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Morphological Correlates of Limaxivory in \u3ci\u3eContia\u3c/i\u3e (Serpentes: Dipsadinae) Compared to Related Taxa \u3ci\u3eCarphophis\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eDiadophis\u3c/i\u3e
Get PDFDifferences in the skull and musculature of snakes can often be linked to their diet. Snakes that eat snails and slugs have evolved independently at least four times. Several skull features of the skull have already been reported in snakes that eat snails, specifically those in the genus Pareas and some Dipsadini. Among those features are a shorter, more compressed snout and, in some species, asymmetry of the lower jaw. However, little attention has been paid to snakes that specialize only on slugs (limaxivores). Unlike the snail-eating members of the Pareidae and Dipsadini, limaxivores lack the morphological traits associated with the extraction of snails from their shells.
In Chapter Two, I used microCT imagery of skulls to examine the anatomical basis for limaxivory in two species of the genus Contia. Their skulls were compared to those of Carphophis amoenus and Diadophis punctatus. Although not always considered to be the closest relatives of Contia, Carphophis and Diadophis are nonetheless members of the same general lineage as Contia, and are the most appropriate species for anatomical comparisons to determine what specializations may exist in Contia for the consumption of slugs. I observed substantial differences between the genera, presumably reflecting differences in feeding, how they utilize their habitat, and their small size.
In Chapter Three, I report the results of diceCT, which uses stained tissues to compare the musculature of carphophiin snakes. Additionally, I describe the morphology and cellular composition of the glands in the head of C. tenuis. In both the bones and muscles of the head, modifications associated with burrowing were clearly apparent in Carphophis. The anatomy of the glands in Contia tenuis was less similar to other dipsadines than had been expected. The morphology and staining of the sublingual gland were the most unexpected aspect of the glandular analysis
Balancing Native Wetland Types and Ecosystem Function Conservation in the Face of an Aggressive Plant Invader
Get PDFWetlands provide a multitude of ecosystem services that are important to people including water filtration, flood attenuation, carbon sequestration, and recreational opportunities such as birding and hunting. Wetland plants support these services by performing important underlying ecological processes called ecosystem functions which include removing heavy metals from water and providing habitat for migratory birds. The provisioning of these functions varies through space and time, by vegetation type, and via impacts from other factors like climate and management actions. Wetland managers are responsible for maintaining these functions and services within their management complexes to align with their agency’s mandates. Unfortunately, managers have limited budgets and must make prudent decisions regarding where to allocate their resources to meet management goals and objectives. In this study, we modeled seven ecosystem functions (aboveground and belowground carbon storage, aboveground and belowground nitrogen storage, aboveground biomass, seed nutrient content, and bird diversity) and mapped eight of the dominant wetland types including an invasive, non-native grass Phragmites australis (Phragmites) that support the seven modeled functions in Great Salt Lake wetlands, USA. We also modeled the risk of invasion by Phragmites and generated optimized conservation planning scenarios that inform managers where to focus their efforts to maintain both the ecosystem functions and the desired dominant wetland types found within two heavily managed wetland complexes at the Great Salt Lake. Due in large part to the tightly coupled relationship between these functions and the wetland types we assessed, we found that it is possible for wetland managers to achieve their conservation objectives of managing for both specific wetland types and important ecosystem functions at any conservation target level that aligns with their management goals. Thus, the level to which these functions and wetland types are conserved is dictated by management objectives and the available resources (e.g., water, finances, personnel) rather than by an inability to meet management goals based on spatially conflicting ecosystem functions and wetland types
Understanding Power Dynamics of Latter-Day Saint Marriages in the United States of America
Get PDFPower sharing is a key feature of romantic relationships. It is important to understand how various groups navigate power sharing within their relationships. Thirty-one participants who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (16 women and 15 men) reported on their experience of power-sharing in marriage. In-depth individual and couple interviews revealed that couples engage in four individual and relational processes that impact and promote equality in marriage: systemic influences, self-in-relationship processes, relationship processes, and identity outcomes. These processes have important implications for future research and therapeutic practice with Latter-day Saint, religious, and secular couples
Womanhood, Survival, and the American Revolution: The Correspondence Between John and Abigail Adams and Henry and Lucy Knox
Get PDFThe letters of Lucy and Henry Knox and Abigail and John Adams sent between 1775 and 1782 show how women stepped out of their expected gendered roles with thoughts of survival, not because they wanted to challenge the patriarchal society prevalent in the American colonies during the American Revolution
Flight Demonstration of a Next-Generation UHF Telecommand Card With Cognitive Clear Channel Assessment for CubeSat Missions
