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Mindfulness witnessed a substantial popularity surge in the past decade, especially as digitally self-administered interventions became available at relatively low costs. Yet, it is uncertain whether they effectively help reduce stress. In a preregistered (OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UF4JZ ; retrospective registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06308744 ) multi-site study (nsites = 37, nparticipants = 2,239, 70.4% women, Mage = 22.4, s.d.age = 10.1, all fluent English speakers), we experimentally tested whether four single, standalone mindfulness exercises effectively reduced stress, using Bayesian mixed-effects models. All exercises proved to be more efficacious than the active control. We observed a mean difference of 0.27 (d = -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -0.43 to -0.69) between the control condition (M = 1.95, s.d. = 0.50) and the condition with the largest stress reduction (body scan: M = 1.68, s.d. = 0.46). Our findings suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial for reducing self-reported short-term stress for English speakers from higher-income countries.

The growth of Utah's dual language immersion (DLI) program has led to situations where student and mentor teachers teach in settings far different from their home countries' schools, while supervisors observe lessons in unfamiliar languages. This study examined critical incidents in a cross-cultural student teaching experience consisting of a student teacher teaching in a Chinese DLI classroom and supported by a Chinese mentor and a non-Chinese speaking university supervisor. We collected and analyzed audio from dyad meetings, from a triad meeting, and also audio from one-on-one interviews. Our findings raise questions about differences in how teaching is discussed between triad members, as well as whether such student teaching arrangements inhibit student teacher growth due to language or cultural barriers.

The purpose of this study is to examine the professional development (PD) needs of Chinese dual language immersion program (DLI) educators, particularly the PD supports these teachers receive. This instrumental case study examined the professional learning of four Chinese language DLI teachers through semi-structured interviews and observations of classroom teaching and PD trainings. Findings suggest the Utah DLI model indelibly shapes teachers' work and learning as teachers. Chinese DLI teachers also identify needs that are particular to their teaching role like adapting/translating resources; however, the findings also confirm other scholarship indicating Chinese DLI teachers' particular needs are not well supported. PD received by participants was general in nature, rather than differentiated for Chinese DLI teachers' needs.

The purpose of this study was to create a third space between a teacher educator and an undergraduate student to explore teaching experiences while in high school within non-formal education (NFE) programs in which we participated. We developed a series of five prompts that we responded to individually, meeting via Zoom to discuss our experiences and teacher learning. Our collaborative and iterative analysis revealed four categories related to our non-formal education teaching experiences:(1) how teacher learning was impacted by particular contexts in which it took place; (2) how our experiences revealed different and broader notions of teaching than we observed in our formal education experiences; (3) how certain contradictions shaped, and perhaps inhibited, our learning as teachers; and (4) what we learned from the teaching we did in NFE programs. Our findings depict how young people in recent years may accrue experiences teaching infrequently accounted for in previous scholarship.

Plate tectonics is a fundamental factor in the sustained habitability of Earth, but its time of onset is unknown, with ages ranging from the Hadaean to Proterozoic eons1-3. Plate motion is a key diagnostic to distinguish between plate and stagnant-lid tectonics, but palaeomagnetic tests have been thwarted because the planet's oldest extant rocks have been metamorphosed and/or deformed4. Herein, we report palaeointensity data from Hadaean-age to Mesoarchaean-age single detrital zircons bearing primary magnetite inclusions from the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa5. These reveal a pattern of palaeointensities from the Eoarchaean (about 3.9 billion years ago (Ga)) to Mesoarchaean (about 3.3 Ga) eras that is nearly identical to that defined by primary magnetizations from the Jack Hills (JH; Western Australia)6,7, further demonstrating the recording fidelity of select detrital zircons. Moreover, palaeofield values are nearly constant between about 3.9 Ga and about 3.4 Ga. This indicates unvarying latitudes, an observation distinct from plate tectonics of the past 600 million years (Myr) but predicted by stagnant-lid convection. If life originated by the Eoarchaean8, and persisted to the occurrence of stromatolites half a billion years later9, it did so when Earth was in a stagnant-lid regime, without plate-tectonics-driven geochemical cycling.

Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a cross-cultural, empirical framework for exploring what world (i.e., "foreign") language educators can do to support the satisfaction of their learners' basic psychological needs and, in turn, their autonomous motivation and well-being. Despite this, the identification of approaches to world language pedagogy and curriculum development that are supportive of learners' simultaneous and interdependent--rather than individual and isolated--basic needs satisfaction has been limited. To this end, this study sought to examine the characteristics of postsecondary world language learning environments that were supportive of the balanced, simultaneous satisfactions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as beneficence, a candidate need. Participants in the study included thirteen undergraduate world language learners at a large public university in the United States. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed through a qualitative approach involving multiple rounds of deductive coding and two stages of inductive thematic analysis. Results of the analysis identified six themes representing the characteristics of world language learning environments that students perceived to support their autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence. Further, the analysis identified textual evidence for the interdependent satisfaction of students' basic psychological needs via the multidirectional influences of each need on the others. Recommendations for world language teachers and implications for theory and methodology are discussed.

Teacher education has increasingly situated social justice as a critical outcome in their programs. One resource, the Social Justice Standards (SJS), has been identified as a guiding tool for supporting pre-service teachers (PSTs) to plan for and enact social justice-oriented practices in their teaching. Situated in the context of a rural teacher education program at a predominately White institution (PWI) in Texas, this qualitative study explored the perceived successes, struggles, and future considerations of five pre-service and in-service teachers in using the SJS. Findings illustrate students' varied conceptualizations of social justice and their mixed feelings of confidence, anxiety, fear, and unpreparedness to actualize it in their future teaching.

Most of the described species in kingdom Fungi are contained in two phyla, the Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota (subkingdom Dikarya). As a result, our understanding of the biology of the kingdom is heavily influenced by traits observed in Dikarya, such as aerial spore dispersal and life cycles dominated by mitosis of haploid nuclei. We now appreciate that Fungi comprises numerous phylum-level lineages in addition to those of Dikarya, but the phylogeny and genetic characteristics of most of these lineages are poorly understood due to limited genome sampling. Here, we addressed major evolutionary trends in the non-Dikarya fungi by phylogenomic analysis of 69 newly generated draft genome sequences of the zoosporic (flagellated) lineages of true fungi. Our phylogeny indicated five lineages of zoosporic fungi and placed Blastocladiomycota, which has an alternation of haploid and diploid generations, as branching closer to the Dikarya than to the Chytridiomyceta. Our estimates of heterozygosity based on genome sequence data indicate that the zoosporic lineages plus the Zoopagomycota are frequently characterized by diploid-dominant life cycles. We mapped additional traits, such as ancestral cell-cycle regulators, cell-membrane- and cell-wall-associated genes, and the use of the amino acid selenocysteine on the phylogeny and found that these ancestral traits that are shared with Metazoa have been subject to extensive parallel loss across zoosporic lineages. Together, our results indicate a gradual transition in the genetics and cell biology of fungi from their ancestor and caution against assuming that traits measured in Dikarya are typical of other fungal lineages.

