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Negotiating Identity In The Transnational Imaginary Of Julia Alvarez's And Edwidge Danticat's Literature, Erik R. Kerby

Theses and Dissertations

The increased contact between nations and cultures in the globalization of the twenty-first century requires an increased accountability for the ways in which individuals and countries negotiate these points of contact. New World and Caribbean Studies envision the cross-cultural and transnational encounters between indigenous, European, and African peoples as important contributors to a paradigm within which identity in relation offers an alternative to identities rooted in national and filial frameworks. Such frameworks limit the ability to construct identity without relying upon static representations of history, culture, and ethnicity that tend to privilege one group over another. In the literature of …

Mormon Rhetoric And The Theory Of Organic Evolution, Kurt Wilford Laird

Theses and Dissertations

Most rhetorical studies of evolution/religion debates have addressed the media version of the debates that pits fundamentalist religion against science. Yet, most of the rhetorical studies in this area have not been nuanced enough to appreciate the complexity of the rhetoric resulting from this rich area of discourse. This study provides a rhetorical analysis of the evolution rhetoric in one particular religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and focuses on the discourse of two prominent leaders in the LDS Church, B.H. Roberts and Joseph Fielding Smith. In the LDS Church there is a clear distinction …

Controlling Performance Of Bluebunch Wheatgrass And Spotted Knapweed Using Nitrogen And Sucrose Amendments, Jane M. Mangold, Roger L. Sheley

Western North American Naturalist

Range- and wildlands are being invaded by nonindigenous plants, resulting in an unprecedented, rapid change in plant community composition across the United States. Successional management predicts that species performance may be modified by resource availability. The objective of this study was to determine whether species performance could be altered by modifying soil nitrate (NO₃⁻) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) concentrations within an Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis)/bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) plant association. We planted bluebunch wheatgrass and spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) in an addition series at 2 sites in southwestern Montana. …

Diet Of The Mogollon Vole As Indicated By Stable-Isotope Analysis (Δ13C And Δ15N), Carol L. Chambers, Richard R. Doucett

Western North American Naturalist

There are no published studies on the diet of Mogollon voles (Microtus mogollonensis) although this species occurs throughout the Southwest in montane forestlands. Mogollon voles are believed to be herbivorous, selecting the vegetative portion of grass as their dominant food source. Herbivores frequently select more easily digested C₃ plants over C₄ plants; we thus expected Mogollon voles would feed primarily on C₃ plants. We collected hair samples from Mogollon voles captured in northern Arizona between 1967 and 2003 and plant samples from some capture sites. Then we compared stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen …

Hybridization Between A Rare And Introduced Oenothera Along The North Pacific Coast, Matthew L. Carlson, Robert J. Meinke

Western North American Naturalist

Interspecific hybridization has increasingly become regarded as a serious threat to the genetic integrity and persistence of rare plants. Oenothera glazioviana (Onagraceae) is a horticultural species that has escaped cultivation and now threatens the narrow Pacific coastal endemic O. wolfii with hybridization. Reports of morphologically intermediate and ecologically aggressive forms prompted this investigation into the extent of hybridization over the range of O. wolfii. In particular, this study identifies populations of pure and hybrid origins. We used multivariate methods to characterize the morphological variation of Oregon and northern California coastal Oenothera populations. Putatively pure O. wolfii and O. glazioviana …

Species Composition And Habitat Associations Of Benthic Algal Assemblages In Headwater Streams Of The Sierra Nevada, California, Larry R. Brown, Jason T. May, Carolyn T. Hunsaker

Western North American Naturalist

Despite their trophic importance and potential importance as bioindicators of stream condition, benthic algae have not been well studied in California. In particular there are few studies from small streams in the Sierra Nevada. The objective of this study was to determine the standing crop of chlorophyll-a and benthic algal species assemblages present in the small 1st- and 2nd-order streams of the Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW, watersheds of Bull, Providence, Duff, and Teakettle Creeks) and determine the associations of these measures with stream habitat. We collected samples of benthic algae from rock substrata in September 2002 (7 sites) …

Influence Of Soil And Site Characteristics On Palouse Prairie Plant Communities, Thor Hanson, Yaniria Sánchez–De León, Jodi Johnson-Maynard, Steve Brunsfeld

Western North American Naturalist

The structure of grassland communities can vary widely in response to heterogeneous habitat variables. In this study we document plant communities, soil types, and site characteristics for 12 Palouse prairie remnants in southeastern Washington and northern Idaho. We used general linear models to test the predictive value of 6 biophysical variables (slope, aspect, distance from edge, edge type, vegetation structure, and soil type) on 3 plant community metrics: species richness, Simpson's diversity index, and the dominance of exotic species. From full models including all variables, we used Akaike's information criterion (AIC) to select the best model for each metric. Aspect …

