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Natural History of Small Mammal Use of Forensic Cadavers
No full textSmall mammal scavenging of human cadavers is a prominent topic in forensic taphonomy literature. For example, scientists have described how small mammal scavenging can disrupt insect activity associated with the decomposition process of cadavers and how small mammal claw and teeth marks in soft tissue can promote skeletonization, both of which can have detrimental effects on the ability to determine the postmortem interval (time since death). The relationship between decomposing human remains, small mammal ecology, and the surrounding environment, however, remain largely unstudied. The goal of this project is to offer a natural history description of small mammal use of human cadavers and the immediate local environment around the cadaver. To achieve this goal, we documented small mammal activities, specifically Peromyscus spp., associated with human donor remains at the NMU Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST). Specifically, we documented nesting activities, travel corridors, and foraging activities to better understand the possible ecological implications of small mammal use of the donor remains. Along with these observations, we conducted an extensive literature review to determine how our observational data at FROST fit in with diverse perspectives and information from previous forensic studies involving small mammals. Based on our observations and literature review, it is clear that human remains may provide a substantial resource for small mammals through the use of human tissue for nutrients as well as shelter. By describing the natural history of small mammal activities at FROST, we hope to encourage forensic scientists to consider the ecological implications of human donor-based research on local small mammal communities
The Rusted Gate
No full textHannah Bloch’s dreams have always been larger than life. Though she’s lived in the same L—ville workhouse for as long as she can remember, she still hopes for a chance to see the beautiful world beyond. When a personal tragedy sends her into the countryside, she takes a post as a maid for the stern and reclusive Ms. Tristana Edgely, a fossil collector whose house is quite literally falling apart. At first Tristana and Hannah can’t see eye to eye, and Hannah’s only friend in the house is an old diary written by a woman named Ysolt Campbell. Over time Hannah learns to see the vulnerability that lurks underneath Tristana’s cold exterior, and begins to fall in love. But the walls of this decrepit country estate hide secrets, and as Hannah learns mores about Tristana’s connection to the absent Ysolt and as chores mysteriously start doing themselves, Hannah wonders whether she’s found her happily ever after, or fallen into an even more sinister trap. This queer steampunk re-telling of Jane Eyre reminds us that the world can be dirty and cruel, but that there’s beauty even in the filth, and love even in the hearts of broken people
Things are Getting Worse on Our Way to Catastrophe: Neoliberal Environmentalism, Repressive Desublimation, and the Autonomous Ecoconsumer
Get PDFThe aim of neoliberal environmentalism was to unleash the market to protect the environment; but as it turns out, things are getting worse on our way to catastrophe. Despite persistent failures, neoliberal environmentalism remains prevalent—and apparently without alternative. This paper directs focus on an often-overlooked dimension of this apparent stasis: the nexus of self and society in advanced capitalism, as shown in the linkage between neoliberal environmentalism and the autonomous ecoconsumer. Marcuse’s concept of repressive desublimation is engaged to better understand how environmentalist desire is currently being thwarted in ways that inhibit movement toward socioecological emancipation. The paper provides an illustrative example of desublimated environmentalist desire in the current recycling crisis
Investigating Resilience Through the Rhetoric of the Revolution
Get PDFIn this paper, I examine the relationship between Cuba\u27s core values and the rhetoric used by revolutionary leaders. To do so, I frame my paper around two critical questions; how was it that revolutionary leaders created such a deep loyalty to their cause, and in what ways has that loyalty continued today? As such, I will investigate how the rhetorical choices exemplified in linguistic, visual, and other ethnographic observations, collected in a trip to Cuba in 2020, represent a Cuban society that continues these revolutionary characteristics as is carried out through themes of community identity and belongingness, a desire to contribute to the system, and unified spirit that I have learned represents Cuba society. Despite their revolution ending in 1959, the perception on the island is very different as Cubans still carry many of their intentions forward. The people of Cuba today continue to exemplify revolutionary ideals of community, contribution, unity, and resilience. Resilience being a thread that emerges throughout the themes and ideas I uncovered. By exploring the connection between words and cultural identity, we can understand how language is used to create a cohesive society. This objective is seeming less and less possible amid our current political climate. Importantly, I hope that through the exploration of these rhetorical practices, we can begin to truly grasp just how powerful particular messaging is and, in parallel, see how these principles may be used by United States (U.S.) leaders to unite our country
