Digital Commons Network^™

Monitoring Soft-Mast Production In Pine Woodland Restoration Areas On The Ouachita National Forest, Tamara B. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodland habitats in the southeast, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains. Mature pine habitats maintained with recurrent disturbances have an open understory with a rich floristic diversity that provides quality habitat for many wildlife species, including the endemic and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). Fire has many potential benefits for wildlife; however, the effects of fire on several important woody soft-mast producing species are not fully understood. Soft-mast quantity and quality is a key component in determining year-round habitat quality …

"Comrades In Their Own Right": Women's Struggle Against Apartheid In The South African Novel, Ntfonjeni Dlamini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on women’s struggle against apartheid in the South African novel. By means of textual analysis, the study explores the different ways in which apartheid oppressed women in South Africa and how women responded to the forces of oppression. In fact, at the core of this study is the contention that the anti-apartheid movement was shaped as much by women as it was by men like Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko and Albert Luthuli, who often served as the faces of the anti-apartheid movement. Thus, this thesis situates itself within the scholarship that appreciates and recognizes …

Mechanically Tuned 3 Dimensional Hydrogels Support Human Mammary Fibroblast Growth And Viability, Kathryn Woods, Catlyn Thigpen, Jennifer Peyling Wang, Hana Park, Abigail Hielscher

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs or myofibroblasts) are activated fibroblasts which participate in breast tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance. As such, recent efforts have been directed toward understanding the factors responsible for activation of the phenotype. In this study, we have investigated how changes in the mechanical stiffness of a 3D hydrogel alter the behavior and myofibroblast-like properties of human mammary fibroblasts (HMFs).

RESULTS: Here, we utilized microbial transglutaminase (mTG) to mechanically tune the stiffness of gelatin hydrogels and used rheology to show that increasing concentrations mTG resulted in hydrogels with greater elastic moduli (G'). Upon encapsulation …

Rgb Image-Based Pupillary Diameter Tracking With Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Chatchai Wangwiwattana

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Pupillary diameter monitoring has proven successful at objectively measuring cognitive load. This work presents three robust RGB video based pupillary diameter trackers and compares them for measuring cognitive load using commodity cameras. We investigate the use of modified starburst algorithm from previous work and propose two algorithms: 2-Level Snakuscules and a convolutional neural network which we call PupilNet. Our results show PupilNet outperforms other algorithms in measuring pupil dilation, is robust to various lighting conditions, and robust to different eye colors. In addition, this work explores various deep learning architecture for extracting the pupillary response as well as understand the …

2017 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 16.

Commencement Speaker: Herb Byrd III

Introduction: Microaggression, Harassment, And Abuse--How Medieval Are We?, Linda E. Mitchell

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

"Philfog": Celts, Theorists, And Other "Others", Kristen Mills

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Medieval Trolls, Mansplainers, And Bullies: Reading Gontier Col's Letters To Christine De Pizan, Elizabeth A. Hubble

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Old Ideas For A New Debate: Medieval And Modern Attitudes To Abortion, Lydia Harris

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Using Foraminifera In Stemseas Site 1 To Understand The Recent Paleoceanographic And Paleoclimatic History Of Tanner Basin, California Borderland, Michael Stanley Stone

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In May of 2016, the STEMSEAS Educational Transit cruise OC1605-tranA collected the STEMSEAS Site 1 core from the Tanner Basin in the California Borderland. This research serves as the first formal survey of the foraminifera preserved within that core. The purpose of this research is to use foraminifera preserved within that core to understand the recent depositional and paleoenvironmental conditions at Site 1, and to place that information into a regional paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic context. In pursuing this purpose, this research aims to answer three questions: 1) Can biostratigraphic markers in the foraminiferal assemblages in STEMSEAS Site 1 core be …

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors: Evaluation Of Geometry, Attachment Surface Material And Biofilm Populations On The Uptake Of Ammonia And Synthetic Organic Contaminants In Wastewater., Patrick D. Mclee

Civil Engineering ETDs

Plastic biofilm carriers are used in biological wastewater treatment to encourage the attachment and retention of microorganisms that metabolize pollutants. The following research was conducted to better understand how different characteristics of the biofilm carrier affect the treatment performance of the attached biofilms in moving bed bioreactors. Lab scale reactors were used in this study to grow nitrifying biofilms in reactors with contrasting and controlled conditions. The effect of surface geometry on nitrification performance was evaluated by testing commercially available moving bed bioreactor media that contrast in physical design, and by varying operational parameters. Additionally, mature biofilm from a similar …

Do Flashbulb Memories Transmit Across Generations? 9/11 As A Case Study, Shanique Meyler