Feeding By The Great Basin Spadefoot Toad (Spea Intermontana [Cope]) (Anura: Pelobatidae), Richard S. Zack, Diana G. Johnson

Western North American Naturalist

The present study analyzed the stomach contents of 65 Great Basin spadefoot toads, Spea intermontana (Cope), collected in an area of irrigation runoff in south central Washington State. Toads were collected by pitfall trapping. Traps were maintained for 1 year beginning in April 2002. Toads consumed at least 56 different arthropod taxa belonging to the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Trichoptera, Collembola, and Araneae. Ants and darkling beetles were among the most common prey. Feeding appeared to be very generalized with the toads accepting almost anything they could capture and subdue.

Deep Ancestry: Inside The Genographic Project By Spencer Wells, Duane Jeffery

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Vol. 68 No. 2

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Vol. 68 No. 2

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Invertebrate Fauna Of A Northern Prairie Stream: Range Extensions And Water Quality Characteristics, Iain D. Phillips, Dale Parker, Glen Mcmaster

Western North American Naturalist

The benthic macroinvertebrate fauna of southern Saskatchewan, Canada, has received little attention relative to other regions of western North America. Therefore, little is known of the related aquatic ecosystem health and biogeography of regional aquatic insects. Here we present the results of an aquatic macroinvertebrate survey for the Pipestone Creek watershed in southeastern Saskatchewan. We qualitatively sampled aquatic macroinvertebrates in 5 sites on 4 dates through spring, summer, and fall 2006. Sampling produced 294 taxa of macroinvertebrates including 25 provincial range extensions to the southeast corner of the province. Presence/absence data of taxa grouped the sites into lentic and lotic …

First Record Of Diamondback Moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) From Interior Alaska, Aaron M. Hagerty, Alberto Pantoja, Susan Emmert

Western North American Naturalist

The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella [L.]), is one of the most economically important pests of cruciferous plants throughout the world, causing economically significant damage in broccoli, cabbage, canola, collards, and mustard. In Canada, P. xylostella is an important economic pest of canola (Brassica napus L. and Brassica rapa L.). In North America, the diamondback moth has been collected as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Despite its wide distribution and presence at economically damaging levels in Canada, there have been no published reports of P. xylostella from Alaska. This note documents the 1st collection of this pest species …

Caudal Movements In Western Fence Lizards (Sceloporus Occidentalis) Prior To Attempted Prey Capture, C. Drew Foster, Patrick Martin

Western North American Naturalist

Many snakes employ tail movements to attract prey, but this behavior is rare in lizards. Use of caudal movements to distract prey, however, is rare in all squamates. Recently, caudal movements in a Sceloporus occidentalis individual immediately prior to attempted prey capture were documented. We supplement this sole documentation of caudal movements in S. occidentalis with additional field observations. Additionally, video footage of the behavior was recorded on 2 occasions. From these additional observations, we hypothesize that this behavior might serve to distract prey.

Capture Rates Of Reptiles And Amphibians On Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) Colonies And On Uncolonized Prairie In Colorado, Bryon K. Shipley, Richard P. Reading, Brian J. Miller

Western North American Naturalist

Prairie dog eradication negatively affects dependent wildlife. Assessing the effects of prairie dog activities on reptiles and amphibians may depend upon the efficacy of trapping designs. We compared capture rates of reptiles and amphibians on black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and on adjacent uncolonized short-grass prairie, using funnel traps and pitfall traps with drift fences, as well as ground captures. We captured 152 reptiles and amphibians representing 10 species. We captured 51.3% of all reptiles and amphibians on colonies, compared to 48.7% from uncolonized sites. Overall, captures of reptiles and amphibians were similar on colonies and uncolonized …

Response Of Antelope Bitterbrush Shrubsteppe To Variation In Livestock Grazing, P. G. Krannitz

Western North American Naturalist

Shrubsteppe ecosystems in the Intermountain West have suffered extreme alteration from a variety of factors. Using a retrospective approach, I studied the effects of horse and cattle grazing at the northern edge of the range in southern British Columbia, Canada, where the shrubsteppe is not as heavily altered and ungrazed sites remain in areas dominated by antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). I measured shrub and understory cover at 10 sites that were either ungrazed, lightly grazed, or heavily grazed. Cover of antelope bitterbrush decreased with grazing, and cover of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) increased with grazing intensity. …

Implications Of Polyploidy In The Host Plant Of A Dipteran Seed Parasite, Rebecca Hufft Kao

