Digital Commons Network^™

This Will Change Everything: Teaching The Climate Crisis, John Foran, Summer Gray, Corrie Grosse, Theo Lequesne

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

We argue that U.S. sociologists have been woefully remiss in incorporating the climate crisis into our research agendas and even more, into our teaching. After laying out the gravity of the situation we issue a call for sociologists to consider whether they wish to continue this striking denial of responsibility to our students and to knowledge production. We then present four ways that we have infused our understanding of climate change, climate crisis, and climate justice into courses on global issues, social movements, inequality, and much more. We believe that “climate justice” – the key concept that drives our concern …

Health Clinics And Adults With Physical Disabilities: An Inclusive Approach, Teresa Elizabeth Jones

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence for health and education communities that call for disability curricula in care provider education. The purpose of this study was to explore what adults with physical disabilities (AWPD) experience in health clinics regarding access to care with physical environments, attitudes, and disability knowledge, and to construct a comprehensive survey for care providers asking about accessibility in their clinics. A transformative mixed methods approach included AWPD in research to provide an authentic representation of this population accessing care in health clinics. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase one collected qualitative data and documented AWPD perceptions, and …

An Analysis Of The Motivational Type Exhibited By Students After Their High School Biology Course Fulfilling The Minnesota Science Standards In Biology, Cheryl A. Moertel

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ninth-grade students were given a survey modified from the work of Aydin, Yerdelen, Gurbuzuglo, Yalmanci, and Goksu (2014) following completion of their high school biology course which asked for their level of agreement on 18 statements regarding motivation to learn biology. The results from the state assessment in biology standards competencies were correlated with reported motivation type and level. Students were asked to indicate their course choice, identified culture, gender, and whether they qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch. The results indicated that the course in which the student had been enrolled showed a significant correlation with atrinsic and extrinsic …

Total Language Immersion Education And Achievement In Standardized Tests, Ndeye Kany Seck

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this era of accountability, schools work hard to find ways to improve students’ achievement especially performance on standardized tests. This quantitative study utilized two-by-two factorial ANOVAs and Chi-square tests of independence to test its primary and secondary research questions. Primary research questions included finding out whether or not there was a difference in third and fifth grade students’ MCA-III math and reading scores based on whether they attend a total language immersion school or a traditional model school. Secondary research questions looked at potential differences in MCA-III math and reading scores between black and Free/Reduced Lunch students in total …

Understanding Design Thinking As An Approach To Solving Problems At A Large Public University, Ryan Matthew Torma

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated how designers, leaders, and clients at a large public research university enacted and perceived the value of design thinking as an approach to solving problems. A review of the literature found interest but little research in how design thinking may help higher education institutions address complex problems. The researcher visited the university, gathered documents, viewed and photographed work spaces used for design thinking, and conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 people at the university. Participants’ responses were recorded and transcribed. The gathered data was analyzed for themes. Participants described enacting design thinking through Design Challenge events, using design …

The New Settlement Tools, Bernard Chao, Christopher Robertson, David Yokum

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

By protecting the right to a jury, the state and federal constitutions recognize the fundamental value of having civil and criminal disputes resolved by laypersons. Actual trials, however, are relatively rare, in part because parties seek to avoid the risks and cost of trials and courts seek to clear dockets efficiently. But as desirable as settlement may be, it can be a difficult way to resolve a dispute. Parties view their cases from different perspectives, and these perspectives often cause both sides to be overly optimistic and to expect unreasonably large or unreasonably small resolutions.

