Digital Commons Network^™

Sting, Carry And Stock: How Corpse Availability Can Regulate De-Centralized Task Allocation In A Ponerine Ant Colony, Thomas Schmickl, Istvan Karsai

ETSU Faculty Works

We develop a model to produce plausible patterns of task partitioning in the ponerine ant Ectatomma ruidum based on the availability of living prey and prey corpses. The model is based on the organizational capabilities of a "common stomach" through which the colony utilizes the availability of a natural (food) substance as a major communication channel to regulate the income and expenditure of the very same substance. This communication channel has also a central role in regulating task partitioning of collective hunting behavior in a supply&demand-driven manner. Our model shows that task partitioning of the collective hunting behavior in E. …

Typography For Non-Designers, Caitlyn Redden

Theses

Understanding typography is an essential part of visual communication. Typography communicates the message of the design. I plan to create a piece that will inform the non-designer about the basic rules of typography in a quick and engaging motion graphics animation.

With the expansion of the digital world, design has become accessible to anyone with an internet connection through software applications and tutorials. Even with these tools, there is a significant lack of design knowledge available. I will guide the audience through concepts that are most often used inappropriately. The concepts include: alignment, grid structure, hierarchy and typeface choice.

I'M Listening With Dabdoop: A Phonological Stimulation App For Arabic Preschoolers, Manal Alyaba

Theses

Recognizing the sounds around us is the first step humans take to develop reading skills. Children who are at risk of dyslexia have a weakness in differentiating between sounds that make up our language. Testing for phonological awareness, a crucial part of reading development, can aid in detecting dyslexia. English speaking children have the luxury of being able to access varied programs designed to promote phonological awareness, knowledge of which, in turn, can assist as an early intervention instrument for dyslexia. In Saudi Arabia there are no programs that exist to detect dyslexia in children at an early age. The …

Environmental Genomics And Transcriptomics Of Salpa Thompsoni And Population Genetic Variation Of Euphausia Superba In The Southern Ocean, Paola G. Batta Lona

Doctoral Dissertations

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region, which is experiencing increased sea surface temperatures, is a highly productive region of the Southern Ocean, supporting dense populations of the salp Salpa thompsoni and krill Euphuasia superba.

Ecological data suggest that important species like salps and krill are being affected by climate change and that this effects on these planktonic species will have considerable consequences for the balance of the Southern Ocean ecosystem. The Antarctic krill E. superba is one of the best-studied marine zooplankton species in terms of population genetic diversity and structure. However few studies have discriminated life stages and examined …

On The Evolution Of Organizational Governance: Divided Governance And Survival In The Long Run, Roger D. Congleton

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This paper analyzes the formation, refinement, and evolution of organizational decisionmaking processes, e.g. organizational governments. In doing so, it develops a framework for analyzing a broad cross section of private and non-private formal organizations. Formal organizations are all founded, e.g. they have a beginning. As a consequence, decisionmaking authority within an organization is often initially distributed in a manner that provides their founders (formeteurs) with substantial control over their organizations. However, that control is rarely, if ever, complete, because formeteurs have interests that can often be advanced by trading and/or delegating authority to others in exchange for services and other …

Body, Gender, And Nation: Women Fiction Writers Of Spanish American Modernismo [Mujer, Cuerpo Y Nación: Las Narradoras Del Modernismo], Chantal Berthet

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines a group of modernista women writers who are closely associated with the tradition of the nineteenth-century Latin American “foundational fiction” novel. I suggest that their works function as national allegories in the sense that they are integral to the debates on modernity at the beginning of the twentieth century. I discuss the continuity of this “foundational fictions” tradition within a different framework, modernismo, an aesthetic that is sometimes erroneously stereotyped as “apolitical” or “escapist.” By highlighting the peculiarities of the dialogue established between discourses of nation and the modernismo practiced by these authors, I show that …

“Can You Hear Me? Do You Care?”: The Police As Agents Of Social Control Against Black Women In The U.S., Desiree Greenhouse

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study centered around determining if law enforcement is a new mechanism of social control which targets Black women in a distinct way. Social control are those processes that work in society through various mechanisms in order to regulate groups into certain conformity. Social control against Black Americans has taken violent form through the institutions of slavery, lynching and police brutality. However, a significantly gendered pattern of social control, which has its history in racialized narratives, has made Black women’s experience with police distinct in America. Theory was grounded in a general Marxian principium through Joseph Gusfield as well as …

Exploring Unusual Post-Graduate Careers In The Arts, Caroline Hawkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Post-graduation job searching arrives too quickly in most college seniors’ lives, and many of us find ourselves unprepared when the time comes to actually find a career we want to commit to for an extended period of time. To commence this daunting quest, I have decided to explore a few alternative possibilities and options for professions that are related to my passions of theatre and music, but that are a bit more unorthodox, unexpected, and “outside the box.” To aid me in my search, I will communicate with several professional experts in their fields, gaining skilled and experienced opinions. In …

