Digital Commons Network^™

Jesus Take The Wheel: Country Music And Whiteness, Andy Watts

Belmont Humanities Symposium Journal

I am more interested, not in what country music is (as if I possessed the expertise), but in what country music does. My guiding question is: how does the music function as a cultural expression of the norming norm, whiteness?

Inventing Appalachia: 19th Century Fiction, 20th Century Philanthropy, And American Idol, Sarah Bowles

Belmont Humanities Symposium Journal

Of course, American Idol’s representation of the southern mountains in “Idol Gives Back” is nothing new. For the past 150 years, outsiders such as missionaries, philanthropists, educators, politicians, writers, and journalists have been defining—or, put another way, inventing—Appalachia for the rest of the country. Throughout the rest of this paper, I’ll trace one path this invention has taken as I connect 19th century regional fiction, 20th century philanthropy, and contemporary pop culture.

The Authority Of Imagination: Making The Ideal Real, Maggie P. Monteverde

Belmont Humanities Symposium Journal

What then would I say is the value of poetry or fiction? I think the truest answers are drawn from our own experiences of literature (and by this I mean literature of all kinds, not just high brow materials we study in college, or even the classics, those works Italo Calvino says we re-read for love). No, for me the real value of literature is in these communities they create, within themselves and across space and time among those who experience those works.

Pod Network News, Winter 2010

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: POD Network News

No abstract provided.

2010 Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Summit Final Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition convened the Suicide Prevention Summit on Friday, January 29th, 2010. The event was hosted by BryanLGH West in Lincoln, and 24 sites across the state participated via videocast through the Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network. The goal of the event was to provide an overview of suicide as a public health concern in Nebraska, present opportunities to discuss local needs related to suicide prevention, and featured an introduction to best practices in suicide prevention.

The audience of the Summit was comprised of 270 community members, professionals, suicide survivors, and youth and adults interested in promoting …

Family Level Phylogenies Reveal Modes Of Macroevolution In Rna Viruses, Andrew Kitchen, Laura Shackelton, Edward Holmes

United States Public Health Resources

Despite advances in understanding the patterns and processes of microevolution in RNA viruses, little is known about the determinants of viral diversification at the macroevolutionary scale. In particular, the processes by which viral lineages assigned as different “species” are generated remain largely uncharacterized. To address this issue, we use a robust phylogenetic approach to analyze patterns of lineage diversification in five representative families of RNA viruses. We ask whether the process of lineage diversification primarily occurs when viruses infect new host species, either through cross-species transmission or codivergence, and which are defined here as analogous to allopatric speciation in animals, …

Patterns Of Drug Use And Abuse Among Aging Adults With And Without Hiv: A Latent Class Analysis Of A Us Veteran Cohort, Traci C. Green, Trace Kershaw, Haiqun Lin, Robert Heimer, Joseph L. Goulet, Kevin L. Kraemer, Adam J. Gordon, Steve A. Maisto, Nancy L. Day, Kendall Bryant, David A. Fiellin, Amy C. Justice

United States Public Health Resources

This study characterized the extent and patterns of self-reported drug use among aging adults with and without HIV, assessed differences in patterns by HIV status, and examined pattern correlates. Data derived from 6351 HIV-infected and uninfected adults enrolled in an eight-site matched cohort, the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS). Using clinical variables from electronic medical records and sociodemographics, drug use consequences, and frequency of drug use from baseline surveys, we performed latent class analyses (LCA) stratified by HIV status and adjusted for clinical and socio-demographic covariates. Participants were, on average, age 50 (range 22–86), primarily male (95%) and African-American (64%). …

Female Veterans Of The Oef/Oif Conflict: Concordance Of Ptsd Symptoms And Substance Misuse, Sarah E. Nunnink, Gali Goldwaser, Pia S. Heppner, James O.E. Pittman, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Dewleen G. Baker

United States Public Health Resources

This study examined the post-deployment rates of comorbid PTSD and substance abuse in a cohort of female veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Female OEF/ OIF veterans and reservists (N=36) completed a battery of assessments as part of a larger study. Of the 36 participants, 11 (31%) screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 17 (47%) screened positive for high-risk drinking and 2 (6%) screened positive for drug abuse. Higher scores on measures of alcohol and drug use predicted positive PTSD status (p≤0.01) and alcohol misuse was significant in explaining …

Understanding Attitudes Toward People With Down Syndrome, Jill E. Pace, Mikyong Shin, Sonja A. Rasmussen

