Digital Commons Network^™

Evolutionary Patterns In Deep-Sea Mollusks, Elizabeth Ellen Boyle

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The evolution of deep-sea fauna is poorly known. We know little about the scales of population differentiation, radiation and colonization of the deep sea. This dissertation explores evolution in the deep sea at the level of population differentiation on ocean-wide scales in a gastropod species Benthonella tenella and phylogeny of a deep-sea subfamily of protobranch bivalves, Ledellinae. While working on the phylogeny of the Ledellinae the presence of mitochondrial heteroplasmy was discovered.

Genetic variation was quantified within and among populations of deep-sea gastropod Benthonella tenella to identify the extent of population differentiation and potential mechanisms that might isolate gene pools. …

A Viking Age Political Economy From Soil Core Tephrochronology, Kathryn Anne Catlin

Graduate Masters Theses

Saga accounts describe Viking Age Iceland as an egalitarian society of independent household farms. By the medieval period, the stateless, agriculturally marginal society had become highly stratified in exploitative landlord-tenant relationships. Classical economists place the origin of differential wealth in unequal access to resources that are unevenly distributed across the landscape. This irregularity is manifested archaeologically as spatial variations in buried soil horizons, which are addressed through thousands of soil cores recorded across Langholt in support of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey. Soil accumulation rates, a proxy for land quality, are derived from tephrochronology and correlated with archaeological and historical …

Nutrition And Stature: The Residents Of The Island Of Gotland, Sweden Killed In The Battle Of Wisby, 1361, Michelle A. Miller

Masters Theses

This research examines stature in order to assess the socio-economic status of Gotland, an island (and municipality) off the coast of Sweden, before the 1360's. Gotland was known as a wealthy and autonomous peasant republic although it was loosely ruled by the Swedish Crown. In 1361, the Danish Army laid siege on the seaport city of Wisby to obtain its riches. Three days after the battle, the approximately 1800 dead Gotlanders were tossed haphazardly into five common graves. Archaeological excavations took place from 1905-1930 by Bendt Thordeman, among others. The human remains were analyzed in 1937. Osteological analysis in the …

Patron-Driven Purchase On Demand Programs For Printed Books And Similar Materials: A Chronological Review And Summary Of Findings, David C. Tyler

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

There has been a flurry of interest in patron-driven acquisitions in the library literature of late, but there has also been some suggestion that libraries are hesitant to incorporate patron-driven acquisitions into their collection development models. This article reviews the findings of the several case studies in the literature in the hopes that this will aid librarians who are still considering whether or not to implement a purchase on demand program for books and similar materials requested by patrons.

Role And Mechanism Of Arsenic In Regulating Angiogenesis., Ling-Zhi Liu, Yue Jiang, Richard L Carpenter, Yi Jing, Stephen C Peiper, Bing-Hua Jiang

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Arsenic is a wide spread carcinogen associated with several kinds of cancers including skin, lung, bladder, and liver cancers. Lung is one of the major targets of arsenic exposure. Angiogenesis is the pivotal process during carcinogenesis and chronic pulmonary diseases, but the role and mechanism of arsenic in regulating angiogenesis remain to be elucidated. In this study we show that short time exposure of arsenic induces angiogenesis in both human immortalized lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B and adenocarcinoma cells A549. To study the molecular mechanism of arsenic-inducing angiogenesis, we find that arsenic induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which activates AKT …

June 2011 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Supervisory Evolutionary Optimization Strategy For Adaptive Maintenance Schedules, Zhaoxia Wang, C. S. Chang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

No abstract provided.

Broadening Extension's Capacity—Comparing Extension Agents' And Environmental Educators' Perceptions Of Needs And Barriers, Dave Smaldone, Deborah A. Boone, Steve Selin, Amanda See

Journal of Extension

Conservation and environmental education share similar goals with Extension and thus holds partnership potential for Extension. The study reported here compared the needs and barriers faced by environmental educators and Extension agents in West Virginia using a mail survey. Results indicated there were both similarities and differences in the needs and barriers of the two groups. It was also noted that EE groups and Extension agents were unaware of each other's programs and did not view each other as important sources of information. This represents an opportunity for the groups to network and connect in new ways.