Western North American Naturalist

Although polyploidy can alter host plants in important ways (e.g., size, phenology, resource use, and ecological range), little is known about the effects of polyploidy-associated changes on plant-insect interactions. The presence of Campiglossa footeorum Novak (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its effect on its host plant Arnica cordifolia Hook. (Asteraceae) were monitored throughout Colorado, where triploids and tetraploids of the host plant occur. Campiglossa footeorum is more abundant in sites with more tetraploids and attacks tetraploids more than triploids. Polyploidy could be an important force shaping the current evolutionary trajectory of the plants and insects in this system. Campiglossa footeorum is intimately …

Leeches Of The Snake River In Idaho And Oregon: Paleodrainage Implications Of Mooreobdella Microstoma, Peter Hovingh, William H. Clark, John Keebaugh

Western North American Naturalist

Leech species of the mid-Snake River of Idaho and Oregon are described, and the distribution of the extant leech Mooreobdella microstoma Moore in the Snake River paleodrainage is delineated. Samples were collected from aquatic surveys in the Snake River using suction dredging by the Idaho Power Company and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation between 1995 and 2006. Supplementing these surveys, opportunities were provided for leech identification in water-quality analyses in Arizona and Wyoming and in other surveys in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Eight species of leeches were found in the Snake River surveys. Erpobdella parva Moore was the most widely …

California's Frontier Naturalists By Richard G. Beidleman, Howard O. Clark Jr.

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Iris Von Roten As Partner, Laura Villiger

Swiss American Historical Society Review

PART ONE

ASPECTS OF AN IDENTITY

Wilfried Meichtry, Verliebte Feinde, Iris und Peter von Roten. Zurich: Ammann Verlag, 2007

Enamoured Enemies: A Review Essay

He - patrician, Roman-Catholic, conservative and from an influential family of the Upper Valais; she - middle-class, firmly Protestant, progressive, and headstrong. Both strikingly attractive, intelligent and passionate, they were immediately drawn to each other - by their differences as much as by what they shared. The bond that gradually formed between them over six tumultuous years, was strong enough to withstand the strains to which they exposed it. One of its fruits was their …

Iris Von Roten As A Feminist: Observations, Interpretations, And Impact Of Frauen Im Laufgitter, Regina Wecker

Swiss American Historical Society Review

PART ONE

ASPECTS OF AN IDENTITY

When Iris von Roten published her book Frauen im Laufgitter. Offene Worte zur Stellung der Frau (Women in the Playpen. Plain Words About the Situation of Women) in 1958, it caused a scandal. Her analysis of women's present social status and their political and economic situation in Switzerland was repudiated, von Roten and her book were showered with scorn, hatred, and ridicule, and even made the subject of a carnival farce in Basel (Kochli 1992: 101-118). Frauen im Laufgitter and its author were called "cold" and soulless, though it was rumored that …

Sisters In Battle: Five Portraits, Leo Schelbert

Swiss American Historical Society Review

PART TWO: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

A methodical perusal of biographical entries in encyclopedic works such as the Schweizer Lexikon ( 1998) or the Historische Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS), now in progress, brings to light a great many Swiss women who were active in the advocacy of women's equality, but who are far too little known. Some dedicated themselves to a specific issue, others were driven by a comprehensive vision of existing inequality to be remedied. They fought on a broad front against varied forms of male dominance. They hailed from the political right, center, and left, from the working class …

The Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Work Productivity: Validation Of The Oq Productivity Index, Vinessa Kaye Trotter

Theses and Dissertations

Managed Mental Health Care (MMHC) began blanketing the United States when cost of care rose exponentially. MMHC is one avenue many employers and insurance companies have chosen to provide employees with mental health treatment at controlled costs. However, not all employers view supplying their employees with mental health treatment beneficial, as they do not know mental health problems can significantly decrease work productivity. Brown and Jones (2005) used the Social Role Scale (SR) of the Severe Outcome Questionnaire (SOQ) to estimate work productivity in employees under the assumption that the scale measures work productivity. The purpose of this study was …

Modeling The Hydrolyzing Action Of Secretory Phospholipase A2 With Ordinary Differential Equations And Monte Carlo Methods, Zijun Lan Dozier

Theses and Dissertations

Although cell membranes normally resist the hydrolysis of secretory phospholipase A2, a series of current investigations demonstrated that the changes in lipid order caused by increased calcium has a relationship with the susceptibility to phospholipase A2. To further explore this relationship, we setup ordinary differential equations models, statistic models and stochastic models to compare the response of human erythrocytes to the hydrolyzing action of secretory phospholipase A2 and the relationship between the susceptibility of hydrolysis and the physical properties of secretory phospholipase A2. Furthermore, we use models to determine the ability of calcium ionophore to increased membrane susceptibility.

