This paper integrates and synthesizes the findings of published research on organic food consumption. We identify several themes that reflect the various rationales used by consumers when deciding to purchase organic food. The literature clearly indicates that the word ''organic'' has many meanings, that consumers of organic foods are not homogeneous in demographics or in beliefs, and that further research could help better describe the various constituencies that are often lumped together as ''organic food consumers''. The organic and broader food industries must better understand the variety of motivations, perceptions, and attitudes consumers hold regarding organic foods and their consumption if their own long-term interests, as well as those of other stakeholders of food marketing, are to be best served. We conclude with implications and suggestions for further research.

Metacognition correlates with learning outcomes and student performance. In this study, the authors examined the metacognitive-regulation skills used by introductory biology students. They found that prompting students to use these skills is effective for some students, but other students need additional help with learning strategies to respond optimally.

The authors used qualitative methods to study the metacognitive skill of evaluation in upper-division biology students. They explored when, why, and how students evaluate their approaches to learning and found that most students adjust their approaches after evaluation, but some choose not to use effective strategies in order to avoid discomfort.

Background Students with disabilities are underrepresented in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Students with disabilities who engage in self-advocacy earn higher GPAs and are more likely to graduate from college compared to students with disabilities who do not engage in self-advocacy. We utilized Test’s conceptual framework of self-advocacy, which breaks self-advocacy into four components: knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication, and leadership to investigate how students with invisible disabilities practice self-advocacy in undergraduate STEM courses. Through a partnership with a disability resource center (DRC), we recruited and interviewed 25 STEM majors who received accommodations for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or a specific learning disorder (SLD). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Results We found evidence of all components of Test’s conceptual framework of self-advocacy and operationalize each based on our participants’ experiences. We identified novel components of self-advocacy for students with ADHD/SLD in undergraduate STEM courses, including knowledge of STEM learning contexts and knowledge of accommodations and the process to obtain them, as well as, a novel self-advocacy behavior, filling gaps. Filling gaps involved participants taking action to mitigate a perceived limitation in either their formal accommodations from the DRC or a perceived limitation in the instructional practices used in a STEM course. We also identified beliefs, such as view of disability and agency, which influenced the self-advocacy of our participants. We incorporated the emergent forms of self-advocacy into Test’s conceptual framework to propose a revised model of self-advocacy for students with ADHD/SLD in undergraduate STEM courses. Conclusions We developed a revised conceptual model of self-advocacy for students with ADHD/SLD in undergraduate STEM courses. This conceptual model provides a foundation for researchers who wish to study self-advocacy in undergraduate STEM courses for students with ADHD/SLD in the future. It also offers insights for STEM instructors and service providers about the self-advocacy experiences of students with ADHD/SLD in undergraduate STEM courses. We propose hypotheses for additional study based on our conceptual model of self-advocacy. Implications for research and teaching are discussed.

This essay highlights the key features of an evidence-based teaching guide on student metacognition that was created by an interdisciplinary team ( https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/student-metacognition ). The guide focuses on ways instructors can support student learning strategies, encourage students to monitor and control their learning, and promote social metacognition during group work.

A comparative global proteomic screen identified factors required for COMPASS (complex of proteins associated with Set1)-mediated mono-, di-, and trimethylation of the fourth lysine of histone H3 (H3K4), which included components of a cyclin-dependent protein kinase (Ctk complex) that phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II). Our results indicate that histone H3K4 methylation levels are regulated by the Ctk1, Ctk2, and Ctk3 components of the Ctk complex. We show that loss of Ctk1 kinase activity results in reduced histone H3K4 monomethylation levels, followed by a global increase in histone H3K4 trimethylation levels on chromatin. Ctk1 loss does not appear to have a substantial effect on histone H2B monoubiquitination levels or COMPASS and Paf1 complex phosphorylation. Our chromatin immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that histone H3 eviction during active transcription is decelerated in a CTK1 deletion strain in response to reduced levels of Pol II recruitment. Our in vitro studies show that the onset of monomethylation on an unmethylated histone H3 by COMPASS is virtually immediate, while the onset of trimethylation occurs upon extended time of association between the histone tail and COMPASS. Our study suggests a role for the Ctk complex in the regulation of the pattern of H3K4 mono-, di-, and trimethylation via COMPASS.Transcriptional regulation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a complex multistage process requiring the concerted action of many factors for proper synthesis of mRNA (44-46). Modification of histone tails within chromatin can affect transcriptional activation and repression, as well as the kinetic properties of transcriptional initiation and elongation (2,8,18,20,24,44). Following proper transcriptional initiation, a host of histone-modifying enzymes associate with elongating Pol II as it travels from the promoter to the 3Ј end of a gene (16,17).During active transcription, the histone H3K4 methyltransferase COMPASS (complex of proteins associated with Set1) associates with the elongation factor Paf1 complex (Paf1C) to interact with Pol II and chromatin (26,31,32,50). The Paf1C appears to function as a platform for the recruitment of several methyltransferases such as COMPASS and Set2 (16,17,26,44). Histone methylation by COMPASS is predominantly associated with the early 5Ј coding regions of active genes, whereas Set2-mediated methylation is mostly found in the midto-late bodies of transcribed genes (26, 44). As Pol II initiates transcription, COMPASS can mono-, di-, and trimethylate H3K4 in the early 5Ј coding regions of active genes (26,32,40,50). Shortly after promoter clearance, the histone methyltransferase Set2 engages with the elongating Pol II to methylate H3K36 on the bodies of actively transcribed genes (27,28,29,38,44,52). During the transition from the early elongating form to the processively elongating form, the phosphorylated residue of the Pol II carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) shifts from serine 5 to serine 2. The CTD kinase ...

Learning objectives communicate the knowledge and skills that instructors intend for students to acquire in a course. Student performance can be enhanced when learning objectives align with instruction and assessment. We understand how instructors should use learning objectives, but we know less about how students should use them. We investigated students’ use and perceptions of learning objectives in an undergraduate science course at a public research university. In this exploratory study, students (n = 185) completed two open-ended assignments regarding learning objectives and we analyzed the content of their answers. We found that students used learning objectives in ways that reflected the recommendations of past and present instructors, suggesting that students are receptive to instruction on how to use learning objectives. Students generally found learning objectives to be useful because the objectives helped them to narrow their focus and organize their studying, suggesting that students may need additional help from instructors in order to self-direct their learning. Students who chose not to use learning objectives often found other resources, such as case studies covered in class, to be more helpful for their learning. Some of these students recognized that the concepts included in case studies and learning objectives overlapped, pointing to a benefit of alignment between instructional activities and learning objectives. These qualitative results provide the data necessary for designing a quantitative instrument to test the extent to which students’ use of learning objectives affects their performance.

Self-advocacy is linked to academic success and retention of students with disabilities in college. Students with ADHD and/or specific learning disabilities were interviewed to identify supports and barriers to self-advocacy in undergraduate STEM courses. STEM instructors can be supports or barriers, which influences students’ accommodation use.