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2010

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Canine Scent Detection Of Human Cancers A Biological, Cell Signaling, Behavioral, And Experimental Approach, Emily Moser Jan 2010

Canine Scent Detection Of Human Cancers A Biological, Cell Signaling, Behavioral, And Experimental Approach, Emily Moser

Theses & ETDs

Interest in the hypothesis that dogs are able to detect cancer in humans began in 1989 when a letter sent to the journal, The Lancet, implied that a dog had detected melanoma on its owner�s skin. Since then, considerable anecdotal and experimental evidence has been found to support this hypothesis. In fact, studies on the topic have lead researchers to believe that dogs can detect several different types of cancer earlier than machines built for the same purpose. Canines are able to detect whether people have cancer by smelling cancer biomarkers in their breath with a sensitivity and specificity sometimes …

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Local Algebraic Invariant Statistics For A Heuristic To Compare Phylogenetic Trees, Ian Haywood Jan 2010

Local Algebraic Invariant Statistics For A Heuristic To Compare Phylogenetic Trees, Ian Haywood

Theses & ETDs

A central problem of evolutionary biology involves constructing the evolutionary pathway of observed species. Phylogenetic trees are natural structures used to model such pathways. We develop a method for comparing phylogenetic trees with a notion towards constructing a best fit tree for a given data set. Our method involves defining a local geometry on the space of trees. This geometry involves a comparison of local algebraic invariants. We use this geometry to construct an algorithm for producing best fit phylogenetic trees. Numerical experiments suggest this as an interesting avenue of research.

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A Crisis Of Consciousness Volkisch Occultism In Austria And Germany, 1890-1933, Shanna Turner Jan 2010

A Crisis Of Consciousness Volkisch Occultism In Austria And Germany, 1890-1933, Shanna Turner

Theses & ETDs

The nineteenth century saw an occult revival throughout the Western world, but this occult revival impacted Germany uniquely. In the rest of Europe interest in the occult was a fad that died out within a few short years. This was not the case in the German-speaking world, where the social, political and economic atmosphere created conditions particularly well suited to fostering the occult. This thesis analyzes the unique conditions in nineteenth century Austria and Germany that resulted in the v�lkisch occult movement and the writers and thinkers who created the ideologies of the movement. One cannot address German occultism without, …

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Representing Rwanda Anthropology's Role In Witnessing Genocide, Kaitlyn Collins Jan 2010

Representing Rwanda Anthropology's Role In Witnessing Genocide, Kaitlyn Collins

Theses & ETDs

The academic scholarship available on genocide is limited. Alexander Hinton is one of the few anthropologists who has written extensively about genocide; his writing explores the roles that anthropology can play with respect to genocide from both a preventative and a prescriptive perspective. Using Hinton�s work as a foundation, this thesis will explore the role that anthropologists can play in preventing genocide, investigating the connections between everyday practices of violence and more extreme derivatives of violence. I will focus my lens on the Rwandan genocide, using this as a template to evaluate anthropology�s place in the study of genocide due …

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Development Of Procedures To Detect Pathogens In Rhizophora Mangle L., Alycia Shatters Jan 2010

Development Of Procedures To Detect Pathogens In Rhizophora Mangle L., Alycia Shatters

Theses & ETDs

Rhizophora mangle L. trees form a forest on the edges of Biscayne Bay National Park, where a unique abnormal morphology, including club-shaped branch termini with extremely short internodes and clumped leaves, was observed in several sections of this R. mangle forest. These abnormal trees also displayed more severe herbivory than neighboring healthy looking trees, and some localized symptoms were so severe that dead patches of the forest were observed. Visual symptoms seemed to be consistent with abnormalities in other trees caused by microbial pathogens. Therefore, universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for fungi, phytoplasmas, and other bacteria were used to …

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Birth Order And Family Size As Indicators Of Social Competence, Anna Mary Folkers Jan 2010

