Digital Commons Network^™

Modelling Demic And Cultural Diffusion - An Introduction, Joaquim Fort, Enrico R. Crema, Marco Madella

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Identifying the processes by which human cultures spread across different populations is one of the most topical objectives shared amongst different fields of study. Seminal works have analysed a variety of data and attempted to determine whether empirically observed patterns are the result of demic and/or cultural diffusion. This special issue collects papers exploring several themes (from modes of cultural transmission to drivers of dispersal mechanisms) and contexts (from the Neolithic in Europe to the spread of computer programming languages), which offer new insights that will augment the theoretical and empirical basis for the study of demic and cultural diffusion. …

Genetic Structure Of First Nation Communities In The Pacific Northwest, Cris E. Hughes, Mary P. Rogers, Amanda C. Owings, Barbara Petzelt, Joycelynn Mitchell, Harold Harry, Theresa Williams, Dena Goldberg, Damian Labuda, David Glenn Smith, Jerome S. Cybulski, Ripan S. Malhi

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

This study presents genetic data for nine Native American populations from northern North America. Analyses of genetic variation focus on the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Using mitochondrial, Y chromosomal and autosomal DNA variants, we aim to more closely address the relationships of geography and language with present genetic diversity among the regional PNW Native American populations. Patterns of genetic diversity exhibited by the three genetic systems were consistent with our hypotheses, in that we expected genetic variation to be more strongly explained by geographic proximity than linguistic structure. Our findings were corroborated through a variety on analytic approaches, with the unrooted …

X-Chromosome Alu Insertions In Bahía Blanca (Argentina): Assessment Of Population Information From Varied Genetic Markers And Usefulness Of X-Chromosome Markers To Trace Sex-Biased Parental Contributions, Magdalena Resano, Daniela Zanetti, Esther M. Esteban, Pedro Moral

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Bahía Blanca is an urban city in a historically and geographically strategic place for the mixture of different populations in Argentina. In the present study, ten Alu elements from the X-chromosome are analysed in order to characterise the genetic composition of the city´s population, to compare it with other worldwide populations, and to explore the usefulness of X-chromosome markers for human population genetics purposes. In the Bahía Blanca sample, seven out of ten Alu insertion frequencies are polymorphic. X-chromosome Alu results in Bahía Blanca are compared with eight different populations from Africa, Europe and America. The genetic distance analysis indicates …

Tenth Annual Graduate Student Symposium [Program], 2017, University Of Northern Iowa

Annual Graduate Student Symposium Programs

Table of Contents
--Welcome From Dr. Mark Nook
--Graduate Education for the Greater Public Good-Alumni Panel
--Poster Presentations
--Creative Performances
--Oral Presentations

Inaugural Address, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The text from the inaugural address given by Eric F. Spina, 19th president of the University of Dayton, during his installation ceremony April 4, 2017.

Shattered Ceilings: Roof Tile Analysis On Survey Archaeology Projects, Rebecca Salem

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Finding a roof tile on an archaeological survey demonstrates that a structure had previously stood nearby. Rarely found in their entirety, tiles are fabricated from terracotta, which, while durable when in its proper place, breaks when falling from a roof. The nature of these fragmentary finds has made tile analysis limited and tiles are often not included in publications or only a select few are included with ceramic finds. Additionally, unlike pottery with its typographic chronology, roof tiles have restricted dating potential. However, there are several specific types of tile that can greatly help with dating. Though limited, some of …

Demographic Transition And The Dynamics Of Measles In Six Provinces In China: A Modeling Study, Sheng Li, Chao Ma, Lixin Hao, Qiru Su, Zhijie An, Fubao Ma, Shuyun Xie, Aiqiang Xu, Yangyang Zhang, Zhengrong Ding, Hui Li, Lisa Cairns, Huaqing Wang, Huiming Luo, Ning Wang, Li Li, Matthew J. Ferrari

Publications and Research

Background Industrialization and demographic transition generate nonstationary dynamics in human populations that can affect the transmission and persistence of infectious diseases. Decades of increasing vaccination and development have led to dramatic declines in the global burden of measles, but the virus remains persistent in much of the world. Here we show that a combination of demographic transition, as a result of declining birth rates, and reduced measles prevalence, due to improved vaccination, has shifted the age distribution of susceptibility to measles throughout China.

