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Disseminating Intermediate Level Viola Repertoire
No full textThe mainstream approach to teaching the viola by using repertoire that is composed for other string instruments, such as pieces originally for violin, is problematic because it does not address challenges that are inherent to the viola, thereby not adequately preparing students for future technical and musical challenges in standard viola repertoire. Furthermore, the longstanding practice of relying on borrowed repertoire that does not take into account the specific acoustical qualities of the viola often results in subpar arrangements precisely because the repertoire does not take advantage of the tonal possibilities of the instrument and relies upon registers where the viola does not resonate fully. Moreover, appropriated repertoire can present technical challenges that prove
discouraging for intermediate-level students, potentially hindering their progress and engagement with their studies. In order to move away from this approach to teaching the viola, this project aims to disseminate intermediate-level repertoire that is original for viola as well as resources to help teachers better prepare their students for their future artistic and technical challenges. A brief overview of salient aspects in the history of the viola contextualizes the rationale behind this endeavor in the document. Then, the YouTube channel Intermediate Viola Rep - which is the final product of this project and the means through which the dissemination effort happens is discussed. Subsequently, the pieces and the background of each composer featured in the channel are
introduced. Then, the pedagogical aspects considered when choosing these pieces are discussed and examples from each piece provided, as well as links to the companion video that illustrates how those pedagogical aspects appear in each piece. Final considerations that include future directions for the project close this document
A Clinical Translational Approach to Understanding Oxytocin and Maternal-Infant Bonding in Postpartum Mothers with Opioid Use Disorder
No full textIt is currently unknown whether oxytocin mechanisms, the hormone underlying maternal bonding, are altered when there is a damaged reward system from opioid use disorder (OUD), and the impact this may have on the maternal/infant bonding relationship. This is a critical gap in the literature that this dissertation seeks to investigate. In paper 1, a scoping review found in the clinical literature that those with OUD had lower levels of endogenous oxytocin, and overall that exogenous oxytocin may benefit individuals with substance use disorders, particularly those with an alcohol use disorder or OUD. In paper 2, a study found no significant differences in mean oxytocin levels between mothers with (n=6) and without OUD (n=7) before (mean difference: 15.23 pg/mL, p=0.271, d = 0.67) or after a caregiving activity (post activity 1: 11.26, (p=0.441, d=0.78; post activity 2: p=0.320, d=1.14). While bonding measures did not significantly differ, there was a marginal non-significant difference after the caregiving activity (p=0.065), where mothers with OUD reported feeling 100% connected to their baby, compared to 86.9% among those without OUD; suggesting a possible disconnect between the physiological oxytocin response and subjective connection. Additionally, in paper 3 a multivariate linear regression showed that psychological distress emerged as the strongest predictor of bonding (p<0.000), with oxytocin showing no significant effect in either group (n=24 with OUD, n=17 without OUD). Adverse childhood experiences influenced bonding only among those without OUD (p=0.004), while among those with OUD higher adversity scores were associated with less impaired bonding, though these findings were not significant. Given the small sample sizes and limited statistical power, future research should examine resilience factors that may contribute to oxytocin regulation, bonding, and potential translational interventions for high-risk populations.
Release after 11/13/202
Silvertooth on the Bill Buckmaster Radio Program- Jan. 7, 2025
No full textDocuments in the Arizona Pest Management Center collection are made available by the Arizona Pest Management Center (APMC) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact https://acis.cals.arizona.edu/about-us/arizona-pest-management-center
Endangered Species Protection Bulletins Part 2: Understanding Pesticide Use Limitation Areas
Get PDFThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must ensure that the use of a pesticide will not jeopardize federally listed threatened or endangered species, nor damage their critical habitats. When required on a pesticide label, online Endangered Species Bulletins provide geographic-specific protections for listed species while allowing full labeled use of the pesticide in other areas. They are obtained through EPA’s Bulletins Live! Two, an interactive web-based app. An increasing number of pesticide products, though not all, require users to view and download Endangered Species Bulletins prior to making an application.