Birth Order And Family Size As Indicators Of Social Competence, Anna Mary Folkers

Theses & ETDs

A substantial body of prior research has established that immediate family members (specifically siblings) contribute tremendously to the social development of children. It is unclear how ordinal birth ranking fits into this relationship. Further, the literature on birth order is notoriously fractured and inconsistent. This thesis attempted to contribute to this literature by measuring the empathy levels, attachment style, social perceptiveness, and family attachment of 50 undergraduate students. Whereas it was hypothesized that later-born siblings would show greater prosocial tendencies, this effect was unobserved in this sample. The results do paint a detailed picture of the ways in which different …

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Food, Family, And The Factors Influencing The Frequencies And Characteristics Of Family Dinners In America, Iii, Ronald E. Overing Jan 2010

Food, Family, And The Factors Influencing The Frequencies And Characteristics Of Family Dinners In America, Iii, Ronald E. Overing

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is an investigation into the factors influencing the frequencies of family dinners, which allowed for an examination of contemporary family life in America. Dinner was chosen because it is the most social meal of the day and because of the meal�s potential for being a powerful site of socialization. Historical research was used to explain the context leading to the formation of family dinners, which began as a reaction to the industrial revolution started by the Protestant middle-class during the 1850s. After the history chapter, the frequency of family dinners since the 1970s was found in existing literature, …

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Anti-Androgyne Feminist Analysis Of The Fin-De-Siecle Androgyne And The Hermaphrodite As A Radical Queer Employment In Visual Culture, Lauren Ondercin Edwards Jan 2010

Anti-Androgyne Feminist Analysis Of The Fin-De-Siecle Androgyne And The Hermaphrodite As A Radical Queer Employment In Visual Culture, Lauren Ondercin Edwards

Theses & ETDs

The fin-de-si�cle was a time of social upheaval, especially for men faced with changing gender relations and the rise of feminism. Two figures which arose from this male anxiety about changing gender roles are the Androgyne and the Hermaphrodite. The first part of this paper examines the specific ways that the finde-si�cle Androgyne�a supposedly asexual, transcendent, feminized male figure�reassures male superiority over women by maintaining power in male the male body and excluding women from creativity and eroticism. I then compare the Western conception of the Androgyne to another literary and artistic figure, the Hermaphrodite, as depicted by Decadent artists …

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Nomadic Pastoralism In Mongolia's Age Of The Market, James William Birmingham Jan 2010

Nomadic Pastoralism In Mongolia's Age Of The Market, James William Birmingham

Theses & ETDs

The pastoralists of Mongolia have recently gone through a dramatic shift in their economy and government � one arguably even more challenging to their traditional subsistence economy than the Soviet era that preceded it. Mongolian nomadic pastoralism is now dealing with global capitalism. This thesis will analyze this transition�s effect on the nomadic pastoralists of Mongolia. It will focus on the tension between the traditional methods of the pastoralists and the capitalist policies that are being employed in modern Mongolia.

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Determining The Rate And Activation Energy Of Rrna Degradation Under Prebiotic Earth Conditions, Alice Abernathy Jan 2010

Determining The Rate And Activation Energy Of Rrna Degradation Under Prebiotic Earth Conditions, Alice Abernathy

Theses & ETDs

The RNA world hypothesis proposes RNA dominated the early biochemical landscape of Earth and functioned both as an information storage molecule and in catalysis, as the predecessor of DNA and protein respectively. If the RNA world existed, RNA must have been able to persist in the harsh conditions of prebiotic Earth. To clarify the conditions under which the RNA world hypothesis is feasible, this study determined the rate and activation energy of the degradation of rRNA extracted from Methanosarcina acetivorans in a number of prebiotically relevant solutions. Compared to pure water at neutral pH, high concentrations of magnesium chloride and …

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Illustrating Human-Wildlife Conflict, Evan Neal Jan 2010

Illustrating Human-Wildlife Conflict, Evan Neal

Theses & ETDs

Anthropogenic causes account for a major source of injury and death to birds of prey in the United States. Ranging from collisions with automobiles to poisoning to gunshot, conflicts occurring between humans and birds of prey reflect an array of human activities detrimental to the success of these important apex predators. In order to raise awareness and concern for this issue, this thesis explores a biological and ecological impetus for raptor conservation, employing the complimentary means of illustration to enforce information and incite learner involvement.