Methods and findings We fit a novel time-varying catalytic model to three decades of age-specific measles case …

An Examination Of The Differential Effects Of The Modern Epidemiological Transition On Cranial Morphology In The United States And Portugal, Katherine E. Weisensee, Richard L. Jantz

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

This research examines the pattern of secular change in the cranial morphology of two populations experiencing the epidemiological transition associated with decreased mortality rates in children, followed by declines in infant mortality and subsequent increases in adult longevity. The two samples examined in this study come from US and Portuguese individuals. The epidemiological transition oc- curred at different times in the United States and Portugal, with Portugal entering into the transition later than the United States. The results of the study show that the US and Portuguese samples experienced significant changes in cranial morphology during the approximately 150 years under …

Genetic Evidence For Modifying Oceanic Boundaries Relative To Fiji, Gerhard P. Shipley, Diana A. Taylor, Antoine D. R. N’Yeurt, Anand Tyagi, Geetanjali Tiwari, Alan J. Redd

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

We present the most comprehensive genetic characterization to date of five Fijian island populations: Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Kadavu, the Lau Islands, and Rotuma, including non-recombinant Y (NRY) chromosome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes and haplogroups. As a whole, Fijians are genetically intermediate between Melanesians and Polynesians, but the individual Fijian island populations exhibit significant genetic structure reflecting different settlement experiences in which the Rotumans and the Lau Islanders were more influenced by Polynesians, and the other Fijian island populations were more influenced by Melanesians. In particular, Rotuman and Lau Islander NRY chromosomal and mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and Rotuman mtDNA …

Moving To Diversity, Richelle L. Winkler, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Richelle Winkler and Kenneth Johnson, using new data and techniques, find that net migration between U.S. counties increased racial diversity in each of the last two decades. However, migration’s influence on diversity was far from uniform: it varied by race, age group, and location, sometimes starkly. Overall, net migration of the population under age 40 increased diversity, while net migration of people over age 60 diminished diversity. Blacks and Hispanics are migrating to predominantly white counties, while white young adults are moving to urban core counties with relatively high proportions of blacks and Hispanics. The movement …

Population History And Mitochondrial Genetic Substructure Of The Rama Amerindians From Nicaragua, Norberto F. Baldi, Michael H. Crawford

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The Rama are a coastal population from southern Nicaragua who in large part were able to resist, at least for a time, the cultural changes and social reorganization brought on by colonial and modern influences. Historical information leaves the Rama origins and biological relationships with nearby extinct and extant groups ambiguous. The objective of this study was to examine the internal genetic microdifferentiation based on the first hypervariable region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a sample of approximately 20% of the population, and to expand the few available historical and anthropological data on the Rama by exploring the effects …

Beyond Serial Founder Effects: The Impact Of Admixture And Localized Gene Flow On Patterns Of Regional Genetic Diversity, Keith Hunley, Graciela S. Cabana

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Objectives. Geneticists have argued that the linear decay in within-population genetic diversity with increasing geographic distance from East Africa is best explained by a phylogenetic process of founder effects, growth, and isolation termed serial founder effects (SFE). However, the SFE process has not yet been adequately vetted against other evolutionary processes that may also affect geospatial patterns of diversity. Additionally, studies of SFE have been largely based on a limited 52 population sample from the HGDP-CEPH. Here, we assess the effects of SFE, admixture, and localized gene flow processes on patterns of global and regional diversity using a published dataset …

The Few And The Proud: Examining The Need For Belonging And The Need For Distinctiveness In Regards To Sport Choice, Thomas Derossett

Scholars Week

According to Sheldon and Bettencourt, feeling like you belong to a group has a significantly positive impact on mood. This directly relates to research which discusses how sport fans are more likely to consume sport if they feel like they belong. The sense of belonging drives the individuals to be a part of a group.

Distinctiveness is also an important part of personality. This is the concept that you stand out amongst the crowd. Much like belonging, it has been directly correlated to positive outcomes on mood. It is an innate biological need which drives individuals to form groups (Eastwick, …

Introduction To Web Mapping, Sarah Watson

Research Data and Scholarly Communications Committee Workshops

While most of us depend on programs like Google Maps to help us navigate the world, it barely scratches the surface of the diverse world of web mapping. In this introductory workshop, participants will learn about web mapping platforms, how digital maps are typically used, different visualization techniques for engaging users, and tips for searching and integrating data to create finished maps. A variety of web-based tools will be discussed, including Carto and OpenStreetMap. Participants will be guided through a tutorial that teaches them the basics of web mapping. No GIS or coding experience necessary.

The presentation slides are available …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 041, Number 27, April 3, 2017, Grand Valley State University

2016-2017, Volume 41

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Technical Document For Computing Coal Dependent Employment Estimates, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Technical Documents

This document presents the basis for estimating coal-dependent employment in a reference region, then establishing a weighting factor for each industry that can be used to provide a quantitative estimate of the existing employment or employment change in a county that can be attributed to existing or change in coal employment. The Matlab function is provided. Although coal is the industry of interest in this document, any other industry could be targeted for similar study.

Gc Minutes 2017-04-03, Northern Illinois University

Graduate Council Archives

No abstract provided.

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Method Case Study Of Exemplary Police Chiefs And The Behaviors They Use To Create Personal And Organizational Meaning, Rose Nicole Villanueva

Dissertations

The purpose of this thematic, mixed-method case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that exemplary police chiefs use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration. Additionally, this study surveyed the followers of these exemplary leaders to evaluate the degree of importance to which these followers believe a leader uses character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration to create personal and organizational meaning. Police chiefs were interviewed for this study regarding their insight in the use of the behaviors associated with character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration. There have …

Curriculum Minutes 04/03/2017, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Newton Teacher Wins Geography Awareness Award, Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

Gina Gordon chosen for her creativity and dedication to community involvement

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 2017, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 2017 Monthly packet includes the April agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held March 2017.