This article describes a novel …

A Fracking Mess: Just Compensation For Regulatory Takings Of Oil And Gas Property Rights, Kevin J. Lynch

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

As the Trump administration tries to roll back federal regulations on the oil and gas industry, constituents depend on state and local governments for protection from the worst impacts of industrial-scale fracking. Yet as the debate about proper regulation of the oil and gas industry continues, the specter of potential takings liability looms over the public discourse. Such liability is premised on the idea that government regulation of fracking might constitute a taking of private property that requires payment of just compensation — that is, the amount of money that should be paid to owners if indeed there is a …

Developing A Taxonomy Of Lies Under The First Amendment, Alan K. Chen, Justin Marceau

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

In previous work, we argued that the First Amendment limits the power of government to regulate lies that, paradoxically, promote the democracy and truth-finding functions of free speech. See Alan K. Chen & Justin Marceau, High Value Lies, Ugly Truths, and the First Amendment, 68 VAND. L. REV. 1435 (2015). In doing so, we claimed that the Supreme Court had previously protected lies solely to avoid chilling truthful speech, and not because they might have intrinsic value in our constitutional democracy. In that work, we did not fully address a related question – under what circumstances are lies subject to …

Touching Queerness In Disney Films Dumbo And Lilo & Stitch, Katia Perea

Publications and Research

Disney’s influence as a cultural purveyor is difficult to overstate. From cinema screen to television programming, vacation theme parks to wardrobe, toys and books, Disney’s consistent ability to entertain children as well as adults has made it a mainstay of popular culture. This research will look at two Disney films, Dumbo (1941) and Lilo & Stitch (2002), both from distinctly different eras, and analyze the similarities in artistic styling, studio financial climate, and their narrative representation of otherness as it relates to Queer identity.

Suffolk Journal, Vol.82, No.8, 11/7/2018, Suffolk Journal

Suffolk Journal

No abstract provided.

Suffolk Journal, Vol.82, No.9, 11/14/2018, Suffolk Journal

Suffolk Journal

No abstract provided.

Suffolk Journal, Vol. 81, No. 16, 3/28/2018, Suffolk Journal

Suffolk Journal

No abstract provided.

Flexible Robotic Actuators, Stephen A. Morin, Robert F. Shepherd, Adam Stokes, Filip Ilievski, Ramses V. Martinez, Jamie L. Branch, Carina R. Fish, Lihua Jin, Rui M. D. Nunes, Zhigang Suo, George M. Whitesides

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Systems and methods for providing flexible robotic actuators are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter include a soft robot capable of providing a radial deflection motions; a soft tentacle actuator capable of providing a variety of motions and providing transportation means for various types of materials; and a hybrid robotic system that retains desirable characteristics of both soft robots and hard robots. Some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter also include methods for operating the dis closed robotic systems.

Bloom, Tyler Mills

Nelle (literary magazine)

pp. 29-40

Bruno: Modern Europe's First Free Thinker, Edward Jayne

English Faculty Publications

First paragraph: By most accounts Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) was by far the most controversial Renaissance philosopher. He published at least sixty texts upon a large variety of topics including mnemonics, hermetic religion, Copernican astronomy, and the renewed possibility of materialism as suggested by this major breakthrough in astronomy. For the most part his notoriety resulted from his defense of heliocentric theory, but also from his pursuit of its theoretical implications toward a modern renewal of ancient secular philosophy. Just as Bacon bridged the gap between Aristotelian philosophy and modern science, Bruno no less effectively served the same purpose between ancient …

Evaluation Of The Association Between Genetic Variants In Circadian Rhythm Genes And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Identifies A Potential Functional Allele In The Transcription Factor, Sarah D. Linnstaedt, Yue Pan, Matthew C. Mauck, Jenyth Sullivan, Christine Y. Zhou, Lindsey Jung, Cathleen A. Rueckeis, Jameson D. Blount, Matthew S. Carson, Andrew S. Tungate, Michael C. Kurz, Phyllis L. Hendry, Christopher A. Lewandowski, Teresa D'Anza, Elizabeth Datner, Kathy Bell, Megan Lechner, Jeffrey W. Shupp, Bruce A. Cairns, Samuel A. Mclean

Emergency Medicine Articles

Previous studies suggest that genetic variants within genes affecting the circadian rhythm influence the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). In the present study, we used data from three emergency care-based cohorts to search genetic variants in circadian pathway genes previously associated with neuropsychiatric disorders for variants that influence PTSS severity. The three cohorts used included a discovery cohort of African American men and women enrolled following motor vehicle collision (n = 907) and two replication cohorts: one of multi-ethnic women enrolled following sexual assault (n = 274) and one of multi-ethnic men and women enrolled following major …

