacher’s reflective practice evolves as she navigates pedagogical and identity shifts throughout her first year of implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: There is no shortage of information on the potential consequences of consuming mephedrone. However, these assessments relate primarily to the physical and psychological effects of the drug. Less attention is paid to the social harms to the user or broader society. The aim of this paper is to investigate the physical, psychological and social harms and benefits of mephedrone use as perceived by users and practitioners.Methods: The findings reported here are based on: (1) semi-structured interviews with 12 mephedrone users and (2) semi-structured interviews with 20 practitioners.Findings: The most common perceived benefits of mephedrone consumption were the intensity of the “high”, feelings of happiness, enhanced confidence and its ability to suppress negative feelings associated with a range of problems. Its social benefits mainly concerned enhancing social skills (e.g. enabling conversation) and helping to make friends. The most frequently mentioned harms were physical disorders, such as the negative effects of snorting on nose tissues and injecting on the skin and veins, as well as psychological harms, such as depression, paranoia, hallucinations and sleep disorders. The main social problems were the effects of mephedrone use on family life, employment, finances and involvement in acquisitive and violent crime.Conclusions: Future research should continue to explore the full range of positive and negative effects of mephedrone use on users and those close to them to establish a solid evidence base from which to inform treatment and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Teacher inquiry holds promise in teacher education, but only if student teachers take up inquiry practices as they leave preservice and transition to teaching. As they learn to conduct inquiry during preservice, student teachers may begin to internalize dispositions that promote ongoing inquiry experiences. Through analysis of questionnaires conducted at preservice and inservice, and through a focus group discussion, the authors sought to understand how teachers who had experienced one scaffolded, student-focused, and data-based preservice teacher inquiry model conceptualized the relationship between teaching and inquiry. Analyses revealed that teachers’ conceptions cast inquiry overall as a tight fit with teaching in three ways: by fostering a focus on students, by generating metacognitive knowledge about inquiry as a useful classroom process, and by deepening teacher knowledge about ways to respond thoughtfully to diagnosed student need. Analyses suggest program model elements may have seeded these conceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From 1941 to 1944, MI5 faced determined attempts to penetrate Allied Air Forces using trained pilot agents recruited by German Military Intelligence (Abwehr). The mission of these pilot agents was to gather military intelligence and to return to German held territory. This pattern of targeting Allied Air Forces has not been recognized by historians. This article examines MI5's responses to the threat using recently released files in the National Archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is little known about illegal drug taking among students in further and higher education in the UK. As a result, some of the most fundamental questions about use of illegal drugs among students remain unanswered. The current research aims to answer some of these questions by examining drug use behavior among a national sample of full-time college and university students. Methods: The data used for the analysis came from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) 2010-2011. The CSEW is a national general household survey of young people and adults. A random sample of ∼26 000 students and non-students was asked questions on drug misuse. Results: Students were 4.3 times more likely than non-students to have consumed ketamine in the last 12 months. Students who frequently visited clubs were 3.4 times more likely to take drugs than those who reported less frequent night-time activities. Conclusion: Drug use among students has been a neglected topic area in the research literature in UK. The current research shows that students might be particularly at risk of drug use as a result of features relating to university lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compilation of magnetocaloric properties of metallic nanostructures with Curie temperature (TC) between 260 and 340 K has been tabulated. The tabulated data show that nanostructure plays an important role in enhancing the magnetocaloric properties of a material, namely by reducing the peak of magnetic entropy, but broadening of the magnetocaloric effect curve with an average of 10 K sliding window for Curie temperature. A second table lists all bulk metallic and intermetallic materials, in which there is no nanostructural data, with an entropy change of at least 20 J/kg K and a Curie temperature between 260 and 340 K. We propose that further experiments should be made on the nanostructured form of these materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite California’s dependence on hired farm labor, scarce research has been conducted on the respiratory health of hired farm workers. Agricultural exposures to inorganic and organic dusts can adversely affect an individual’s respiratory health and differ by farm type and job task. The purpose of the present analysis was to examine associations between agricultural work exposures and pulmonary function among 450 California farm workers. Data were collected as part of the Mexican Immigration to California: Agricultural Safety and Acculturation (MICASA) study, a prospective cohort study