More than half of the entering college freshmen who declare STEM majors switch out of them, especially in quantitative disciplines. This study analyzed survey data from high school science teachers and interviews with college students who switched out of quantitative STEM (Q-STEM) majors to identify (a) pull factors associated with the selection of an original Q-STEM major, (b) key events that college students experienced in their original major, and (c) push factors that contributed to the college students' decision to leave STEM. Results showed that STEM interest was associated with love for the disciplines, high school teacher encouragement, and success in academic coursework. Upon entering college, students faced a number of academic, personal, and faculty-student interaction obstacles that made students feel inadequate, unprepared and overwhelmed, resulting in them switching out of Q-STEM. Implications for student success in STEM were discussed.

Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia occupy a unique place on the American political landscape. They have never been fully embraced as Southern by most observers, but at the same time they are not necessarily considered purely Northern or Midwestern states. As the intersection of North and South in the United States, these states present a unique opportunity to study the impact of regional identity on public opinion. Utilizing data from 2018 surveys of a random sample of these states residents, we demonstrate that Southern regional identification is fairly high in these states, and that this identification has a significant influence on opinion regarding politicians and policy preferences.

Objective: Driving after drinking is a major concern among college students. The present study examined the association between interventionist use of positively valenced words and intervention outcomes in the context of a text-messaging based intervention aimed at reducing drinking after driving behaviors among college students.

Method: Data analyzed in this manuscript come from a previously published randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention aimed at reducing alcohol-impaired driving. Participants were 25 college students who reported driving after drinking 2 or more drinks at least twice in the past three months. After completing baseline measures, participants were provided a brief personalized driving after drinking feedback intervention via text-messaging.

Results: A moderation analysis revealed that the relationship between the number of drinks consumed prior to driving at baseline and the number of drinks consumed prior to driving at 3-month follow-up was moderated by the interventionist's use of positively valenced words during the intervention.

Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that the use of positively valenced words by an interventionist during a text message-based intervention moderates intervention outcomes.

Carrageenan gelation is characterized by a coil-to-helix transition. The conformation the polymer adopts in solution, however, is not yet fully understood at the molecular level. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out on two possible conformations of ι-carrageenan hexamers – a single helix and a double helix. All-atom simulations were carried out using the Carbohydrate Solution Force Field (CSFF) in explicit water (SPC). Dihedral angle distributions from simulations of the single helix and the individual chains of the double helix were compared revealing similarity between these conformations. In the case of the double helix, an overall attractive interaction has been calculated between the two chains, possibly due to contribution from sulfate groups and hydroxyl groups, preventing it from unravelling. Simulation calculations revealed no significant difference in the total energy of the single helical and double helical carrageenan in equivalent systems indicating no strong preference by the polymer to adopt one configuration over the other. It is suggested that the double helix can form in solution due to the dihedral angle conformation within the single helices and is stabilized by attractive interactions identified. An increased understanding of gelation process, including the coil-to-helix transition, in carrageenans can allow for the development of processing methods to control their properties for specific applications.

Freshwater sponges are common inhabitants of rivers, streams, and lakes, but little information exists for the freshwater sponges of Kentucky. During 26 and 27 July 2016, a survey was conducted in the recreational section of the wild and scenic Red River. Thirty-three sponge specimens were collected at five sites from which Radiospongilla crateriformis, Spongilla lacustris, and Trochospongilla horrida were identified. Due to its hydrographic diversity and the considerable diversity of other aquatic fauna, we expect future surveys will reveal Kentucky rivers and streams to support a rich and diversified sponge fauna.

The epizoic occurrence of Compsopogon coeruleus (red alga) on Lernaea (Copepoda) has been only reported once in North America. This occurrence was observed from five minnow species parasitized by Lernaea at Mud River, Butler County, Kentucky. We report a second occurrence of this phenomenon from one blacktail shiner (Cyprinella venusta) and one ribbon shiner (Lythrurus fumeus) from the Obion Creek Drainage in Hickman County, Kentucky. An infestation of Lernaea is harmful and potentially fatal to fish; however, it is unknown if C. coeruleus is harmful to either Lernaea or fish.