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Cooperative Bargaining During Mate Competition: A Test in Male Guppies
No full textCompetition for mating opportunities among individuals of the same sex is a well-documented phenomenon, yet the extent of cooperation in such contexts remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of cooperative bargaining between two males in scenarios of limited and equal female availability, using non-wild descendants of the Trinidad guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model species. Four experimental trials assessed courtship length (in seconds) and male-female and male-male interactions, including courtship and aggressive behaviors based on previous research (Magurran et al., 1991). The analysis included the examination of the duration of courtship, the number of aggressive interactions, time allocation between courtship and other behaviors, and the trade-off between aggression and courtship on a Pareto front. Our results indicate a significant impact on courtship length with female limitation (
The Process of Healing Individual and Communal Traumatic Experiences Through Natural and Cultural Reconnection in Silko’s Ceremony
Get PDFTrauma is central in Leslie Silko\u27s Ceremony (1977), however, Tayo and the Laguna Pueblo community also experience healing through reconnecting with the land and its nature. Critiques by Aaron DeRosa, Alexandra Ganser, Michelle Satterlee, and Martin Premoli converge on the theme of trauma, each offering unique insights. DeRosa expands on the notion of cultural trauma and its impact on individuals and communities, advocating for adaptive cultural responses to trauma. Ganser explores Tayo\u27s struggle with violence and identity, advocating for inclusive ceremonial practices. Satterlee emphasizes Tayo\u27s embodiment of cultural struggle and connection to the land, while Premoli extends this to include the impacts of climate change. Tayo\u27s healing journey involves reconnecting with his roots, confronting trauma, and embracing nature. Through ceremony and storytelling, Tayo finds a path toward reconciliation amidst ongoing trauma
Multimodality and Transfer in First-Year Composition: A Pedagogical Reflection
Get PDFThis research project investigates how my FYC (First-Year Comp) content transfers into my students’ diverse classes, majors, and professional discourses. By interviewing and surveying my past students, I will use transfer theory to evaluate what pedagogical tools and methods lead students to effectively or ineffectively transfer FYC concepts, such as writing process, rhetorical situations, and discourse communities, into their current classes and professional lives. I will also focus on how multimodal activities impacted the learning environment and concept retention. I will interview and survey my students about how FYC knowledge transfers into their other classes. Using this research, I will reflect on my pedagogical development throughout my three quarters teaching FYC and develop strategies to continue to improve my teaching quality. I will examine my pedagogy using a writing-for-transfer framework. Additionally, I intend to add to an already robust field of transfer theory by examining how my students use FYC concepts and skills in their other classes
CWU Faculty Senate Minutes 3/06/24
Get PDFThese are the official Central Washington University Faculty Senate minutes for the March 6, 2024, regular meeting
RC Baja: Suspension and Steering
Get PDFEngineers enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Central Washington University were tasked with developing a vehicle to compete in the ASME Baja competition. The engineers were in teams of two, one focused on suspension and steering and the other focused on drive train and chassis.
To begin the design of the vehicle, engineering analyses were completed on each of the components to comply with the requirements set by the team. After completion of multiple analyses for the components of the vehicle, the dimensions were validated and have been created in a CAD program to allow for virtual assembly of the vehicle before manufacturing takes place. Finally, once these steps were completed, the vehicle entered the manufacturing phase. Multiple methods of manufacturing were used for this project but it was primarily 3D printing to compensate for the complex geometry of the parts without difficulty of manufacturing.
After the manufacturing stage, the vehicle must be tested under multiple tests. The vehicle endured a drop test, a turning test, and a weighted speed test. During the drop test, the vehicle did not experience deformation from the 1 foot drop. During the deflection test, the upper control arm did not deflect more than 0.05” under a 57lb load. Lastly, during the turning test, the minimum turn angle recorded was 4° which was substantially lower than the required 19° turning angle to meet the requirement
MONOTONE ORDINAL EXPERT KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION FOR EXPLANATION OF MACHINE LEARNING MODELS
Get PDFThere are significant difficulties for the acceptance of black-box Machine Learning (ML) models by subject matter experts (SMEs) despite significant achievements of many black-box models. A promising way to address this problem is by building a trustable, qualitative, interpretable models for the task based on SME knowledge. Such qualitative models can work as qualitative explainers of black-box models or as sanity checks for them. For instance, the expert model can expect that two cases belong to different classes, but the black box model predicts that they are in the same class. In this thesis, qualitative models operate with ordinal attributes, which can be Boolean or k-valued attributes with a small k. Humans easier understand and reason with such attributes than with continuous numeric attributes with many more values, because it requires less cognitive load. Some ML tasks do not have sufficient training data. Building qualitative models with a SME (“expert models”) is a way to solve these tasks solely or partially with a SME’s knowledge. The proposed Monotone Ordinal Expert Knowledge Acquisition (MOEKA) system allows building “expert models” through interview phases with the SME. Monotonicity is a key property of the system that is tested and used to shorten the interview process with a SME along with new methods for selecting the order of questions. MOEKA rather directly approximates domain knowledge in contrast with other ML explainers, which approximate black-box ML models. MOEKA can be also used as a method of focused database searching. Several case studies on gout, diabetes, and housing demonstrate efficiency of MOEKA
404 Error – Gender Not Found: Lived Experiences of Genderqueer Autistics Assigned Female at Birth