Introduction: Patients with pyogenic spinal Infection (PSI) are often not diagnosed at their initial presentation, and diagnostic delay is associated with increased morbidity and medical-legal risk. We derived a decision tool to estimate the risk of spinal infection and inform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) decisions. Methods: We conducted a two-part prospective observational cohort study that collected variables from spine pain patients over a six-year derivation phase. We fit a multivariable regression model with logistic coefficients rounded to the nearest integer and used them for variable weighting in the final risk score. This score, SIRCH (spine infection risk calculation heuristic), uses four clinical variables to predict PSI. We calculated the statistical performance, MRI utilization, and model fit in the derivation phase. In the second phase we used the same protocol but enrolled only confirmed cases of spinal infection to assess the sensitivity of our prediction tool. Results: In the derivation phase, we evaluated 134 non-PSI and 40 PSI patients; median age in years was 55.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 38-70 and 51.5 (42-59), respectively. We identified four predictors for our risk score: historical risk factors; fever; progressive neurological deficit; and C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥ 50 milligrams per liter (mg/L). At a threshold SIRCH score of ≥ 3, the predictive model’s sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were, respectively, as follows: 100% (95% confidence interval [CI], 100-100%); 56% (95% CI, 48-64%), and 40% (95% CI, 36-46%). The area under the receiver operator curve was 0.877 (95% CI, 0.829-0.925). The SIRCH score at a threshold of ≥ 3 would prompt significantly fewer MRIs compared to using an elevated CRP (only 99/174 MRIs compared to 144/174 MRIs, P

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-determination theory (SDT) relationship between basic needs satisfaction and intrinsic motivation within the context of American high school (secondary) foreign language learners. Participants were 156 American high school students studying Spanish, French, or German as a foreign language. Participants completed a survey in which they described a personally satisfying or unsatisfying learning experience from their foreign language class and indicated their levels of intrinsic motivation and autonomy, competence, and relatedness fulfillment for that experience. Results demonstrated that the combination of the three basic psychological needs significantly predicted students' levels of intrinsic motivation for the in-class language learning experience they described, in which autonomy satisfaction was the strongest predictor of intrinsic motivation. Themes from the participants' qualitative responses and recommendations for need-supportive instruction are discussed.

Determining the age of the geomagnetic field is of paramount importance for understanding the evolution of the planet because the field shields the atmosphere from erosion by the solar wind. The absence or presence of the geomagnetic field also provides a unique gauge of early core conditions. Evidence for a geomagnetic field 4.2 billion-year (Gy) old, just a few hundred million years after the lunar-forming giant impact, has come from paleomagnetic analyses of zircons of the Jack Hills (Western Australia). Herein, we provide new paleomagnetic and electron microscope analyses that attest to the presence of a primary magnetic remanence carried by magnetite in these zircons and new geochemical data indicating that select Hadean zircons have escaped magnetic resetting since their formation. New paleointensity and Pb-Pb radiometric age data from additional zircons meeting robust selection criteria provide further evidence for the fidelity of the magnetic record and suggest a period of high geomagnetic field strength at 4.1 to 4.0 billion years ago (Ga) that may represent efficient convection related to chemical precipitation in Earth's Hadean liquid iron core.

Entomopathogenic fungi routinely kill their hosts before releasing infectious spores, but a few species keep insects alive while sporulating, which enhances dispersal. Transcriptomics- and metabolomics-based studies of entomopathogens with post-mortem dissemination from their parasitized hosts have unraveled infection processes and host responses. However, the mechanisms underlying active spore transmission by Entomophthoralean fungi in living insects remain elusive. Here we report the discovery, through metabolomics, of the plant-associated amphetamine, cathinone, in four Massospora cicadina-infected periodical cicada populations, and the mushroom-associated tryptamine, psilocybin, in annual cicadas infected with Massospora platypediae or Massospora levispora, which likely represent a single fungal species. The absence of some fungal enzymes necessary for cathinone and psilocybin biosynthesis along with the inability to detect intermediate metabolites or gene orthologs are consistent with possibly novel biosynthesis pathways in Massospora. The neurogenic activities of these compounds suggest the extended phenotype of Massospora that modifies cicada behavior to maximize dissemination is chemically-induced.

