Development and Validation of a Self-Concept Scale for College Students Using Comics Superhero Characters

Self-concept refers to the domain of self-descriptions that have self-evaluative connotation. Though many researchers embarked in the study of self-concept, and some even developed tests that measured self-concept, majority of these instruments had methodological and theoretical problems due to lack of systematic instrument development and presentation. The objective of the study is to develop a reliable and valid alternative approach to measuring the self in a semi-structured undisguised comics-type test that directly accounts for the way college students consider their choices of superheroes’ traits that characterizes their own. A preliminary survey on self-concept, in a form of open-ended statements was conducted to five hundred ninety-eight (598) college students of selected schools in Manila and Bulacan to know how college students see themselves indicatory of their self-concepts. Results of which, were collated to form the preliminary form. The preliminary form of the SCSS was administered to five hundred ninety-five (595) college students of different universities and colleges. Eighty-eight (88) items under eight (8) components were subjected to item analysis by identifying factors through a series of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Descriptive results were also calculated, as well as the exact reliability coefficient through split-half and Cronbach’s alpha. For the validity, content analysis was applied using two groups of experts who ascertain the suitability of each item in terms of content, relevance, clarity, appropriateness and their representations. They include three (3) experts who have a long experienced in comics industry and another three (3) experts in the field of college students’ self-concept formation. From the total of 88 items, 30 items were eliminated. However, the items that constitute the final form of the SCSS was concentrated into 55 items under six (6) factors upon post-analysis consideration. Statistical analysis revealed that the experts’ ratings were consistent and has high reliability with a generated r value of.894. The SCSS final form was administered to 809 respondents following the same procedures that were used for the preliminary form. The test scores were subjected to reliability facility, such as Alpha Coefficient and Split-Half, computing the reliability coefficients of the final form. Validity was established through convergent analysis, tested in a sample of 419 respondents who took the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS: 2) Adult Form. The test was found to have high reliability with r =.792.

Dna Based Analysis of Thrips Diversity and Thrips-Borne Iris Yellow Spot Virus Tospovirus: Bunyaviridae from Pakistan

Thrips (Thysanoptera) are one of the most economically important groups of crop pests at a global scale which damage a wide range of field and horticultural crops. Some thrips species also serve as vectors of plant viruses. Despite the importance of this tiny insect as pests, predators, fungal feeders, gall formers, pollinators and virus vector, scant work was carried out on their systematics in Pakistan. Currently thrips taxonomy in Pakistan is solely based on morphological identification. Present study focused on thrips species identification based on the morphological characters, and developing a database of thrips fauna and their characterization based on DNA barcoding. Thrips were collected from multiple plants during 2009-2012 at 158 sites in three climatic regions of Pakistan. Twelve species from five genera of the suborder Tubulifera and twenty nine species from seventeen genera of the suborder Terebrantia were identified following standard taxonomic keys. A checklist of species reported in Pakistan since 1947 including thrips from the current survey was compiled. A comparison of our species with those previously reported from this region showed that one species (Apterygothrips pellucidus Ananthakrishnan) from Tubulifera and seven species (Chaetanaphothrips orchidii Moulton, Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall, Megalurothrips distalis Karny, M. usitatus Bagnall, Neohydatothrips samayunkur Kudo, Taeniothrips major, Thrips trehernei Priesner) from Terebrantia and four genera (Apterygothrips, Chaetanaphothrips, Neohydatothrips, Taeniothrips) were the first reports from Pakistan. Mitochondrial COI sequences were used for discriminating 471 thrips that represented 55 species in the current survey. Sequence analysis revealed that the intraspecific and interspecific distances ranged from 0.0% to 7.5% and 2.3% to 22.3%, respectively. In addition, the study showed that four of the major thrips species in the region, Aeolothrips intermedius, Haplothrips reuteri, Thrips palmi and Thrips tabaci were cryptic species complexes. The study showed that DNA barcoding successfully discriminated regional thrips species including those which were morphologically cryptic. A barcode reference library for thrips from Pakistan was compiled and regional lineages of four important virus-vector thrips were connected with those from other countries by haplotype networks. A survey to determine the xiv incidence of selected tospoviruses was carried out in onion-growing regions of the Punjab province of Pakistan during February-May and September-October 2012 in thirteen administrative districts. Plants with symptoms suggestive of Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) infection were collected and tested for the presence of the virus by ELISA and RT-PCR. Sequence analysis of RT-PCR amplified nucleocapsid (N) gene confirmed IYSV infection of onion in Pakistan. This was the first report of IYSV infecting onion in Pakistan. A global analysis of more than 100 IYSV N gene sequences was carried out to determine the comparative population structure, spatial and temporal dynamics with reference to its genetic diversity and evolution. Global IYSV population could be grouped into two genotypes, IYSVBR and IYSVNL and the analysis showed that the two genotypes were almost equally distributed. A temporal shift was observed from IYSVNL to IYSVBR genotype over a period of 15 years (1997 to 2013). The diversity in IYSV population and temporal shift in IYSVBR genotype is attributable to genetic recombination, abundance of purifying selection, insignificant positive selection and population expansion. Restricted gene flow between the two major IYSV genotypes (IYSVBR and IYSVNL) further emphasizes the role of genetic drift in modeling the population architecture, evolutionary lineages and epidemiology of IYSV.