The Effect Of Chronic Sleep Deprivation On Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha And Bone Health In Peri-Menopausal Rats, Megan Robertson, Derek Booth, Erin Wainwright, Cody Arbuckle, Frank Frisch

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Post-menopausal osteoporosis is a common syndrome in the United States. The cessation of estrogen signaling coupled with the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from sleep deprivation leads to an even greater risk of post-menopausal osteoporosis by creating an imbalance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. With estrogen no longer present to regulate the concentration of osteoclasts and pro-inflammatory cytokines increasing production of osteoclasts, bone is degraded at a faster rate than it is formed. One of the most common treatments for osteoporosis is Zolendronate (a nitrogenous bisphosphonate), which decreases the number of osteoclasts in bone. This preliminary study looked at the effects on …

Sensuality, Camels, And Islam: Disney Music And American Perception Of The Middle Eastern Experience, Laura Schildbach

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In a world that is constantly changing and becoming more open to diversity and equality, filmmakers are faced with the challenge of presenting films and characters that embrace the ever-evolving world around us. In particular, Disney has been presented with this challenge; as a cinema powerhouse with an audience primarily made up of children, there is a perception that Disney has a moral responsibility to present accurate and unbiased representations of all cultures. This paper will analyze how Disney musically represents the Middle East in two Disney feature films, Aladdin and Prince of Persia, and how the musical choices affect …

Slis Connecting, Volume 3, Issue 2, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Entire issue of SLIS Connecting, Volume 3, Issue 2

Analysis Of Primers In The De Grummond Children’S Literature Collection, Preston R. Salisbury

SLIS Connecting

This study examines the primers collected in the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi. “The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection is one of North America’s leading research centers in the field of children’s literature,” with a main focus on American and British literature both historical and contemporary (lib.usm.edu). Specific characteristics of the primers examined in this study include publication year, publisher, and stories and illustrations used in the content. These data provide a general view of the development of the primer both for educative and socio-political purposes over time.

Read With Me: My Personal Experience With A Lis 641 Service Learning Project, Mary Ann Griffin

SLIS Connecting

At the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Library and Information Science, LIS 641: Public Libraries has an emphasis on service learning and community relationships. In an all-online program, service learning can be challenging and part of that challenge was for the students to initiate their own service learning project. This was a prime time to promote the community project, Read with Me.

Student Associations And Upcoming Events, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Presents updates and news from the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) and the Southern Miss Student Archivists Association (Southern Miss SAA) along with upcoming and recent events of interest.

Second Reaction: Chasing Teachable Moments By Chasing Cheetahs, Aaron Hamilton

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Baby They Were Born To Run, Helene Halstead

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Picturing A Bright Light: Florence Nightingale, Human Rights, And The Health Professions, Gretchen Papazian

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Oxidative Stress Product Carboxyethylpyrrole In Innate Immunity, Ali M. Saeed

Open Access Dissertations

Oxidative-stress is key in the pathogenesis of several diseases and the general aging process. Molecular targets of oxidative stress include nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. It has previously been established that a particular lipid peroxidation product, carboxyethylpyrrole (CEP), accumulates in melanoma, autistic brain tissue, atherosclerotic plaques, sites undergoing wound healing, and in the retinas of AMD patients. The role of CEP is best characterized in AMD and in addition to the retina, elevated levels of CEP and autoantibodies against CEP are found in the sera of AMD patients (versus age-matched controls). Our previous studies have demonstrated CEP as a potential …

An Ethnographic Analysis On The Effects Of The Closure Of Hovensa Oil Refinery On The Commercial Fishing Community On St. Croix, U.S.V.I., Samantha J. Feingold

Open Access Theses

This study is an ethnographic analysis on the effects of the closure of HOVENSA oil refinery on the commercial fishing community on St. Croix, U.S.V.I. It adds to the literature on resilience of fishing communities on how a major corporation can impact a fishery. The study used an ethnographic analysis that included a Rapid Impact and Vulnerability Assessment (RIVA), which evaluated the socio-economic outcomes and consequences of the closure on the fishing community and the fishermen’s livelihood strategies. To assess whether the commercial fishing community will be resilient in the future if the economic decline remains or worsens, social, financial …

An Investigation Into The Survival Of Submerged Prehistoric Cultural Resources In Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, Leah Grace Colombo

Open Access Theses

Submerged prehistoric archaeological material exists on the continental shelf in Florida. Florida Bay is a shallow marine body of water located between the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys. Previously, no attempts have been made to locate such material in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. This National Park Service funded study was initiated to develop a method to quantify submerged prehistoric cultural resources that may be harmed by world sea level rise and regional anthropogenic changes. No technology now exists to remotely sense prehistoric archaeological material, thus this investigation involved first the development of a predictive model. This included an …

The Supernatural’S Role In The Juxtaposition Of The Ideas Of Modernity, Traditionalism And Identity In Zakes Mda’S The Heart Of Redness, Thabo Lucky Mzileni

