Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
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Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a Food Source for Texas Oysters
No full textCollege of Science, Honors Program; Faculty Mentor: Ivy Jones, Ph.D.Over the course of approximately two months, the algae Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that is more resilient in colder weather, was used in the determination of its viability as an adequate form of nutrition for seed oysters of the species Crassostrea virginica, that inhabit water sheds along the Texas coastal bend. The two water sheds of interest are the hypersaline Laguna Madre in which the “southern Oysters” of this experiment originate and the Copano Bay area, where the “northern Oysters” originate. In this study there will be 5 tanks (Tank 1 - Tank 5), each of which containing 100 southern seed oysters and 20 northern seed oysters of the same size, respectively, filled to 25.4 centimeters with water from the Laguna Madre. Each tank is provided calculated amounts of algae based on size as described by the Food and Agriculture Organization manual (Helm et al., 2004). When comparing the recorded size data in correlation to each of the treatments (Treatments A - B), it was found that for treatment B there was a significance in percent change in size (northern oysters: P-value of 1.01E-05, and in the southern oysters: P-value of 3.64E-08) with the incorporation of P. tricornutum as 25% of the diet composition in combination with Chaetocerous muelleri as 37.5% of diet the composition, and Tetraselmis chui as 35.7% of diet the composition. This information is important in that it could provide a more cost effective and less labor-intensive solution for nutrition sources in cooler weather, in turn leading to a potentially more productive year for oyster farming
Synthesis of wrinkle-free metallic thin films in polymer by interfacial instability suppression with nanoparticles
Get PDFSynthesis of a smooth conductive film over an elastomer is vital to the development of flexible optics and wearable electronics, but applications are hindered by wrinkles and cracks in the film. To date, a large-scale wrinkle-free film in an elastomer has yet to be achieved. We present a robust method to fabricate wrinkle-free, stress-free, and optically smooth thin film in elastomer. Targeting underlying mechanisms, we applied nanoparticles between the film and elastomer to jam the interface and subsequently suppress interfacial instabilities to prevent the formation of wrinkles. Using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and parylene-C as a model system, we have synthesized large scale (>10 cm) wrinkle-free Al film over/in PDMS and demonstrated the principle of interface jamming by nanoparticles. We varied the jammer layer thickness to show that, as the layer exceeds a critical thickness (e.g., 150 nm), wrinkles are successfully suppressed. Nano-indentation experiments revealed that the interface becomes more elastic and less viscoelastic with respect to the jammer thickness, which further supports our assertion of the wrinkle suppression mechanism. Since the film was embedded in a polymer matrix, the resultant film was highly deformable, elastic, and optically smooth with applications for deformable optical sensors and actuators.Synthesis of a smooth conductive film over an elastomer is vital to the development of flexible optics and wearable electronics, but applications are hindered by wrinkles and cracks in the film. To date, a large-scale wrinkle-free film in an elastomer has yet to be achieved. We present a robust method to fabricate wrinkle-free, stress-free, and optically smooth thin film in elastomer. Targeting underlying mechanisms, we applied nanoparticles between the film and elastomer to jam the interface and subsequently suppress interfacial instabilities to prevent the formation of wrinkles. Using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and parylene-C as a model system, we have synthesized large scale (>10 cm) wrinkle-free Al film over/in PDMS and demonstrated the principle of interface jamming by nanoparticles. We varied the jammer layer thickness to show that, as the layer exceeds a critical thickness (e.g., 150 nm), wrinkles are successfully suppressed. Nano-indentation experiments revealed that the interface becomes more elastic and less viscoelastic with respect to the jammer thickness, which further supports our assertion of the wrinkle suppression mechanism. Since the film was embedded in a polymer matrix, the resultant film was highly deformable, elastic, and optically smooth with applications for deformable optical sensors and actuators.This research was partially supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) under grant no. SA12-03/GoMRI-003, ARO under grant no. W911NF-20-1-0307, ONR under grant no. N00014-21-1-2834, and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute for Texas (CPRIT) under grant no. RP200593. Microfabrication and material characterization instrument was partially supported by ARO under grant no. W911NF-17-1-0371. Portions of this work were conducted in the Minnesota Nano Center supported by National Science Foundation under grant no. ECCS-1542202.This research was partially supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) under grant no. SA12-03/GoMRI-003, ARO under grant no. W911NF-20-1-0307, ONR under grant no. N00014-21-1-2834, and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute for Texas (CPRIT) under grant no. RP200593. Microfabrication and material characterization instrument was partially supported by ARO under grant no. W911NF-17-1-0371. Portions of this work were conducted in the Minnesota Nano Center supported by National Science Foundation under grant no. ECCS-1542202
10 Cognitive Psychology: Module 19
No full textModule 19: Language and Psychology
Perry has to prepare a presentation with his study group. They text each other and decide to meet at one of their apartments. Perry arrives right on time and enters his living-room, without closing the door. They begin working when one of the group members says: "It's gotten kind of cold in here." Perry then stands back up and closes the door. Why did Perry do that? His group member did not ask him to close the door, yet Perry knew what they meant. This banal series of events highlights the utility of language. The group members used digital visual symbols to communicate about a future meeting at a location most of them had not been to before. The group was meeting to collectively create a presentation that uses language to share specialized information. Finally, Perry was able to infer that his teammate wanted the door closed without them using the words door or close.