Part 2 in this series explains the nuances of Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs) on Bulletins Live! Two using an example of a grower with fields both within and outside of a PULA. It clarifies differences in how to print a bulletin when a PULA is present or absent in the map view. it also highlights the main elements presented in an Endangered Species Bulletin.Documents in the Arizona Pest Management Center collection are made available by the Arizona Pest Management Center (APMC) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact https://acis.cals.arizona.edu/about-us/arizona-pest-management-center
Arizona Agricultural Enterprise Budgets: Pinal County’s 2025 Field Crops’ Production Budgets
No full textThis report estimates the typical economic costs and returns for growing major crops, including alfalfa, barley, corn silage, cotton, sorghum grain, sorghum silage, durum wheat, and winter wheat in Pinal County, Arizona. The Arizona Agricultural Enterprise Budgets are estimated based on a representative farm and its related cropping operations in a determined location; numbers are reported on a per-unit basis
SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS IN BEHAVIORAL & OPPORTUNISTIC CRIME IN DENVER, COLORADO (2020–2025)
Get PDFUnderstanding how different types of crime respond to major societal disruptions is essential for effective public safety planning and resource allocation. This study explores the spatiotemporal patterns of reported crime in Denver, Colorado, from 2020 to 2025, with a focus on changes in crime type and frequency across phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Denver’s consolidated city-county jurisdiction ensures consistent geographic coverage and data reliability. Crimes are grouped into two broad categories: behavioral offenses, such as assault and domestic violence; and opportunistic offenses, such as burglary and theft. Comparing these classifications provides insight into how offender motivations may vary in response to external pressures such as lockdowns, economic instability, and diminished public activity. Using geocoded incident data aggregated at the census tract level, this study applies geographic information systems (GIS) and interactive visualizations in Tableau Public to identify emerging trends and spatial shifts over time. The project adopts an exploratory approach, allowing users to filter and compare crime patterns across pandemic phases and neighborhoods. Preliminary findings suggest that behavioral and opportunistic crimes responded differently to pandemic-related disruptions. This dashboard-driven model highlights how large-scale societal changes can influence criminal behavior and underscores the necessity for adaptable, data-informed public safety strategies. The framework is adaptable to other cities, temporal contexts, or forms of disruption, demonstrating the utility of exploratory geovisualization tools in understanding complex urban dynamics.This item is part of the MS-GIST Master's Reports collection. For more information about items in this collection, please contact the UA Campus Repository at [email protected]
Brain Imaging of Mice & (Wo)Men: Reverse Translational Development of Mouse Brain Imaging for Alzheimer's Disease
No full textAD is a multi-faceted disease, resulting from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Age and biological sex are important risk factors in this disease, with 90-95% of the clinical AD population suffering from sporadic or late-onset AD (LOAD), aged 65 years and above, and females have twice the lifetime risk of developing AD compared to males. This neurological disorder is associated with brain glucose hypometabolism, loss of white matter integrity (WMI), and neuronal atrophy, which leads to progressive cognitive decline during aging. Currently, approved AD therapeutics are centered around the amyloid cascade hypothesis and have proven to be successful in delaying cognitive decline, but they are not without their shortcomings. This amyloid hypothesis has also influenced the preclinical mouse models used to study this disease and test therapeutics. However, they use dominant mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin (PSEN) to induce pathology mirroring familial AD, which accounts for less than 5% of the clinical population. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) as the strongest genetic risk factor linked to LOAD. APOE4 also interacts with age and sex to increase the likelihood of developing LOAD, with one copy of the APOE4 allele conferring a 4-fold and two copies conferring a 12-fold risk in APOE4 females relative to APOE3 homozygous males. Furthermore, neuroimaging studies have identified an association between APOE4 carrier status and lower brain glucose uptake, cortical atrophy, and reduction in white matter integrity (WMI). This effect is observed irrespective of diagnosis, ranging from cognitively normal (CN) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. However, neuroimaging studies investigating the impact of APOE4 and sex on brain imaging outcomes in preclinical mouse models are lacking. The central hypothesis guiding this doctoral research is that the lipid transport dysfunction of APOE4 can impact brain morphology and metabolic indicators in a genotype and sex-dependent manner at a LOAD-relevant age. I propose that in an aged preclinical mouse model of AD, hAPOE-induced risk modification will result in distinct brain imaging and metabolic profiles influenced by APOE4 allele count and sex. These differences will present in the form of lower brain glucose uptake, volumetric loss, and loss of WMI and will be comparable to the brain imaging outcomes in the clinical population. To test this hypothesis, a forward translational approach was taken that combined preclinical neuroimaging of humanized mouse models with a cross-species framework developed from a large-scale neuroimaging dataset (ADNI) to