Characteristics And Perceptions Of 4-H Participants: Gender And Age Differences Across Adolescence, Karin Bartoszuk, Brandy A. Randall

Journal of Extension

The study reported here examined 367 adolescent 4-H participants in terms of demographic, psychological, behavioral, and relational characteristics, as well as their perceptions and experiences in 4-H. Overall, participants scored high on all outcome variables except having a diverse population in their club. Older participants were more optimistic, participated in more deviant behaviors, and were more satisfied with their 4-H experiences in comparison to younger participants. In comparison to boys, girls appeared to be healthier in regards to psychological characteristics, positive behaviors, and relationships with peers and other adults and were more satisfied with their 4-H experiences.

Exit Surveying Of Interns: Demonstrating Impact On Young Professionals, Cara Muscio

Journal of Extension

Documenting impact is becoming increasingly important as funding becomes tighter for Extension programs. An exit survey for interns conducted via an online survey tool is an opportunity to collect information on knowledge and skill gains, as well as document changes in intentions and attitudes about future career paths. An exit survey conducted between 2006-2010 demonstrated increases in knowledge and skills related to coastal science. In addition, the internships enabled students to better define their career goals. There are many activities that we routinely participate in that could benefit from this type of impact data collection in addition to routine evaluation.

Let’S Get Serious: Communicating Commitment In Romantic Relationship Formation, Joshua M. Ackerman, Vladas Griskevicius, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Are men or women more likely to confess love first in romantic relationships? And how do men and women feel when their partners say “I love you”? An evolutionary– economics perspective contends that women and men incur different potential costs and gain different potential benefits from confessing love. Across 6 studies testing current and former romantic relationships, we found that although people think that women are the first to confess love and feel happier when they receive such confessions, it is actually men who confess love first and feel happier when receiving confessions. Consistent with predictions from our model, additional …

A Guide For Homeland Security Instructors Preparing Physical Critical Infrastructure Protection Courses, Steven Hart, James D. Ramsay

Security Studies & International Affairs - Daytona Beach

Over 350 academic programs in the United States currently offer instruction in the field of homeland defense and security. In spite of this growth at the program level over the past ten years, there still exists a shortage of instructors and coursework in critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Traditional instructor preparation (which is accomplished through the attainment of an advanced degree coupled with research and professional experience) does not currently produce enough instructors qualified in CIP because of the extremely limited number of CIP-related educational opportunities. Therefore, an alternate venue for instructor preparation must be provided. This article addresses that need …

Botteri's Sparrow (Peucaea Botterii) Occurs In Northern Coahuila, Mexico, Paul Van Els, Ricardo Canales-Del-Castillo, John Klicka

Ornithology Program (HRC)

Botteri’s Sparrow (Peucaea botterii) occurs widely in the shrub-grasslands of southern North America. We report a breeding population of the species in the Sierra de la Encantada of northern Coahuila, Mexico, ~80 km from the Big Bend area of Texas and >300 km from the nearest previously known breeding range in southern Coahuila and central Chihuahua. We captured three individuals, which show a mostly gray dorsal coloration, suggestive of the texana subspecies, occurring from southern Texas to northern Veracruz. The exact affinity of the northern Coahuila population still needs to be ascertained. The presence of Botteri’s Sparrow in northern Coahuila …

Unlv Stars Unabridged Report, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Reports (USI)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, by earning a 2011 Silver Rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Ratings System (STARS), is ahead of the curve among public universities – and improving.

STARS is a voluntary, self–reporting framework developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to help measure sustainability performance over time and among colleges and universities nationwide. The UNLV Sustainability Council oversaw STARS, which by measuring sustainability can help UNLV to reduce energy consumption and waste, improve education, attract research, and generate jobs.

