PINES (Bemidji State University)
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Minnesota Fish Taxonomic Key 2017 Edition
No full textMinnesota’s landscape is maze of lakes and river that are home to a recorded total of 163 species of fish. This document is a complete and current dichotomous taxonomic key of the Minnesota fishes. This key was based on the 1972 “Northern Fishes” key (Eddy 1972), and updated based on Dr. Jay Hatch’s article “Minnesota Fishes: Just How Many Are There?” (Hatch 2016). Any new species or family additions were also referenced to the 7th edition of the American Fisheries society “Names of North American Fishes” (Page et al. 2013) to assess whether a fish species is currently recognized by the scientific community. Identifying characteristics for new additions were compared to those found in Page and Burr (2011). In total five species and one family have been added to the taxonomic key, while three have been removed since the last publication. Species pictures within the keys have been provide from either Bemidji State University Ichthyology Students or North American Native Fish Association (NANFA). My hope is that this document will offer an accurate and simple key so anyone can identify the fish they may encounter in Minnesota
Effectiveness of Methadone for Treatment of Heroin Use Disorder
No full textCapstone submitted as a requirement for BSU Honors Program
Affliction
No full textThis thesis features ten creative works, depicting a nonfictional account of life with various disabilities. Six of these are creative nonfiction prose stories, and four of them are Tordsen 4 poems. By writing these stories and poems, I write for consolation and to console those who harbor their traumas within themselves. I follow the stories of my own life, starting and ending chronologically, with the poems that follow each theme working as a retrospective reflection.
The first prose story begins during the middle of high school with the theme following through the stories until the end of college, or currently. Some scenes of the middle pieces—the flashforwards and flashbacks—are not necessarily in chronological order, but neither are our thoughts. Because these conditions are chronic—meaning they persist for a long time or are constantly reoccurring—some of the stories overlap. The project ends with a nontraumatic story to illustrate the concept that, while disabilities do impact you, often for your entire life, they do not define or control you. While the events are nonfictional, some names have been changed.
This is a content and trigger warning for the following prose and poetry pieces. The content contains, but is not limited to, depictions or mentions of hospitalization, depression, blood, menstruation, needles, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, sexuality, disordered eating, addiction, self-destructive tendencies, and alcohol
Colorectal Cancer Screenings in the United States
No full textColorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States behind lung cancer, so research is needed about this particular cancer (American Cancer Society, 2016). With medical advancements over the past decade, doctors are able to detect cancer symptoms earlier and treat cancers more readily. By compiling the medical record data for the Midwest and the Northeast, a picture can be painted that shows the prevalence of screenings in each region, and the mortality rates of those regions based on the amount of screenings done. The aim of this study is to examine the current colorectal cancer (CRC) screening processes and treatments between the Midwest and New England regions. This thesis establishes statistical lineage between these two regions in an attempt to analyze the success rate of standard procedures used to deal with colorectal cancer. After considerable data analysis, it can be noted that states with better CRC screening rates showed cancer incidence rates 5% to 20% lower than the national average, and mortality rates 6% to 15% lower than the national average for colon cancer. Further research is needed to determine whether these lower averages are directly caused by higher screening rates or if this is just simply a statistical parallel
Mallampati Scoring and Its Relation to Obstructive Sleep Apnea
No full textAccording to the American Sleep Apnea Association potentially 80% of moderate to severe cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) go undiagnosed with even optimistic estimates stating that at least 22 million Americans are afflicted by the disorder. These numbers are expected to continue to increase due to the rising rates of obesity in America. As a result, reliable criteria that can help physicians accurately predict the presence of an underlying sleep disorder, whose symptoms are masked during the day, is highly sought after. The objective of this research is to begin defining these criteria via a literature review of articles that evaluate the correlation of the Mallampati Scoring System (MSS), a frequently cited tool with promise in predicting OSA, with other factors that have been established as predictors of OSA. These factors of interest include Body Mass Index (BMI), neck circumference (NC), and the Apnea-hypopnea Index
Heart Rate and Face Inversion Effect