determine translational correspondence. Impact of APOE and biological sex was assessed in an aged novel hAPOE mouse model of AD, which revealed lower brain glucose uptake and greater total brain volume (TBV) in females. Sex differences in brain volume were observed in the form of larger cortical regions in females relative to males and larger subcortical regions in males relative to females. APOE4 allele dose was linked with greater TBV and lower mean fractional anisotropy(FA) relative to the APOE3/3s. The addition of humanized APP (hAPP) resulted in a reduction in TBV, which was most observable in AD-vulnerable regions of the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala within the hAPP/APOEs. WMI was linked with greater mean FA in parts of the corpus callosum, right internal capsule, and fimbria in the APP/APOEs, whereas APOEs had greater mean FA in the arbor vitae of the cerebellum and fornix. Analysis of LOAD-relevant ADNI neuroimaging data identified sex and APOE4 genotype effects on brain glucose uptake, with females having greater uptake than males and APOE4 carrier status linked with lower glucose uptake, across diagnoses (CN or MCI). Brain volume was linked with sexually dimorphic outcomes, with females having smaller gray matter, hippocampal, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex volume compared to males. Sex differences were also observed in WMI, with females having greater FA and radial diffusivity(RD) in the fornix, irrespective of the diagnosis status (CN or MCI). Translational correspondence scoring of brain imaging outcomes based on structurally and functionally conserved regions across species revealed the greatest similarities in the volumetric outcome, followed by DTI measures between cognitively normal and hAPOE mice. The addition of APP modified brain imaging outcomes in the preclinical mouse models more towards a clinical AD phenotype. Together, this body of research provides a novel multi-dimensional neuroimaging approach to assess the translational validity of AD risk mouse models. By integrating standardized preclinical imaging with a cross-species correspondence framework, this work offers a rigorous mechanism for evaluating and refining preclinical mouse models. This work lays a foundation for aligning therapeutic testing with clinically relevant outcomes, thereby enhancing the therapeutic pipeline and improving the likelihood of translational success.Release after 01/02/202
Best Practices for Mapping Environments Across the Mining Lifecycle with Hyperspectral Remote Sensing
No full textHyperspectral remote sensing has become an increasingly powerful tool in geological and mining applications, due to its ability to acquire high-resolution spectral and spatial data across hundreds of contiguous bands in the visible to shortwave infrared (VNIR/SWIR) (400 ¨C 2500 nm) range. While numerous studies have demonstrated the potential of hyperspectral imaging for mineral classification and mapping, there is still a lack of consolidated guidance on practical implementation across the mining value chain. This dissertation aims to address that gap by integrating this technique at different stages of the mining lifecycle.This dissertation is based on author¡¯s previous work related to ground- and drone- based hyperspectral imaging systems, expanding the scope to include satellite-based hyperspectral sensors, with a particular focus on tailing detection and mineral exploration. Collectively, the research covers key stages of the mining life, from mineral exploration to ore processing, and to reclamation. Figure 1 shows the different stages and main tasks of a copper mine lifecycle. Three chapters provide best practices for mineral exploration, mapping/monitoring leach pads, and tailings detection. Chapter 1 integrates non-negative least squares (NNLS) unmixing, minimum wavelength mapping, and mineral index techniques to increase the accuracy of interpretation of hyperspectral information into hydrothermal alteration zones in the Yerington district, Nevada. Chapter 2 shifts the focus to operational mapping/monitoring leach pads. The study proposes a streamlined workflow that avoids endmember extraction and instead uses spectral references. Fully Constrained Least Squares (FCLS) spectral unmixing is suggested to use to map leach pads. Chapter 3 addresses mine reclamation by introducing the Arizona Tailing Index (AZTI), a new spectral index for the detection of tailings storage facilities (TSFs) using hyperspectral data from NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) sensor. AZTI is designed to quickly map tailings throughout Arizona and provide the area of mining affect area, which is useful for environmental management
Self-Directed Learning/Self-Regulated Learning on Computer Simulated Environment
No full textComputer-based learning environments (CBLEs), such as game-based learning and simulation-based learning, provide learners the learning platform to self-manage their learning, including setting their own goals, selecting learning strategies, and attributing time to tasks or elements of learning tasks based on their judgment and needs, which will encourage leaners' agency of active involvement in the learning, boost their learning motivation and engagement, and require more self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. This study investigates the impact of self-managed learning within computer-simulated environments designed for complex scientific discovery. Using Zimmerman's cyclical self-regulated learning framework and goal-setting theory, the study explores how autonomy in learning—specifically through self-directed goal setting, time management, and strategy use—affects learning outcomes, judgment accuracy, and SRL behaviors. Experiment 1 reveals that learners who were free to self-pace their learning and determine the sequence of their tasks achieved significantly higher test scores than those in time- and