United States Public Health Resources

Understanding attitudes of the public toward people with Down syndrome is important because negative attitudes might create barriers to social integration, which can affect their success and quality of life. We used data from two 2008 U.S. surveys (HealthStyles© survey of adults 18 years or older and YouthStyles© survey of youth ages 9–18) that asked about attitudes toward people with Down syndrome, including attitudes toward educational and occupational inclusion and toward willingness to interact with people with Down syndrome. Results showed that many adults continue to hold negative attitudes toward people with Down syndrome: A quarter of respondents agreed that …

Tac-Cell Inputs To Human Hand And Lip Induces Shortterm Adaptation Of The Primary Somatosensory Cortex, Lalit Venkatesan, Steven M. Barlow, Mihai Popescu, Anda Popescu, Edward T. Auer

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

A new pneumatic tactile stimulator, called the TAC-Cell, was developed in our laboratory to noninvasively deliver patterned cutaneous stimulation to the face and hand in order to study the neuromagnetic response adaptation patterns within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in young adult humans. Individual TAC-Cells were positioned on the glabrous surface of the right hand, and midline of the upper and lower lip vermilion. A 151-channel magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner was used to record the cortical response to a novel tactile stimulus which consisted of a repeating 6-pulse train delivered at three different frequencies through the active membrane surface of the …

Refuge Update – January/February 2010, Volume 7, Number 1

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
Encouraging Kids to Look Closely A falconer and a Friend connect young people with nature. Page 5
FOCUS: Citizen Science Citizens of all ages engage with refuges by collecting data about buds and birds or raising turtle hatchlings. Pages 8 to 13
Protected Stopovers Help Restore Shorebirds Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, MA, plays a key role in researching and restoring red knots. Page 16
Leaders on the Move Relocation. Incentives. Motivations. Page 18

Parallel Starts Outsider Art Inside Collections, Sharon L. Kennedy

Sheldon Museum of Art: Catalogs and Publications

As the term implies, "outsider" artists tend to work in isolation with little interest in other artists' styles or methods. Such independence from the social and cultural norms that have shaped art history provides scholars with few clues from which to proceed.

Norman Geske, Sheldon Director Emeritus and exhibition curator, defines outsider art as follows:

Essentially, outsider art is the art that derives from the creative instinct, which is inherent in human beings who are entirely independent of any of the conventions of traditional art history. In these, works, subject matter, method, and technique are subsumed in the intrinsic impulse …

Structure And Properties Of Cocoons And Silk Fibers Produced By Hyalophora Cecropia, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Faculty Publications

This paper shows that silk fibers produced by cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) have similar tensile properties but different amino acid composition than that of mulberry (Bombyx mori) silk. The cecropia fibers are also much finer and have better strength and modulus than tasar silk, the most common non-mulberry silk. Cecropia is one of the largest silk producing moths and has similar lifecycle to that of mulberry silk but is easier to grow and produces larger cocoons than mulberry silk. In this study, we have characterized the composition, morphology, physical and tensile properties, and thermal behavior of the …

Child Sexual Abuse Victims And Their Families Receiving Services At A Child Advocacy Center: Mental Health And Support Needs, Tara K. Cossel

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The present study aimed to document the effects of child sexual abuse among children, non-offending parents, and siblings to further address the needs of child victims and their families. Following abuse, children are often referred to Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) for mental health and other support needs. Today most sexually abused children receive homogenized treatment from CACs; however, there is variability in the needs these children and their family members present with (Finkelhor & Berliner, 1995). Research has begun to investigate the variability in symptom patterns of sexual abuse victims, finding aspects of the abuse including severity, duration, frequency, and …

Insight And Locus Of Control As Related To Aggression In Individuals With Severe Mental Illness (Smi), Bethany L. Ridling

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are often stereotyped as aggressive, although research has shown that the majority of these individuals are not aggressive. Nonetheless, closer examination of factors that differentiate high-aggressors from low-aggressors may predict which individuals are more likely to become verbally and/or physically aggressive. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between insight and aggression in this population. Some studies have found a relationship between poor insight and aggression, while others have not. Other studies have also examined the relationship between locus of control and aggression, and many have found that an external locus of control is related …

Examining Attitudes On Organ Donation For Transplant: Amenability To Financial Incentives And Donor Benefits, Karise Carrillo

