1,723 research outputs found
Dr. Jennifer Erkulwater and Dr. Catherine Bagwell – Faculty Author Interview
No full textFeatured authors are Dr. Catherine Bagwell, Associate Professor of Psychology and Dr. Jennifer Erkulwater, Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Rick Mayes is another co-author, but he is unable to join us today due to a research leave project in Peru. Their new book, Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health, integrates analyses of the clinical, political, historical, educational, social, economic and legal aspects of ADHD and the medications and treatment surrounding the mental disorder
Book review: Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): a musical life, by Jennifer L. Oates
No full textBook review of: Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): a musical life (Music in 19th-Century Britain) by Jennifer L. Oates. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013; ISBN 9780754661832 (£60.00)Publisher PD
Genomic signatures of environmental selection despite near-panmixia in summer flounder
No full textRapid environmental change is altering the selective pressures experienced by marine species. While adaptation to local environmental conditions depends on a balance between dispersal and natural selection across the seascape, the spatial scale of adaptation and the relative importance of mechanisms maintaining adaptation in the ocean are not well understood. Here, using population assignment tests, Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC), and genome scans with double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing data, we evaluated population structure and locus--environment associations in a commercially important species, summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), along the U.S. east coast. Based on 1,137 single nucleotide polymorphisms across 232 individuals spanning nearly 1,900 km, we found no indication of population structure across Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (FST = 0.0014) or of isolation by distance along the coast using individual relatedness. ABC estimated the probability of dispersal across the biogeographic break at Cape Hatteras to be high (95% credible interval: 7%--50% migration). However, we found 15 loci whose allele frequencies were associated with at least one of four environmental variables. Of those, 11 were correlated with bottom temperature. For summer flounder, our results suggest continued fisheries management as a single population and identify likely response mechanisms to climate change. Broadly speaking, our findings suggest that spatial balancing selection can manifest in adaptive divergence on regional scales in marine fish despite high dispersal, and that these conditions likely result in the widespread distribution of adaptive alleles and a high potential for future genetic adaptation in response to changing environmental conditions. In the context of a rapidly changing world, a landscape genomics perspective offers a useful approach for understanding the causes and consequences of genetic differentiation.Peer reviewe
Cult: A Composite Novel
No full textCult (redacted)
The first component of the thesis is a composite novel called Cult which falls into two parts with seven narratives in each. Part 1 tracks the protagonist, Ellen, from her first involvement with the cult through to her eventually leaving it. Although fiction, the first half of the book answers the kinds of questions the author is asked when people discover that she was once a sannyasin (a follower of the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). While the experiences of meditation, group therapy and communal living are all faithfully rendered within the stories, the need for strong characters, narrative drive and a lightness of touch takes precedence.
Part 2 picks up Ellen’s story some twenty or so years later and explores what becomes of her in middle age. It also looks at other groups in society, such as academia, the law and the internet dating community which each have their own jargon, hierarchies, rituals and rules but are not considered to be cults.
The book examines the question raised in the Epigraph, ‘how do we be together when we feel so alone’ with a focus on relationships other than the familial and the romantic.
Collisions, Chasms and Connections: a Performative Exploration of the Composite Novel Form
The second part of the thesis is both a critical and creative response to three contemporary American books: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout; A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan; and Legend of a Suicide by David Vann. The critical element comprises a close reading of the three books; a chronological reconstruction of their overarching storylines; and a consideration of what their authors have said about writing the books. It concludes that, in the composite novel, the simultaneous presentation of multiple views and storylines operate much like a 3D image to give the impression of depth to the characters and situations rendered. The creative element of the essay is a playful and personal response to the texts
Methods of increasing toughness of immiscible polymer blends, U.S. Patent 8,497,324
No full textAn immiscible polymer blend that includes an amount of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and an amount of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). A method for preparing an immiscible polymer blend by (a) identifying a first polymeric component and a second polymeric component as immiscible when blended; (b) combining the first polymeric component and the second polymeric component; and (c) mixing the first polymeric component and the second polymeric component to produce an immiscible polymer blend that includes structures in the blend having a maximum size of less than about 1,000 μm is also presented. An article that includes an immiscible polymer blend of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and an article formed from an immiscible polymer blend prepared by the method of the present invention are also presented
Ecological baselines
No full textHistorical baselines for Oregon's coastal resources: what was the Oregon coast like in the past? / Roberta L. Hall -- Prehistoric baselines / Roberta L. Hall -- Shifting salmon baselines / Courtland L. Smith, Jennifer S. Gilden, Karina Lorenz Mrakovcich -- The sea otter in Oregon's past and present / David R. Hatch -- Purple sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, along the Oregon coast / Thomas A. Ebert -- Reflections on baselines and restoration / Roberta L. Hall.editor: Roberta L. Hall (Emeritus Professor, Department of Anthropology, Oregon State University) ; contributing authors: Thomas A. Ebert (Emeritus Professor, Department of Biology, San Diego State University), Jennifer S. Gilden (Associate Staff Officer, Communications and Information, Pacific Fishery Management Council), Roberta L. Hall (Emeritus Professor, Department of Anthropology, Oregon State University), David R. Hatch (Founding member, the Elakha Alliance; member, the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians), Karina Lorenz Mrakovcich (Professor, Science Department, U.S. Coast Guard Academy), Courtland L. Smith (Emeritus Professor, School of Language, Culture, and Society, Oregon State University).This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Includes bibliographical references.Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.Text in English