Get PDFWe present a developmental in-orbit demonstration of a TRL-9 UHF telecommand card, flown as a technology demonstrator payload on the fourth and final stage of the PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission by ISRO. The card is an in-house developed RF PCB utilizing the ADF7030-1 transceiver from Analog Devices, marking the first flight of a new generation of sub-GHz modules with on-chip GFSK modulation and AX.25 packetization, widely used in CubeSat communications. Design and Implementation discussion of the UHF card is discussed, the design philosophy and various debugging techniques employed in the RF PCB development are discussed. The card integrates a digital SPI interface, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) monitoring, and Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) capabilities, enhancing adaptability in crowded UHF spectrum environments. The on-orbit performance of the UHF card is analyzed, including RSSI readings and clear channel assessment indicators observed during the mission. A future roadmap is proposed for implementing cognitive clear channel assessment before transmission, allowing for dynamic interference mitigation and enhanced spectrum efficiency. A unique ground station architecture is implemented, leveraging a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) for Doppler correction and an ADF7030-1 evaluation kit for signal decoding. This modular approach provides a flexible and portable solution for CubeSat operators. Additionally, an operational overview of the POEM platform is used, serving as a reference for new entrants in satellite communications. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using the ADF7030-1-based UHF Telecommand Card for CubeSat missions and validates its performance through a successful technology demonstration in space. The findings contribute to the advancement of scalable and intelligent CubeSat communication systems, offering insights for new developers on how to design UHF cards in-house and also assist future missions
From Classroom to Orbit: How a High School Girls-In-STEM Club Started the Journey of Pleiades Orpheus
Get PDFStudents from Irvington High School in Fremont, California built and launched a 1U CubeSat satellite called Pleiades Orpheus after its establishment in 2022. This project was a central part of the Irvington High School Girls-in-STEM Club and is among the few high school student-run programs globally to design, build, and successfully launch a satellite. The Pleiades Orpheus team strived to increase gender diversity in their student body, eventually leading them to form IHS Women in Satellite Engineering (IHS WiSE) in 2024.
This paper will showcase the central goals and progress of the team, highlighting their most important goal: to make engineering more accessible to students. By addressing women as a historically marginalized group in engineering fields, and by fostering this passion from a young age, the initiative hopes to make a direct impact on this issue.
An account of mentorship from students from the Bronco Space program from California Polytechnic State University Pomona, the PolySat team from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo), and the Stanford Student Space Initiative from Stanford University is given. The discussion will emphasize how high schoolers navigated technical and logistical challenges enhancing their engineering, problem-solving, program management, and collaborative skills. Their 1U CubeSat, Pleiades Orpheus, was intended to detect light pollution across North America, applying scientific innovation to environmental research. The discussion will then entail the successful CubeSat launch, made on December 21, 2024.
Finally, the paper will close with the broader implications and future plans for the Irvington High School Women in Satellite Engineering (IHS WiSE) initiative. The achievement represents a pioneering milestone in high school education, advancing the accessibility of CubeSat development for future generations of young women
TERP RAPTOR: A University-Led SmallSat Flyby Mission to Investigate Asteroid Apophis
Get PDFThe ~350-meter diameter Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) designated 99942 Apophis 2004 MN4 will make a historic close approach of Earth on April 13th, 2029, passing within ~31,634 km of Earth’s surface, closer than our geosynchronous satellites. Suggested to be a 1 in 7500-year event, this is an extraordinarily unique opportunity for collecting data on an Apophis-sized asteroid experiencing the effects of Earth’s gravitational field. Our Terrapin Engineered Rideshare Probe for Rapid-response asteroid Apophis Profiling, Tracking, Observing, and Reconnaissance (TERP RAPTOR) is a low-cost, Earth-orbiting mission concept in which a 12U CubeSat designed and built by University of Maryland students would perform a flyby of Apophis, collecting data to address science questions regarding the asteroid’s collisions and dynamical evolution, its surface and structural characteristics, and the effects of close proximity to Earth’s gravitational field. This mission also supports planetary defense objectives by advancing our understanding of several hundred meter size silicaceous asteroids, and the impact risks they pose to Earth
Pre-service Teachers\u27 Self-Assessment of Community Based Competencies
No full textThis session will discuss findings from a self-report questionnaire related to community engagement competencies - personal awareness, societal awareness, habits, values and skills. The assessments of these competencies are completed by pre-service teachers enrolled in culminating secondary teacher licensure classes. This session will discuss steps to incorporating community engagement competency assessment in a variety of classes offered at the university
The Utah Statesman, February 24, 2025
Get PDFWeekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/newspapers/2892/thumbnail.jp
Artificial Intelligence in Research
No full textHas your paper been used to train an AI model? Almost certainly
Artificial-intelligence developers are buying access to valuable data sets that contain research papers – raising uncomfortable questions about copyright