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) currently outlaws the sale of organs for transplant purposes, despite the technological advances since its inception in 1968 and the current disparity between the need for and availability of organs. Increasingly, research has been done to determine interest in and feasibility of financial incentives and donor benefits. The author of the current study developed a self-report survey gauging attitudes towards live and post-mortem donation in general, and towards potential alternatives to the organ donation system involving financial incentives and donor benefits. Students at a large Midwestern university were asked about their likelihood of use …

Nisc Newsletter: September 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species In the News

Great Lakes: White House Names Asian Carp Czar (Paul Quinlan)

Experts testify in 5-state carp lawsuit

Snails seized at Dulles Airport

International News

National Invasive Species Strategy for Mexico

NISC Agencies News

Friends of Wild Amphibians

Federal/State News

Restoration for Aleutian Seabirds Brings New Life to Refuge “Rat” Island

Wasps Wage War on Behalf of Wiliwili Trees

Special Event!!

Winds of Change: Great Lakes, Great Oceans, Great Communities

Conferences

Nisc Newsletter: June-July 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species In The News

Asian Carp Discovered Near Lake Michigan

International News

New: CBD - Subsidiary Body for Science, Technology and Technological Assistance (SBSTTA) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya

UK: Exploring Fish Invasion

Follow the money: wealth, population are key drivers of invasive species

NISC Agencies News

EPA

Climate Change Indicator Report

USDA

USDA/APHIS PPQ Moratorium for Biological Control of Saltcedar (Tamarix species) using the bilological control agent Diorhabda Spe-cies (Coleoptera: Chrytsomelidae)

APHIS

Risk Assessment of the Movement of Fire-wood within the United States

DOI

National Park Service

DOC

NOAA

State News

Research Project: Developing a Regional Risk-Assessment Model for …

Nisc Newsletter- Special Issue: September 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species Employment Opportunity

Below is summary information supporting two vacancy announcements and e-mail links for a full-time Biologist (Invasive Species, GS -401-11) working for the USFWS - Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office in Honolulu, Hawaii. The vacancy announcements (one for merit promotion and a second for open competition) will close on 15 September. This position will specialize on aquatic invasive species (30% time) issues in addition to broader, regional invasive species and disease issues (70% time).

Recent Regulation Changes Regarding Invasive Species In Mexico And The Development Of Mexico’S National Strategy On Invasive Species, Francisco Abarca

National Invasive Species Council

Between November 2008 and February 2010, Mexico made several modifications to existing environmental and wildlife regulations regarding invasive species.

On November 2008, the Deputy Chamber made several modifications to the Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection General Law (LGEEPA by its Spanish acronym; equivalent to NEPA), and the Wildlife General Law. These modifications were published in the Federal Register until February 2010.

The intent of these modifications was to strengthen existing regulations by incorporating more specific language dealing with invasive species and make these regulations more in tune with other regulations outside of the wildlife arena, such as the Forestry, …

Vegetation Community Monitoring At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska, K. M. James

United States National Park Service: Publications

Vegetation community monitoring was conducted by the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network beginning in 1998 and concluded in 2009. During this period, eleven monitoring sites were established and sampled seven times. This report presents summary findings of that monitoring effort and concludes network vegetation monitoring efforts at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network will continue long-term vegetation monitoring at the park. The eleven monitoring sites were categorized into three community types: prairie sandreed – sand bluestem native prairie; needle-and-thread grass – blue grama – threadleaf sedge native prairie; and riparian community. A summary …

Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Fisheries managers are likely to assess fish populations at some point during the fisheries management process. Managers that follow the fisheries management process (see Chapter 5) might find their knowledge base insufficient during the steps of problem identification or management action and must assess a population before appropriate actions can be taken. Managers will implement some type of assessment during the evaluation step as a means of measuring progress relative to objectives. Choosing how to assess a population is an important decision because managers strive to maximize their knowledge of a population while minimizing the time and money expended to …

Understanding The Science Of Climate Change Talking Points – Impacts To Alaska Maritime And Transitional, Caroline Jezierski, Rachel Loehman, Amanda Schramm

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Alaska is a huge state spanning 375 million acres and occupying nearly one-fifth of the land area for the contiguous 48 states. More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska. Due to the great size and geographically diverse nature of Alaska, two bioregional documents were produced: “Boreal and Arctic” and “Alaska Maritime and Transitional.” In Alaska, the vast majority of the land is public; with approximately 222 million acres (approximately 60%) designated federal lands and another 90 million acres (approximately 24%) in state ownership. There are 17 National Park Service (NPS) areas in Alaska …

Understanding The Science Of Climate Change Talking Points – Impacts To Alaska Boreal And Arctic, Caroline Jezierski, Rachel Loehman, Amanda Schramm

