Digital Commons Network^™

As Blind As A Bat? Opsin Phylogenetics Illuminates The Evolution Of Color Vision In Bats, Bruno F. Simões, Nicole M. Foley, Graham M. Hughes, Huabin Zhao, Shuyi Zhang, Stephen J. Rossiter, Emma C. Teeling

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Through their unique use of sophisticated laryngeal echolocation bats are considered sensory specialists amongst mammals and represent an excellent model in which to explore sensory perception. Although several studies have shown that the evolution of vision is linked to ecological niche adaptation in other mammalian lineages, this has not yet been fully explored in bats. Recent molecular analysis of the opsin genes, which encode the photosensitive pigments underpinning color vision, have implicated high-duty cycle (HDC) echolocation and the adoption of cave roosting habits in the degeneration of color vision in bats. However, insufficient sampling of relevant taxa has hindered definitive …

Un(Der)Employed Youth: From Precariousness To Resilience, Alia Weston, Miguel Imas, Jennifer Manning, Paul Donnelly, Kudzayi Ngwerume

Articles

In this paper, we explore the experiences of Irish and Zimbabwean youth who live and work in precarious economic conditions. We study these youths’ experiences in a manner that traverses contexts under the question: How do un(der)employed youth in the Global South and Global North enact resilience and agency while navigating economic precarity? The paper builds on youth literature from both the Global North and Global South, emphasizing socio-economic precarity, youth agency, and resilience. We collected our data from interviews conducted in Ireland and Zimbabwe. Methodologically, the paper follows a postcolonial narrative approach to study these experiences. Our findings show …

Advancing User Authentication And Access Management, Jeffery Crume

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In order for online systems to transact business or exchange other sensitive information, there must be an environment where the parties involved can verify that the other is who they claim to be. Authentication mechanisms provide this verification process, thereby, improving confidence in the confidentiality and integrity of communications. However, attackers can exploit this trust if they are able to successfully impersonate a legitimate user and gain access to the system with all the rights and privileges of that user. One particularly difficult class of attacks of this sort involves an attacker inserting themselves between the end user and the …

Debating The Geographies Of Contemporary Higher Education Students: Diversity, Resilience, Resistance?, Mark Holton

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Diverse Sources Of Aeolian Sediment Revealed In An Arid Landscape In Southeastern Iran Using A Modified Bayesian Un-Mixing Model, Hamid Gholami, Kordestani M Dolat, Junran Li, Matt W. Telfer, Aboalhasan Fathabadi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Antarctic Krill In Biogeochemical Cycles, E. L. Cavan, A. Belcher, A. Atkinson, S. L. Hill, S. Kawaguchi, S. Mccormack, B. Meyer, S. Nicol, L. Ratnarajah, K. Schmidt, D. K. Steinberg, G. A. Tarling, P. W. Boyd

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

For Wilderness Or Wildness? Decolonising Rewilding, K Ward

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Belonging In Brexit Britain: Central And Eastern European 1.5 Generation Young People's Experiences, Naomi Tyrrell, Daniela Sime, Claire Kelly, Christina Mcmellon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Lead Pollution Of Coastal Sediments By Ceramic Waste, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

© 2018 Ceramic fragments and fractionated (<2 mm) sediment have been sampled from two beaches in southwest England, along with sediment from a control beach where ceramic waste was lacking. Analysis of the glazed ceramic surfaces by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry returned concentrations of Pb up to 729,000 mg kg−1, while XRF analysis of sediment samples revealed high but heterogeneous concentrations of Pb at the two sites impacted by ceramic waste (median = 292 and 737 mg kg−1) compared with the control beach (median ~ 20 mg kg−1). These observations are attributed to the disposal of contemporary and historical ceramic products, and the subsequent attrition of material and contamination of local sediment. Extraction of a milled ceramic composite (Pb = 2780 mg kg−1) by 1 M HCl, revealed a high (34%) environmental mobility and availability of Pb; extraction in a solution of protein, however, suggested a low (0.1%) bioaccessibility to sediment-ingesting invertebrates.

