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Comparative Ontogeny of the Siberian Sturgeon, Acipenser baerii (Acipenseriformes: Acipenseroidei: Acipenseridae), the Sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus and their Hybrids
No full textOwing to their more rapid growth rate and overall improved reproductive fitness, hybrids between species of sturgeons (Acipenser spp.) have increasingly accounted for a critical mass of the fish reared in captivity for the growing industry surrounding these fishes. In spite of their commercial importance, little information exists regarding the ontogeny of these hybrids in comparison to their parent species. The aim of this study was to examine the morphological differences and overall patterns of growth that the hybrids of two purebred sturgeon that are commonly used in aquaculture, the Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii), and Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), in relation to both of these parent species. The developmental timing of the pectoral fin, dorsal fin, pelvic fin, and anal fin were quantified along with the relationship between the total length of each individual and the position of the fin, with the goal of testing for morphological hybrid vigor (earlier or accelerated development of critical functional units in the hybrids than in the parent species). While the data that were collected did not conclusively support morphological hybrid vigor for all traits, the maternal inheritance pattern that was observed in the developmental timing of the dorsal and pelvic fin in the A. baerii (female) x A. ruthenus (male) cross potentially provided support for a separate hypothesis that has only recently been explored in the literature, stating that A. baerii has a “dominant phenotype,” in turn potentially offsetting any instance of hybrid vigor that would otherwise occur. While possible explanations for this phenomenon exist – i.e., the differences in ploidy level between A. baerii and A. ruthenus – an exact cause may need to be determined through the course of future studies.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS
Dataset: Rural Coastal Vulnerability Index
No full textThis data is from a project focused on building resilience across rural localities. The Rural Coastal Vulnerability Index (RCVI) is composed of four input layers: 1) FEMA flood zone status, 2) road flooding, 3) septic system failures, and 4) private wells. These 4 criteria cover the vulnerability of critical rural infrastructure—much of which is privately owned (houses, septic systems, private wells). It also includes an assessment of the social vulnerability in the area. Areas with the highest scores have high vulnerability in multiple categories. Areas with the lowest scores have low vulnerability across most categories (but may be high in one).Virginia Institute of Marine Scienc
Developing an asynchronous LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling training: A mixed-methods study
No full textMaster's level counseling students completed a 5-week online asynchronous LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling training. Using a mixed-methods and quasi-experimental design, results indicated that participants’ LGBTQ+ knowledge, clinical skills, and advocacy increased posttraining. Content analysis revealed four themes of how students experienced the training. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.Educatio
From Protest to Child-Rearing: How Movement Politics Shape Socialization Priorities
No full textClassic political behavior studies assert that childhood socialization can contribute to later political orientations. But, as adults consider how to introduce children to politics, what shapes their decisions? We argue socialization is itself political with adults changing their socialization priorities in response to salient political events including social movements. Using Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and race socialization as a case, we show the summer 2020 information environment coupled movement-consistent concepts of race with child-rearing guidance. A survey of white parents after the summer activism suggests that many—but especially Democrats and those near peaceful protest epicenters—prioritized new forms of race socialization. Further, nearly 2 years after the protests’ height, priming BLM changes support for race-related curricular materials among white Americans. Our work casts political socialization in a new light, reviving an old literature, and has implications for when today’s children become tomorrow’s voters
“On Earth, as it is in Heaven”: The Holy Family and Beguines in the Southern Low Countries (ca. 1230-ca. 1500)
No full textExcerpt from paper: "Differing from their monastic contemporaries, beguines were uncloistered religious women who took temporary vows of chastity while splitting their lives between the religious and secular spheres. In the late twelfth century, beguine communities began on a small and informal scale until papal approval in 1233 sanctioned their lifestyle; thereafter, large communities known as beguinages started to materialize.1 During this religious movement, beguines were faced with various questions over how to structure their family lives. Navigating through these uncertain waters, beguines ultimately found a solution in the Holy Family’s example by modeling their lives after the Virgin and Christ through religious imitation. In analyzing various mediums where references appear, I hope to demonstrate how the Holy Family provided the ideal family type for beguines in the southern Low Countries and how this relationship can help illuminate beguine perspectives on the family prior to the Reformation. I elect to confine my time frame before the Reformation as Lutheran reformists interrupted beguine practices by liberating nunneries and beguinages, defending marriage, and destroying icons.2 Change over time certainly occurs in the beguinage communities until ca. 1500; however, the dedication to the Virgin and Christ stays constant enough within my timeframe to permit generalizations..."Histor
Objects of Affection
No full textObjects of Affection is a collection of gelatin silver prints that emerged from a year-long exploration into large-format photography and self-representation. Photography provides me with both questions and answers as I arrange what exists around me, appropriated imagery, familiar objects, gestures, and organic forms into visceral representations of a feverish inner world. Vintage art magazines, crumpled paper scraps, and miscellaneous objects, consciously collected or serendipitously stumbled upon, find themselves recontextualized by my broader investigations of photography’s capacity for feminine empowerment. This body of work was photographed in Virginia and western Kentucky. My childhood bedroom, college apartment, and local forests: locations wherein I spend the most time and hold the most memories. Time in these spaces feels increasingly fleeting as I navigate adulthood and learn of memory’s delicate nature. Moreover, nostalgia continues to obscure my recollections of childhood like a rearview mirror that works in reverse. Objects may be smaller than they appear.Art and Art HistoryBachelors of Arts (BA
