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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Literary Digest: Cannibal Poetry And Biology, Alicia Anzaldo, Claire Boeck, Sara Schupack Dec 2017

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

The 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.


Nature In Deconstruction, Russell Chowdhury Dec 2017

Nature In Deconstruction, Russell Chowdhury

The STEAM Journal

This 'desconstructive photography' shows how humans interact with nature.


Justin's Save The Frogs Project, Justin Sather Dec 2017

Justin's Save The Frogs Project, Justin Sather

The STEAM Journal

Justin’s Save the Frog Project goals are 1) to spread the awareness about the rapid decline in frog population 2) inspire others to make the environment a better place for people and animals 3) make an impact by building wetlands in California specifically for the CA Red-Legged Frogs and Foothill Yellow Legged.


Science And Sentiment: Affecting Change In Environmental Awareness, Attitudes, And Actions Through The Daily Nature Project, Elizabeth D. Haynes Poronsky Dec 2017

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

The 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.


Creativity, Laterality And Critical State Balance In Learning, Jenny Rock, Asher Flatt Dec 2017

Creativity, Laterality And Critical State Balance In Learning, Jenny Rock, Asher Flatt

The STEAM Journal

Understanding the intersecting cognitive pathways that are integral to ways of thinking, creating and functioning in both art and science is an important grounding for a STEAM educational approach. We combine three divergent concepts, including creativity, hemisphere laterality, and critical state theory, to argue for a more balanced approach to learning as part of a modern meaning-centered education in STEAM. Reviewing the concept of hemisphere laterality, or how the two hemispheres of our brain have different (though not disconnected) ways of processing sensory information, we note how these two means of interpreting the world have become unbalanced in traditional modes …


Voices: Conference On Teaching Stem With Music, September 27-28, 2017, Gregory J. Crowther Jul 2017

Voices: Conference On Teaching Stem With Music, September 27-28, 2017, Gregory J. Crowther

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This first-of-its-kind, online-only conference will explore the use of music to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at the college level (including AP courses). Presentations will be live-streamed from the conference website, https://www.causeweb.org/voices. Online registrations (for only $10 apiece!) will be accepted at the conference website until the conclusion of the conference on September 28, 2017.


One = Zero, Eric John Gofen Jul 2017

One = Zero, Eric John Gofen

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper, I use Mathematics in addition to the three most pure sciences --- Physics, Chemistry, and Rap --- to prove that 1=0. The argument uses The Ideal Gas Law, Ohm's Law, the Definitions of Power and Velocity in addition to indefinite integrals, simple mathematical operations, and the 99 Problems Law. The intuition-crushing result can be applied to all branches of mathematics and sciences and will likely go down as one of the greatest discoveries of all time.


A Vascular Flora Of The Kiavah Wilderness, Scodie Mountains, Kern County, California, Erika M. Gardner Jan 2017

A Vascular Flora Of The Kiavah Wilderness, Scodie Mountains, Kern County, California, Erika M. Gardner

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Congress designated the Kiavah Wilderness in 1994 under the California Desert Protection Act. It is located in the Scodie Mountains in Kern County, ca. 24 km (15 mi) east of Lake Isabella and 24 km (15 mi) west of Ridgecrest, and encompasses a total of 137 mi2 (354 km2) with elevations ranging from 1000 to 2200 m (3500–7294 ft). The Wilderness is ecologically important because it occurs in a transition zone between two floristic provinces, the Sierra Nevada of the California Floristic Province and the Mojave Desert of the Desert Province. It is of cultural significance because …


Phylogenetics Of The Borage Family: Delimiting Boraginales And Assessing Closest Relatives, Kristen E. Hasenstab-Lehman Jan 2017

Phylogenetics Of The Borage Family: Delimiting Boraginales And Assessing Closest Relatives, Kristen E. Hasenstab-Lehman

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The placement of Boraginales, and relationships within the family have remained elusive in modern, broad phylogenetic studies. In order to assess the phylogeny of Boraginales, and specifically to test the sister lineage of the order, a data matrix of the chloroplast markers rbcL, ndhF, and trnL-trnF was assembled from GenBank and de novo sequences (representing 132 new GenBank accessions). Phylogenies inferred using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian frameworks resulted in identical topologies. Tests for alternative topologies were used to assess whether any of the candidates for sister (Solanales, Gentianales, Lamiales, or Vahlia) to Boraginales could …


Vestured Pits In Echium (Boraginaceae): Island Woodiness Revisited, Sherwin Carlquist Jan 2017

Vestured Pits In Echium (Boraginaceae): Island Woodiness Revisited, Sherwin Carlquist

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Vestured pits are present on pits of secondary xylem vessels of all studied Echium species, roots as well as stems. Variations in vesturing presence do occur in the genus (across wide circular pit cavities; along margins of elliptical pit apertures; aggregated to various degrees; variously abundant), but these are difficult to define precisely and are related primarily to organography and ecology rather than to the taxonomic system. The Macaronesian species have been reported to form a single clade. Wood anatomical features other than vesturing are also closely keyed to species ecology and, in particular subclades, growth forms. Woodiness, exemplified by …


