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General and special education teachers perceptions of perceived knowledge, preferred roles, and training needs regarding students with internalizing disorders: a replication study
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of General and Special Educators with regards to the perceived knowledge, roles, and training needs when working with students who have an internalizing mental health disorder. This replication study was based on the 2010 study by Miller & Jome who examined the perceptions of school psychologists on perceived knowledge, roles, and training needs when working with students who had internalizing disorders (Miller & Jome, 2010). For this quantitative study, General and Special Education teachers in Missouri were recruited to participate in order to compare not only their perceptions as they related to each individual sub-group (General Education teachers and Special Education teachers), but also to the results of the Miller & Jome (2010) study. Responses indicated that General and Special Education teachers perceive that the responsibility for school-based interventions for certain internalizing disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, as the appropriate role for the General and/or Special Education teacher. Limitations for the study are discussed along with further research needs in this area.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Evolutionary developmental biology in the mayfly Hexagenia limbata, with a focus on hox genes
Get PDFEvolutionary developmental biology has become a prominent field for investigating how developmental processes operate and change over time. An integrative approach encompassing morphological and genetic data is fundamental to evo devo; such integration has proven key to understanding how changes in gene expression and function can create novel phenotypes. While this approach has been successfully applied to well known model organisms, it has become apparent that truly understanding the breadth and evolution of developmental processes requires comparisons between many different organisms. Comparative studies thus require research to continually expand beyond traditional model organisms, especially in regard to species that feature novel traits. This has been particularly true for understanding the unique development of body plans in arthropoda, which are based primarily upon repeating segments that form phenotypically distinct units called tagmata. Tagmata often bear unique appendages, and generally define each of the major arthropod classes. However, while the body plan and developmental genetics of arthropods like the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have been extensively studied, much remains unknown about how developmental genes changed over time to produce aspects of the insect body plan that are unique, such as wings, or that notably diverge from the typical body plan of most insects. In this regard, mayflies (Ephemeroptera) are particularly appealing candidates for evo devo research. Mayflies are one of the earliest diverging group of winged insects, placing them at a phylogenetically important position amongst the pterygotes. The body plan of their nymphal stages is also different from most insects, as it bears functionally diverse abdominal appendages called gills. These gills are a key part of environmental adaptation in mayflies, and may share structural homology with the appendicular appendages seen throughout arthropoda. While mayflies have been studied extensively in regard to their ecological importance and phylogenetic position, little is known about their developmental genetics, especially in regard to appendage development. Thus, the purpose of this work is to bring an evo devo framework to mayflies by 1) describing their embryonic and nymphal ontogeny, especially in regard to their thoracic and abdominal appendages, 2) describing the expression of the Hox genes Antennapedia (Antp), Ultrabithorax (Ubx) and Abdominal-A (AbdA) during embryogenesis, and 3) identifying sequences for a suite of key developmental and cell signaling genes in a first instar nymphal transcriptome. In order to do accomplish these objectives, we have focused upon the widely dispersed and large bodied mayfly, Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae).
Morphological descriptions of H. limbata ontogeny revealed that embryogenesis proceeds in a manner consistent with that seen in other studied mayfly species, with posterior body segments gradually appearing from the extending germ band. Likewise, nymphal appendage development in the first three instars was consistent with published literature on Hexagenia mayflies, namely in regard to the simultaneous development of five gill pairs on the abdomen and the similar size and shape of all three thoracic legs. We found that appendage development from post-third instars follows two main themes: the thoracic legs remain similar in size and shape, while the gills gradually increase in complexity by adding gill branches in a distal to proximal manner, as seen in other burrowing mayflies.
While we were unable to assess Hox expression in nymphs, Antp and Ubx/AbdA expression during embryogenesis was highly conserved with that seen in non-holometabolous insects, especially Thermobia domestica (Zygentoma) and Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera). Antp was strongly expressed in the posterior labial segment through the thorax, with a narrow stripe of expression down the central abdomen that is commonly associated with nervous system development. The combined expression profile for Ubx/AbdA ranged from the posterior T2 to the tenth abdominal segment, with strong staining seen at the T3/A1 border. These findings suggest that if Antp and Ubx/AbdA expression play a role in gill development, it is likely due to changes in gene function, expression during the first instar when gills develop, or changes to downstream appendage patterning gene regulation.
Transcriptomic sequencing was done using whole body, first instar mRNA, from which 70,507,832 reads were generated. De novo assembly resulted in a 93,561 contig database, with 60,861 of these having ≥ 10X average coverage. Two workflows were designed in order to assess and identify developmental and cell signaling genes of interest from this database. Our gene-specific workflow confirmed homologous sequence identity for 78 putative sequences belonging to 53 developmental and cell signaling genes of interest, with most top BLASTx hits matching insect homologs. Our second, Gene Ontology (GO) workflow filtered our contig database via a > 99 reads per contig criteria and provided a high quality contig database of 37,023 contigs, from which 9,813 contigs were successfully mapped and annotated with GO terms. Most top BLASTx hits for these contigs were also from insect taxa, and the level two GO term profile for these contigs largely resembles those reported for other insect transcriptomes. This suggests that our transcriptome successfully represents a broad sampling of mRNA transcripts commonly found in whole body insect transcriptomes. Furthermore, GO term annotation tagged 841 and 996 of these contigs as relevant to developmental processes and signaling, respectively, indicating that additional candidate developmental genes or possible orthologs could be identified.
