Minnesota State University, Mankato
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A Phenomenological Study of the Utilization of Student Voice by Midwest Urban Secondary Schools within School Improvement Plan Strategies
No full textThis phenomenological study aims to understand and establish the influence of student voice, particularly from marginalized students, in the school improvement process to yield positive student experiences for urban, comprehensive ninth- through twelfth-grade high schools in the United States Midwest. The focus of this study will be to compare the experiences of White students and students of color within the school system, compare the experiences of students when student voice is utilized as a school improvement plan strategy, and identify the correlation between the student voice strategy and school leadership viewpoints. The study of student voice will begin with a review of school improvement plans that identify the strategies of using student voice and ways of incorporating students into the leadership structures of the school. The areas of study will include the demographics of students that are included, how student groups are included in the practices, what practice changes have taken place in the school as a result of student voice, and measures of success used in school improvement plans
Re-evaluation of lethal radiation dose in Drosophila melanogaster using 350 KeV electrons
Get PDFRadiation dosimetry from a 350 KeV electron beam and its impact on Drosophila melanogaster response serve as the focal points of this study. While previous research has established an LD50 (lethal radiation dose for 50 % of the population) exceeding 452 Gy across mainly all developmental stages, this investigation extends the understanding by examining dose-dependent differences throughout development, from the pupae stage into adulthood. Fruit flies, irradiated at their most sensitive stage, the egg phase, displayed a notable reduction in effective LD50, especially when accounting for long-term effects. Specifically, the LD50 values decreased to approximately 59 Gy for the maximum pupae population observed at 187 hours after eggs were laid down, and further reduced to about 15 Gy for the entire adult population at 310 hours. These findings underscore the importance of prolonged observation, revealing a delayed pattern wherein fruit fly eggs progress through various developmental stages after irradiation. This study prompts a critical re-evaluation of the LD50 concept, advocating for its modification based on observed developmental stages and time. Additionally, it identifies optimal radiation conditions for fruit fly development, extending implications to other biological systems. The potential for engineering a radiation-resistant biological system offers promising applications in various living organisms, contributing significantly to advancing radiation biology and enhancing resilience to radiation exposure
Government Documents Constitution Day Display; August-September 2024
Get PDFBibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/lib-services-govdoc-display-constitution/1021/thumbnail.jp
Sachita Pokhrel Honors Portfolio
Get PDFSachita Pokhrel\u27s Honors Portfolio captured in August 2024
Physiological Indices of Anxiety and Self-Regulation Under Task Demands and Talk Aloud
Get PDFAnxiety shows differential reactions to stress across two distinct constructs: anxious apprehension and anxious arousal. Differences are related to bilateral resting state activity differences as measured by ECG and MRI studies, cognitive coping strategies measure via mismatch between anticipated and actual outcomes and across behavioral performance measures. Of note is the lack of extension of these terms to physiological domains other than measures of brain activity. It has been posited that the brain interacts in a top-down regulatory fashion with the autonomic nervous system to coordinate bodily reactions with environmental information to bring about changes in behavior. Given brain and behavioral differences found between anxious types, it is hypothesized that this will be reflected in differences across HRV and GSR, each of which acts as a measure of autonomic nervous system functionality. Participants were asked to self-report feelings of anxiety across measures of anxious apprehension and arousal. They were then exposed to self-regulatory demands through the Hamilton Letter Transformation Task. This involved the presentation of feedback to participants for each trial. A talk-aloud procedure was used to further connections between overt thought, the measures of interest, and task performance. It was found that there were significant mean differences consistent across constructs of GSR and HRV, namely by sex, work status, and both PSWQ and MASQ group assignment. Results were greatest for GSR indices. Significant interactions were specific to each physiological measure, namely between MASQ group assignment and work status for GSR indices and between MASQ group assignment and sex for HRV indices. Results showcase that there exists a relationship between anxious apprehension and arousal based on measures of the autonomic nervous system dependent on other independent variables for which they interact
“Even the hardest stone can fracture:” Racialization, Reproductive Control, and the Wake of Slavery in N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season
Get PDFWhen the science fiction and fantasy novel The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin won the Hugo Award in 2016, Jemisin became the first Black author to win the prestigious literary science fiction award. A departure from similar novels at the time, The Fifth Season has a strong understanding of systems of oppression and how they are built and upheld. This thesis argues that The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin follows the conventions of the neo-slave/meta-slave narrative to explore themes of racialization and reproductive control under enslavement and oppression. I conduct a feminist literary of the novel, focusing on these themes, and ground my analysis firmly in Black feminist thought and the study of Black science fiction. Using authors such as Dorothy E. Roberts and Angela Y. Davis, I explore the ways in which Black women in America had their reproduction controlled for dehumanization and profit, as well as how they resisted such control. Using this historical context to read The Fifth Season, I demonstrate how Jemisin’s neo-/meta-slave narrative incorporates these themes of reproductive control and racialization, using the genre of science fiction to re-discover and re-imagine the personal experiences of enslaved women lost to history
Disability, Civil Rights, and Equity 2030
Get PDFLearn about the history of disability legislation, parallels between the disability and civil rights movements, and how disability accessibility supports Equity 2030
Lost Outpost
No full textTenzen Cote is a nightmare from Sebastian’s past worse than any of his ex-girlfriends. She was the most irascible and grumpiest of his Taoist school teachers. Not only is he surprised to find she’s still alive, but she needs his help. And she isn’t taking no for an answer.Pursued by several unknown parties, Sebastian takes the Star Sloth into a dangerous and unexplored region of the solar system. There they discover a long-lost outpost of human expansion. However, the outpost holds secrets none of them could have imagined and dangers that must never be allowed to escape.When monsters become real, Sebastian is forced to employ one of his best skills. Running away.https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/university-archives-msu-authors/1514/thumbnail.jp
Phenology and resource allocation strategies of diploid flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) in Ohio and New York
Get PDFFlowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) is an emergent perennial monocot that has invaded aquatic systems along the U.S.–Canadian border. Currently, there are two known cytotypes of flowering rush, diploid and triploid, within the invaded range. Although most studies have focused on the triploid cytotype, little information is known about diploid plants. Therefore, phenology and resource allocation were studied on the diploid cytotype of flowering rush in three study sites (Mentor Marsh, OH; Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, NY; and Unity Island, NY) to understand seasonal resource allocation and environmental influences on growth, and to optimize management strategies. Samples were harvested once a month from May to November at each site from 2021 to 2023. Plant metrics were regressed to air temperature, water temperature, and water depth. Aboveground biomass peaked from July to September and comprised 50% to 70% of total biomass. Rhizome biomass peaked from September to November and comprised 40% to 50% of total biomass. Rhizome bulbil densities peaked from September to November at 3,000 to 16,000 rhizome bulbils m−2. Regression analysis resulted in strong negative relationships between rhizome starch content and air temperature (r2 = 0.52) and water temperature (r2 = 46). Other significant, though weak, relationships were found, including a positive relationship between aboveground biomass and air temperature (r2 = 0.17), a negative relationship between rhizome bulbil biomass and air temperature (r2 = 0.18) and a positive relationship between leaf density and air temperature (r2 = 0.17). Rhizomes and rhizome bulbils combined stored up to 60% of total starch, and therefore, present a unique challenge to management, as these structures cannot be reached directly with herbicides. Therefore, management should target the aboveground tissue before peak production (July) to reduce internal starch storage and aim to limit regrowth over several years