Get PDFWhile autism research has historically focused on males, increasing attention is being paid to the expression of autism spectrum disorder in cisgender girls and women. However, a significant percentage of the autistic population assigned female at birth experiences gender outside the male-female binary, and the expression of autistic traits in this population remains largely unexplored. Understanding the expression of autism in diverse populations is important for diagnostic access and support. The purpose of this study was to identify which behaviors and interests commonly ascribed to autistic individuals were demonstrated by autistic genderqueer individuals assigned female at birth. The study also asked participants about their experiences of gender. Following Human Subjects Review Council approval, I conducted semi-structured interviews with four genderqueer autistic individuals assigned female at birth. Interviews focused on the autistic experience of gender and included self-ratings of items included on the Adult Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2A), which measures repetitive behaviors and restricted interests in adults. Participants described their genders individually as agender, non-binary, gendervague and genderqueer, suggesting diversity in autistic gender experience outside the binary, but all reported that being autistic influences the way they experience gender. When reporting repetitive behaviors and special interests, all participants endorsed fidgeting with items, pacing, a preference for routine and limited preferred interests but diverged on topics like spinning, visual and olfactory stimulation, and creation of repetitive sounds. These common threads may help shape future diagnostic considerations for clinicians who provide autism assessments for genderqueer individuals assigned female at birth
Eruption Initiation Mechanisms and Timescales at a Very-High-Threat Washington Volcano: Clues from Crystal Cargo in Lavas from Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Get PDFUnderstanding the timescales of pre-eruptive processes is key for improving forecast models of future eruptions. Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan), WA, is part of the northern Cascade volcanic arc and classified as a very high threat volcano. However, we lack an understanding of the duration of time between the final magmatic process before eruption (potentially the process that initiated the eruption) and the eruption itself. This study focuses on (1) estimating eruption initiation timescales via diffusion chronometry and (2) determining eruption initiation mechanisms for three andesitic lava flows from Mount Baker: Dobbs Creek (~119 ka), Dobbs Cleaver (~105 ka), and Swift Creek (~48 ka). The crystal cargo of each lava comprise multiple co-crystallizing assemblages, characterized in prior work using textures and geochemistry of individual phenocrysts and crystal clusters. Specifically, this study examines plagioclase and clinopyroxene crystals that occur as individual phenocrysts and/or within crystal clusters representing each assemblage. Both plagioclase and clinopyroxene crystals have thin (~10 to 20 μm) reversely zoned rims in equilibrium with a basaltic to basaltic-andesite magmatic component, or normally zoned rims in equilibrium with a dacitic magmatic component. Common iv disequilibrium textures (i.e., reverse zoning, resorption) suggest multiple magma mixing events before eruption. Major and trace element chemical transects across interior to rim zone boundaries were collected via EPMA and LA-ICP-MS for diffusion chronometry modeling. Temperature of diffusion was estimated based on the mineral rim composition and paired equilibrium liquid with plagioclase-liquid and clinopyroxene-liquid thermometers. Both chemical and textural evidence support mafic recharge and heating as eruption initiation mechanisms for these three Mount Baker lavas. Most significantly, eruption initiation timescales from Sr and Mg diffusion in plagioclase as well as Mg-Fe interdiffusion in clinopyroxene are very short, typically on the order of weeks to months, and are similar across the Dobbs Creek, Dobbs Cleaver, and Swift Creek lavas. In addition, they are similar to initiation timescales constrained for other Cascade volcanoes, indicating a need to be prepared for short response times across the Cascades in the scenario of future volcanic unrest
Foodways: An Ethnographic Analysis of CWU International Students’ Perception of the Role of Culturally Relevant Food in Their Sense of Belonging
Get PDFInternational students face unique challenges adjusting to new academic environments, including developing a sense of homesickness and lack of belonging. Studies have shown that consuming culturally relevant food helps international students relieve homesickness, fostering a sense of belonging. Curiously, nonetheless, literature on student belonging rarely focuses on food. Within this gap, this thesis explores the significance of culturally relevant food in fostering a sense of belonging among international students at Central Washington University. Using ethnographic interviews, this research examines how culturally relevant food (including how food is prepared) or lack thereof may influence international students’ perceptions of belonging. This study identifies challenges such as lack of representation and alienation and their impact on international students’ sense of self and how these issues may affect their academic performance. The findings suggest that culturally relevant food plays a vital role in fostering a sense of belonging, aiding in coping with homesickness and enhancing students’ academic performance
Prenatal Androgen Exposure Reduces Ovarian Function
No full textPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive and endocrine disorder, being the leading cause of infertility for females of reproductive age. The etiology of PCOS is not fully known, although it is hypothesized that there is a genetic, epigenetic, and environmental component to the disease. One of the environmental influences that can cause an abnormal reproductive phenotype similar to PCOS is prenatal exposure to excess androgens (male sex hormones). Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure to androgens in mice can cause a PCOS-like ovarian phenotype similar to people with PCOS. To examine how prenatal androgen exposure causes ovarian dysfunction we used a mouse model of PCOS induced by prenatal exposure of the androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). We also used flutamide, an androgen antagonist to examine the mechanism by which androgens may cause reproductive dysfunction. In this study, pregnant dams were treated with either a vehicle control, DHT, flutamide, or DHT + flutamide to expose pups during late gestation. These pups were then observed for the timing of puberty and estrous cycle, measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. The prenatally exposed mice were also observed for other measures of fertility and reproductive success, such as a continuous breeding study and ovarian response to hormone stimulation. This ovarian response included the number of oocytes ovulated indicating ovulatory capacity, ovarian follicle development, and ovarian gene expression. In the mice prenatally exposed to the androgen DHT, there was a notable absence of puberty and irregular estrous cycling, indicating that prenatal androgen exposure may reprogram the HPG axis to cause dysfunction. The mice prenatally exposed to DHT also had reduced ovulation, differential gene expression, and abnormal ovarian morphology including the formation of cysts. These effects caused by prenatal DHT exposure were recovered in part by treatment with flutamide, suggesting that a PCOS-like ovarian phenotype after prenatal androgen exposure was driven by signaling through the androgen receptor