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Alaska is a huge state spanning 375 million acres and occupying nearly one-fifth of the land area of the contiguous 48 states. More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska. Due to the great size and geographically diverse nature of Alaska, two bioregional documents were produced: “Boreal and Arctic” and “Alaska Maritime and Transitional.” In Alaska, the vast majority of the land is public; with approximately 222 million acres (approximately 60%) designated federal lands and another 90 million acres (approximately 24%) in state ownership. There are 17 National Park Service (NPS) areas in Alaska …

Novelty, Adaptive Capacity, And Resilience, Craig R. Allen, C. S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We present a conceptual framework that explores some of the forces creating innovation and novelty in complex systems. Understanding the sources of variability and novelty may help us better understand complex systems. Understanding complex phenomena such as invasions, migration, and nomadism may provide insight into the structure of ecosystems and other complex systems, and aid our attempts to cope with and mitigate these phenomena, in the case of invasions, and better understand and or predict them. Our model is broadly applicable to ecological theory, including community ecology, resilience, restoration, and policy. Characterizing the link between landscape change and the composition …

Team Identification, Trust, And Conflict: A Mediation Model, Guohong (Helen) Han, Peter D. Harms

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

Purpose — The current study aims to address the relationship between trust, team identification, and team conflict. Specifically, it aims to examine whether trust in peers mediates the relationship between team identification and team conflict.
Design/methodology/approach — This is an empirical paper based on two field studies. In Study 1, 241 employees in a US Fortune 500 company distributed in various and mostly R&D teams were surveyed. In Study 2,205 employees in a health care organization in the Midwest were surveyed.
Findings — Team identification was related to lower levels of both task conflict and relationship conflict. This relationship, however, …

Emotional Intelligence And Transformational And Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analysis, Peter D. Harms, Marcus Credé

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to evaluate claims that emotional intelligence is significantly related to transformational and other leadership behaviors. Results (based on 62 independent samples) indicated a validity estimate of .59 when ratings of both emotional intelligence and leadership behaviors were provided by the same source (self, subordinates, peers, or superiors). However, when ratings of the constructs were derived from different sources, the validity estimate was .12. Lower validity estimates were found for transactional and laissez-faire leadership behaviors. Separate analyses were performed for each measure of emotional intelligence. Trait measures of emotional intelligence tended to show higher validities …

The Development And Resulting Performance Impact Of Positive Psychological Capital, Fred Luthans, James B. Avey, Bruce J. Avolio, Suzanne Peterson

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Recently, theory and research have supported psychological capital (PsyCap) as an emerging core construct linked to positive outcomes at the individual and organizational level. However, to date, little attention has been given to PsyCap development through training interventions; nor have there been attempts to determine empirically if such PsyCap development has a causal impact on participants’ performance. To fill these gaps we first conducted a pilot test of the PsyCap intervention (PCI) model with a randomized control group design. Next, we conducted a follow-up study with a cross section of practicing managers to determine if following the training guidelines of …

Thirty Years Of Mortality Assessment In Whooping Crane Reintroductions: Patterns And Implications, Barry K. Hartup, Marilyn G. Spalding, Nancy J. Thomas, Gretchen A. Cole, Young Jun Kim

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed postmortem data to identify primary causes of mortality in reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) and assess their potential for mitigation in future reintroduction efforts. In total, 240 cases from 3 populations were reviewed for causes of death, including the Rocky Mountain migratory population (n = 24, release dates 1975-1989), the Florida resident population (n = 186, 1993-2005), and the Wisconsin migratory population (n = 30, 2001-ongoing). Traumatic injury was the leading cause of mortality among the reintroduced whooping cranes, most commonly from predation (n = 120 or 50%, range 8-58% per project) or collision with fixed …

Morbidity And Mortality Of Captive Whooping Cranes At The International Crane Foundation 1976–2008, Barry K. Hartup, Jennifer N. Niemuth, Bridget Fitzpatrick, Maureen Fox, Cristin Kelley

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Tracking the incidence of morbidity and mortality in captive animal collections helps inform husbandry and preventive medicine programs aimed at improving population health and viability. Carpenter and Derrickson (1982) and Olsen et al. (1997) published summary reports of captive whooping crane (Grus americana) mortality that served to identify key problem areas for the primary breeding flock and potential reintroduction programs involving this endangered species. We expanded on this approach and conducted an initial evaluation of morbidity and mortality factors for whooping cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF). The purpose of our study was to identify overrepresented factors …