Skateboard Jesus
No full textSkateboard Jesus is a collection of poetry written in mostly first and second person free verse, containing in addition some prose poems and other forms harder to categorize. The poetry in this collection is largely narrative in structure, and engages with themes of identity and performance as objects of its larger concern, often filtered through the lens of music. In addition, my work often focuses on religion, mental health, and gender and sexuality. This collection, by the very nature of its concerns, engages in discussions of performance theory. Performance and narrative are inseparable entities, permeating every facet of our existence as vehicles for ideology and identity formation. This manifests in my writing in the tension inherent in the nexus of my identity as a queer Christian woman from the South
Algebraic Structures and Variations: From Latin Squares to Lie Quasigroups
Get PDFIn this Master\u27s Thesis we give an overview of the algebraic structure of sets with a single binary operation. Specifically, we are interested in quasigroups and loops and their historical connection with Latin squares; considering them in both finite and continuous variations. We also consider various mappings between such algebraic objects and utilize matrix representations to give a negative conclusion to a question concerning isotopies in the case of quasigroups
Assessing the Efficacy of Training Parents via Telehealth to Administer Natural Environment Training
Get PDFTelehealth has recently emerged as a not only a potentially effective means of preparing parents and educators as interventionists for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but for many in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the only way of safely delivering behaviorally analytic services to clients during this time. Due to these recent changes in Behavior analysis service providing, the transition to Telehealth was considered essential for many clinicians to continue providing services to their clients. With little research supporting the use of telehealth for providing Behavior Analysis services to clients, expansion on literature in this area proved necessary at this time. Results of this study indicate that telehealth services can be used to effectively teach parents to administer Natural Environment Procedures with to their children within their home
NITROGLYCERIN SAFETY IN INFERIOR ST ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (STEMI) PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW
Get PDFNitroglycerin (NTG) is medication used to reduce chest pain (Boden et al., 2015) and is the suggested analgesic for angina associated with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (de Alencar Neto, 2018). Due to the potential for right ventricular (RV) infarct and hemodynamic collapse in inferior STEMI patients (Nagam, Vinson, & Levis, 2017), the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends avoidance of NTG in patients with suspected RV infarct (Antman et al., 2004). The purpose of this DNP project was to explore the safety of NTG use in the treatment of patients diagnosed with STEMI by evaluating the effects of NTG on hemodynamic measures and angina. Data were collected via a retrospective chart review at a rural Midwestern hospital and analyzed via Fisher’s Exact and multiple linear regression analyses. There were no significant differences between STEMI groups for occurrence of hypotension (p=0.521), bradycardia (p=0.064), medical need for hemodynamic support (p=0.530), or cardiac arrhythmia (p=0.465). For this sample of patients, the results show no difference in adverse occurrences between patients who received NTG with a diagnoses of inferior STEMI versus patients who received NTG with a diagnoses of non-inferior STEMI. A recommendation is that patients with identified inferior STEMI receive a right-sided ECG to evaluate for RV infarct (Bischof et al., 2018), in order to guide individualized patient care including the use of NTG, which was shown to significantly reduce chest pain in this sample of patients (p\u3c0.001)
FLUOXETINE AS A NOVEL TREATMENT TO ATTENUATE CISPLATIN-INDUCED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
No full textCisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent, initiates cell death through various methods that include mtDNA damage during cell replication and produces damaging pro-inflammatory cytokines. This can result in long-term chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Fluoxetine (FLX) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor widely used in patients with anxiety and mood disorders. Published studies report that FLX could sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy treatment and assist in attenuating CRCI. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of FLX to sensitize cancer cells to cisplatin treatment as well as the ability to attenuate cisplatin-induced cognitive impairment. Combined treatment of cisplatin +FLX was able to sensitize different cancer cell lines to treatment with cisplatin. In addition, mice treated with FLX performed significantly better when considering the response accuracy of the last three trials, regardless of criteria. These results suggest that FLX could have had a positive effect on the level of task difficulty and could improve working memory in mice