No full textThe face inversion effect is one of the most studied phenomena in facial recognition. The purpose of this thesis was is to determine if heart rate measures of attention and cognition might provide an explanation for the inverted face effect. Participants received a face memory task and heart rate was measured throughout the experiment. It was hypothesized that heart rate would change the most when processing inverted faces compared to upright, because of the increased task difficulty. Each participant experienced one of four conditions differing on face orientation presented during the learning phase (either upright or inverted) and face orientation presented in the testing phase (either upright or inverted). Also during the testing phase, participants received some familiar faces (old) from the learning phase as well as some novel (new) faces they had not seen before. No significant differences were found in heart rate for learning orientation, or while viewing upright faces or inverted faces when compared to baseline heart rate. The combined comparisons revealed that the combination of upright and inverted, and old and new faces all appeared to be experienced similarly. No interaction of learning phase orientation, testing phase orientation, and old vs. new during testing phase approached any significance. A significant interaction was found for learning and testing orientation. Future research should consider the limitations of this study and use a larger, more diverse sample. More research is needed to discern the physiological impact from the face inversion effect
Effects of Catch-and-Release Angling on Egg Densities in Largemouth Bass Nests
No full textPredation during early life stages of Centrarchidae offspring are a major cause of decreased reproductive success. For five-weeks Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides defend their broods from invaders such as Yellow Perch Perca flavescens and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. The focus of this study was to determine if predation upon Largemouth Bass broods increased as removal time from the nest via catch-and-release angling increased. Sampling was conducted on the Whitefish Chain, MN from 7 May - 7 June 2016, where a total of 29 nests were located and sampled. Three treatment groups were used; immediate catch-and-release, three-minute, and a seven- minute hold, along with a control group where no angling was performed. Median egg density and interquartile range (IQR) for each treatment are as follows: Control (8.20, IQR = 3.20 – 8.26), C&R (6.20, IQR = 4.32 – 7.44), 3-Min (1.88, IQR = 0.83 – 10.04), and 7-Min (2.40, IQR = 1.34 – 5.18). The best supported model including treatment group, predation, nest depth and total length, explained 55% of the variation in egg density. Egg densities decreased as total length of Largemouth Bass increased (R2 = 0.17, P = 0.03). Predation appeared to occur heavily when Largemouth Bass nests were in neighboring areas to the nests of Bluegill, and less frequently when another Largemouth Bass was nearby
The Supreme Court’s Countermajoritarianism? What Impact Does Public Opinion Have On the Supreme Court Decisions?
No full textAlthough normative questions about the role of the Supreme Court as a countermajoritarian institution have been commonly debated in political science research, an updated empirical question on Mishler and Sheehan’s (1993), study on public opinion and its impact on the Court must be asked. It has been 25 years since the publication of their study and numerous high profile cases such as Bush v. Gore, Citizens United v. FEC, and Obergefell v. Hodges have brought nationwide attention to the Supreme Court and how it interacts with public opinion. Results from empirical measurements of the Supreme Court’s decisions and what impact public opinion has, indicates no existence of a significant relationship. The Supreme Court\u27s ideological composition changes in response to the ideological orientation of the president rather than a shift in public opinion. Mishler and Sheehan described the Court’s ideological balance since 1981 as being upset and undermined because of an unbroken string of conservative-to-moderate appointments. In the 25 years since the study, the countermajoritarian trend they noted at the beginning of the early 90’s seems to be continuing
American Immigration: Differing Views on the Threat from Immigrants
No full textImmigration has been a hot button issue in politics across the world, especially in recent years in the United States. People’s views on immigration vary broadly among political parties and from every corner of the country. Why do people believe the things they do about immigrants? I researched this question to determine why immigration is at the forefront of American politics and how different aspects of one’s life affect his or her sentiments. Using General Social Survey data, I explored why some people feel threatened by immigrants coming to their country and others do not. Variables analyzed include income, church affiliation, education level, political party and region of residency. Hypotheses based on previous research suggests that education levels, political affiliation and one’s income are the social and economic factors that lead to one’s intolerance or acceptance of immigrants coming to the United States. I found that there was correlation with all socioeconomic factors, and beliefs on immigrants in the United States. These people often congregate on a larger level and share the same views with those who are like-minded
Explaining the Rise of ISIS
No full textIn this paper I study the circumstances that led to the rise the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/Daesh) and its economic power. I use articles, testimonies before US House of Representatives and analyze economic data to generate facts and draw conclusions. All references rely on primary source documents that were not released in an official capacity by ISIS. These are documents that have been released online by pro or anti-ISIS activists or information that was gathered and analyzed by research centers and international organizations. It is worth noting that non-officially released documents were very helpful in shedding more critical light on the nature of ISIS administration and economy. The main limitation of the research (and in all studies about ISIS) is that the total number of documents uncovered so far is still a small portion of the total number of administrative documents issued by ISIS in its various departments. Therefore, better analysis will have to be reserved for future, particularly if ISIS is driven out of its key strongholds and when the international community seizes ISIS Statehood documents for research