Student Theses

Psychologists have only recently begun to examine the extent to which personal memories transmit across generations. When they have, they typically focus on family stories (see Merrill & Fivush, 2016) or memories of historical events (Svob & Brown, 2012). The present study extends this line of research to flashbulb memories, or memories of an individual’s circumstances when first learning about a consequential, historical event (Brown & Kulik, 1977). To this end, the present study examines the extent to which flashbulb memories surrounding the events of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 transmit to the next generation. The results suggest that flashbulb …

Stray Threads: Factory Women In Fiction From The Freehold Farm To The Rented Room, 1840-1875, Meghan Wadle

English Theses and Dissertations

As industrialism unmoored agrarian-based American values surrounding independence, individualism, and the gender roles attached to labor, it demanded imaginative solutions for these potentially broken ideologies in antebellum fiction. This project, in two parts, explores how factory women stood at the center of the industrializing U.S.’s cultural identity crisis. In Part One authors from Herman Melville to Harriet Jacobs imagine women laboring in the industrial marketplace as a form of deviant dependency. Here, sexualized depictions of female laborers symptomatize national anxieties about how economic change might transform political freedom by simultaneously modifying traditional forms of patriarchal control. In Part Two, Lucy …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Fifty-Eighth Annual Commencement, December 16, 2017, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University
One Hundred and Fifty-Eighth Annual Commencement
December 16, 2017

Predicted Suitable Habitat Declines For Midwestern United States Amphibians Under Future Climate And Land-Use Change Scenarios, Brock Struecker, Joseph Milanovich

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

With current declines of vertebrate taxa meeting or exceeding those of historic mass extinction events, there is a growing need to investigate the main drivers of losses. Two of the main drivers of declines are global climate and land-use changes, both affecting multiple groups of taxa. Amphibians are at great risk from these two drivers of change and investigations into the impact of future change could assist with the formation of conservation plans to mitigate losses. Forecasting changes in suitable habitat with ecological niche modeling serves as a useful tool to begin to understand how species may respond to anthropogenic …

Unseen Science: Modern Discoveries Too Far Away Or Tiny For Human Eyes, Lucy Huang

Capstones

As science has progressed, scientists have realized that evidence goes beyond the realms of physical sight. Whether it is too small or difficult to find, scientists have developed different ways to get around this problem. We see this in cancer genomics and in extrasolar planetary research. Scientists use what they know and what they measure to validate their work.

https://lucy-huang-9tge.squarespace.com/

Of Rats And Men, Thomas S. Walsh

Capstones

This capstone is a data-driven investigation into New York City's rat problem. By using publicly available government data to map rat activity in NYC, I identified several socio-economic variables that correlate with rat populations at the community district, borough, and city-scale. I used these findings (mainly that rat problems are linked to lower incomes) as the basis of an investigation, which includes interviews with residents, experts, and city officials. Prof. Bobby Corrigan, urban rodentologist and formerly with the NYC Department of Health criticizes the city's efforts for the first time on the record.

https://thomasseiyawalsh.wixsite.com/ratstone

Biomimicry A “Natural Lesson” In Steam, Steve Pauls

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The introduction of biomimicry as a theme in the classroom has some significant advantages when developing a STEAM curriculum. This growing field has many natural overlaps between the different disciplines within STEAM. There are many fascinating stories surrounding biomimicry connecting nature to simple solutions for many of our most difficult problems, especially related to the sustainability of our planet. Biomimicry cannot but help capture the imagination of our students.

Natural Philosophy, Michael J. Leach

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

In this poem, I reflect on the close connection between life science and the arts from the perspective of a student undertaking liberal studies.

Cataloging Wonder: The Art And Science Of The Collection, Christine Metzger

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The Exploring Science in the Studio National Science Foundation grant funded three initiatives at California College of the Arts, a private four-year art and design college in the San Francisco Bay Area. The grant sponsored annual Science-in-the-Studio which embedded scientists into the art and design studio curriculum, the creation of Mobile Units for Scientific Exploration (MUSE) and a new collection of science materials, equipment, and natural specimens, and a national symposium on integrating science into the art and design studio curriculum. Approximately 30 SitS classes have been offered since 2010, and the Exploring Science in the Studio symposium was convened …

Literary Digest: Cannibal Poetry And Biology, Alicia Anzaldo, Claire Boeck, Sara Schupack

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A humanities professor and a biology professor at Wilbur Wright College collaborated to create a lesson on human digestion and poetry, enriching the humanities course theme on cannibalism. This article describes the lesson plan, examples of student work, and faculty reflections.