Comparative Phylogeography Of Codistributed Species Of Chilean Liolaemus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) From The Central-Southern Andean Range, Byron J. Adams, Pedro F. Victoriano, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Edgar Benavides, Jack W. Sites

Faculty Publications

In this study, we used a recently developed supertrees method to test for shared phylogeographical signal in partially overlapping geographical ranges of lizards of the genus Liolaemus from the Andean Range in south-central Chile. We reconstruct mtDNA gene trees for three partially codistributed species (Liolaemus tenuis, L. lemniscatus and L. pictus), and our sampling effort is sufficient to allow statistical tests of shared signal between the combinations L. tenuis-L. pictus, and L. tenuis-L. lemniscatus. For both combinations, standardized maximum agreement subtrees scores showed statistically significant signal for shared pattern in regions of overlap, as evaluated by randomization tests (P < 0.001 and < 0.05, respectively). The matrix representation with parsimony tree obtained from the combination of the three different gene trees revealed concordant phylogeographical associations of all species, and was consistent with the geographical association of intraspecific haploclades with three Chilean bioclimatic zones. A multidimensional scaling analysis of several climate variables showed highly significant differences among these zones, which further suggests that they may have contributed to similar patterns of intraspecific divergence across all three species. In the mesomorphic zone in Central Chile, the species L. tenuis and L. lemniscatus may have codiverged in response to shared orogenic vicariant events, which likely predominated over climatic events associated with cycles of glacial advance and retreat. In the hygromorphic zone in southern Chile, however, glacial cycles likely predominated in structuring the phylogeographical histories of L. tenuis and L. pictus, although important ecological differences between these two caution against broad generalizations at this point.

Expression Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Mrna As A Function Of Age In Whole Hippocampus Preparations From Wistar Rats, Kasey C. Welch

Theses and Dissertations

Whole hippocampus preparations, isolated bilaterally, from untreated Wistar rats at various ages (10-90 days old) were analyzed for the mRNA expression of the alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 7, beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits. To do so, RNA was isolated from acutely isolated hippocampal samples, converted to cDNA by means of a reverse transcription reaction, then analyzed with quantitative real-time PCR to determine the relative levels of the mRNAs the cells were expressing at the age when the samples were obtained. The relative expression of the levels of RNA …

Duplicate Gene Expression In Allopolyploid Gossypium Reveals Two Temporally Distinct Phases Of Expression Evolution, Joshua Udall, Lex E. Flagel, Dan Nettleton, Jonathan F. Wendel

Faculty Publications

Polyploidy has played a prominent role in shaping the genomic architecture of the angiosperms. Through allopolyploidization, several modern Gossypium (cotton) species contain two divergent, although largely redundant genomes. Owing to this redundancy, these genomes can play host to an array of evolutionary processes that act on duplicate genes. Results- We compared homoeolog (genes duplicated by polyploidy) contributions to the transcriptome of a natural allopolyploid and a synthetic interspecific F1 hybrid, both derived from a merger between diploid species from the Gossypium A-genome and D-genome groups. Relative levels of A- and D-genome contributions to the petal transcriptome were determined for 1,383 …

A Longitudinal Examination Of The Influences Of Family Processes And Demographic Variables On Adolescent Weight, Jessica Lee Price

Theses and Dissertations

Nationally representative studies estimate that almost one in five adolescents in the United States is overweight. This is a major concern for individuals' physical and psychological health and the overall economy in terms of health care costs and loss of productivity. The approach of this study was to understand adolescent overweight as influenced by family processes including: parent-adolescent relationship, monitoring or parental knowledge, control, family meals, and parenting styles. Race, sex, family structure, income, and mother Body Mass Index (BMI) were also included. A sub-sample of 4,688 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 was used to address …

Increasing Dogma Scaling Through Clustering, Nathan Hyrum Ekstrom

Theses and Dissertations

DOGMA is a distributed computing architecture developed at Brigham Young University. It makes use of idle computers to provide additional computing resources to applications, similar to Seti@home. DOGMA's ability to scale to large numbers of computers is hindered by its strict client-server architecture. Recent research with DOGMA has shown that introducing localized peer-to-peer downloading abilities enhances DOGMA's performance while reducing the amount of network and server usage. This thesis proposes to further extend the peer-to-peer abilities of DOGMA to include peering client server communication by creating dynamic clusters of clients. The client clusters aggregate their communication with only one client …

Issues In Religion And Psychotherapy, Volume 32, Issue 1, 2008, Issues In Religion And Psychotherapy

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.