Impact Of Ground Water Depletion On The Mesquite Community At Edwards Air Force Base, Western Mojave Desert, California, Jonathan E. Campbell, M. Rasoul Sharifi, Philip W. Rundel Jan 2017

Impact Of Ground Water Depletion On The Mesquite Community At Edwards Air Force Base, Western Mojave Desert, California, Jonathan E. Campbell, M. Rasoul Sharifi, Philip W. Rundel

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) provides a habitat refugium for mesquite woodlands in the western Mojave Desert of the Antelope Valley. Although many mesquite communities in the arid southwest are considered invasive as they reduce the extent of grazing lands, the community at EAFB is composed primarily of large, widely spaced trees that provide food and shelter for local wildlife species and recreational opportunities for base personnel. Unfortunately, the range of these mesquite trees appears to be contracting as mature and old individuals dominate the community. Although anecdotal evidence suggests that the fall in the local groundwater table is responsible …


The Vegetation And Flora Of Edwards Air Force Base, Western Mojave Desert, California, David Charlton, Philip W. Rundel Jan 2017

The Vegetation And Flora Of Edwards Air Force Base, Western Mojave Desert, California, David Charlton, Philip W. Rundel

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Edwards Air Force Base extends over 121,000 ha in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert, with much of the area part of a closed endorheic basin that held the Pleistocene Lake Thompson. Notable topographic features are Rogers, Rosamond and Buckhorn dry lakes, while rounded domes and scattered hills are present to the north and east. Elevation gradients are limited, ranging from a low of 690 m to 1044 m near the eastern margin. Diverse communities of saltbush scrub dominate the lower plains, while creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodlands are present away from the old lake basin. …


Richness And Current Status Of Gymnosperm Communities In Aguascalientes, Mexico, María Elena Siqueiros-Delgado, Rebecca S. Miguel, José A. Rodríguez-Avalos, Julio Martínez-Ramírez, José C. Sierra-Muñoz Jan 2017

Richness And Current Status Of Gymnosperm Communities In Aguascalientes, Mexico, María Elena Siqueiros-Delgado, Rebecca S. Miguel, José A. Rodríguez-Avalos, Julio Martínez-Ramírez, José C. Sierra-Muñoz

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The gymnosperm diversity of Aguascalientes, Mexico, is presented. Fifteen species from five genera and three families are reported, two of Coniferales (Cupressaceae and Pinaceae) and one of Gnetales (Ephedraceae). Pinus is the most diverse and abundant genus with seven species. The most abundant species is P. teocote, while P. strobiformis is the scarcest. Juniperus is the next most diverse genus, represented by four species, with J. deppeana the most abundant and J. durangensis the scarcest. Cupressus lusitanica, Taxodium mucronatum and Ephedra compacta are each the sole representatives of their genera. Most conifers occupy the mountainous part of the …


Plant Phenology And Water Relations In A Saline Pan-Dune Mosaic In The Western Mojave Desert, M. Rasoul Sharifi, William N. Brostoff, Philip W. Rundel Jan 2017

Plant Phenology And Water Relations In A Saline Pan-Dune Mosaic In The Western Mojave Desert, M. Rasoul Sharifi, William N. Brostoff, Philip W. Rundel

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

An extensive mosaic of small clay pans and low stable dunes exists within Edwards Air Force Base in the western Mojave Desert of California. This pan-dune ecosystem, positioned between the large Rosamond and Rogers dry lakes on the old Pleistocene lakebed of Lake Thompson, provides an opportunity to study the seasonal patterns in growth and flowering phenology and water relations in a saltbush scrub community dominated by a mix of C3 and C4 species. C3 shrubs initiated vegetative growth in February, with current shoot and leaf production largely ceasing in most species by mid-April. The deeply rooted …


Index To Volume 35 Jan 2017

Index To Volume 35

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.


Community Structure And Demography In A Saline Pan-Dune Mosaic In The Western Mojave Desert, M. Rasoul Sharifi, William N. Brostoff, Philip W. Rundel Jan 2017

Community Structure And Demography In A Saline Pan-Dune Mosaic In The Western Mojave Desert, M. Rasoul Sharifi, William N. Brostoff, Philip W. Rundel

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A unique saline ecological system formed by an extensive mosaic of small clay pans and low stable dunes exists within Edwards Air Force Base in the western Mojave Desert of California. This ecosystem lies between the large Rosamond and Rogers dry lakes on the old Pleistocene lakebed of Lake Thompson. Plant communities on the low and relatively stable dunes were broadly classed as saltbush scrub, with a total canopy cover of 30–36%. Atriplex confertifolia was the typical dominant, with Ericameria nauseosa as an important associate. Taller dunes of younger age and less saline soils had similar plant cover, but a …