28266 research outputs found
Sort by
The Role of Grammatical Gender and Religiosity in Shaping Implicit Gender Attitudes: An Investigation Into Dari and Pashto Languages
No full textThis thesis contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between language and cognition by evaluating the impact of language-specific features, such as grammatical gender, on non-linguistic cognitive processes like implicit gender attitudes. Grammatical gender is a formal linguistic feature that categorizes nouns into classes such as masculine and feminine (with some languages, like Russian, having more than two gender categories) based on linguistic rules, including morphology and phonology. Previous studies have highlighted the influence of grammatical gender on various cognitive abilities, such as object categorization, semantic categorization, or gender perception. However, little attention has been given to the effect of grammatical gender on sexism and gender bias, with existing studies relying solely on explicit measures (e.g., Wasserman & Weseley, 2009). This thesis addresses this gap by examining the role of grammatical gender in implicit gender bias in two languages spoken in Afghanistan: Dari, a genderless language, and Pashto, a language with grammatical gender. The study employed the Gender-Career version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) (Greenwald et al., 1988), which measures implicit biases by assessing the strength of associations between target concepts and attributes based on response times. It was predicted that, after controlling for age, sex, and religiosity, L1 gender-type (Dari vs. Pashto) would significantly explain the variation in gender bias, with Pashto speakers exhibiting higher implicit gender bias than Dari speakers.To conduct this study, two online experiments were designed on Qualtrics: one in Dari and one in Pashto. Each experiment was comprised of a Consent Form, a Participant Background Questionnaire with items related to participants’ linguistic background, the Muslim Religiosity Scale, the IAT, and a debriefing statement. A total of 96 Afghan participants were recruited through flyers distributed on social media platforms—57 completed the Dari experiment, and 39 completed the Pashto experiment. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the effect of Age, Sex, Religiosity, and L1-Gender type on participants\u27 implicit gender bias measured by the IAT. Model 1 of the analysis comprising Age and Sex revealed that Sex, but not Age, was the only significant predictor, with male participants showing lower IAT scores compared to female participants. Model 2, which added Religiosity, showed that Religiosity was not a significant predictor of the IAT scores while Sex remained a significant predictor. Finally, Model 3 which introduced the primary independent variable, L1-Gender type, revealed that L1-Gender type emerged as the only significant predictor of variance in IAT scores with Pashto speakers exhibiting lower IAT scores compared to Dari speakers while other predictor variables (Age, Sex, and Religiosity) remained non-significant. Contrary to the study predictions, the results revealed that the Pashto language, a language with grammatical gender, leads to less gender bias compared to Dari, a language without a grammatical gender system. These findings challenge the current assumptions about the role of grammatical gender on gender attitudes and biases. Returning to the link between language and cognition, the findings of the present study support the modularity account of cognition showing that there is no direct impact of linguistic structures on general cognitive processes such as gender perception and bias
Thermal Response of a Solar Photovoltaic Energy Storage System for Application in Buildings
No full textResidential buildings consume a substantial amount of energy in the United States. This has necessitated the need for research on energy consumption in these buildings with a view to reducing reliance on fossil fuel consumption and mitigation of environmental impact. Solar energy emerges as a promising alternative for residential buildings due to its renewable nature and potential for rooftop installations. In this project, a scaled solar photovoltaic energy storage system (SPVESS) that can be utilized in a typical US family residential building was developed. The system consists of a photovoltaic panel array, battery storage, a charge controller, and an inverter. The thermal response analysis of this system provided promising insights into the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic energy storage system for application in buildings. Year-round data was gathered on the ambient conditions, wind speed, solar radiation, cell conditions, power generated by the system, etc. Analytical expressions accurately represented the performance of the PV module in diverse weather conditions. The experimental result and analytical results were found to be 88% comparable. Key findings include the dependency of PV module efficiency on weather conditions, providing valuable insights for optimizing energy output. The results showed a 60% significant contribution towards achieving self-sufficiency in residential energy consumption through solar collection on a sunny day and 26% on a shady day. Furthermore, the computer program developed, and demonstrated predictive capabilities, providing a practical tool for projecting daily energy generation based on real-time weather data. Additionally, the study highlights the significant influence of operating temperature on solar cell efficiency, emphasizing the importance of effective temperature management for maximizing system performance and ensuring the sustainability of solar energy as a renewable power source