GIS Data: 2024 Shoreline Management Model - Northumberland County
No full textIn 2011, the Virginia General Assembly adopted a policy into law that specifies living shorelines as the preferred management practice for erosion control in Virginia waters. The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has been developing tools for many years to guide local governments in shoreline management. In particular, they have focused on the use of ecologically preferred alternatives for erosion control and have conducted research into refining the appropriate uses for a large suite of possible treatments based on existing shoreline conditions. A series of Decision Trees were developed to determine shoreline best management practices (BMPs) when conducting onsite inspections. These were developed to support integrated guidance at the management and regulatory level. This body of work has been expanded and re-developed as a GIS spatial model known as the Shoreline Management Model (SMM) to determine appropriate shoreline BMPs from the desktop using available spatial data and the decision tree logic. The assessment is conducted at a parcel level scale, but the output represents a reach-based or cumulative approach to shoreline management. In 2023, CCRM began an update of the SMM. Version 6.0 continues to use fetch, nearshore bathymetry, bank height, marsh presence, beach presence, presence of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), roads and permanent structures within the riparian zone, and existing shoreline erosion control structures. To enhance the model’s capabilities for evaluating best management practices and determining where erosion control practices may impact ecologically sensitive areas, version 6.0 adds wave energy, federal navigation channels, presence of RTE species via predicted suitable habitat, bank slope, and narrow creeks. Most appropriate for desktop reviews, regulatory compliance, and comprehensive planning, the recommendations derived from the SMM may be altered due to lot size, shoreline length along a single parcel, proximity of primary buildings to the shoreline, type of existing erosion control structures, land use practices, and local biota The SMM v.6.0 also includes a module that identifies suitable areas for oyster structure placement, which can provide erosion control and habitat enhancement benefits.Virginia Institute of Marine Scienc
Documenting Patterns Of Inequity And Harassment In Pacific Island Archaeology: Quantitative And Qualitative Analyses
No full textMy research examines ongoing issues of gender disparity in male-dominated academic professions like archaeology. Here, I further investigate results from my undergraduate honors thesis by expanding my dataset to include the lived experiences of archaeologists in the Pacific Islands. My previous study proved that there is a significant gender disparity in archaeological publishing in Oceania. Between 2005-2020, male first authors significantly outnumbered female first authors in Pacific Island archaeology journals. Out of 1,546 journal articles or edited volume chapters, only 457 articles/chapters (30%) were first authored by female archaeologists. My goal for my graduate thesis work is to interrogate the potential causes behind the publication trends I uncovered in my undergraduate research. To do so, I focus primarily on survey and interview data related to themes of gender equity and harassment in Pacific Island archaeology. The goals of the survey and interviews were to explore demographic trends in Pacific Island archaeology and the extent to which sexual harassment and gender inequity affect archaeological practitioners and their research experiences.AnthropologyMaster of Arts (M.A.
Making Cents of Science: Lessons Learned & Recommendations for Communicating Ecosystem Service Valuation
No full textEcosystem services – the benefits humans are provided by the ecosystem through some physical, biological, or chemical process – from marsh habitats are heavily relied upon both globally and in Virginia Middle’s Peninsula. These marsh services include – but are not limited to – carbon removal and sequestration, nutrient removal and storage, improved fish habitat, reduction in storm and flooding impacts, and improved recreation. These services are threatened by human stressors like development, pollution, and climate change. This environmental degradation leads to decreased benefits for humans. Living shorelines are a shoreline management method that protects the ecosystem and provides service benefits to the community. Ecosystem service valuations (ESVs) are a method of estimating the dollar amount a community derives from these benefits. This is often done in hopes of justifying funding to create new or protect existing living shorelines; to prioritize living shoreline project locations; to inform policy-making decisions, or to communicate the value of these ecosystems with an easily interpretable and translatable metric. Those hoping to create an ESV estimate should be aware of difficulties in disseminating their end product, selecting benefits to value, and using technical language. Recommendations for effective communication of the ESV estimate include: doing a stakeholder analysis to identify key stakeholders, collaborating with those stakeholders to establish common goals, and creating a project glossary with accessible and consistent definitions of commonly used terminology. Knowing these challenges and implementing recommendations will lead to a user-friendly ESV estimate.Virginia Institute of Marine ScienceMaster of Arts (M.A.
Extending Research On Social Network Representations To West African Settings: A Comparison Of Ghana, East Asia, And North America
No full textThis study investigates how individuals in Ghana, Japan, and the United States perceive themselves in relation to others in the context of their social networks. We focus on the concept of symbolic self-inflation, which reflects the relative weight a person assigns to themselves compared to their friends in a visual representation called a sociogram. Participants in three cultures were asked to draw diagrams representing themselves and their friends as circles connected by lines. By analyzing the relative size of a participant's circle compared to their friends' circles, we can gauge their level of self-inflation. Larger self-circles suggest a more independent self-view (individualistic), whereas smaller self-circles indicate a more interdependent view (collectivistic). Our findings suggest a tendency towards collectivism among Ghanaian students, supported by both symbolic self-inflation rates and the average number of friends reported. However, the lower self-inflation observed in Americans relative to previous studies warrants further investigation.PsychologyMaster of Science (M.Sc.