English 502: Research Methods

The supernatural is an entity found in many African literary texts as it is an important part of the African cultural fabric that informs and shapes the African way of life. In modern times the supernatural still informs these African cultures even though it is oftentimes defined by some unknown entity outside the realm of understanding, beyond reason. This paper explores the ideas presented in Zakes Mda’s The Heart of Redness—a novel sourced from the Xhosa cattle killings of 1856-1857, prompted by Nongqawuse’s prophetic message. Specifically, the paper examines how ideas of modernity, traditionalism and identity are influenced by …

Marcus Clarke: Confronting Spectacle With Spectacle In For The Term Of His Natural Life, Mary E. Perkins

English 502: Research Methods

While Marcus Clarke’s For the Term of His Natural Life is unquestionably a valuable contribution to Australian literature, his journalism career also deserves equal attention, particularly as an influential antecedent to the creation of his seminal text not only on a technical basis as John Conley details in “Marcus Clarke: The Romance of Reality”, but also as a social platform. In “Marcus Clarke and the Society of the Spectacle: Reflections on Writing and Commodity Capitalism in Nineteenth-Century Melbourne,” Andrew McCann demonstrates how the “Peripatetic Philosopher”— one of Clarke’s more successful journalistic endeavors—and other selections reveal Clarke’s critique of the colonial …

Competitive Replacement Of Invasive Congeners May Relax Impact On Native Species: Interactions Among Zebra, Quagga, And Native Unionid Mussels, Lyubov E. Burlakova, Brianne L. Tulumello, Alexander Y. Karatayev, Robert A. Krebs, Donald W. Schloesser, Wendy L. Paterson, Traci A. Griffith, Mariah W. Scott, Todd Crail, David T. Zanatta

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Determining when and where the ecological impacts of invasive species will be most detrimental and whether the effects of multiple invaders will be superadditive, or subadditive, is critical for developing global management priorities to protect native species in advance of future invasions. Over the past century, the decline of freshwater bivalves of the family Unionidae has been greatly accelerated by the invasion of Dreissena. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current infestation rates of unionids by zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (D. rostriformis bugensis) mussels in the lower Great Lakes region 25 …

Spartan Daily, December 9, 2014, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 143, Issue 40

Pseudomonas Syringae Type Iii Effectors: Targets And Roles In Plant Immunity, Tania Y. Toruño

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Pseudomonas syringae is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that infects many crops. A central virulence strategy P. syringae uses to successfully infect plants is the injection of type III effector proteins (T3Es) into plant cells through a type IIII protein secretion system (T3SS). The T3SS is a molecular syringe found in many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens of plants and animals that transport T3Es from the bacterial cytosol into eukaryotic cells. T3Es disrupt host processes in the plant immune system required to restrict pathogen ingress. The plant innate immune system is divided in two branches, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered …

White-Nose Syndrome Initiates A Cascade Of Physiologic Disturbances In The Hibernating Bat Host, Michelle L. Verant, Carol U. Meteyer, John R. Speakman

KIP Articles

The physiological effects of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and ultimate causes of mortality from infection with Pseudogymnoascus (formerly Geomyces) destructans are not fully understood. Increased frequency of arousal from torpor described among hibernating bats with late-stage WNS is thought to accelerate depletion of fat reserves, but the physiological mechanisms that lead to these alterations in hibernation behavior have not been elucidated. We used the doubly labeled water (DLW) method and clinical chemistry to evaluate energy use, body composition changes, and blood chemistry perturbations in hibernating little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) experimentally infected with P. destructans to better understand …

Flyer News, Vol. 62, No. 13 (Dec. 9, 2014), University Of Dayton

Flyer News

Student-run newspaper of the University of Dayton.

Not Just A Theory--The Utility Of Mathematical Models In Evolutionary Biology, Maria R. Servedio, Yaniv Brandvain, Sumit Dhole, Courtney L. Fitzpatrick, Emma E. Goldberg, Caitlin A. Stern, Jeremy Van Cleve, D. Justin Yeh

Biology Faculty Publications

Progress in science often begins with verbal hypotheses meant to explain why certain biological phenomena exist. An important purpose of mathematical models in evolutionary research, as in many other fields, is to act as “proof-of-concept” tests of the logic in verbal explanations, paralleling the way in which empirical data are used to test hypotheses. Because not all subfields of biology use mathematics for this purpose, misunderstandings of the function of proof-of-concept modeling are common. In the hope of facilitating communication, we discuss the role of proof-of-concept modeling in evolutionary biology.

The Advocate, December 9, 2014, Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Advocate

No abstract provided.

Methods And Compositions For Improving Bioavailability Of Epigallocatechin Gallate (Egcg), Roland Douglas Shytle, Jun Tan, Adam Smith, Brian Giunta, Cyndy Davis Sanberg

USF Patents

Compositions and methods of increasing the bioavailability of catechins are presented. Compositions for increasing the bioavailability of catechins include compositions where the catechin is added to a solution of ethanol and water; compositions where the catechin is encapsulated within a nanoparticle; and compositions in which a nanoparticle complex is formed between the catechin and the nanoparticle. Each of these compositions was shown to increase bioavailability of EGCG and is useful in treating diseases such as Alzheimer's and HIV-associated dementia.