Advancement of the scientific enterprise relies on individuals conducting research in an ethical and responsible manner. Educating emergent scholars in the principles of ethics/responsible conduct of research (E/RCR) is therefore critical to ensuring such advancement. The recent impetus to include authentic research opportunities as part of the undergraduate curriculum, via course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), has been shown to increase cognitive and noncognitive student outcomes. Because of these important benefits, CUREs are becoming more common and often constitute the first research experience for many students. However, despite the importance of E/RCR in the research process, we know of few efforts to incorporate E/RCR education into CUREs. The Ethics Network for Course-based Opportunities in Undergraduate Research (ENCOUR) was created to address this concern and promote the integration of E/RCR within CUREs in the biological sciences and related disciplines. During the inaugural ENCOUR meeting, a four-pronged approach was used to develop guidelines for the effective integration of E/RCR in CUREs. This approach included: 1) defining appropriate student learning objectives; 2) identifying relevant curriculum; 3) identifying relevant assessments; and 4) defining key aspects of professional development for CURE facilitators. Meeting outcomes, including the aforementioned E/RCR guidelines, are described herein.

Previous genome-scale phylogenetic analyses of Fungi have under sampled taxa from Zoopagales; this order contains many predacious or parasitic genera, and most have never been grown in pure culture. We sequenced the genomes of 4 zoopagalean taxa that are predators of amoebae, nematodes, or rotifers and the genome of one taxon that is a parasite of amoebae using single cell sequencing methods with whole genome amplification. Each genome was a metagenome, which was assembled and binned using multiple techniques to identify the target genomes. We inferred phylogenies with both super matrix and coalescent approaches using 192 conserved proteins mined from the target genomes and performed ancestral state reconstructions to determine the ancestral trophic lifestyle of the clade. Our results indicate that Zoopagales is monophyletic. Ancestral state reconstructions provide moderate support for mycoparasitism being the ancestral state of the clade.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a complication of blood product transfusion characterized by respiratory distress with bilateral lung infiltrates and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema developing within six hours of transfusion. TRALI is believed to result from an immunological response to transfused blood products. TRALI is a clinical diagnosis that requires the exclusion of other etiologies of pulmonary edema and acute lung injury. Here we report a case of a female who presented to the emergency department in acute respiratory distress two days after receiving a transfusion of packed red blood cells for post-operative anemia following a hysterectomy.

Entomopathogenic fungi routinely kill their hosts before releasing infectious spores, but select species keep insects alive while sporulating, which enhances dispersal. Transcriptomics and metabolomics studies of entomopathogens with post-mortem dissemination from their parasitized hosts have unraveled infection processes and host responses, yet mechanisms underlying active spore transmission by Entomophthoralean fungi in living insects remain elusive. Here we report the discovery, through metabolomics, of the plant-associated amphetamine, cathinone, in four Massospora cicadina -infected periodical cicada populations, and the mushroom-associated tryptamine, psilocybin, in annual cicadas infected with Massospora platypediae or Massospora levispora , which appear to represent a single fungal species. The absence of some fungal enzymes necessary for cathinone and psilocybin biosynthesis along with the inability to detect intermediate metabolites or gene orthologs are consistent with possibly novel biosynthesis pathways in Massospora . The neurogenic activities of these compounds suggest the extended phenotype of Massospora that modifies cicada behavior to maximize dissemination is chemically-induced.

By definition, mating between individuals is infrequent in highly selfing organisms, and so too, therefore, hybridization should be rare between genetically divergent lineages in predominantly self-fertilizing species. Notwithstanding these expectations, here we report a remarkable case of natural hybridization between highly diverged phylogeographic lineages of the mangrove rivulus, a small killifish that reproduces predominantly by self-fertilization and typically is found as highly homozygous lines in most parts of its extensive geographical range. Two distinctive genetic lineages (Kryptolebias marmoratus and a 'Central clade' closely related to K. hermaphroditus) previously were not known in sympatry, but were found by us to co-occur on San Salvador, Bahamas. Genetic analyses of a mitochondrial and multiple nuclear markers determined the direction of a cross producing a hybrid fish. Furthermore, we show that this hybrid individual was viable, as it successfully reproduced by self-fertilization for two generations. Additional sampling of this population will be necessary to determine if backcrossing of hybrids to the parental lineages occurs in nature and to analyse whether such backcross progeny are viable. Application of the biological species concept (BSC) is traditionally difficult in clonally reproducing organisms. Our results show that although mangrove rivulus fish are mostly highly selfing in nature (resulting in isogenic, effectively clonal and homozygous progeny), classification within this taxonomic complex need not be incompatible with the BSC.

