In a world filled with big data, mathematical models, and statistics, the development of strong quantitative skills is becoming increasingly critical for modern biologists. Teachers in this field must understand how students acquire quantitative skills and explore barriers experienced by students when developing these skills. In this study, we examine the interrelationships among gender, grit, ...

Two-choice tests were conducted to examine the effect of surface roughness on the resting preference of bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., on copper, basswood, and acrylic materials. The influence of pyrethroid formulation applications on resting preferences was also evaluated. Bed bugs were given the choice of resting between two sanded halves of each material tested. One half was sanded with a P...

A potential new post-emergence physical weed control tactic is described. It entails plant abrasion and death upon assault from abrasive grits propelled by compressed air. Grit derived from granulated walnut shells was delivered by a sand blaster at 517 kPa at distances of 300–600 mm from seedlings of Chenopodium album in glasshouse pots. Control was influenced by size of plants at time of trea...

If you want to be successful in something, do you simply need to just try harder? Until recently, researchers thought that the key to success is grit, defined as passion and determination to accomplish long-term goals. After studying grit for many years, researchers found that gritty kids are better spellers, gritty teens get better grades, and gritty adults keep their jobs and marriages! Furth...

The purpose of this study is to identify the currently supported diet and dietary niches of the Malagasy subfossil and extant lemurs. The study was conducted partially in Tsinjoarivo and Antananarivo, Madagascar in the summer of 2013. Samples were analyzed and microwear determined that the dietary niches were aligned with current literature. Grit accumulation occurs more frequently in disturbed...

There is a long-standing interest in the determinants of successful learning in children. "Grit" is an individual trait, reflecting the ability to pursue long-term goals despite temporary setbacks. Although grit is known to be predictive of future success in real-world learning situations, an understanding of the underlying neural basis and mechanisms is still lacking. Here we show that grit in...

Sixty-three mallards were fed one of ten poly(methyl methacrylate) based synthetic grit formulations containing varying concentrations of a proposed wildlife contraceptive (nicarbazin), plasticizer (acetyl tributylcitrate) and/or cross-linking agent (1,4-butanediol diacrylate). Release characteristics of the contraceptive agent were monitored for the purpose of developing a contraceptive formul...

Other than talent and opportunity, what makes some people more successful than others? One important determinant of success is self-control - the capacity to regulate attention, emotion, and behavior in the presence of temptation. A second important determinant of success is grit - the tenacious pursuit of a dominant superordinate goal despite setbacks. Self-control and grit are strongly correl...

We analyzed the gizzards, and grits retained in the gizzards of 41 24 cranes that migrated to the Izumi Plain during the winter of 2015/2016 and died 25 there, either due to accident or disease. These included 31 Hooded Cranes (Grus 26 monacha) and 10 White-naped Cranes (G. vipio). We determined body weight, 27 gizzard weight, total grit weight and number per gizzard, and size, shape, and 28 su...