examining occupational risk factors and health of hired farm worker families in Mendota, California. Time-weighted self-reported average (TWSRA) dust scores were calculated from assessments of past-12-month agricultural work history. Other dust exposure indicator variables included months worked in agriculture in the past 12 months and years worked in agriculture. Multiple linear regression modeled FEV1(forced expiratory volume in 1 second), FEF25–75%(forced midexpiratory flow rate), FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV6, FEV1/FVC, and FEV1/FEV6separately. Seventy-six percent of participants had worked in agriculture in the past year. In models conducted for crops and tasks separately, high TWSRA dust score was associated with better FEV6. Crop and task models showed associations between greater months worked in agriculture in the past year and better FEV1, FEF25–75%, and FEV6. Both models also found greater years worked in agriculture to be associated with worse FEV1/FEV6. Results were generally in the opposite direction as expected given past research but not uncommon. Future research should investigate relationships between pulmonary function and agricultural dust exposure over a lifetime and changes in pulmonary function over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the processes of displacement and dislocation for the aircrew that came together in 1940–42 to form the Forces aériennes françaises libres (FAFL). It uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine the background and motivations of the men of the FAFL. It also seeks to utilise current understandings about the French right in examining the political impulses of Free French pilots. The article concludes with some suggestions about the long term significance on French life of the displacements and dislocations of 1940–42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prescription drug misuse is associated with various problems relating to physical health, psychological disorders, social relationships, as well as broader societal and economic problems. Research in the United States has shown that university students are a high-risk group for involvement in prescription drug misuse. There has been almost no research on prescription drug misuse among university students outside of the United States. Methods: The study was based on an online survey of students currently registered at a university in north Wales. Respondents completed a structured questionnaire covering topics relating to the characteristics and consequences of prescription drug misuse. The analysis was based on those students reporting prescription drug misuse. Results: The most common medications misused were prescribed pain relievers, tranquillisers and sedatives. The main motives for misuse were to obtain the therapeutic benefits of the drug, recreational purposes and mood enhancement. The main problems associated with prescription drug misuse were addiction, physiological and psychological disorders and relationships. Conclusion: The study revealed a wide range of problems experienced by students who misuse prescription drugs. More could be done to tackle prescription drug misuse among students through campus-based drug prevention programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing is central to academic development, permeates content area coursework and serves as both a vehicle for and a display of learning. For English learners (ELs), writing poses challenges, and teachers need preparation in how to understand and respond to these. This study reports 5 teacher inquiry processes that preservice teachers in one teacher education program used to learn more about their ELs and their writing performances, strengths, learning, preferences, and needs. The inquiry processes provided opportunities to develop knowledge of content and students (Ball, Thames, & Phelps, 2008), a key subdomain of the knowledge base of effective teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial dynamics and home range sizes of early juvenile white steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus Cuvier, 1829) in the permanently open Great Fish Estuary, South Africa, were assessed using acoustic telemetry. Seven individuals (154-184 mm fork length) tagged with acoustic transmitters spent the majority of their time in the mesohaline to oligohaline regions of the estuary, between five and seven kilometres from the mouth. Mean home range size was small (97 399 ± 22 557 m² mean ± S.D.) relative to the size of the estuary (approx. 1 360 000 m2). Mean length of the estuary used by an individual was 1707 m (± S.D. = 1663 m). The fish were highly resident within the estuary, and showed fidelity towards their site of capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standardised sampling protocols for monitoring fish stocks are essential to assess changes in stock status and provide a means to evaluate the effectiveness of fisheries management measures, such as marine protected areas (MPAs). This study aimed to optimise two standard sampling methods, namely underwater visual census (UVC) and controlled angling, for assessing subtidal reef fish communities. In terms of efficiency, variability and bias, UVC transects were found to be superior to point counts. For controlled angling, an effort of two angler-hours per fishing station provided low catch variability, high catch per unit effort and a representative catch. Whereas UVC provided less variable estimates of relative density, controlled angling provided greater sampling efficiency. It is thus recommended that the two methods be used in conjunction. The optimal sampling protocols identified are suitable for rapid assessments or long-term monitoring of subtidal, temperate reef fish communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical house officers are at increased risk for stress related symptoms leading to professional burnout. Aims: Measure burnout in house officers and establish whether utilization of a psychotherapeutic tool individually by physicians reduces symptoms characteristic of burnout. Method: Two groups of pediatric house officers at the University of California Davis Health System completed a Maslach Burnout Survey (MBS) at the beginning and end of a three-month period in 2003. An Intervention group (7 of 15 enrolled) was trained in the use of a self-administered psychotherapeutic tool. Outcome Measures were MBS scores and a qualitative interview of intervention group members. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups, prior to the study or over time. Qualitative interviews revealed that subjects experience stressors in relation to their professional activities, but already utilize some elements of the tool and were too busy to implement the entire tool systematically. Conclusions: Pediatric trainees did not seem to manifest burnout symptoms based upon the MBS; interviews suggested that some do experience significant stress, although manifestations and responses were varied, some may be at risk. Methods identifying individuals at risk for burnout, and interventions to cope with stress may be valuable to their training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article likens Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal wildlife approaches to two “tool boxes.” Drawing on examples of Australian land and wildlife management issues, the authors explore similarities and differences between the two cultures in wildlife management goals, authority sources, views on appropriate uses, knowledge transfer and knowledge bases, and management techniques applied. Examples discussed include use of fire in northern Australia and central Australian Aboriginal responses to wildlife re-introduction programs. These and other examples illustrate differences and similarities between the two cultural approaches, and highlight convergences or compromises that show the cultural “divide” can be crossed. In concluding, the article argues that western wildlife managers need to be aware of the cultural history of places that support wildlife populations of interest; to involve traditional indigenous custodians of these places; and to adopt de-centralized decision-making processes that give the appropriate indigenous people a real say in managing land and wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study that combined zooplankton abundance and size estimates to describe community dynamics at Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. Comparison between the zooplankton community along vertical and horizontal gradients; Methodologies of the study; Results of the study.

The sediment at the interface immediately beneath the water column is distinct from deeper-lying sediments in its properties and, at least quantitatively, in the processes driving diagenesis. Progress in understanding the sediment-water interface can be based on consideration of fundamentals of biogeochemical particle / fluid interactions and on application of certain biological techniques especially suited to this challenging portion of the sediment column. This article reports results achieved by combining theoretical fundamentals and specialized experimental techniques in the study of the interface from selected depositional environments. For fine-grained and sandy deposits from fresh-water to coastal marine environments, the interface is characterized by exaggerated microrelief, great porosity, and significant biological alteration. Additional application of this research approach is poised to further our understanding of engineering, and acoustic and xenochemical responses of sedimentary materials, with special emphasis on the influence of the bio-organic phase of the interface upon its fabric and physical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the use of infiltration with local anaesthetics levobupivacaine and bupivacaine, during inguinal hernia repair. Design: Double-blind, randomised study. Setting: Postgraduate medical school, United Kingdom. Subjects: 69 male patients aged 18 years or older. Interventions: Wound infiltration with 0.25% levobupivacaine and 0.25% racemic bupivacaine. Main outcome measures: Area under the curve (AUC) of visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for postoperative pain at rest in the supine position, rising from the supine to the sitting position, and walking, against time for both treatment groups. Results: There were no significant differences between treatment groups for the AUC of VAS scores for postoperative pain, global verbal pain rating or time to first dose of analgesic medication. Conclusions: Levobupivacaine exerts a similar anaesthetic and analgesic effect to racemic bupivacaine when infiltrated both intraoperatively and during the early postoperative period for elective inguinal hernia repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measures and evaluates the premarital sexual standards of a sample of adolescents residing in a small Mississippi community. On the basis of their response patterns to a set of Guttman scale items, the students were classified into three standards: abstinence, double standard, and the single standard of permissiveness. A racial comparison of the Mississippi sample with Reiss' Virginia student sample revealed striking similarities with one exception—a significantly higher proportion of Mississippi whites endorsed permissiveness without affection. The Mississippi data, however, failed to give strong support to the presumed prevalence of the double standard. Moreover, several social factors examined appeared to influence the standards of whites and females to a greater extent than those of Negroes and males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]