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Quantifying and Analyzing Plastic in Seabird Nests in the North Sea
No full textPlastics in the environment are of increasing concern for many organisms including seabirds. In this study, I examined the nests of four seabird species – northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, great cormorants, and gulls (herring and lesser black-backed gulls) – on two small islands in the North Sea. I quantified the proportion of plastic in each nest following methods described by Thompson et al. (2020), and compared the types and colors of plastics in their nests to those found in the environment. I examined the proportion of nests of each species that contained plastic, and found that northern gannets (98%) and great cormorants (95%) were both more likely to include plastic in their nests than kittiwakes (44%) and gulls (28%). I also found that the average amount of plastic in nests differed across species (northern gannets 36%, great cormorants 9%, black-legged kittiwakes 2%, gulls 1%). These differences in proportions of nests containing plastic and average amount of plastic in nests are likely due to differences in materials used in nests and whether a species reuses nests each year. In comparing plastics in the environment to that in nests, I found that fibrous plastic, in particular dolly rope, a type of sacrificial chafing material used in commercial bottom trawling fishing, was highly preferred by all the studied seabird species. Orange dolly rope was also favored over other colors of dolly rope. Chemical testing of dolly rope pieces found that it was polyethylene, which is consistent with previous reports for the North Sea, and mechanical testing of dolly rope strands highlighted the dangers of entanglement posed by the material. There is a strong preference for orange dolly rope by nesting birds that may be due to morphological similarities to natural nesting material and an ease in locating the brightly colored material in the water. While seabird deaths by entanglement alone are not likely to lead to a population decrease, these deaths are often slow and painful and should be prevented if only for humanitarian reasons. I explore different methods of mitigating deaths by entanglement and reducing plastics in the marine environment, as well as ways in which plastic monitoring in seabird nests can provide information regarding the levels and types of pollution in the marine environment.Geolog
New Constraints on the Timing of Deformation in the Maberly Shear Zone in the Grenville Province of Southern Ontario
No full textI present new U-Th/Pb monazite dates for the development of the Maberly Shear Zone (also known as the Sharbot Lake Shear Zone) in the Grenville Province of Southern Ontario, Canada. This shear zone is of regional tectonic significance as a major boundary within the Central Metasedimentary Belt; it juxtaposes the Sharbot Lake Terrane to the west against the Frontenac Terrane to the east. My sample is a granitic gneiss with well-developed foliation and lineation parallel to the regional fabric in the Maberly Shear Zone. I report dates based on in-situ electron microprobe analysis of monazite grains, and compositional domains within these grains, conducted at the UMass Geosciences Electron Microprobe/Scanning Electron Microscope Facility. Dated monazite grains occur both within garnets and in the deformed matrix of the schist, and range in size from tens to hundreds of microns in scale; grains are relatively round and equant, although a few show unusual shapes. I dated domains in ten monazite grains, many of which show multiple domains that I defined based on domain geometries and variations in Y and Th content. I present twenty-six dates that range from 1222 ± 2.6 to 1145 ± 6.5 Ma (all errors reported here at 1 sigma). High-Y cores of monazite grains yield dates whose mean is 1206 ± 3.5 Ma, and lower-Y inner regions of grains yield mean dates of 1190 ± 4.4 Ma. Inner mantles yield a mean date of 1182 ± 3.4 Ma; outer mantles yield a mean date of 1172 ± 4.0 Ma. Some grains show geometric rims, not distinguished by unusually high Y content as is common in similar rocks; and mean rim dates are 1163 ± 4.2 Ma. All of these dates are in excellent agreement with predictions based on field mapping in the region and dates yielded by U-Pb analysis of zircon from neighboring granitoids (Corfu and Easton, 1997; Davidson and van Breemen, 2000). I interpret these dates as a record of shearing and high-grade metamorphism of metasediments in the Maberly Shear zone starting before and continuing through the later phases of the Shawinigan Orogeny.Geolog
The individual differences of bilingual readers when using phonological information in word identification
No full textTwo theories have been proposed to explain how readers access the mental lexicon through written words: phonological mediation theory suggests that the sound of words activates the meaning of words; direct access theory suggests that the orthographic representation of words activates the meaning. Prior work has demonstrated that readers rely on phonological mediation in both alphabetic languages (e.g., English), and in less phonologically predictable logographic languages (e.g., Chinese); however, little research has investigated the relationship between bilingual readers’ phonological activation in both languages. Therefore, the current study assessed bilingual readers’ reliance on the phonological route for both English and Chinese reading. We hypothesized that readers who show a strong reliance on the phonological route in one language will show a similarly strong reliance on it in their other language. Replicating prior work, our study showed that in both Chinese and English tasks, readers made slower and less accurate judgments on homophone distractors. However, we did not observe a significant correlation between individual’s reliance on phonological routes in different languages.Psychology & Educatio
