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Nesting preferences of Malaclemys terrapin terrapin in Wellfleet Massachusetts : an ecological study.
No full textii, 88 leaves : illustrations (some color), map.Includes bibliographical references: leaves 71-72.A discrepancy in diamondback terrapin nesting activity at nest sites studied in Wellfleet and Orleans, Massachusetts, was observed during field research. It was noted that nesting activity, as defined by the number of diamondback terrapin nests containing eggs, varied both within and between sites studied. In response to these observations, a study was performed which examined potentially salient ecological parameters of naturally chosen diamondback terrapin nest sites. Ecological parameters of nest sites were studied as a means of better identifying common ecological characteristics of which may contribute to diamondback terrapin female’s nest site selection. Preliminary information was obtained from all naturally chosen diamondback terrapin nest sites studied. Information included: the date of data recovery, the cardinal direction of the nest with respect to slope, the longitude, the latitude, the compaction of the substrate, the type of nest site (garden or natural) and the elevation of the site. Additionally, two samples were obtained from each of the 44 nest site studied; one from a depth of 6 cm, the other from a depth of 12 cm. These depths were selected due to their importance in the architecture of typical diamondback terrapin nest. Samples were obtained a safe distance from the nest itself, so as to not disturb the developing embryos. In the lab, the two samples of substrate for each of the nests sites studied were further analyzed to determine substrate moisture content, percent particle composition and substrate color. Photo analysis of nest sites was performed to determine the percent and type (none, sparse, dense) of vegetation surrounding the nest site. Additionally, Google Earth was used to determine the distance of the nest site to the nearest high tide mark. After compiling ecological data, statistical analyses were performed. The desirable ecological nesting conditions for northern diamondback terrapins were then extrapolated from the results. The results indicate that northern diamondback terrapins prefer southern facing nest sites, less than 60 meters from the high tide mark and under 45 Meters Above Sea Level (MASL) (with a potential preference for nesting elevation between 5 MASL and 15 MASL). Data suggest that nest sites with compaction between 9 PSI and 15 PSI at depths of 6 cm and between 47.5 PSI and 52.5 PSI at depths of 12 cm are preferred by nesting northern diamondback terrapin. Substrate composed primarily of coarse sand, fine sand and coarse silt, with low percent substrate moisture content (typically below approximately 2.31%) and minimal vegetation are posited to be preferred by northern diamondback terrapins in Wellfleet and Orleans Massachusetts. A better understanding of the ideal ecological nesting conditions for the northern diamondback terrapin population of Wellfleet and Orleans, Massachusetts, will improve the restoration efforts of the Massachusetts Audubon by providing them with information which will allow them to construct northern diamondback terrapin gardens better suited to their intended inhabitants
Depression and smart brain prosthetics.
No full text6 pages; illustrations.Includes bibliographical references
Variation in toll-like receptor 21 within and among killifish (fundulus heteroclitus) populations from southeastern Massachusetts and northern Maine
No full textiv, 59 leaves : illustrations (some color).Includes bibliographical references: leaves 57-59.Through polymorphisms occurring within immune system genes, the immune system is able to retain greater diversity and better co-evolve alongside pathogen populations. Adaptive molecular variation clearly indicates that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are not stochastically distributed and that those adaptive in nature can be linked to diverse ecological stressors and natural selection. The goal of this study was threefold; (1) To verify the annotated gene model for TLR21, (2) to verify an INDEL polymorphism in the 5’ putative regulatory region of TLR21 that was previously described by Soucier, and (3) to study levels of variation in TLR21 within and among Northern Maine and Southeastern Massachusetts populations of Fundulus. We found that the proposed modified model for TLR21 was correct and now describes the full gene. Furthermore, I verified the 6bp insertion polymorphism previously described by Soucier. In addition I found substantial levels of genetic diversity within and among populations in Maine and Massachusetts with high levels of divergence at some single nucleotide polymorphic sites. No statistically significant differences in the variation of SNPs was detected between contaminated and non-contaminated sites or between Maine and Massachusetts’s populations. Though I was not able to demonstrate a clear association between any single SNP and environmental differences among populations, several SNP positions demonstrated evidence suggestive of natural selection
Bridget's Iowa
No full text142 leavesIncludes bibliographical references: leaves 133-142.This thesis will study the importance of labor in the experience of Irish female immigrants in the nineteenth century. It will explore the effects of Irish women having the opportunity in America to earn wages and contribute to their household, a role almost nonexistent in post-famine Ireland. It will also heavily focus on domestic labor, examining how women were expected to do non-paid work in the United States regardless of their other duties. It will be argued that while women had the opportunity to earn a degree of economic independence in the United States, economic independence did not allow them to escape from imposed patriarchal assumptions about women’s traditional duties. The thesis will also look at Irish "whiteness" and argue that the labor of Irish women in America in paid domestic service was influential in the Irish climbing the ladder of American social success, a factor still often ignored by dominant historiographical discourse. The state of Iowa will provide a reference point for research, for Iowa’s rich Irish and labor history make it a prime context to study the immigrant experience of Irish women
Lost in a crowd : an investigation of policies & urban refugee health within middle & lower income countries
No full textii, 81 leaves.Includes bibliographical references: leaves 71-81.This paper examines the policies of states and organizations to better understand the relationship between these policies and the health outcomes of urban refugees. Through this examination, it is argued that state policies allowing urban refugees to better economically and socially integrate into their host communities have positive effects upon the health outcomes of said urban refugees. Furthermore, international organizations can play an important part in information-sharing, advocacy and service provision but urban refugee populations require more context-specific programs that rely upon community involvement and organizational capacity.Methodology -- Actors of the regime -- Policy & the lives of urban refugees -- The Republic of Kenya -- The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan -- The Kingdom of Thailan