On Capturing The Ineffable: A Moment From Experimental Film "59.10", Henry Leslie Foster Ii

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This artwork is a still from “59,” an experimental film installation I created with the following restrictions: I had to direct eleven 59-second films in eleven months with eleven collaborating artists, none of whom could be cis men.In the resulting project, we used film and those eleven short moments to capture our unique, fragile experiences. We explored everything from the way in which facets of personality drift in and out of the subconscious to the beautiful, mercurial nature of gender.

Science And Sentiment: Affecting Change In Environmental Awareness, Attitudes, And Actions Through The Daily Nature Project, Elizabeth D. Haynes Poronsky

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Knowledge about what motivates pro-environmental behavior is important to organizations that seek to encourage environmental stewardship. Research suggests that targeting emotions and beliefs about nature can be more effective in changing environmental actions than increasing knowledge. Daily Nature, a site on the social media platform Facebook, features a daily nature photograph, a quote from a notable historical person and a related lyrical written passage. The popularity of this site lends credence to the appeal of interdisciplinary formats, and underscores the benefits of encouraging emotional and aesthetic ties to nature.

A Brief History Of Stem And Steam From An Inadvertent Insider, Lisa G. Catterall

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This article traces a history of STEM and STEAM from the perspective of someone involved in arts integration research for the last 35 years, and proposes a vision for the next steps. It also provides an assessment of the risks inherent in current trends of STEAM roll-out in schools, from the lack of resources for professional development to the burgeoning market in STEAM kits and activity books that do not lead to the original learning goals of STEAM.

First County Records For Acarapis Woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae) In Michigan, Murray Hanna, Sharon Pratt Anzaldua

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Acarapis woodi is an internal parasite of Apis mellifera. Surveys conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture in years 1986-1990 produced first county records for A. woodi in 63 of the 83 counties of Michigan.

Urophora Quadrifasciata (Diptera: Tephritidae), An Introduced Seedhead Fly New To Midwestern North America, A. G. Wheeler Jr.

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Old World tephritid Urophora quadrifasciata, a gall-inducing seed- head fly, was released in western and eastern North America for the biological control of knapweeds, Centaurea spp. (Asteraceae). Its establishment in the West (BC, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA) and in the East (CT, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV) has been previously reported. Collections from eastern Minnesota and western Michigan in 1995 are the first for the Northcentral region of North America.

Distribution Of The Milliped Narceus Americanus Annularis (Spirobolida: Spirobolidae) In Wisconsin, Dreux J. Watermolen

The Great Lakes Entomologist

(excerpt)

The spirobolid milliped Narceus americanus annularis Rafmesque 1820 is common and widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada (Keeton 1960, Shelley 1988, Hoffman 1990). It has previously been recorded \ from Wisconsin. Cahn (1915) reported it from the Wingra Springs region in \ central Dane County, and Keeton (1960) reported it from Clark and Sauk Counties.

A Note On The Sympatric Collection Of Chymomyza (Diptera: Drosophilidae) In Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, Henretta Trent Band

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The attraction of two Chymomyza species, C. procnemoides and C. aldrichii, to the same damaged tree over 19 days in summer 1987 near Mt. Lake Hotel, Giles Co., Virginia is documented, confirming a previous report that Chymomyza species may be sympatric on the same fresh damaged tree/cut wood. A total of 17 males and 7 females were captured. An excess of males to females captured has been reported in Japan and Hungary.

Slaterobius Insignis (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae): Association With Granite Ledges And Outcrops In Minnesota, A. G. Wheeler Jr.

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Adults and late-instar nymphs of the wide-ranging myrmecomorphic lygaeid Slaterobius insignis were collected in northern Minnesota from cracks of granite outcrops and ledges, a habitat differing somewhat from that reported elsewhere. At two of the four sites, S. insignis was observed in plant-and litter-filled cracks with nymphs of the lygaeid Trapezonotus arenarius. All adults of the polymorphic S. insignis observed on granite were brachypters that belonged to the dark color morph of the species. Individuals occurred on rock surfaces with a black ant, Formica subsericea, which they resembled in appearance and behavior.

An Allometric Study Of The Boxelder Bug, Boisea Trivittata (Heteroptera: Rhopalidae), Scott M. Bouldrey, Karin A. Grimnes

The Great Lakes Entomologist

An allometric study was conducted on the boxelder bug, Boisea trivittata, to confirm the number ofinstars and to identify characteristics most useful for rapid instar identification of field samples. Analysis of field populations collected throughout the 1990-92 seasons indicated that there were five instars, clearly defined on the basis of size and the presence of wing pads. This finding is in contrast with the only other published study on stages of the boxelder bug, which claims there are six nymphal instars.

Size data gathered from field populations were substantiated by laboratory growth studies. Head width and/or second antennal segment …