Antifouling Paint Particles In Intertidal Estuarine Sediments From Southwest England And Their Ingestion By The Harbour Ragworm, Hediste Diversicolor, Christina Muller-Karanassos, Andrew Turner, William Arundel, Tom Vance, Penelope K. Lindeque, Matthew Cole

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

© 2019 Antifouling paint particles (APPs) of between 500 μm and >2 mm in diameter have been identified in silty, intertidal estuarine sediments through a combination of microscopy and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. APPs were heterogeneously distributed, with maximal concentrations of 430 particles L −1 (0.2 g L −1 ) near to a facility where boats are regularly maintained and 400 particles L −1 (4.2 g L −1 ) at a location where old boats had been abandoned, with the majority of particles encountered in the finest size fraction retrieved. APPs contained variable concentrations of Cu, Zn, Sn and Pb, with …

Soil Erosion In East Africa: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Realising Pastoral Land Management Change, William H. Blake, Anna Rabinovich, Maarten Wynants, Claire Kelly, Mona Nasseri, Issakwisa Ngondya, Aloyce Patrick, Kelvin Mtei, Linus Munishi, Pascal Boeckx, Ana Navas, Hugh G. Smith, David Gilvear, Geoff Wilson, Neil Roberts, Patrick Ndakidemi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Atomic Spectrometry Update: Review Of Advances In The Analysis Of Metals, Chemicals And Materials, Simon Carter, Robert Clough, Andy Fisher, Bridget Gibson, Ben Russell, Julia Waack

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This review covers advances in the analysis of advanced materials, metals, fuels and lubricants, nanostructures, ceramics, refractories, organic and inorganic chemicals, catalysts and nuclear materials by a range of techniques including X-ray, ICP, LIBS, mass spectrometry, synchrotron-based techniques, plus non-destructive and ablation surface techniques.

Novel Trust Consensus Protocol And Blockchain-Based Trust Evaluation System For M2m Application Services, Besfort Shala, Ulrich Trick, Armin Lehmann, Bogdan Ghita, Stavros Shiaeles

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

The Same But Different: Understanding Entrepreneurial Behaviour In Disadvantaged Communities, Thomas M. Cooney, Michelle Licciardi

Books/Book Chapters

While entrepreneurship is widely viewed as being equally accessible in all contexts, it could be questioned if potential or nascent entrepreneurs from minority and disadvantaged communities experience entrepreneurship in a similar manner to the mainstream population. This chapter examines immigrant, people with disability, youth, gay and unemployed communities to explore how their entrepreneurial behaviour might differ from the practices of mainstream entrepreneurs. What emerges is that marginalised communities can frequently find it difficult to divorce business from social living. This can have both positive and negative connotations for an entrepreneur, plus they face additional and distinctive challenges that mainstream entrepreneurs …

Calculating Restaurant Failure Rates Using Longitudinal Census Data, J. J. Healy, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Failure rates in the restaurant industry are popularly perceived to be far higher than they actually are. This paper calculates failure rates in the Irish Food and Drinks Sector (IFDS), for the first time, using longitudinal census data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland, which follows the European statistical classification of economic activity (NACE). The results are compared with previously published literature on restaurant failure rates in the United States of America. This study also compares IFDS failure rates with other industry sectors in Ireland (construction, manufacturing). Drawing on Stinchcombe’s ’liability of newness’ theory, the informal fallacies theory …

Analyzing Twitter Feeds To Facilitate Crises Informatics And Disaster Response During Mass Emergencies, Arshdeep Kaur

Dissertations

It is a common practice these days for general public to use various micro-blogging platforms, predominantly Twitter, to share ideas, opinions and information about things and life. Twitter is also being increasingly used as a popular source of information sharing during natural disasters and mass emergencies to update and communicate the extent of the geographic phenomena, report the affected population and casualties, request or provide volunteering services and to share the status of disaster recovery process initiated by humanitarian-aid and disaster-management organizations. Recent research in this area has affirmed the potential use of such social media data for various disaster …

The Drug Economy And Youth Interventions: An Exploratory Research Project On Working With Young People Involved In The Illegal Drugs Trade, Matt Bowden

Reports

No abstract provided.

