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Another Toast
Get PDFThe poems in this collection take place alongside the Mississippi River and its concrete cousin Interstate 55, from Saint Louis to New Orleans. They track their speaker\u27s spiritual and earthly experiences in forms both formal and experimental. The subject matter involves persons unhoused, addicted, or spiritually jaded, as well as dire environments that signify the manmade cataclysm of the Anthropocene
Phosphate Mineralogy and Paragenesis of the Fletcher Pegmatite, North Groton, New Hampshire
Get PDFInvestigation of phosphate assemblages selectively collected at the Fletcher Mine pegmatite, North Groton, New Hampshire, yielded eighteen discrete secondary phosphate species. Secondary phases were formed via metasomatic (high temperature) and hydrothermal (low temperature) alteration of primary triphylite and fluorapatite. Mineral associations bear proximal phases known to occur under contrasting conditions, both oxidizing and reducing, suggesting the formation of microenvironments during concomitant mineral generation. Late-stage hydrothermal fluids provide ions taken up in low temperature secondary phases with calcium and magnesium most prevalent in these suites. High iron to manganese ratios in analyzed specimens establish the relative evolution of the pegmatite host. Ubiquitous presence of Huréaulite in all associations suggests trend in late-stage cooling. An unidentified aluminum rich phase requires further investigation. Updated standards of pegmatite classification allow for more precise categorization of the Fletcher Pegmatite based on mineralogy and complexity
Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Roles in Blended Learning Environments
Get PDFSchools are widely implementing blended learning, defined as a combination of face to face instruction and computer-assisted instruction, to increase student achievement. Given that the computer is taking on a component of instruction, there is some evidence that the role of the teacher is changing. The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions of primary teachers about their role and possible role change in a blended learning environment. A qualitative study using transcendental phenomenology was conducted among a group of primary teachers who teach reading and math in grades K-4. Role theory was applied to illuminate whether the role of teachers has changed and whether the role was more or less intense. The findings of the study show that teacher roles are indeed changing in a blended learning environment. Teachers are using student learning data differently to target their instruction, creating new ways to motivate students as independent learners engaged in computer-based learning, and planning their lessons differently. The findings of this study did not show role de-intensification, given that teachers are doing more and new work with the new information about students and their learning from the software. The results of this study can be used to inform the construction of pre-service teacher training, as well as teacher professional development in schools so that teachers have the tools they need to be successful in this new type of classroom.
Keywords: blended learning, teacher role, primary teachers, role intensificatio
Chromosome Number Evolution, Phylogeography, and the Effects of Climate Change on Species Distributions in Polyploid Plant Systems
Get PDFPolyploidy, a term used to describe organisms with cells having more than two paired sets of chromosomes, is a significant driver of diversification among land plants. Over a century of research has advanced our understanding of polyploidization in some taxa, but polyploid organisms remain understudied. In this dissertation, I investigate chromosome number evolution, phylogeographic structure, genetic differentiation, and the effects of climate change on ploidy level distribution using polyploid plant systems. In the first chapter, I inferred a molecular phylogeny of Allium, an economically important genus that includes cultivated crops and ornamentals, to investigate evolutionary transitions in chromosome number using likelihood-based methods. The best-fit model of chromosome evolution showed that chromosome transitions within Allium occurred through the constant gains and losses of single chromosomes as well as demi-polyploidization events, with the rate of chromosome gain events being approximately 2.5 to 4.5 times more likely to occur than demi-polyploidization and loss events, respectively. In the second chapter, I used nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences generated from eight populations in the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) biodiversity hotspot and one nearby population in Kansas to examine genetic diversity and population structure of A. canadense var. canadense, a polyploid species that exhibits vegetative reproduction which may lead to low genetic diversity within extant populations. A total of 12 ITS ribosomal and 10 chloroplast DNA haplotypes were identified, and significant genetic subdivision among populations was detected across all populations by analysis of molecular variance. In the third chapter, I used ecological niche modeling to evaluate the differences in niche identity among diploid and polyploid plants endemic to the NACP at the generic level using current bioclimatic variables, then niche overlap and habitat suitability using future climate change scenarios were assessed. I found that congeneric ploidy level pairs differed significantly in niche identity, and niche overlap varied across genera. I also identified 11 genera that showed greater than 100% increases in habitat suitability and six genera that showed almost no remaining suitable habitat in at least one future climate scenario. Based on these results, I provide future directions for continued studies in the NACP
Travel Behavior Change and Economic Transition in Gentrified Neighborhoods
Get PDFPost-industrial cities in the US have experienced social and economic transitions, mostly in declining downtown neighborhoods. This process, known as gentrification, typically involves revitalization that reverses the decline and disinvestment in inner-city neighborhoods. The industrial shift increased the demand for housing near downtown. The employment of college-educated and high-skill workers has been centralized, while low-skilled jobs continue to decline downtown. While the impacts of gentrification on housing and residential displacement is frequently investigated, little attention has been given to its impact on travel behavior change and economic transition, which is the focus of this research. Change in travel behavior is shown to be primarily related to distance to the workplace, spatial context, and individual attitude. Gentrification inherently encompasses all three attributes: contextual change for in-movers and out-movers is associated with residential relocation and potential employment change. The upgrading neighborhoods tend to witness economic restructuring and higher growth rates in the knowledge-based economy, local retail establishments, and other services that did not previously capture those markets.