Future evo devo research on mayfly body patterning would greatly benefit from two distinct initiatives. First, sequences identified in the transcriptomic dataset can be used to synthesize riboprobes for in situ hybridization, enabling expression studies for many of the putative developmental genes identified. Such sequences can also be used to synthesize either dsRNA for RNAi or specific DNA sequences for CRISPR/cas9, which would allow functional experiments during mayfly development and potentially reveal both the genetics of gill development and how it compares to limb development in other insects. Second, developing molecular techniques in first instar nymphs would directly address how the mayfly body plan changes, since the sudden development of abdominal gills occurs in the second nymphal instar. With these initiatives, there remain abundant opportunities to investigate the development and evolution of mayflies' novel body plan.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Reducing surgical site infections: a comparison of surgical skin preparations
Get PDFSurgical site infections are one of the most common healthcare-associated infections among surgical patients. The use of surgical site preparations can prevent this problem. A literature review was conducted to examine the existing studies in an attempt to determine which surgical site preparation yielded the lowest surgical site infection rate postoperatively. The preparations examined in these studies were parachoroxylenol (PCMX), povidone-iodine, combination povidone-iodine and isopropyl alcohol, chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), chlorhexidine-alcohol, combination povidone-iodine and CHG, and povidone-iodine with industrial methylated spirit. It was concluded that none of these preparations proved to be superior in all surgeries or facilities. Patient allergies, comorbidities, surgical site, surgeon preference, and availability are some factors that affect the types of preparations used. In order to determine which surgical site skin preparation is superior in reducing infection, more studies on these preparations will need to be conducted.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement 201
Summary of atmospheric river forecast skill and the attendant synoptic-scale patterns over north-coastal California
Get PDFAtmospheric rivers (ARs) are long and narrow corridors of enhanced vertically integrated water vapor (IWV) and water vapor transport (IVT) found within the warm sector of extratropical cyclones. Landfalling ARs are responsible for approximately half of the annual precipitation along the U.S. West Coast and are linked to extreme precipitation events and flooding. In order to mitigate flooding concerns and potential water shortages, water managers in California rely on accurate AR forecasts in order to make decisions regarding reservoir storage. This study quantifies the skill of week-2 control and ensemble-mean IVT magnitude forecasts by the Global Forecast System Reforecast (GFSR) for a 20-water year period 1997-2016 for a grid point near Bodega Bay, California. Trends in atmospheric flow patterns associated with teleconnections are studied for the best-forecasted AR days and the worst-forecasted false alarms to investigate synoptic-scale influences on forecast skill. Results illustrate that the GFSR ensemble-mean forecasts typically underforecasted IVT magnitude on days with a landfalling AR near Bodega Bay, with mean percent errors 40-70% below observed values at 7-to-14-day leads, signaling a reduction in the detection of ARs. The best forecasts of AR days at 10 days lead time were commonly associated with flow patterns that persisted in the positive phase of the Pacific-North American pattern (PNA) and weakened or the positive phase of the Eastern Pacific Oscillation (EPO). The worst forecasts (e.g., false alarms) were commonly associated with flow patterns that trended towards a strengthening positive phase of the PNA or the negative phase of the EPO. The trend in the PNA with decreasing lead time associated with the worst forecasts suggests the likely role of ridge amplification over the Northeast Pacific leading to AR landfalling in British Columbia instead of California.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
A multiscale analysis of an ice jam flood on the Pemigewasset River in central New Hampshire on 26 February 2017
Get PDFIce jams and their floods occur during winter and spring in the northeastern U.S. and can have locally high impacts. A high-impact ice jam flood formed on the Pemigewasset River between Ashland and Plymouth on 26 February 2017. The rain from the cold front combined with precursor above freezing temperatures and a deep ripening snowpack to produce enhanced streamflow, ice break-up, damming, and flooding in Holderness that resulted in dozens of Plymouth State University students losing their vehicles. The first two weeks of February in featured below freezing temperatures and a series of heavy snowfall events in New Hampshire that led to frozen rivers and a deep snowpack. A large-scale regime transition by mid-February resulted in temperatures exceeding 10°C above normal during 18-25 February, which ripened the snowpack and led to total snow-water equivalent losses >10 cm over the Pemigewasset watershed. In the six hours leading up to the cold frontal passage, deep-moist southerly flow and snow-to-rain melting levels at 2000-2200 m were present over the region. The 3-5 cm of rainfall associated with the cold front in addition to the increased snowmelt led to the enhanced streamflow, ice dam, and flooding on the Pemigewasset River.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement 201
Comparing valuation methods: examining differences in how individuals and groups value ecosystems services in the Great Bay watershed