Numeracy And Social Justice: A Wide, Deep, And Longstanding Intersection, Kira Hamman, Victor Piercey, Samuel L. Tunstall

Numeracy

We discuss the connection between the numeracy and social justice movements both in historical context and in its modern incarnation. The intersection between numeracy and social justice encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and quantitative topics, but within that variety there are important commonalities. We examine the importance of sound quantitative measures for understanding social issues and the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in this work. Particular reference is made to the papers in the first part of the Numeracy special collection on social justice, which appear in this issue.

A Review Of 3d Gis For Use In Creating Virtual Historic Dublin, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy, S. Pavia, S. Fai, T. Molnar, John Cahill, Shane Lenihan, A. Corns

Conference papers

This paper illustrates how BIM integration with GIS is approached as part of the workflow in creating Virtual Historic Dublin. A design for a WEB based interactive 3D model of historic buildings and centres in Dublin City (Virtual Historic Dublin City) paralleling smart city initiates is now under construction and led by the National Monuments at the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The aim is to facilitate the conservation and maintenance of historic infrastructure and fabric and the dissemination of knowledge for education and cultural tourism using an extensive Historic Building Information Model. Remote sensing data is now processed …

The Contribution Of Sigismund Thalberg And Vincenzo Vitale To The Neapolitan Pianon School, Gianluca Strazzullo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

ABSTRACTStrazzullo, Gianluca. D.M.A. The University of Memphis. December 2019.The Contributions of Sigismund Thalberg and Vincenzo Vitale to the Neapolitan Piano School. Major Professor: Dr. Janet Page.The purpose of this dissertation is to shed light upon the world-famous concert pianists Sigismund Thalberg and Vincenzo Vitale and their vital contributions to one of Europes most acclaimed musical movements of the nineteenth century: the Neapolitan Piano School. The introductory chapter explores the musical ambiance in Naples before and during Thalbergs time there. The second chapter contains Thalbergs biography. The following chapter discusses Thalbergs technical style and provides a brief analytical discussion on the …

Island Biogeography In The Continental New World Tropics: Reconstructing The Phylogeny And Evolution Of The Mesoamerican Bess Beetle Tribe Proculini (Coleoptera: Passalidae), Cristian Fernando Beza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The fauna of Mesoamerica is extraordinarily species rich and exhibits a high degree of local, regional and high-elevation endemism. Gaining an understanding of the historical biogeography and evolution of Mesoamerican endemics is necessary in order to develop practical strategies for the protection of regional biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources in the region, as well as testing theories about the evolution of species diversity in tropical montane environments. I studied the distribution, evolution, and timing and patterns of diversification in Mesoamerican bess beetles in the tribe Proculini (Coleoptera, Passalidae). The high diversity of species and genera of Proculini in …

Marked Bodies And The Invention Of Tradition In Mobile, Alabamas Mardi Gras, Isabel Santos Machado Dos Santos Wildberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This project uses Carnival as a vehicle to understand social and cultural changes in Mobile, Alabama in the Post-WWII period. Employing oral history and archival documentation and combining narrative with theory, it explores gender, class, race, sexuality, representation, space, and identity. Borrowing from the semiotic concept of markedness, from Eric Hobsbawms definition of invention of tradition, and from the debate over the function of Carnival either as a vehicle for inversion or affirmation of social norms and hierarchies, it argues that defiance and endorsement of normativity are not mutually exclusive. The process through which queer and/or African American Mobilian men …

The Perception Of Online Degree Programs: An Instrumental Case Study Of Two-Year Community Colleges In Louisiana, Amy Cable

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

While there may be high demand for and an increased interest in pursuing distance education, the education obtained may not translate into jobs or careers, and the inability to secure a position is related to the hiring practices within organizations. Potential employers may hold a bias towards graduates of online degree programs. The purpose of this mixed-method, instrumental case study was to understand the hiring process within higher education and to understand the impact distance education and online degree education has on the hiring process within community colleges in Louisiana. The participants included administrators who served on a hiring committee …