Experiences of Eldest Second-Generation Americans: Exploratory Study of Identity and Mental Health
No full textAn individual’s identity can be challenging to navigate, particularly for those from immigrant
families. Coming from an immigrant family, there are certain roles and responsibilities expected of children, especially from the eldest; these added roles and responsibilities can result in negative mental health consequences for eldest children within immigrant families. This exploratory study investigated the lived experience of the eldest child within immigrant families through in-depth interviews, with a focus on their identity and mental health. This study used an inductive thematic analysis framework to conceptualize patterns of experiences among participants generated into themes. The results are organized by using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems (1979) and Berry’s acculturation model (2017) to provide a visual representation of the eldests’ overall human development. There are four main themes identified throughout the study: Who are you?, Eldest Responsibilities, Balancing Two Cultures, and Mental Health and Sources of Support. Responsibilities, identity, and acculturation were found to be the main sources of stress and pressure among this group of participants while navigating their identity in the United States.Psychology & Educatio
Testing extinction rates across various modes of life in Bivalvia during the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
No full textMass extinctions disrupt the balance of clade richness across the tree of life, dramatically and permanently altering the ecological landscape (Foote, 1997; Jablonski, 2005; Sclafani et al., 2018). Certain groups of organisms are lost to extinction, while others persist through the survival of individual lineages (Jablonski, 2002; Jablonski, 2005; Sclafani et al., 2018; Wan et al., 2021). The difference between survival and extinction could be connected to three key traits–mobility, feeding, and tiering–which combined make up an organism’s mode of life (MOL). I analyzed extinction selectivity across all bivalve genera known to exist during the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (KPg) to determine which modes of life fared better and which of the three MOL traits most contributed towards genus survival.
Of the fifteen unique MOLs, and the thirteen MOLs that had enough samples to properly analyze, only one went extinct (immobile, intermediate epifaunal, suspension/photosymbiotic feeder). Despite the relative stability of the MOLs, there were clearly groups hit harder than others. Semi-infaunal suspension feeders suffered the second greatest extinction level regardless of whether the taxa were mobile or sessile (81% for mobile taxa and 72% for sessile taxa) while immobile suspension feeding boring bivalves had the lowest extinction rate (<25%). Separating the three MOL traits, I found tiering to be the most important trait in guarding against extinction with feeding and mobility being of secondary and tertiary importance respectively. More exposed bivalves (intermediate epifaunal or semi-faunal) suffered the greatest extinction rates (100% and 77% respectively) while less exposed bivalves (boring and deep infaunal) had the lowest extinction rates (<25% and 43% respectively). Bivalve groups that relied on a combination of suspension feeding and photosynthesis (i.e. rudists) suffered a complete extinction whereas groups that used a chemosymbiotic strategy to feed suffered a less than 25% extinction rate. There is also a slight trend towards higher levels of mobility increasing survival rates (58% of immobile bivalves went extinct and 50% of mobile bivalves went extinct). There appears to be intersections between tiering and feeding that affects extinction rates; greater amounts of natural coverage and more reliable sources of food likely protected certain groups against extinction.Geolog
More Than “Vietnam Flashbacks” and Trauma: Quiet Images of Vietnamese Women As Disidentification With Nationalist Framing
No full textEnglis
Let’s Talk About Sex: The Experience of Sexual Difficulties
No full textFrom songs like “WAP” and to shows like “Too Hot to Handle”, people cannot stop
talking about having enjoyable sex. But, what about when sex is difficult? Ten to fifty-two
percent of cis-women and fifty-four percent of transmen experience difficulties during the sexual
response cycle or pain during sex (Kerckhof et al., 2019; Nazareth et al., 2003). These
difficulties (hereafter referred to as sexual difficulties) can lead to a sex life that does not align
with societal expectations. People often feel shame or not normal due to not following the
societal expectations of what a “good” sex life looks like (Fitter et al., 2009; Shepard et al.,
2008). This study explores how the stigma around sex and traditional sexual scripts affect the
emotional health and self-image of adults’ in the United States who experience sexual
difficulties. This study was conducted with people who were born with and still have
predominantly internal reproductive anatomy (people assigned female at birth and some people
assigned intersex at birth) and experience sexual difficulties. The experience of sexual
difficulties across relationships with different genders was explored, and therefore all
participants were required to have a relationship history inclusive of different genders. This