Get PDFEcosystem services, or benefits humans derive from nature, are one way people put a price on nature. Often researchers quantify this price through stated preference methods, where a respondent self-reports their value. This can be done either with individual respondents or through group deliberation; however, some studies suggest different techniques under the stated preference method do not result in the same values being elicited. Using the Great Bay Watershed as a study area, day long workshops were conducted to test if the values of participants remained the same during individual and group elicitation techniques. Utilizing the Reverse Swing Weighting method participants completed both individual and group valuation tasks. The findings show that values do shift through the deliberative process and individual values converge after deliberation. This suggests that asking only individual respondents about their values does not accurately capture the values of society as a whole, and that deliberative methods result in more nuanced responses that more accurately reflect the values of the people.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Effect of SKN-1 on stress responses on Caenorhabditis elegans
Get PDFSKN-1 (protein Skinhead-1) plays a central role in promoting C. elegans longevity. The human ortholog is Nrf/CNC protein. It is a regulator of stress response as well as a defense to foreign substances. In this experiment, we investigate whether SKN-1 functions similarly to Nrf/CNC proteins in resisting oxidative stress in C. elegans. Silencing the gene skn-1 using RNAi is expected to modify the response to oxidative stress. PCR primers were designed to amplify a portion of the skn-1 gene in C. elegans. The amplicon from the PCR experiment was used to create an RNAi feeding vector. To assay sensitivity to oxidative stress, two groups of young adults were subjected to oxidative stress. The control group was fed the usual bacterial feeding strain (OP50), whereas the experimental group was fed my RNAi feeding strain. Worms were scored using standard lifetime assay procedure.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement 201
A novel approach to biomonitoring: identifying communities at-risk from salinization using HSP70 expression in stonefly nymphs
Get PDFAs the Northeastern United States continues to develop, the need for increased applications of salt on roads, sidewalks and parking lots will follow. The increased incidence of severe weather impacts from climate change is likely to exacerbate these applications, potentially heightening the frequency and severity of impacts upon the health of local freshwater ecosystems. Mayflies and stoneflies are halosensitive bioindicators that provide important indications of water quality degradation; similarly, heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been used as biomarkers tracking molecular responses to disturbance. Developing a method using aquatic phases of these organisms for ecological risk assessments will provide time for critical decision making prior to species loss. We quantified the heat shock response of mayflies and stoneflies to sub-lethal doses of sodium chloride (NaCl) to provide an early identifier of at-risk communities. To develop a reliable molecular approach for detecting NaCl stress, we (1) evaluated HSP70 expression across the insect body to better understand how NaCl stress is introduced to macroinvertebrate nymphs; (2) explored dose-response curves of HSP70 expression under laboratory conditions of heat and NaCl treatments; (3) quantified HSP70 expression from field collected specimens to assess levels of ecological stress across the state. This led to a proof of concept protocol which also involved the temporal course of the heat shock response in macroinvertebrates experiencing salt and temperature stress. We gathered stonefly nymphs from a local NH stream from May - July 2017 and assayed their expression levels of HSP70 following exposure to NaCl and increased temperature. Western blotting was used to quantify differences in expression in nymphs across stresses, with results suggesting a window of 24-72 hours in which expression peaks.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
L'amateur mensuel: designing a video game magazine in French
No full textAs a double major in graphic design and French, I am always looking for ways to combine the two disciplines together. My love for French, interest in publication design, and desire to work with video games made me decide to develop a video game magazine. The featured articles are written entirely in French and include two articles about fictional games I intend to create, a research paper on the history of games and the French company Ubisoft, and a paper on the role of art in games. All other text in the magazine, including advertisements and captions, are in French as well. I have developed all of the illustrations and am responsible for the overall design layout, and feel I have successfully mixed my knowledge of French and design into one final project. I would love to share this project at the Showcase of Research and Engagement!Student Showcase of Research & Engagement 201
Governors' rhetorical attention to education: text analysis, historical perspectives and building a gubernatorial addresses repository
Get PDFIn the conception of America as a republic, individual states were not forced to care for education; they chose to. Motivated by a belief in self-government, states own, control and manage education within their boundaries in different manners. Given this responsibility, it might be expected that education would be an important subject for governors to address.
Over 3000 gubernatorial addresses (State of the State or equivalents) were collected, translated into text, and analyzed as part of this work. Applying computerized content and sentiment text analysis to these addresses revealed the level of rhetorical attention paid to education by governors, and trends over time. Moreover, the analysis raised questions about factors that may influence governors' rhetorical attention to education, such as specific eras in American history or governors' political affiliations. Also, utilizing theme modeling analysis, the governors' perceptions and the importance of education to them at the time of their addresses were examined.
This work has resulted in two significant outcomes, one of which is the development of a previously non-existent database of readable gubernatorial State of the State speeches. Second, the analysis of these 3400 addresses suggests that governors not only pay limited or no rhetorical attention toward education, but even when they do, they primarily associate it with finance and issues concerning special education. No variation in the attentiveness to education was detected between states, political party affiliations, or over time.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio