Life Sciences Commons^™

Predicting Student Performance In A Statistics Course Using The Mathematics And Statistics Perception Scale (Mpsp), Isabelle D. Cherney, Ramie R. Cooney

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Students tend to have higher apprehension for a statistics class than for other psychology classes. Because anxiety can impair the performance in a class, and ultimately the mastery of the subject matter, the Mathematics and Statistic Perception Scale (MSPS) was designed to assess students' perceptions of anxiety and attitudes toward statistics as well as provide a tool that could be used in classroom settings. The 22-item scale with three subscales (mathematics perceptions, statistics perceptions, and perceptions of relevance) was administered to 154 undergraduates and showed that over the course of a semester, perceptions of mathematics anxiety tended to decrease and …

Nuclear Physics Problem Solving: A Case Study Of Expert-Novice Differences, Isabelle D. Cherney, Jordan Winter, Michael G. Cherney

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

We examined problem-solving in nuclear science by gifted junior high school students, senior high school students, first year undergraduates, undergraduate physics majors, and graduate teaching assistants. The first study examined differences between "expert" and "novice" approaches, whereas the second study investigated the learning of problem-solving skills with a pre- and post-test. The results showed that with increased experience or expertise, students tended to solve the problems using higher levels of Bloom's (1956) taxonomy. Junior high school students' performance improved significantly after a week-long hands-on nuclear physics class. However, when solving a more conceptual nuclear physics problem, there were no significant …

Plant Composition Of Mixed-Grass Prairie Of Cedar Point Biological Research Station, Keith County, Nebraska, David A. Mckenzie

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

This study involved a vegetation analysis of 15 permanent plots established on the short-grass and mixed grass prairie slopes at the Cedar Point Biological Station in Keith County, Nebraska. Ninety-nine species were found in the plots, including members of 75 genera and 31 families. Twenty-one were graminoids, 71 were forbs or succulents, 6 were shrubs and one was a tree. Bouteloua gracilis (19 % cover) and Carex filifolia (15 % cover) were the dominant graminoids at the site, while Yucca glauca (1% cover) and Artemisia frigida (1% cover) were the most frequent forbs. Comparisons of species richness by slope categories …

The Degree Of Cillmpanzee Theory Of Mind And The Evolution Of Modularity, Benjamin Grant Purzycki

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Whether or not chimpanzees have the ability to mentally represent others' mental states or theory of mind (ToM) has yet to be definitively established. This results from three problems. First, modular theory of mind accounts lead researchers to adopt an either/or approach to psychological faculties which obfuscates both within- and across-species variability. Second, present research continues to rely on the continued trend to polarize nature and nurture. Third, the bulk of the work compares humans with chimpanzees rather than looking at the entire range of primate species. I propose "degree approach" by way of the Integrated Causal Model which particularizes …

Transactions Ofthe Nebraska Academy Of Sciences: Volume 30, 2005 Table Of Contents

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

EDITORIAL CONTENTS

Nebraska Executive Committee, Policy Committee ................. ii

Editorial Board ................. iv

Membership Objectives and Friends of the Academy ................. inside front cover

Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science ................. inside front cover

Preparation of manuscripts ................. inside front cover

PAPERS

Predicting student performance in a statistics course using the mathematics and statistics perception scale (MPSP) (Isabelle D. Cherney and Ramie R. Cooney) ................. 1

Nuclear physics problem solving: a case study of expert-novice differences (Isabelle D. Cherney, Jordan Winter, and Michael G. Cherney) ................. 9

Plant composition of mixed-grass prairie of Cedar Point Biological Research Station, Keith County, …

The Unionid Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Big Blue River Basin Of Northeastern Kansas And Southeastern Nebraska, Ellet Hoke

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A survey of 96 locales in the Big Blue River and its minor tributaries supplemented by museum vouchers documented the presence or former presence of 25 native unionid mollusk species and one introduced bivalve. Including the previously reported Little Blue Basin, the total documented unionid inventory ofthe Big Blue Basin consists of twenty-six species. Over a third of these species may have been extirpated from the basin, and many of the surviving species appear to have experienced significant range reductions. Habitat in the region is adversely impacted by surface and subsurface water withdrawals, erosion/siltation, and grazing. Chemicals and other pollutants …

Drug Use And Lifestyle At A Nebraska Two-Year College, Bruce J. Stephen, Sarah M. Linsenmeyer, Steven M. Mcguire

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

This study records drug use and lifestyle among students at a Midwestern community college. The study provides the first set of data on the levels of drug use at this college and makes some comparisons to drug use levels found in other studies. Alcohol was found to have the highest percentage of student use, 84%, with 41% using at least weekly. Forty-nine percent of students reported using marijuana making it the second most popular drug. Weekly use of marijuana was reported by 11% of students. The levels of use for most drugs were similar to those reported at other colleges …

A Survey Of Infectious Diseases And Parasites In Wild Turkeys From Nebraska, David W. Oates, Eva A. Wallner-Pendleton, Ivan Kanev, Mauritz C. Sterner, Henry E. Cerny, Megan Collins, Richard Bischof, Ed D. Boyd

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

During the 1997-98 fall hunting season, samples from 154 Wild Turkeys were donated by hunters to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) Genetic and Forensic Laboratory. Assistance was provided by the Veterinary Diagnostic Center, and the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, for this survey of infectious diseases and internal parasites. One hundred and thirteen sinus swabs were cultured for pathogenic bacteria, and fecal samples were examined for parasite ova and protozoa. One hundred and six gastrointestinal samples were examined for helminth parasites. Intestinal coccidiosis was present in 42 birds. Salmonella was isolated from fecal …