"Good Food" In The City Of The Blues: A Nexus Analysis Of Memphis Alternative Food Networks, Andrew Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation explores both the complexities and transformative potential of Good Food networks to contribute to more just and sustainable food practices. By comparing two farmers markets with distinct cultural histories in Memphis, Tennessee, I examine how narratives of Good Food are constructed against the larger backdrop of the citys racial, social and cultural legacy and food economy, and how those narratives map onto the citys current socio-spatial construction. Employing Scollon and Scollons (2004) nexus analysis theoretical and methodological framework, I analyze both macro-level structures that shape local food systems (e.g. access to farmers markets) and micro-level structures that shape …

Novel Perspectives Of The Iraq War, Olivia R. Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

My dissertation, "Novel Perspectives of the Iraq War," explores literary representations of the American occupation of Iraq. Responding to Roy Scrantons argument that the prevailing narrative of the traumatized veteran returning home from war with experiential knowledge (what David Buchanan calls combat gnosticism) has overshadowed other important perspectives, this project interrogates the manner in which cultural representations can both sustain and challenge national mythologies. Each of my chapters responds to a specific problem in our cultures popular narratives of war and argues that solutions to extant misperceptions are available via counternarratives. What connects these problems are their prevalence in the …

Empowering Children's Social Ecology: Reenvisioning Postconflict Reconstruction And Education In Rural Liberia, Kristen N. Mcnutt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Despite the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement calling the end to Liberia’s back-to-back civil wars in 2003, Liberia’s peace remains fragile with a high number of out of school children, especially in rural communities. As an indicator of state fragility, rural education needs to be a priority in post-conflict reconstruction. This thesis emerged to support the nongovernmental organization, Supporting Programs in Community Empowerment (SPICE), an emerging Liberian-based nongovernmental organization.

The methodologies for this action research project was a needs assessment, which resulted in the development of the Needs Assessment Report: Paving the Way for the Future of Liberian Children. Through …

The Erosion Of Democracy: Gerrymandering In The United States, Matthew P. Ruiz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every ten years in the United States, we redraw our congressional districts that elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives after the decennial census data has been collected and organized. Politicians around the country have taken to using these map revisions for their party’s own political gains and have been doing so since the time even before the United States Constitution was ratified. This process where politicians draw district lines to favor their own party and expand their political power is called gerrymandering (Trickey, 2017). The purpose of this mixed method study is to understand the impact gerrymandering …

Analysis Of A Paleoglacier Reconstruction Model For Valley Glaciers Of The Wind River Range, Wyoming, Taylor Rae Garton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Various approaches, ranging from in-field morphological reconstructions to more technology-based modelling practices allow us to reconstruct and understand the long-term geomorphic evolution of landscapes. The study of paleo-environments by reconstruction can also give us profound insight into paleo-climate. A new model, GlaRe (Glacial Reconstruction), has been introduced into the alpine glacier modeling community to facilitate glacier reconstruction. In this research the mathematical equations representing the basal shear stress parameter are tested to determine the applicability of the GlaRe model to alpine glaciers in the American West. Known ages and extents of past glacier advances were used to test the reconstructions …

An Investigation Of Solar Panel Thermal Images Collected From An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Ginger Ivy Jo L'Heureux

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As the population of the world continues to increase, so does energy consumption. At the same time, available fossil fuels continue to be depleted. Knowing these two facts, there is a need to find additional sources of energy. Photovoltaic panels (solar panels) are front and center of the renewable energy available options.

Exploring the practical use of infrared thermal imaging for data collection and maintenance of photovoltaic panels is the main objective of this study. In this research, three unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights were completed to obtain thermal imaging of the Cedar Falls Utilities Solar Field with various dates …

Evaluating Livelihood Vulnerability Of Farming Communities To Winter Storms In Iowa, Yiyi Zhang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Driven by unusually warm air in the Arctic, severe winter weather moves southward to mid-latitude areas, indicating the complexity in the ways that climate change may affect local weather extremes. The vulnerability of farming communities to climate risks and differential response capabilities have drawn much research attention. Winter storms are recognized as one of the common catastrophic events leading to agricultural damage and loss. However, research is notably lacking in understanding the consequences extreme winter weather could bring in farmer livelihood.

This study is concerned with the vulnerability patterns of farming communities shaped under varying climate and socio-physical conditions. Focusing …