The Second Amendment V. The Environment: Florida's Transformation Of Gun Range Environmental Liability, Rachel E. Deming

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Ontogenetic Colour Change In Oreophryne Ezra (Anura: Microhylidae) Reflects An Unusual Shift From Conspicuousness To Crypsis But Not In Toxicity, M. W. Bulbert, T. E. White, Ralph Saporito, F. Kraus

2018 Faculty Bibliography

Ontogenetic colour change (OCC) may signal a switch in defensive strategies across development. Commonly, juveniles use cryptic colours and transition to conspicuous coloration as adults. Extensive theoretical and empirical work suggest such a transition is more likely than the converse. Oreophryne ezra, a newly discovered frog from New Guinea, however, undergoes OCC that belies expectations. We investigated the notion juveniles are aposematic while the adults use crypsis. We quantified the extent of conspicuousness of O. ezra across life stages using spectrophotometry and models of avian vision; and analysed skin extracts for the presence of toxic alkaloids. As predicted, the juvenile …

Prospective Comparison Of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (Mmpi-2) And Mmpi-2-Restructured Form (Mmpi-2-Rf) In Predicting Treatment Outcomes Among Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain, Anthony M. Tarescavage

2018 Faculty Bibliography

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relative utility of the most updated MMPI adult instrument, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), which was designed to address psychometric limitations of the MMPI-2. To this end, we compared mean scores and correlates of emotional distress treatment outcomes using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in a sample of 230 patients (73 males, 157 females) who had completed an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that higher scale scores from all the MMPI-2-RF substantive domains were meaningfully associated with worse emotional distress outcomes, whereas the …

An Empirical Test Indicates Only Qualitatively Honest Aposematic Signaling Within A Population Of Vertebrates, Adam M.M. Stuckert, Ralph Saporito, Kyle Summers

2018 Faculty Bibliography

Signaling is an important part of intraspecific and interspecific interactions. Theoretical work examining honest signaling in aposematic species (e.g., those with conspicuous colors and secondary defenses) has focused primarily on discerning the patterns between conspicuousness and defense within populations. Most empirical work, however, has investigated these patterns across populations or species. Here, we test for honest signaling across individuals within a population of the aposematic poison frog, Ranitomeya imitator. We find no evidence that increasing levels of the aposematic signal are correlated with increasing levels of defense in this species, indicating that our study population does not signal in a …

Teaching Social Justice: Intergenerational Service Learning In A Digital Media Course, Margaret O. Finucane, Linda Seiter, Nathan C. Gehlert

2018 Faculty Bibliography

Digital media play an increasingly dominant role in reinforcing and challenging power inequality in social and institutional relationships. This paper describes how a service-learning component engaged students in community-based interactions that not only deepened their understanding of course content but also increased their commitment to diversity, community issues, and personal development. A close look at three case studies shows that integrating service learning into a first year seminar on digital media and social justice had positive outcomes for students when intentionally paired with community partners offering course-related projects.

Race And The Extra-Legal Punishment Of Professional Athletes, Samuel V. Bruton, Donald F. Sacco, Earl W. Spurgin, Kori N. Armstrong

2018 Faculty Bibliography

In recent years, major American sports teams and leagues have responded increasingly to players’ off-field, off-court wrongdoing by imposing extra-legal punishments (ELPs) on offending athletes. This paper focuses on an unexplored ethical concern raised by ELPs: teams’ and leagues’ economic incentive for racial bias in the imposed sanctions. In an experimental study, Black and White participants read a series of vignettes about fictional professional athletes who received ELPs for various off-field transgressions. Black participants evaluating punishments imposed on Black athletes found the ELPs inappropriate and overly punitive relative to punishments imposed on White or racially neutral athletes. Conversely, Whites assessing …

Left Lateralized Cerebral Glucose Metabolism Declines In Amyloid-Β Positive Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Christopher M. Weise, Kewei Chen, Yinghua Chen, Xiaoying Kuang, Cary R. Savage, Eric M. Reiman