Poverty In The Land Of Plenty? Deconstructing Role Of Community-Based Organizations In A Small Community, John Kevin Trainor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using the lens of a community-based childhood obesity intervention, it is possible to examine the role of non-profit organizations in community development and to deconstruct the “community” in community-based research and identify the many competing interests within a community. This contextual understanding includes how the community is formed, how a community’s agenda is set, and who will complete the tasks outlined in that agenda. In applied anthropological settings and public health interventions that are community-based, it is essential to understand the context of community and which community (or communities) the researcher is working with to ensure that the data you …

Recent Demographic Change In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas: The Importance Of Domestic Migration, Igor Ryabov, Stephen M. Merino

Sociology Faculty Publications

The present study examines the role of domestic migration in a massive demographic change in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of Texas with a special focus on ethnic composition of migration flows. Specifically, using two datasets derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and American Community Survey (ACS), this project: (1) outlines demographic profiles of domestic inbound and outbound migrants; (2) identifies determinants of migration for different types of movers; and (3) predicts the change in the Index of Dissimilarity (IT) at the census-tract level in the RGV. Results indicate that: (1) compared to stayers, Anglos were overrepresented among all …

Evaluating School Vouchers: Evidence From A Within-Study Comparison, Kaitlin P. Anderson, Patrick J. Wolf

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are the “gold-standard” for estimating causal impacts of educational programs. Students subject to lotteries, however, often are not representative of the broader population of students experiencing the educational treatment. With few exceptions, researchers are not able to determine how much selection bias exists when various quasi-experimental approaches are used in place of experimental ones within a school choice context. We are left wondering about the magnitude of the internal-for-external validity tradeoff that education researchers often face. This study assesses the extent to which methods such as propensity score matching or observational models with control variables can …

Data Mining In Tourism Data Analysis: Inbound Visitors To Japan, Valeriya Shapoval, Morgan C. Wang, Tadayuki Hara, Hideo Shioya

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The increasing power of technology puts new, advanced statistical tools at the disposal of researchers. This is one of the first research articles to use a data mining tool—namely, decision trees—to analyze the behavior of inbound tourists for the purpose of effective future destination marketing in Japan. The research results of approximately 4,000 observations show that the main motivation for visitors' future return is not driven by experiences had during their most current visit but rather by experiences anticipated in the future, such as visiting hot springs or immersing themselves in beautiful natural settings. The data mining method largely excludes …

Women & Gender Studies Spring 2017 Newsletter, Women & Gender Studies Program, University Of Southern Maine

WGS Newsletter

In this issue:

• Director's Welcome
• Major/Minor & Core
• Q&A with WGS Seniors
• Fall 2017 Courses
• Summer 2017 Courses
• WGS MEIF Grant
• Student Spotlight: Katie Muriel

Negating The Gender Citation Advantage In Political Science, Amy Atchison

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Publications

Open-access (OA) advocates have long promoted OA as an egalitarian alternative to traditional subscription-based academic publishing. The argument is simple: OA gives everyone access to high-quality research at no cost. In turn, this should benefit individual researchers by increasing the number of people reading and citing academic articles. As the OA movement gains traction in the academy, scholars are investing considerable research energy to determine whether there is an OA citation advantage—that is, does OA increase an article’s citation counts? Research indicates that it does. Scholars also explored patterns of gender bias in academic publishing and found that women are …

2017 Senior Exhibition Catalog, Colby College

Senior Exhibition

This catalog was published on the occasion of the Art Department’s 2017 Senior Exhibition, May 4-22 at the Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine.

This catalog is the first publication to accompany the Senior Exhibition at Colby College; it represents a unique collaboration among students and faculty, studio artists and art historians. Featured on its pages are selected artworks and artist statements produced by the studio art majors and minors in their senior capstone seminar, co-taught by the studio faculty and coordinated this year by Professor Gary Green. Readers will find these images and texts paired with catalog essays …

Eco-Anxiety At University: Student Experiences And Academic Perspectives On Cultivating Healthy Emotional Responses To The Climate Crisis, Anna Kelly

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research looks at the overall question of how planetary health impacts mental health and psychological welling. The central focus is eco-anxiety—mental distress caused by climate change and environmental degradation—and how it manifests in university students. In order to gather data for this research I collected 114 student survey responses, interviewed seven young adults (ages 20-25), and interviewed seven experts in the fields of psychology and environmental studies.

They survey results show high levels of general stress and anxiety, high levels of stress and anxiety related to climate change and the state of the world, and a very high level …

Engendering The Buddhist State: Territory, Sovereignty And Sexual Difference In The Inventions Of Angkor, By Ashley Thompson, London, Routledge, 2016, Xvi + 203 Pp., Us$145.00 (Hardback), Isbn 978 0 4156 7772 1, Erik W. Davis

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.