A rating of Silver puts UNLV in great company – with …

A Chip Off The Old Block: Familial Dna Searches And The African American Community, Brett Mares

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Religion And Spirituality In Counseling, Tiffany Nickles

Psychology and Child Development

While the 20^th century has simultaneously brought about a growth in counseling and a reemergence of secularism, counseling in the 21^st century has focused its attention on interventions that are sensitive to multicultural facets in clients’ lives. As professionals increasingly embrace multicultural competency in counseling and therapy, religion and spirituality arguably stand out as cultural and personal factors that are a salient part of framing one’s experiences, beliefs, values, behavior, and illness patterns. Despite the growing understanding of the pervasiveness and importance of spirituality and religion, most psychologists have little training in dealing with religious and spiritual issues. …

'Mai Pen Rai': A Cultural Ecology Of Thailand, Darcie Plocher

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Urbanization, Obesity, And The Protective Effect Of Traditional Food Behaviors In Fiji, Danielle Christine Krause

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Museum Literature And A Personal Critique. Museology: The Evolution Of A Socially Conscious Institution, Mckenna N. Friend

Social Sciences

This paper explores the relatively recent critical literature published on the history, theory, culture, and politics of museums. The report shall focus on comparing and contrasting curatorial methods as well as the before-and-after effect of the so-called “paradigm shift”—the shift from museums that are object-centered to visitor-centered [1]. This project emphasizes museums of Natural History and Anthropology, either by selecting literature that already references them or by applying the valid information in other articles. This emphasis allows for close evaluation of the exhibition of human evolution, cultural material, and Native Americans. How and why would a museum emphasize science over …

A Study Of Intergenerational Crime From A Sociological Standpoint, Anna Robosson

Social Sciences

The focus of this project will be the patterns and causes of intergenerational crime within the United States.  Ultimately, the goal of the project is to explain the phenomenon, as it is becoming a rising problem in the country.

Fiji Aquaculture/Rice Farming Analysis, Mackenzie Myers, Lyla Rintoul, Torie Robinson, Michelle Spina, Ryan Wilkey

Social Sciences

This paper looks into the components and considerations of a prawn or prawn and rice farming project in the village of Vuisiga, Fiji. It considers Fijian culture and its implications for this farming system, and the climate of Fiji for the feasability of this. Three scenarios are described: prawn monoculture, concurrent prawn/rice farming, and rice monoculture. For each scenario there are descriptions of how to implement the system from the building of the ponds to the harvest of product. Recommendations are given as well.

Processing Pdms Gecko Tape Using Isopore Filters And Silicon Wafer Templates, Boris Luu

Materials Engineering

Gecko tape was processed through nanomolding involving two types of templates. One template was a Millapore Isopore polycarbonate membrane filter and the other template was an n-type silicon wafer processed to include four different pore diameters. These pore diameters were 20, 40, 80, and 160 microns. AutoCAD was used to design to a mask to be used later during photolithography. Two n-type wafers were sputtered with aluminum, underwent photolithography, and then etched using reactive ion etching. A template was placed into a Petri dish and Sylgard 184 polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was poured on the template. Once the PDMS cured,   the 1 …

Oxidation Kinetics Of Silver Thin Films For Antimicrobial Applications In The Health Care Industry, Sean D. Morham

Materials Engineering

To determine if varying city water qualities from around the United States can support a developing “oxidation corrosion of silver thin films” method of creating aqueous ionic silver solutions for the anti-microbial treatment of healthcare linens, a test was devised holding all variables constant with the exception of water quality parameters. This corrosion style test was done in order to assess a pass/fail criteria of 25 ppb ionic silver concentration in the aqueous solutions which resulted from the corrosion of silver thin film coated substrates. Above 25 ppb being a pass, below 25 ppb being a fail. While varying the …

Celebrity Coverage On The Central Coast: Analyzing The Entertainment News Mediums, Leanne Aguilera

Journalism

No abstract provided.