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: Previous publications indicate that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) related cortical atrophy may develop in asymmetric patterns, with accentuation of the left hemisphere. Since fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) measurements of the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRgl) provide a sensitive and specific marker of neurodegenerative disease progression, we sought to investigate the longitudinal pattern of rCMRgl in amyloid-positive persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, hypothesizing asymmetric declines of cerebral glucose metabolism. Methods: Using florbetapir PET and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures to define amyloid-β (Aβ) positivity, 40 Aβ negative (Aβ-) cognitively unimpaired controls (CU; 76 ± 5y), …

Sma1, A Homolog Of The Splicing Factor Prp28, Has A Multifaceted Role In Mirna Biogenesis In Arabidopsis, Shengjun Li, Ran Xu, Aixia Li, Kan Liu, Liqing Gu, Mu Li, Hairui Zhang, Yueying Zhang, Shangshang Zhuang, Quanhui Wang, Gang Gao, Na Li, Chi Zhang, Yunhai Li, Bin Yu

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that repress gene expression. In plants, the RNase III enzyme Dicer-like (DCL1) processes primary miRNAs (pri-miRNAs) into miRNAs. Here, we show that SMALL1 (SMA1), a homolog of the DEADbox pre-mRNA splicing factor Prp28, plays essential roles in miRNA biogenesis in Arabidopsis. A hypomorphic sma1-1 mutation causes growth defects and reduces miRNA accumulation correlated with increased target transcript levels. SMA1 interacts with the DCL1 complex and positively influences primiRNA processing. Moreover, SMA1 binds the promoter region of genes encoding pri-miRNAs (MIRs) and is required for MIR transcription. Furthermore, SMA1 also …

Generation And Evaluation Of Modified Opaque-2 Popcorn Suggests A Route To Quality Protein Popcorn, Ying Ren, Abou Yobi, Leandra Marshall, Ruthie Angelovici, Oscar Rodriguez, David R. Holding

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Introducing traits from dent corn to popcorn is challenging because it is difficult to recover adequate popping characteristics. QPM (Quality Protein Maize) is a dent corn variety carrying the opaque-2 (o2) mutation, specifying increased amounts of normally limiting essential amino acids, and modifier genes which restore the wild type vitreous kernel phenotype. In this study, we introgressed o2 and selected for endosperm modification using vitreousness and high 27-kD gamma zein content. In this way, we recovered high-lysine, fully poppable Quality Protein Popcorn (QPP). BC₂F₄ individuals with vitreous kernels were confirmed to be o2 mutants by …

Molecular Tools Enabling Pennycress (Thlaspi Arvense) As A Model Plant And Oilseed Cash Cover Crop, Michaela Mcginn, Winthrop B. Phippen, Ratan Chopra, Sunil Bansal, Brice A. Jarvis, Mary E. Phippen, Kevin M. Dorn, Maliheh Esfahanian, Tara J. Nazarenus, Edgar B. Cahoon, Timothy P. Durrett, M. David Marks, John C. Sedbrook

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Thlapsi arvense L. (pennycress) is being developed as a profitable oilseed cover crop for the winter fallow period throughout the temperate regions of the world, controlling soil erosion and nutrients run-off on otherwise barren farmland. We demonstrate that pennycress can serve as a user-friendly model system akin to Arabidopsis that is well-suited for both laboratory and field experimentation. We sequenced the diploid genome of the spring-type Spring 32-10 inbred line (1C DNA content of 539 Mb; 2n = 14), identifying variation that may explain phenotypic differences with winter-type pennycress, as well as predominantly a one-to-one correspondence with Arabidopsis genes, …

Town Of Chester, New Hampshire Annual Reports Of The Town Officers, Boards, Comissions, Committees, And Other Agencies For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2018., Chester Town Representatives

Chester, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

The Town Of Wentworth, New Hampshire Annual Report 2017., Wentworth Town Representatives

Wentworth, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Knit Kit: Create, Craft, And Code, Alison Cloet

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

Mind Craft, Dana Hoppe, Alison Cloet, Mickey Tran, Caleb Kowalsk

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.