The purpose of this dissertation is to shed light on the change in job and commuting patterns in gentrified neighborhoods located within the 98 most populated U.S. MSAs between 2000 and 2019 by using a longitudinal quasi-experimental research design. This study adopts a quantitative definition to select the potentially gentrifying and gentrified tracts with minor changes. The study uses two sets of t-tests to compare first between changes in job and travel to work in gentrified and non-gentrified tracts. Second, to detect whether a gentrified tract witnessed statistically significant differences regarding the travel and job variables at the start and end of the period. The data analysis continues with a series of two-way ANOVA to further explore the combined effect of gentrification and other control variables on job and travel behavior. This result shows that gentrification comes along with densification, racial turnover, less unemployment, more professionalism, and less service jobs. While residents of gentrified neighborhoods had higher average vehicle ownership, their overall auto trip decreased at a sharper rate. Nonetheless, the overall sustainable travel had risen in gentrified neighborhoods. This study is an important scholarly work because it adds to the field of research pertaining to housing demand and transportation. Densification can potentially bring jobs and daily destinations closer. Densification in a combination with TOD and/ or mixed-use development can strongly reduce driving and promote sustainable transportation
Charter School Leaders’ Perceptions of School Autonomy
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This study explored school leaders and how they perceive and use autonomy to operate a school. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences of school leaders and how they perceive and use their autonomy while operating a charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana. There is relatively little documentation on the perceptions of how school leaders feel they use and balance their autonomy when operating a charter school. This study builds upon the current and past research which regards principal autonomy as a driver of the success of charter schools and school quality. Consequently, the theoretical framework for this study is rooted in the current literature on school autonomy, school leadership and organizational decision -making.
This study used a purposeful sample of 10 New Orleans school leaders who have worked in both a traditional and charter school setting. A descriptive phenomenological research design was used to describe the lived experiences of the Charter School Leaders. Unstructured in-depth phenomenological interviews supplemented by written communication and field notes will be used. Interviews will be conducted, tape-recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed. The results of this study suggests that school leaders believe that with autonomy over school operations, curricula, and finances, they are able to fulfill the school’s vision and mission and operate schools better. School leaders derived more job satisfaction when they worked in charter schools than when they worked in a traditional school setting
Investigating the Application of Flettner Rotors on the Great Lakes
Get PDFClimate change is quickly becoming one of the leading problems of the twenty-first century, and the maritime transportation sector is beginning to react. Wind propulsion technologies have been making a comeback led by the Flettner rotor. The deck-mounted, vertical, spinning cylinder generates a lift (or thrust) force perpendicular to the wind by utilizing the Magnus effect. Rotor performance has been studied extensively on many ocean shipping routes, but has not been on the Great Lakes, a region with a large maritime industry. This study aims to assess whether or not Flettner rotors are practical in the region by calculating propulsive power contributions on several popular routes. Results show that a single rotor can provide an average of 2.69% of a ship’s propulsive needs, demonstrating that, while still beneficial, Flettner rotors are less efficient on the smaller bodies of water when compared to ocean based results. However, rotor sails are still capable of providing a significant boost to efficiency in a multi-rotor system deployed on a favorable route
The Effects of Past Hurricane Events on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFResearch has shown that both post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms occur at high rates after traumatic events. Traumatic events can include a localized natural disaster, for instance, a hurricane, or a more global event, such as a pandemic, where stressors experienced during the events may trigger either of the symptomologies. This study focused on the association between hurricanes and current mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, I hypothesized that PTSS related to past hurricane exposure would be positively associated with depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic when controlling for known covariates of depressive symptoms. These covariates include income loss, age, minority status, and sex. Data were collected at the University of New Orleans through online self-report surveys between April and May of 2020. Participants were primarily Gulf Coast residents, over the age of 18 (M = 35.6, SD = 4.5), mostly male (68.1%), and with at least one minor child, who self-reported retrospective and current psychopathology symptoms. Regression analyses showed that both hurricane-related PTSS and sex were associated with higher depression symptom scores at the beginning of COVID-19. Income loss during COVID-19, minority status, and age were not significantly associated with either PTSS from a past hurricane or depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that men may face more risk for future depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic after suffering from PTSS due to a past hurricane. These findings could be the result of a shared vulnerability or stress sensitization due to past psychopathology and/or differences in risk for particular traumatic events between men and women