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Fish On The Atypical Antipsychotic Seroquel And Their Performance On An Avoidance Test, Jessica E. Burgan Jan 2010

Fish On The Atypical Antipsychotic Seroquel And Their Performance On An Avoidance Test, Jessica E. Burgan

Theses & ETDs

Seroquel is an antipsychotic drug that may have a positive effect on cognition. The shuttlebox avoidance task is a way to measure cognition. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether the drug Seroquel has any effect on shuttlebox avoidance. A possible mode of action of Seroquel is the reduction of stress and consequent enhancement of cognitive ability and may have clinical significance. In this study chronic stress was produced by the injection of cortisol. In this study, sixty-four subjects were randomly assigned to four groups of 16 fish: 1) fish given Seroquel in aquarium water and injected with …

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Gender Role Instillment Upon Children Through The Use Of Children's Literature, Maria Andrea Siles Jan 2010

Gender Role Instillment Upon Children Through The Use Of Children's Literature, Maria Andrea Siles

Theses & ETDs

Previous research has established that gender roles and gender stereotypes are prevalent in children's literature. Through the use of children's literature, teachers' roles as potential social influences in gender role instillment on students were examined to understand the possible impact they could have on other domains, like occupational preference and gender item-associations. A sample of 14 children, 4-6 years of age, completed a short questionnaire inquiring about the children's desired future occupation, were read two stories, completed a sticker task indicating their preferred ending out of two choices, and participated in a flashcard task. Additionally, two female participants listened only …

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Photorespiration A Wasteful Relic, Or A Potentially Useful Metabolic Tool?, Lisa Keenan Jan 2010

Photorespiration A Wasteful Relic, Or A Potentially Useful Metabolic Tool?, Lisa Keenan

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is an in-depth review of the photorespiratory (C2) metabolic pathway, as well as the other pathways closely connected to it, and the recent advances in the quest to produce a more productive plant. There has been some contention in the scientific community about the usefulness of the C2 pathway: on the one hand, it is a pathway that drains energy while producing no G3P (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate), a molecule necessary for the production of sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids; on the other hand, significant research has connected the photorespiratory metabolism with stress protection, nitrogen metabolism, and the equilibrium …

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Understandings Of Invasive Species In The United States, Cindy Li Jan 2010

Understandings Of Invasive Species In The United States, Cindy Li

Theses & ETDs

Invasive organisms hold a certain place of notoriety to many who know and deal with them, and in recent years, legislation�from federal to county levels�has been passed to reduce or eradicate their populations. These efforts are spearheaded by ecologists and industries negatively affected by invasive organisms; however, they are not the only forces influencing how we think about invasive exotics. This thesis will attempt to draw connections between the cultural values and science that affect such policies and offer alternative ways of thought. Does our historically nativist view on nature carry through to today? How can alternative views benefit our …

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The Effect Of Interest Level On Susceptibility To Unconscious Nonverbal Mimicry, Amanda Caizza Jan 2010

The Effect Of Interest Level On Susceptibility To Unconscious Nonverbal Mimicry, Amanda Caizza

Theses & ETDs

This study measured the role interest level plays in nonconscious mimicry. Forty participants performed a proofreading task in which the reading material was either of high interest, a compilation of original creative short stories and poetry, or of low interest, an excerpt from a statistics textbook. During participant completion of either task, a confederate discreetly initiated a sequence of scripted nonverbal behaviors. As predicted, those participants in the high interest condition mimicked the confederate�s behavior less often than did those completing the low interest task. Participant�s also noticed the confederate�s behavior in relation to how often he/she mimicked. This research …