qualitative study consisted of interviewing six participants. Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis was conducted and the data was analyzed through creating mind maps and coding in
NVIVO. Some of the resulting themes include questioning “What is wrong with me?”, grappling
with pressure and feelings of obligation to have sex, feelings of self-blame and regret, shared
experiences, and growth towards sexual freedom.Psychology & Educatio
Using Data Provenance to Support Reproducibility in R
No full textThe use of computers for data processing and analysis has dramatically transformed the approaches and capabilities of scientific research. Today, researchers are able to process and draw conclusions from large volumes of data in relatively little time, expanding the breadth and efficiency of their work. Despite this shift, verifying results through multiple studies and experiments will always remain important. A 2019 National Academies report recommended more research and development to ensure published scientific results are computationally reproducible, meaning the same results can be derived from the original data and analysis methods. Often, computational reproducibility requires information about the computing environment – such as the operating system, language, and package versions where the results were produced – as well as the data and script. This is because software can behave differently when components of the computing environment change. Therefore, an approach to reproducible research involves collecting all of the information about the scripts, data, and computing environment, also known as data provenance. In the R language, the rdtLite package facilitates the collection of data provenance for a given script execution. This thesis will focus on developing methods that use data provenance as a blueprint for reconstructing a computing environment and conducting experiments that apply this tool to identify situations in which changes to the environment resulted in changes in script behavior.Computer Scienc
Transcending Time and Space: Historias de Convivencia in Rural El Salvador
No full textThesis is also written in Spanish.Yucuaiquin is a small pueblo in La Union, El Salvador, hidden between mountains. In Poton, the Indigenous tongue to Lenca peoples, it means “tierra de fuego” or “land of fire.” My research asks about the history of daily life in Yucuaiquin before and after El Salvador’s war (1979-1990), and for yucuaiquinenses who subsequently moved to the Greater Boston area. My approach to this work honors the oral history and storytelling tradition of Yucuaiquin by using interviews and convivencia (shared life, time, and dwelling) with people to learn the history of the pueblo.
Given the limited scholarship on the history of Yucuaiquin, this project required a creative approach. Interdisciplinary scholarship from sociologists, anthropologists, economists, psychologists, and historians of other places filled in some gaps, as did memoirs. But sharing time with yucuaiquinenses who migrated to Greater Boston and with community members in Yucuaiquin, engaging in their daily routines of selling, cooking, building, attending church, and such, has been crucial to my research.
From these community relationships my central question emerged: How have rural salvadoreñes and yucuaiquinenses understood what it means to live together? I explore this question through histories of water, commerce and labor, and migration. Routines around access to water, street commerce, and transnational migration have been areas of struggle as yucuaiquinenses have contended with systemic forces – colonialism, privatization, wealth disparities, and imperialism.Histor
Haunted by the Past: Battles over Civil War Myth-Making in Gettysburg
No full textAs the smoke began to dissipate over the small town of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, what was revealed was a scene of unimaginable carnage. The battle that lasted for three long days had left a scar on the town and its residents.
It is well known that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. Lesser known are the ways that the event changed Gettysburg from a small and beautiful town surrounded by nature to a place that commemorates and commodifies the battle. Other towns also saw extensive changes, but change in Gettysburg was unique: the site of a national historic park, with some 20 museums, countless tourist shops, and one to two million visitors from the 1980s to 2010s, Gettysburg still carries the legacy of that bloody battle.
This project explores how tourists, activists, and others interested in the meanings of narratives of the Civil War centered on Gettysburg. By examining guidebooks, maps, and newspaper articles, I analyze the remaking of Gettysburg in relation to heritage tourism, civil rights struggles, and politicians' rhetoric about American exceptionalism. Times of commemoration and division — the World Columbian Exposition, the battle’s 1913 reunion, and the Vietnam War — prompted Americans to revisit Gettysburg, to reclaim their citizenship, national memories of the war, or a romanticized past.
To understand the development of Gettysburg tourism in recent decades, how current residents engage the town’s history, and the battle’s resonance in relation to contemporary political struggles, I conducted oral history interviews with 18 Gettysburg residents and Gettysburg College students. These accounts highlight some of the recurring issues in modern American society, such as the presence of right-wing militia groups in the context of political polarization and the challenge of teaching accurate American history. Gettysburg continues to serve as a battleground in contests over the Civil War and its legacies.Histor