Effects of Fire Management Treatments on Plethodon neomexicanus Aboveground Habitat in Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM
No full textThe federally endangered Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) is a geographically isolated species with limited dispersal ability found in northcentral New Mexico. Alterations to the historic fire regime have changed the forest structure and vegetative composition of P. neomexicanus habitat, threatening the future survival of this species. This study focuses on the use of broadcast prescribed fire on previously thinned P. neomexicanus potential habitat in Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico to restore ecosystem processes, reduce potential for landscape-scale high-severity fire, and improve habitat conditions.Fire was highly effective in reducing fuel loads, while forest structure and composition remained essentially unchanged. The volume and count of woody cover objects were significantly reduced. However, ample woody cover objects remain on the landscape because pre-treatment levels were highly inflated due to more than a century of fire exclusion and suppression. Analysis of vegetation and substrate burn severity revealed nearly half of the sampled points were unburned, indicating that substantial fire refugia was left on the landscape post-fire. Despite reductions in cover object availability, the benefits on forest health outweigh the drawbacks. These results provide support for the use of broadcast prescribed fire in previously thinned areas, as a highly effective tool in managing fuel load to reduce the risk of stand replacing fire, which, along with climate change, is considered the most pressing threat to the persistence of P. neomexicanus. This study concludes that thinning and prescribed fire are compatible with P. neomexicanus habitat management and should be considered as future management options
EFFECT OF BROMOFORM ON ENTERIC METHANE, AND RUMEN FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS
No full textRuminant livestock are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 6% of total emissions worldwide. Over the past two decades, extensive research has examined the environmental impact of methane (CH4) emissions from these animals. Recent scientific interest has focused on seaweed as a potential CH4 inhibitor, with the compound bromoform identified as the key active component responsible for reducing CH4. A review of the literature, and different mitigation strategies are mentioned in chapter 1 of this dissertation.The second chapter of this dissertation discussed the effects of different bromoform concentration levels on enteric CH4 production and rumen fermentation using 24 h rumen batch culture systems. The doses tested ranged from 0.02 to 13.4 μl bromoform per liter of rumen fluid. The ANKOM batch culture system was utilized, with samples collected after 24 h of incubation for analysis of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and CH4 levels. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA, Student\u27s T-test, and Dunnett\u27s model in JMP Pro revealed a linear reduction in CH4 production as bromoform concentrations increased from 0.02 to 13.4 μl/L (P\u3c0.001). Total CH4 mitigation occurred at doses from 0.20 to 13.4 μl/L (P\u3c0.01), while lower doses of 0.02, 0.05, and 0.10 μl/L reduced CH4 production by 4, 8, and 23% respectively compared to the control (P\u3c0.001). Total VFA concentrations responded quadratically to bromoform treatment. High doses (1.67-13.4 μl/L) caused a reduction in total VFAs (tVFAs), whereas low doses (0.02-0.10 μl/L) had no significant effect. Decreased tVFAs at high doses corresponded with reductions in the molar proportions of acetate and propionate and an increased acetate: propionate ratio (P\u3c0.001). Conversely, low doses decreased the acetate: propionate ratio (P\u3c0.001). Butyrate molar proportions increased across all dose levels (P\u3c0.01).On Chapter 3, we investigated the long-term effects of different doses of bromoform, an active compound from the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis, on CH4 production and rumen fermentation characteristics using a continuous fermenter system. Four treatments were tested - control (no bromoform) and 0.14, 0.27, 0.56 μl/L bromoform doses - in a Latin square design with four 10-day periods. Bromoform doses were divided and dosed with a 50:50 forage: concentrate diet three times daily. Results showed bromoform doses up to 0.56 μl/L reduced enteric CH4 production by 98% compared to control, while increasing hydrogen (H2) concentrations by 550-860% and decreasing ammonia (NH3-N) and pH. Total VFA and dry matter digestibility (DMD) were unaffected, but bromoform altered individual VFA proportions, decreasing acetate, iso-butyrate and acetate: propionate ratio while increasing propionate and butyrate.The withdrawal effect of bromoform was investigated in chapter 4 using four continuous fermenters over two 10-day periods. Treatments were control with no bromoform (T1), bromoform (0.14 μl/L rumen fluid/day) added for the first 5 days (T2), 7 days (T3), or all 10 days (T4) of each period. Bromoform addition reduced CH4 concentrations by 98% and H2 levels compared to control, but these effects nearly disappeared 3-5 days after bromoform dosing ended. The molar proportions of acetate decreased while the molar proportions of propionate increased with bromoform, though these changes were less pronounced 3-5 days post-dosing. Total VFA, NH3-N, and DMD were unaffected by treatment diets. The last chapter of this dissertation discusses the use of Laser Methane Detector (LMD) and Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) for detecting and quantifying enteric CH₄ emissions from ruminants in vitro. Four dietary treatments with varying forage-to-concentrate ratios(F:C) were tested in rumen fermenters. The control treatment (T1) was a 50:50 forage to concentrate diet (F:C), while T2 was the control diet with bromoform added, a known CH4 inhibitor, T3 was a high forage diet (80:20 F:C), and T4 was a low forage diet (20:80 F:C). LMD measurements aligned with the standard gas chromatography (GC) method. Results showed that diet composition significantly impacts CH₄ production: the high-forage diet (T3) produced the most CH₄, while adding bromoform fully inhibited emissions. OGI images analyzed with semantic segmentation models, particularly Gasformer, effectively detected CH₄ plumes. The study concluded that combining OGI with deep learning models can effectively monitor CH₄ emissions to inform dietary and management practices to mitigate climate change. In conclusion, bromoform significantly mitigated CH4 emissions without significantly impairing rumen fermentation however, the effect of bromoform can be reversed with the discontinuation of the treatment suggesting its mode of action is unlikely related to altering the rumen microbial profile. Future research is necessary to evaluate the effect of adding bromoform on feed intake and animal health, and the different aspects of introducing bromoform to the animal feeding industr
SKELETAL MUSCLE ATROPHY ASSOCIATED POTASSIUM CHANNEL HERG1A AFFECTS GLOBAL CALCIUM HOMEOSTASIS IN C2C12 MYOTUBES
No full textSkeletal muscle is the most abundant muscle in the body and performs important bodily functions such as movement, body temperature regulation, joint stabilization, etc. It requires calcium ions (Ca2+) for proper function, growth, development, and repair. Regulated Ca2+ signaling is crucial for muscle health and perturbation of Ca2+ signaling can, therefore, lead to a multitude of muscle pathophysiologies, one of which is atrophy. Skeletal muscle atrophy results from loss of proteins leading to loss of muscle mass and, unfortunately, there are no effective pharmacological therapies presently available for it. The only truly effective treatment includes exercise and proper diet. Physical activity is not a feasible option for ailing and aging populations who have the most occurrence of skeletal muscle atrophy. Thus, it is imperative to explore various molecular mechanisms which can initiate and contribute to skeletal muscle atrophy in order to elucidate possible pharmacological interventions. That is where this dissertation comes into place. The potassium (K+) channel, ERG1A, induces atrophy in the skeletal muscle of mice when ectopically expressed. Indeed, the human homolog of this atrophy-inducing K+ channel increases basal cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in cultured mouse skeletal muscle cells, C2C12. Here, we sought to discover the sources of the increased cytosolic Ca2+. To that end, we explored the effect of HERG1A overexpression on multiple important calcium signaling pathways. We discovered that HERG1A affects various Ca2+ signaling mechanisms in skeletal muscle cells. We show that HERG1A enhances the very abundant extracellular Ca2+ entry mechanism of SOCE (store operated calcium entry) to increase cytosolic Ca2+ levels. We also show that HERG1A also increases RyR1 (ryanodine receptor 1) signaling along with ECCE (excitation coupled calcium entry) in skeletal muscle cells. Most interestingly, we connected all these HERG1A-modulated pathways by showing that HERG1A modulates the global Ca2+ homeostasis regulator, Calsequestrin1 (CSQ1) both at the level of transcription and translation. This suggests that HERG1A is a global Ca2+ homeostasis regulator itself. We speculate that HERG1A is affecting the various Ca2+ signaling mechanisms in cells via its regulation of the levels of CSQ1 and thereby modulating the availability of cytosolic Ca2+ in the cells. This dissertation thus summarizes the vastness of HERG1A regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis in skeletal muscle cells. Furthermore, this dissertation also shows how HERG1A affects various mechanisms in skeletal muscle cells which could also have roles in apoptosis and cancer. Most importantly, HERG1A in skeletal muscle cells has been shown to have a real and significant impact on the functioning of multiple cellular signaling pathways and not the levels of the members of such pathways which reveals for the first time a mechanistic control of the intracellular pathways in skeletal muscle cells by this voltage gated K+ channel
Younger is Better but Only for Males: Social Behavioral Development Following Juvenile Traumatic Brain Injury to the Prefrontal Cortex
No full textJuvenile traumatic brain injuries (jTBIs) lead to significant social impairments, with injuries sustained earlier on in development resulting in more significant deficits than when comparable injuries occur later in life. The prefrontal cortex is most susceptible to injury due to its position within the skull and the prevalence of falls as a cause for jTBIs. As neural growth is an ongoing process during the early years, the behavioral deficits observed are shaped by the various stages of development. Injuries during phases with high levels of synaptic pruning or myelination can lead to maladaptive changes resulting in increased synaptic pruning and decreased myelination, causing myriad of deficits that will sometimes appear after the end of these stages. Developing brains also respond differently to injury than adult brains with secondary injury cascades resulting in more cell death than an adult brain, and with unmyelinated fibers demonstrating an increased sensitivity to excitotoxic cell death. Finally, the development of social behaviors are fine-tuned early on and utilize behaviors, such as play, to aid in the appropriate development of adult social behaviors. Disruptions to normal social development are especially apparent when damage involves the prefrontal cortex, resulting in social deficits that impair function in adulthood. While the network for social behavior and cognition involves numerous regions throughout the brain, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala are three regions consistently affected by jTBI damage resulting in deficits in social behavior. Disturbance to these regions appear to play principal roles in social behavior as indicated by the observed deficits following a jTBI. These deficits lead to diminished social relationships at the time of injury and continue across development into adulthood. For this study, animals received a single midline cortical contusion injury which resulted in bilateral damage to the mPFC. To evaluate the premise that the development age at injury impacts the resulting social behavioral outcome, the injury occurred on either post-natal day 17 (PND 17) or 28 (PND 28), which in humans approximates toddlerhood and middle childhood, respectively. Following injury, social behavioral development of play behavior and social preference/memory was assessed at each of three time points: prepuberty (post-natal days [PNDs] 35-41), puberty (PNDs 42-48), and young adulthood (PNDs 56-63), while social dominance and aggression were only assessed during young adulthood. Following completion of the study, the animals’ brains were harvested and the dendritic complexity in the orbitofrontal and remaining medial prefrontal regions were assessed using Golgi-Cox staining. The integrity of myelin on axons between the medial prefrontal region, orbitofrontal region, and amygdala were examined using Luxol-Fast Blue staining. Based upon prior research, it was hypothesized that injury at PND 17 would result in a greater degree of social deficits and increased aggression when compared to injury at PND 28 and sham animals. We additionally hypothesized that male jTBI animals would display increased social deficits and aggression relative to their corresponding female jTBI group. It was also predicted that the development of social behavior, including the presence of deficits, would serve as a predictive factor for social dysfunction in young adulthood. Furthermore, as these injuries would be occurring at times when there are ongoing changes in synaptogenesis and myelination, the social deficits observed would be reflected in the histopathology with PND 17 injured animals demonstrating an overall decrease in dendritic complexity and PND 28 injured animals would display less myelin when compared to sham animals. Finally, it was predicted that these histological changes would be more apparent in male subjects when compared to their respective age-at-injury female jTBI groups. The results of our studies supported some of our predictions. With respect to social behaviors, results showed that the initiation of play behaviors were affected but play engagement behaviors were not impacted by jTBI. More specifically, PND 28 injury increased play initiation behavior in both male and female animals in adulthood while a PND 17 injury delayed the normal developmental pattern in females but had no impact on male animals. Surprisingly, injury had no effect on sociability patterns or social memory abilities across development regardless of when the injury occurred. Furthermore, injury at PND 28 increased social dominance behavior in young adulthood, whereas injury on PND 17 did not. This impact of age at injury was also mirrored in the social aggression results with injuries at PND 28 resulting in an increase in aggressive behaviors. Though it is worth noting that sex moderated this relationship for PND 17 TBI animals. Unexpectedly, an injury at this age decreased aggression in male animals and increased aggression in female animals. However, it was specific to the circumstances in the test, as there was no effect on violent social behavior for either the resident or intruder. Lastly, regarding the predictability of play behavior in social outcome, childhood play attacks predicted resident and intruder offensive behaviors and was moderated by sex and injury. For intruder aggression, PND 28 TBI animals displayed higher intruder aggression levels if they displayed several play attacks in childhood at or above the mean level, but not if they display play attacks rates lower than the mean. For resident aggression, a younger injury in female animals but not male animals decreased aggression behavior across development. Finally, our histological results showed no effect of injury or age of injury on dendritic complexity or myelination. However, effect sizes suggested decreased basal and apical complexity and length in both the OFC and mPFC for jTBI animals, as well as decreases in myelin in the mPFC in PND 28 TBI animals. In conclusion, there was a sex- and age at injury-dependent effects of TBI on the development of social behaviors. Injury at an earlier age resulted in more social deficits in female animals while a similar injury at a later juvenile age was more detrimental to male animals. While these observations were not exactly as predicted, these effects are potentially due to sex-dependent developmental trajectories and social interactions, reflecting the need to examine male and female animal subjects both individually and concurrently
SECOND- AND THIRD-PARTY PUNISHMENT IN COMMON-POOL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Get PDFCommon-pool resources play a significant role in many economies, especially in developing countries where they are a critical source of food, income, and employment for communities. Long term management of common-pool resources can be challenging because the continued existence of the resource depends upon balancing the rate of resource depletion with the rate of repletion. Effective management of these resources is vital for protecting the environment and preserving the resources for future generations as overuse and degradation can have serious impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. Elinor Ostrom’s design principles for common-pool resource (CPR) management provide valuable insight into human interaction with the environment and with one another. While it has been established that sanctions, Ostrom’s fourth design principle, increase CPR sustainability, details about the efficacy of sanctions in this context are not well understood. I investigated the impact of second- and third-party sanctions on CPR sustainability and overextraction of resources using a series of CPR games in which sanction frequency varied between groups. Results of repeated measures ANOVA showed that sanctions enhance CPR sustainability, with no difference between second- and third-party types. However, sanction type may influence overextraction, with third-party sanctions appearing to have the lowest rates. High frequency sanctions appear to be beneficial in second-party conditions. These findings stress the need to consider both sanction type and frequency for effective CPR governance and to consider their effects over time on the extraction behaviors of common-pool resource users
EXPLORING SUBCLINICAL DELUSIONAL IDEATION WITHIN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY MODEL
Get PDFDelusional thoughts are defined as stable beliefs that are not amenable to change when conflicting evidence is presented. Like psychosis broadly, endorsement of delusional ideation appears to exist on a continuum ranging from severe to common endorsement in non-clinical samples. Delusional ideation, particularly in a subclinical conceptualization, fails to receive adequate attention in psychological research despite potential connections to both negative (i.e., symptoms of psychopathology) and positive (i.e., quality of life) outcomes. The psychological flexibility model, a conceptualization of human wellness in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), may explain delusional ideation. The current study aimed to fill these gaps in the literature with respect to delusional ideation, the psychological flexibility model, and associated outcome variables. Survey data was collected through both Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and a college sampling system (SONA). Participants were 131 individuals who provided information regarding potentially delusional beliefs, psychological flexibility and inflexibility, symptoms of psychopathology, and quality of life. Moderation analysis revealed statistically significant main effect of subclinical delusional beliefs and psychological inflexibility predicting symptoms of psychopathology. Psychological flexibility was not explored due to lack of evidence for assumptions of moderation analysis being met. Overall, results suggest intricate relationships between subclinical delusional ideation, the psychological flexibility model, and associated outcome variables. The importance of future research endeavors regarding subclinical delusional ideation is warranted given the nature of the current study’s results. Similarly, mental health providers should continue to consider the psychological flexibility model given the importance in predicting outcome variables
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MACHINES, DEVICES, AND ROBOTS: MOBILIZING HUMANNESS AND INTELLIGENCE IN THE AMERICAN TECHNO-LANDSCAPE
Get PDFThis dissertation is an ethnographic inquiry of artificial intelligence (AI) in the techno-landscape of three major metropolitan areas in the United States. It traces the ways in which both experts and non-experts talk about their interactions with AI via machines, robots, and other devices, and how the ways in which people deal with AI-technologies have come to shape how we think about our own ways of going about doing things. The goal is to discern what the social ramifications of this technology may be as relationships and relations are formed betwixt and between people and artificially intelligent things
Harvesting A Blessing
Get PDFThe process of collectively writing the Artizein articles in this issue has come to an end. In this video you can see how we harvested the gifts of our writing collaboration. Each of us made a visual artwork that we shaped as a creative digestion of our work together. The group responded to each members’ art through written words and movement. Each member then gave a final message that gathered what emerged and touched her from the group, the blessing