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Fresh From The Grove Ethnographic Research In Florida's Citrus Industry, Miranda Rosalynne Bailey Jan 2010

Fresh From The Grove Ethnographic Research In Florida's Citrus Industry, Miranda Rosalynne Bailey

Theses & ETDs

From groves to laboratories to gift shops, citrus is a commodity and cultural symbol that has become representative of Florida across the globe. In this thesis I discuss the changing role of citrus as a Florida industry and, through interviews with growers and others agriculture professionals, I investigate what these changes mean for future generations. A cycle of economic slumps and industry consolidation has combined with disease pressure and environmental threats to wreak havoc on the productive acreage of citrus in Florida. The future of citrus in Florida, with its family-owned heritage, is unclear.

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Agricultural Modeling Predicting The Effects Of Genetic Coefficients On Maize Yield In Waterlimiting Environments, Anne Amelia Farrell Jan 2010

Agricultural Modeling Predicting The Effects Of Genetic Coefficients On Maize Yield In Waterlimiting Environments, Anne Amelia Farrell

Theses & ETDs

Limited water availability threatens agricultural efficiency, as crops require suffice water for maximum yields and productivity. As human populations grow, water will become more of a concern. Increased water demands require agriculture to compete with municipalities if agriculture is going to feed the masses. I reviewed two models that will soon aid scientists in determining plant modifications to produce marketable yields with available water. Therefore, an overview of drought tolerance in maize is discussed. Genetics and agronomy are two scientific fields that will aid the identification of specific traits or genetic coefficients to improve drought tolerance in crops. Scientists need …

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The Effects Of Acute Bleaching On Attachment Of The Soft Coral Sarcophyton Elegans, Amy Mcdavid Jan 2010

The Effects Of Acute Bleaching On Attachment Of The Soft Coral Sarcophyton Elegans, Amy Mcdavid

Theses & ETDs

Coral reefs are important ecosystems that support life for a plethora of organisms. With the raising of the ocean temperatures due to global warming over the past thirty years, corals have begun to bleach, or expel their zooxanthellae, a symbiotic dinoflagellate, crucial to coral health and survival. Little is known of how well corals can recover after bleaching. In this pilot study, I investigate the attachment of a soft coral, Sarcophyton elegans, after bleaching. Six fragments were acutely bleached in sea water with an elevated temperature for 1.5 hours. These six fragments were then placed next to six fragments that …

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Moving Upstream Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives In A Community-Based Advocacy Organization, Myranda Pierce Jan 2010

Moving Upstream Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives In A Community-Based Advocacy Organization, Myranda Pierce

Theses & ETDs

The focus of this thesis is community education and engagement in the context of domestic and sexual violence prevention at SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center in Sarasota, Florida). This research takes the form of unstructured interviews and participant observation learning alongside educators and leaders in the Sarasota area who teach various groups in the community about domestic and sexual violence issues. Specifically, I discuss various strategies and goals of primary prevention and observe how projects and outreach events put on by the prevention team fit into these goals. I also look at the needs and limitations of the …

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High Throughput Insertional Mutagenesis And Screening For Lipase Activity In Beauveria Bassiana, An Entomopathogenic Fungus, Nathan Kruer-Zerhusen Jan 2010

High Throughput Insertional Mutagenesis And Screening For Lipase Activity In Beauveria Bassiana, An Entomopathogenic Fungus, Nathan Kruer-Zerhusen

Theses & ETDs

Microbial biocontrol agents used as biopesticides have the potential to avoid the damage to the environment and gradual pesticide resistance associated with chemical pesticides. Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogenic fungus currently on the market as a fungal biopesticide, capable of attacking insects of agricultural and public health relevance. With the characteristics of a wide insect host range, potentially limited environmental impact, and the ability to invade insects through the cuticle exoskeleton rather than through ingestion, Beauveria bassiana is a candidate for continued research focus. Various virulence factors affect insect pathogenesis by B. bassiana, including numerous extracellular enzymes secreted on the …