Deterministic forecasts for the next geomagnetic reversal are not feasible due to large uncertainties in the present-day state of the Earth's core. A more practical approach relies on probabilistic assessments using paleomagnetic observations to characterize the amplitude of fluctuations in the geomagnetic dipole. We use paleomagnetic observations for the past 2 Myr to construct a stochastic model for the axial dipole field and apply well-established methods to evaluate the probability of the next geomagnetic reversal as a function of time. For a present-day axial dipole moment of 7.6 × 1022 A m2, the probability of the dipole entering a reversed state is less than 2% after 20 kyr. This probability rises to 11% after 50 kyr. An imminent geomagnetic reversal is not supported by paleomagnetic observations. The current rate of decline in the dipole moment is unusual but within the natural variability predicted by the stochastic model.

Entomopathogenic fungi routinely kill their hosts before releasing infectious spores, but select species keep insects alive while sporulating, which enhances dispersal. Transcriptomics and metabolomics studies of entomopathogens with post-mortem dissemination from their parasitized hosts have unraveled infection processes and host responses, yet mechanisms underlying active spore transmission by Entomophthoralean fungi in living insects remain elusive. Here we report the discovery, through metabolomics, of the plant-associated amphetamine, cathinone, in four Massospora cicadina -infected periodical cicada populations, and the mushroom-associated tryptamine, psilocybin, in annual cicadas infected with Massospora platypediae or Massospora levispora , which appear to represent a single fungal species. The absence of some fungal enzymes necessary for cathinone and psilocybin biosynthesis along with the inability to detect intermediate metabolites or gene orthologs are consistent with possibly novel biosynthesis pathways in Massospora . The neurogenic activities of these compounds suggest the extended phenotype of Massospora that modifies cicada behavior to maximize dissemination is chemically-induced.

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the impact and effectiveness of developmental relationships provided through academic intervention programs at a medium-size master's level public university in the Northeastern United States. The programs' curriculum follows the Model of Strategic Learning's four pillars of learning and is administered to students with diverse interventional needs. This paper presents a brief review of the literature about effective developmental relationship programs (mentoring and coaching) in higher education. Then, Ordinary Least Squares regressions, as well as paired samples t-tests, are used to test the impact of programs offered through developmental relationships to students with varying academic deficiencies. The immediate, as well as longer-term, impact and sustainability of students' enhanced performance is statistically examined. The paper concludes that students who fully take advantage of developmental relationships benefit the most and sustain their higher level of performance beyond the immediate post one-time intervention period. However, in the absence of additional intervention, the academic performance gains seem to subside and flatten out.

Advancement of the scientific enterprise relies on individuals conducting research in anethical and responsible manner. Educating emergent scholars in the principles of ethics/responsible conduct of research (E/RCR) is therefore critical to ensuring such advancement. The recent impetus to include authentic research opportunities as part of the undergraduate curriculum, via course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), hasbeen shown to increase cognitive and noncognitive student outcomes. Because of theseimportant benefits, CUREs are becoming more common and often constitute the first research experience for many students. However, despite the importance of E/RCR in theresearch process, we know of few efforts to incorporate E/RCR education into CUREs. TheEthics Network for Course-based Opportunities in Undergraduate Research (ENCOUR)was created to address this concern and promote the integration of E/RCR within CUREsin the biological sciences and related disciplines. During the inaugural ENCOUR meeting, afour-pronged approach was used to develop guidelines for the effective integration of E/RCR in CUREs. This approach included: 1) defining appropriate student learning objectives;2) identifying relevant curriculum; 3) identifying relevant assessments; and 4) defining keyaspects of professional development for CURE facilitators. Meeting outcomes, includingthe aforementioned E/RCR guidelines, are described herein.