Improving Cal Poly Space Systems Infrastructure, Tyler Richier

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The goal of this project was to increase the usable space for the club Cal Poly Space Systems to work on its projects, improve the safety for its members, and reduce the time it takes to manufacture its products. The project demonstrated the effectiveness of 5S in improving a workspace. Club members were measurably more comfortable in the work environment and spent less time looking for tools. Current rooms were made more professional by ridding the workplace of non-valued items and finding sensible locations for high-traffic items. Additional rooms were added and they should indisputably support club projects the upcoming …

Hub City Steps: Methods And Early Findings From A Community-Based Participatory Research Trial To Reduce Blood Pressure Among African Americans, Jamie M. Zoellner, Carol L. Connell, Michael B. Madson, Bo Wang, Vickie Blakely Reed, Elaine F. Molaison, M. Kathleen Yadrick

Faculty Publications

Background: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been recognized as an important approach to develop and execute health interventions among marginalized populations, and a key strategy to translate research into practice to help reduce health disparities. Despite growing interest in the CBPR approach, CBPR initiatives rarely use experimental or other rigorous research designs to evaluate health outcomes. This behavioral study describes the conceptual frameworks, methods, and early findings related to the reach, adoption, implementation, and effectiveness on primary blood pressure outcomes.

Methods: The CBPR, social support, and motivational interviewing frameworks are applied to test treatment effects of a two-phased CBPR walking …

Screening & Assessment Manual, Institute For Public Health And Justice, Screening And Assessment, John Ryals Jr.

Policy & Position Papers

No abstract provided.

General Design Principles For Resilience And Adaptive Capacity In Legal Systems--With Applications To Climate Change Adaptation, J.B. Ruhl

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

No force has put more pressure on the legal system than is likely to be exerted as climate change begins to disrupt the settled expectations of humans. Demands on the legal system will be intense and long-term, but is the law up to the task? If it is, it will at least in part be because the legal system proves to be resilient and adaptive. The question this Article explores, therefore, is how to think about designing legal instruments and institutions now with confidence they will be resilient and adaptive to looming problems as massive, variable, and long-term in scale …

Fertilization Narratives In The Art Of Gustav Klimt, Diego Rivera And Frida Kahlo: Repression, Domination And Eros Among Cells, Scott F. Gilbert, S. Brauckmann

Biology Faculty Works

Fertilization narratives are powerful biological stories that can be used for social ends, and 20th-century artists have used fertilization-based imagery to convey political and social ideas. In Danae, Gustav Klimt used an esoteric stage of early human embryos to indicate successful fertilization and the inability of government repression to stifle creativity. In Man, Controller of the Universe, Diego Rivera painted a mural of a man controlling an ovulating ovary, depicting Trotsky's view that society will rationally regulate human fertilization. His former wife, Frida Kahlo, refuted this view in Moses: Nucleus of Creation, wherein she painted images of fertilization and embryo …

Habitat Selection By Female Swift Foxes (Vulpes Velox) During The Pup- Rearing Season, Indrani Sasmal, Jonathan A. Jenks, Troy W. Grovenburg, Shubham Datta, Greg. M. Schroeder, Robert W. Klaver, Kevin M. Honness

The Prairie Naturalist

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) was historically distributed in western South Dakota including the region surrounding Badlands National Park (BNP). The species declined during the mid-1800s, largely due to habitat loss and poisoning targeted at wolves (Canis lupis) and coyotes (C. latrans). Only a small population of swift foxes near Ardmore, South Dakota persisted. In 2003, an introduction program was initiated at BNP with swift foxes translocated from Colorado and Wyoming. We report on habitat use by female swift foxes during the pup-rearing season (May–July) in 2009. Analyses of location data from 13 radiomarked female foxes indicated disproportional use (P < 0.001) of some habitats relative to their availability within swift fox home ranges. Swift foxes used grassland (ŵ = 1.01), sparse vegetation (ŵ = 1.43) and prairie dog towns (ŵ = 1.18) in proportion to their availability, whereas they were less likely to use woodland (ŵ = 0.00), shrubland (ŵ = 0.14), pasture/agricultural-land (ŵ = 0.25) and development (ŵ = 0.16) relative to availability. Swift foxes typically are located in habitats that provide greater visibility, such as shortgrass prairie and areas with sparse vegetation; which allow detection of approaching coyotes (e.g., primary predator of swift foxes).