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Background: The Elders Mentoring Program (EMP) is part of a strengths-based community-based participatory research partnership with the Cree communities of Maskwacîs, Alberta, Canada. The EMP objective is to promote maternal and child health through traditional Cree teachings and support from community Elders to pregnant women and their partners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elders decided to shift the program to an online format in early 2021. The Elders continued to offer mentorship to program participants virtually by Zoom and telephone, and online workshops. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the experiences of women that took part in the virtual EMP. Methods: We utilized qualitative description as our method, informed by our overarching community-led research partnership. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted by Maskwacîs research assistants (RAs) with 11 women who participated in the virtual program. Interviews were conducted between December 2021 and June 2022. The participants were asked about their perceptions of the program and its benefits. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded by four RAs using thematic analysis. Results: Although cultural teachings are traditionally offered in person, the shift to the virtual platform was greatly appreciated by all the women. Technology can be a useful tool for cultural teachings and language to be shared among community members when they cannot be physically together. Four main themes emerged from the data, representing the participants' experiences, and learning through their interactions with the Elders from the EMP. The themes are: Ohpikihâwasowin (grounding and guiding on the path to be a healthy parent); Indigenous ways of healing; On the path of cultural learning; and Identity for self and baby. Conclusion: The virtual adaptation of the EMP allowed a space for Elders to offer support to women living in and out of the community to provide guidance with their pregnancies and into motherhood. The workshops and one-on-one calls allowed for cultural revitalization which is critical for Indigenous well-being. All the participants found that the teachings and interactions positively impacted their pregnancy and parenthood. Overall, the virtual program demonstrated a venue for intergenerational healing and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgenic mice were generated using a 420 kb PAX6 yeast artificial chromosome for an in-depth study of gene dosage effects. Observations show that the transgene rescues the mutant phenotype when crossed onto the 'Small eye' background. Mice carrying multiple copies on a wild-type background were found to have specific developmental abnormalities of the eye. Other tissues expressing the gene were unaffected. Reduced and increased levels of transcriptional regulators were found to cause developmental defects.

Although the literature on the relationship between self-esteem and achievement among high school students is complex and inconclusive, there is strong support for the view that self-esteem is highly correlated with achievement. Given this evidence, can the conclusion be drawn that, generally, low achievers tend to have low self-esteem? The present study was undertaken to examine the differences in the six self-concepts dimensions among 148 above average, average, and below average achieving sophomores in an urban high school. A multiple analysis of variance indicated significant differences on four of the six self-concept dimensions. Scheff post hoc analysis indicated that students in the below average group differed significantly from their higher achieving peers. The average and above average students, however, did not differ significantly on any of the self-concept dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between specific dimensions of children's self-concept and their social competence as assessed by their parents, teachers, and themselves was examined in the present study. The relative predictive power of six self-concept dimensions in predicting children's assessment of their social competence was also studied. Subjects were 253 randomly selected middle-school students in a northeastern, inner-city school system, their teachers, and their parents. Instruments used included the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) and the Social Competence Scale (SCS). Children completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the children's version of the Social Competence Scale. Teachers and parents completed a slightly modified version of the Social Competence Scale. A correlational analysis indicated moderately high and significant Pearson moment correlation coefficients (p < .01) between self-concept dimensions and children's ratings of their own social competence. A hierarchical stepwise multiple regression indicated that the six self-concept dimensions in combination accounted for 44% of the total variance, R = .66, p < .01, in social competence ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]