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Behavioral Lateralization And Anatomical Asymmetry In Pleuronectiform Fishes, Ned Poulos-Boggis Jan 2010

Behavioral Lateralization And Anatomical Asymmetry In Pleuronectiform Fishes, Ned Poulos-Boggis

Theses & ETDs

Evidence of lateralized behaviors has been reported for over fifteen species of fish, including flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes). Pleuronectiforms are some of the most asymmetrical vertebrates, possessing a number of asymmetries in anatomy and in behavior. The anatomical asymmetries produced in metamorphosis can occur in either direction, depending on the taxon. Lateralization of predator evasion response was investigated for two species of pleuronectiform fishes: Paralichthys albigutta and Pseudopleuronectes americanus. P. albigutta has its eyes on the left side of its head (sinistral) and P. americanus is right-eyed (dextral). When repeatedly ushered through a Y-maze by a simulated predator, P. albigutta showed a …

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The Hard Reduction Psychology And Neuroscience, Caleb Kaufman Jan 2010

The Hard Reduction Psychology And Neuroscience, Caleb Kaufman

Theses & ETDs

As theory from cognitive psychology and clinical psychology are being formally included under the auspice of neuroscience, the question of integration arises. Reductionism and the mind-body problem provide a framework from which to examine this question. Reductionism highlights particular problems in attempting to explain the mental, experiential content of psychology in terms of neurobiology, such that identity claims cannot yet be made. Nonetheless, attempts to explain, and explain away the mental experiential content of psychology make themselves evident in contemporary neuroscience. Interactionism, as a method, is a viable option which respects the irreducibility of the mental, while allowing productive research …

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Behavioral Effects Of Serotonin Transporter Overexpression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cristina Camayd Jan 2010

Behavioral Effects Of Serotonin Transporter Overexpression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cristina Camayd

Theses & ETDs

Serotonin is the molecule most frequently implicated in the modulation of aggression in mammals. Recent findings have brought into question previous suspicions that aggression in Drosophila melanogaster is unaffected by the serotonergic system. Development of a novel transgene based on the promoter of tryptophan hydroxylase can now be used to spatially restrict genetic manipulations to serotonin positive cells in the central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila melanogaster. By pairing this promoter with the GAL4-UAS system endogenous overexpression of serotonin transporter (SERT) was driven in the CNS, and behavioral effects were characterized using an aggression assay. SERT overexpressing flies showed a …

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Domestic Cats Coat Color And Personality, Do Calicos Really Have Catitude?, Jacqueline Munera Jan 2010

Domestic Cats Coat Color And Personality, Do Calicos Really Have Catitude?, Jacqueline Munera

Theses & ETDs

For cats in shelters, coat color may influence a potential adopter�s choice of cat, how long a cat stays in a shelter and how likely he or she is to be euthanized, but cat personality is reported as a primary reason for adopters� satisfaction with their cats. Cat personality evaluations may help shelters facilitate appropriate and successful adoptions, while reducing euthanasia and return rates. Many people have a perception of coat color, particularly tortoiseshell and calico, as a representative indicator of cat personality, while research on the relationship between the two is lacking. This study utilized behavior assessments and scoring …

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Towards The Synthesis Of 1,4-Dibenzyl-1,4,7-Triazacyclononane-7-Monoacetate For A Potential Mimic Of Oxalate Degrading Enzymes, Alexandria Liang Jan 2010

Towards The Synthesis Of 1,4-Dibenzyl-1,4,7-Triazacyclononane-7-Monoacetate For A Potential Mimic Of Oxalate Degrading Enzymes, Alexandria Liang