Language is a central part of everyday life and communication a natural human necessity. For those reasons there has been a high interest in their properties. However, describing the processes of language turns out to be quite hard. We can broadly define language as a system of symbolic communication through which we code and express our feelings, thoughts, ideas, and experiences
Visualizing Morality: Does the Method of Presenting the Trolley Problem Affect our Decisions?
No full textCollege of Liberal Arts, Psychology, Honors Program; Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anthony ZoccolilloVirtual reality as an experimental medium has been used to test morality, but has often shown conflicting results (Francis et al., 2017b; Francis et al., 2016, Navarrete et al., 2012). Typically when testing morality in virtual reality a trolley problem is used, because it provides ample opportunity for participants to decide between a utilitarian option versus a non utilitarian option (McDonald et al., 2017; Navarrete et al., 2012). In this study the conversation of morality in virtual reality is continued and whether or not the method of presenting said trolley problem has any effect on whether or not participants pull the lever, making a utilitarian decision. Participants were given a version trolley problem, however each participant received a different method of presentation. Methods included; reading, auditory, auditory visualization, virtual reality, or virtual reality visualization. This research has allowed us to continue the conversation of the use of different methods of presentation for moral dilemmas. Thus continuing the conversation as to which method of presentation would provide the most “realistic” results as possible while maintaining a minimal level of risk
Experiences of heritage language learners and their instructor in a seconday Spanish II class
No full textA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY in CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas.This study was designed based on my own experience as a Spanish language student, a Spanish language teacher and inspired by my research for my Master’s degree thesis. During the research period of my Master’s degree thesis, I learned that students who have some degree of background in the language they are studying are called Heritage Language Learners (HLLs). HLLs are individuals who appear in foreign language classrooms, who are raised in homes where a non-English language is spoken, speak or merely understand the Heritage Language (HL), and are to some degree bilingual in English and the HL. My own experience as an HLL was important but I wanted to learn about the 21st century experiences of HLLs. I wanted to use their voices and perspectives to help educational systems better understand how to meet their needs. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the experiences of seven Heritage Language Learners (HLLs) and their instructor in a second-year Spanish class. The study involved describing and explaining how the Spanish language fluency of HLLs affected the learner and the instructor. First, the study provided examples of how the prior experiences of the HLLs with the Spanish language affected the instructional methods of the Spanish language classroom teacher in a class of both HLLs and Second Language Learners (SLLs). Second, this study provided information that will assist teachers, educators, and policy makers in the development of courses designed specifically to meet the needs of the HLLs. Results from the study will be helpful to administrators and school boards in the planning of courses that assist with the preservation of the HL through programs for literacy, pedagogy, identity, linguistics, policy, language acquisition, and education. The qualitative methodological framework of Interpretivism guided this study. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) was used as the substantive theoretical framework. Since the goal of this study was to understand the HLLs and instructor’s experiences in the classroom, an Interview Study approach was appropriate as the method. An interview method approach was used as the method for this study. The findings of this study, presented in Chapter 4, included information from the Focus Group Interviews, Teacher Interview and Classroom Observation presented as they were related to the research questions. Student and teacher participants revealed how: the Spanish language has helped build their family relationships; learning Spanish before enrolling in this class and differentiating between the Spanish they learned in school, learned from their families and the Spanish their friends’ families speak; the fears they have of being judged and of being made fun of when speaking Spanish; and whether student placement in classes becomes segregated naturally, due to socio-economics or randomly.Educational Leadership, Curriculum & InstructionCollege of Education and Human Developmen
Evidence of population-level impacts and resiliency for Gulf of Mexico shelf taxa following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Get PDFThe goal of this paper was to review the evidence of population-level impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWH) on Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continental shelf taxa, as well as evidence of resiliency following the DWH. There is considerable environmental and biological evidence that GOM shelf taxa were exposed to and suffered direct and indirect impacts of the DWH. Numerous assessments, from mesocosm studies to analysis of biopsied tissue or tissue samples from necropsied animals, revealed a constellation of physiological effects related to DWH impacts on GOM biota, some of which clearly or likely resulted in mortality. While the estimated concentrations of hydrocarbons in shelf waters and sediments were orders of magnitude lower than measured in inshore or deep GOM environments, the level of mortality observed or predicted was substantial for many shelf taxa. In some cases, such as for zooplankton, community shifts following the spill were ephemeral, likely reflecting high rates of population turnover and productivity. In other taxa, such as GOM reef fishes, impacts of the spill are confounded with other stressors, such as fishing mortality or the appearance and rapid population growth of invasive lionfish (Pterois spp.). In yet others, such as cetaceans, modeling efforts to predict population-level effects of the DWH made conservative assumptions given the species’ protected status, which post-DWH population assessments either failed to detect or population increases were estimated. A persistent theme that emerged was the lack of precise population-level data or assessments prior to the DWH for many taxa, but even when data or assessments did exist, examining evidence of population resiliency was confounded by other stressors impacting GOM biota. Unless efforts are made to increase the resolution of the data or precision of population assessments, difficulties will likely remain in estimating the scale of population-level effects or resiliency in the case of future large-scale environmental catastrophes.Funding for the project was primarily provided by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative through several of its research centers including: the Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE), Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) and Ecosystem Impacts of Oil & Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG)
Frank W. Crook Estate
No full textThe Gate to the Frank W. Crook Estate on Ocean Drive. A portion of it now around the grave of Greg Lyndon Johnson was originally around an old New Orleans Hom