order-yoked conditions. Experiment 2 mainly explores how goals could best support learners in self-regulated learning in the computer-simulated environment. The results indicate that when learners have specific goals, no matter if the goals were set by the learners or given to them, they demonstrate better learning outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of autonomy in enhancing SRL and indicate that clear, specific goals, whether self-determined or assigned, lead to better learning outcomes than general goals. Additionally, my study has identified five distinct SRL learner profiles. These profiles identified learners as "EXPERT SRL LEARNERS," who employ comprehensive strategies and achieve high test scores; "EFFICIENT STRATEGY-DRIVEN LEARNERS," who effectively use time to maximize their learning and have a high reliance on using prediction and summarization strategies; "BALANCED BUT TIME-INTENSIVE LEARNERS," who has a medium level of the test score, however, spend a longer time studying; "INCONSISTENT SRL LEARNERS," whose learning outcome is below average and frequently using strategies such as prior knowledge and prediction; and "Ineffective SRL Learners," who has a low test score and not often using any of these learning strategies. I have also found that learners have distinct motivational beliefs among these different profiles, such as their self-efficacy and goal orientation beliefs. The results suggested that promoting and training learners in self-efficacy, mastery goal setting, and effective SRL strategies are critical for academic success, especially in complex, computer-based learning environments. My research will contribute to understanding how self-regulatory processes and motivational factors interact to influence learning in technology-enhanced education and offers practical implications for designing interventions that support diverse learner needs
Proterozoic greenstone associated with the Pinal Schist in the Little Dragoon Mountains, southeastern Arizona: Episodic mafic magmatism and tectonism in the Mazatzal Province of southwestern Laurentia
No full textThe Pinal Schist and associated metavolcanic and plutonic units are major constituents of the late Paleoproterozoic Mazatzal orogenic province in southeastern Arizona and adjacent parts of New Mexico and Sonora. These rocks are well exposed in the Little Dragoon Mountains of southeastern Arizona, where new geological mapping and sampling was concentrated in the Sheep Basin and Seven Dash Ranch areas. There, the Pinal Schist hosts bodies of Pinal Greenstone, i.e., mafic igneous rocks metamorphosed to lower greenschist grade. Field relations, along with major and trace element geochemistry, and Nd isotope geochemistry, were used to divide the greenstones into four categories, termed Types A, B, C and D. Isotopic age determinations were not obtained but approximate numerical ages of the four greenstone types were assigned on the basis of local field relations such as intensity of foliation and crosscutting relations, and constraints from previously published Mazatzal igneous and sedimentary rocks in Arizona and New Mexico. Greenstone Type A is strongly foliated and has a composition similar to modern, slightly enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt, an assigned age of 1.68 Ga, and ϵNd(t) from 3.5-5.2. Type B is less foliated, has a mid-ocean ridge basalt composition, an assigned age of 1.67 Ga, and ϵNd(t) from 4.1-4.6. Type D is similar in appearance to Type B, but has a composition similar to primary basalt in modern island arcs, an assigned age of 1.64 Ga, and ϵNd(t) from 2.0-3.8. Types A, B and D have Nd depleted mantle model ages (Tdm) from 1.8-2.6 Ga. Type C is a pyroxenite (interpreted as an ultramafic cumulate) with volcanic arc affinities. The age of Type C is poorly constrained, with Tdm ages from 1.1- 1.5 and steep lines of isotopic evolution. For the purpose of calculating ϵNd(t), Type C has been assigned a nominal age of 1.1 Ga, yielding ϵNd(t) from 3.9-7.2. Collectively, this information is consistent with derivation of the Pinal Greenstone in our study area from slightly enriched mantle, with Nd isotopic compositions intermediate between depleted mantle and chondritic uniform reservoir (CHUR) values. Our findings are consistent with late Paleoproterozoic mid-ocean ridge magmatism and primitive arc magmatism succeeded
by Mesoproterozoic or Neoproterozoic arc magmatism, a history compatible with previous studies. The Little Dragoon Mountains lie along a boundary between a continental margin assemblage, consisting largely of the Pinal Schist and crosscutting plutons, and an oceanic assemblage of various volcanic rocks with geochemical signatures indicative of both midocean ridge and island arc origins. Some previous workers have postulated that the Pinal Schist in the Little Dragoon Mountains originated as a continental rift or forearc deposit. The schist locally displays original sedimentary characteristics including jumbled fragments of sedimentary strata, mega-blocks of more schistose rock, and melange that contains greenstone bodies and blocks of metamorphosed chert. Our study confirms that much of the Pinal Greenstone, particularly the oldest types (A and B, and possibly D), occurs as lensoidal pods interfoliated with the schist; they are favourably regarded as either olistoliths or tectonically introduced fragments (melange knockers). As such, Pinal Schist in the Little Dragoons is interpreted as a distal part of the Laurentian margin that was affected by collision with, and obduction of, an oceanic terrane consisting mainly of ocean
floor, and possibly an island arc. The accretion was part of the Mazatzal orogeny which may also have involved collision with a larger landmass such as eastern Australia and/or Antarctica.Documents in the AZGS Documents Repository collection are made available by the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact [email protected]