Theses & ETDs

Oxalate oxidase and oxalate decarboxylase are enzymes responsible for the degradation of oxalate. These enzymes are present in plants, bacteria and fungi. Consumption of oxalate, by both people and livestock, can result in cardiological and kidney disease. This is because neither contains oxalate degrading enzymes. Small molecule mimics of oxalate oxidase and oxalate decarboxylase have the potential to function as a tool for understanding the activity of the enzymes, testing for oxalate toxicity, probing the relationship between structure and function, and much more. An oxalate oxidase or oxalate decarboxylase mimic requires the synthesis of a ligand for complexation with a …

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Generation Of Dna Constructs And Cell Lines Over-Expressing The Subunits Of The Gamma Secretase Complex In Alzheimer's Disease, Jeremy Frieling Jan 2010

Generation Of Dna Constructs And Cell Lines Over-Expressing The Subunits Of The Gamma Secretase Complex In Alzheimer's Disease, Jeremy Frieling

Theses & ETDs

Alzheimer�s disease is a neurodegenerative, irreversible disease whose cause is believed to be amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles. Amyloid beta is a 40 or 42 amino acid peptide produced by cleavage of a larger protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP). Two enzymes called beta secretase and gamma secretase are responsible for the production of amyloid beta. A third enzyme, alpha secretase, may cleave before beta secretase and does so within the amyloid beta region and thus precludes its production. Much of the research aimed at finding a cure for Alzheimer�s disease focuses on reducing amyloid beta levels through blockage …

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Re Vanishers For Premature Burial & Tmt, Jared Dyer Jan 2010

Re Vanishers For Premature Burial & Tmt, Jared Dyer

Theses & ETDs

With the Vanisher Series I interpret the fear of death as derived from its fundamentally premature nature. Like any other, the fear of death is a fear of the unknown. It is my claim that through culture we may exact a measure of control in our lives to make death appear less unpredictable. The two-fold aim of the work is to draw parallels across time between flawed fear-limiting strategies and to undergo a conceptual experiment to unearth something universal between spatial relationships in sculpture and human behavior. I align the rampant fear of the Schientod, or death-trance, in late 18th …

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What I Call Myself Exploring Ethnic Identities And Selections Of Ethnic Labels For Hispanic/Latino Second Generation Immigrants, Maria D. Duenas Jan 2010

What I Call Myself Exploring Ethnic Identities And Selections Of Ethnic Labels For Hispanic/Latino Second Generation Immigrants, Maria D. Duenas

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I explore how young adult members of the so-called Hispanic/Latino ethnic group develop their ethnic self-identifications in the context of the government- and socially-created racial/ethnic categories. Through eleven in-depth interviews with second generation Hispanic/Latino immigrants between 18 and 25 years old, I identify four preferred self-identifications: pan-ethnic (ambivalently Hispanic instead of Latino), country-specific, situational labels and rejection of all racial and ethnic labels. Ethnic identity is formed and labels are selected primarily in relation to others, specifically: family (their connection to their native countries) and neighborhoods (racial/ethnic makeup, specifically Latin American presence).

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Anyone Can Be A Fisherman In May The Economics Of Fisheries And Fishery Regulation With An Exploration Into The Icelandic Fisheries, Gabriel Esteban Rodriguez Jan 2010

Anyone Can Be A Fisherman In May The Economics Of Fisheries And Fishery Regulation With An Exploration Into The Icelandic Fisheries, Gabriel Esteban Rodriguez

Theses & ETDs

This work explores the economics of fisheries and fisheries regulations and the introduction of some of these theories within the Icelandic fishing economy. The work first sets up and demonstrates the model for fisheries that includes both economic and biological concerns. The primary method of analysis is theoretical economic modeling of the bioeconomic system. We then proceed along this line of analysis with the introduction of intentional perturbations to the model. We seek to analyze the potential effects of such perturbations and their ability to achieve the goal of policy makers and fulfill the criteria of an effective economic management …

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