Recent studies have shown that sorting tasks are a useful tool both for measuring and aiding student learning as well as facilitating the transfer of knowledge to novel contexts. These tasks require students to categorize scenarios or information in new ways that facilitate connection making and deeper understanding. As such, sorting tasks represent one of many potentially useful preclass activities to prepare students for engaging in active learning classrooms. Yet there are few studies to inform their implementation, particularly in undergraduate STEM where the large enrollments of introductory courses present unique logistical challenges. In this article, we briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer. We then summarize some practical considerations for implementing sort tasks as preclass activities in a large-lecture biology course. Finally, we share classroom data in a description of our own experiences in using two strategies (course management system vs. card-sorting software) for deploying sort tasks in support of active learning in large-lecture courses and discuss the general affordances and limitations of the two strategies we used.

The university participant pool is a key resource for behavioral research, and data quality is believed to vary over the course of the academic semester. This crowdsourced project examined time of semester variation in 10 known effects, 10 individual differences, and 3 data quality indicators over the course of the academic semester in 20 participant pools (N = 2696) and with an online sample (N = 737). Weak time of semester effects were observed on data quality indicators, participant sex, and a few individual differences—conscientiousness, mood, and stress. However, there was little evidence for time of semester qualifying experimental or correlational effects. The generality of this evidence is unknown because only a subset of the tested effects demonstrated evidence for the original result in the whole sample. Mean characteristics of pool samples change slightly during the semester, but these data suggest that those changes are mostly irrelevant for detecting effects.

Collaboration is an important career skill and vital to student understanding of the social aspects of science, but less is known about relationships among collaborative-learning strategies, classroom climate, and student learning. We sought to increase the collaborative character of introductory undergraduate laboratory classrooms by analyzing a 9-week intervention in 10 classrooms (n = 251) that participated in cooperative-learning modules (promoting interdependence via a modified jigsaw technique). Students in an additional 10 classrooms (n = 232) completed the same material in an unstructured format representative of common educational practice. Results showed that, when between-class variance was controlled for, intervention students did not score higher on weekly quizzes, but science interest and prior science experience had a reduced relationship to quiz performance in intervention classrooms. Also, intervention classrooms showed increased collaborative engagement at both whole-class and individual levels (24 students at three time points), but the intervention was only one of several factors found to account for late-intervention classroom collaborative engagement (prosocial behavior and discussion practices). Taken together, findings suggest that integrating interdependence-based tasks may foster collaborative engagement at both small-group and whole-classroom levels, but by itself may not be enough to promote increased student achievement.

This paper focuses on applying proven industrial relations approaches and sound management practice to address a range of diversity issues in higher education. Issues addressed include the need to set a clear and consistent direction, the importance of effective policy setting and enforcement, the value of positive reinforcement, and the recognition that there are limitations to the university's authority over time away from work. Clear policies, predictable outcomes, and continuous effort at open communication are the foundation for promoting the potential benefits of a diverse university community while guarding against potential disruptions and misunderstandings.

This exploratory study examines the factors that college students perceive are important in helping them make good financial decisions about paying for a college education. The study categorizes and summarizes students' self-reported responses to an open-ended survey question about recommendations for changes in financial aid counseling practices. The 335 student responses had a recurring theme of better information provided through individual counseling sessions. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Voucher programs have long endured intense legislative challenge and judicial scrutiny. This article details the recent history of a successful voucher implementation plan for the District of Columbia. The importance of a broad base of politically active and astute citizens, parents, religious leaders, and Federal legislators is highlighted. The success of the voucher program detailed here may serve as a model for other programs.