Understanding graphs with two independent variables
No full textAdults are not necessarily competent users of graphs with two independent variables, despite the frequency of this representational format. The three tasks in this thesis address the impact of interpretation statements and graph patterns. Interpretation statements were based on the statistical effects – simple effects, main effects, and interactions. Graph patterns were systematically varied based on a novel classification scheme of graphs with two IVs. I suggest that the complexity of a graph’s data pattern depends on the consistency of the simple effects’ directions and magnitudes. In the first study, undergraduates constructed graphs based on statements about data patterns. Errors reflected a misunderstanding of how two IVs could be combined and represented graphically. When the experimental group had graph-relevant information added (variable labels spatially located on axes), the ability to represent the relationships among the IVs significantly increased. The ability to satisfy the constraints imposed by the statements was not affected. Adding labels specifically targeted skills relevant to graphical literacy. Transfer to a third trial was stronger for those of higher math abilities. The second study focused on the effect of an introductory statistics course. Overall, undergraduates performed well on statements describing the simple effects of the IVs. However, even though they improved from Time 1 to Time 2 for interaction statements, performance on statements about main effects and interactions still showed considerable room for improvement. In the third study, repeated trials of the 20 patterns proposed by the simple effects consistency model established that the proposed classification scheme addresses additional sources of variability in reasoning with graphs (i.e., sources not captured by traditional classification schemes). As the complexity level of the data pattern increased, performance (based on accuracy and RT) decreased, with parallel impacts on performance for each IV’s complexity. This suggests that participants responded to conceptual differences among the levels, as the graph’s perceptual characteristics vary based on the IV. Further development of a model organizing graph patterns will allow investigation of the interplay between the statement and graph pattern. In turn, this can lead to greater understanding of the graphical reasoning processes and improvements in graphical literacy.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Jennifer L. Coope
Distinguishing between reasoned and unplanned behaviours carried out by occupants of a green building
No full textPeer reviewe
A cross case analysis of growth model programs in three states
No full textSigned into Law on January 8, 2002, the 1,180 page No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) shifted the course of public education in America. For the first time accountability was firmly placed at the center of school operations by requiring a systematic approach to achieving reform and improving all areas of school life (Wanker & Christie, 2005). As plans were quickly implemented to meet deadlines, strong opposition was voiced to the unfair way the primary requirement of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), was to be measured. Using a status model, success was measured by using a snapshot of educational progress compared to a predetermined goal or dissimilar group of students. Credit could not be earned for progress of non-proficient students. In response, educational researchers have introduced growth modeling as a way to give credit to schools and districts when students make progress on standardized tests yet remain below the proficient mark (Andrejki, 2004; Callender, 2004; Hull, 2008). In December 2005, the United States Department of Education opened a pilot project allowing states to apply to use growth modeling in NCLB accountability plans (United States Department of Education, 2005). This dissertation research examines the implementation of a growth model program in three states: Delaware, Iowa and North Carolina. These states were chosen for their differences on a multitude of factors to provide a rich description of growth model implementation. Using qualitative research techniques the decisions, implementation, data use, and statistical considerations were examined. The findings reveal substantial information on the growth model implementation process with three significant themes emerging from the data. Stakeholders played a significant role in each step of the process at varying degrees in each state. The involvement of stakeholders was found to be important when making decisions and also to garner support for each program. Reporting results to stakeholders was a central piece of each state plan. Lastly, in all three states policy makers and technology efforts saw the benefit of working together to ensure that business rules were possible to implement and the results understandable. The research contributes a rich description of real-world growth model implementation experiences in state level NCLB accountability plans to three important bodies of academic literature: No Child Left Behind, Growth Modeling, and Policy Implementation. Additionally, the discoveries start a guide for educational leaders to evaluate when deciding to add the statistical procedures into NCLB accountability plans.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Jennifer L. Gardell
Intermittent Fasting Promotes Fat Loss with Lean Mass Retention, Increased Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Content, and Increased Neuropeptide Y Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Male Mice
No full textClinical studies indicate alternate day, intermittent fasting (IMF) protocols result in meaningful weight loss in obese individuals. To further understand the mechanisms sustaining weight loss by IMF, we investigated the metabolic and neural alterations of IMF in obese mice. Male C57/BL6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% fat) ad libitum for 8 weeks to promote an obese phenotype. Mice were divided into 4 groups and either maintained on ad libitum HFD (HFD), received alternate day access to HFD (IMF- HFD), switched to ad libitum low fat diet (LFD; 10% fat), or received IMF of LFD (IMF- LFD). After 4 weeks, IMF-HFD (~13%) and IMF-LFD (~18%) had significantly lower body weights than HFD. Body fat was also lower (~40-52%) in all diet interventions. Lean mass was increased in the IMF-LFD (~12-13%) compared with HFD and IMF-HFD groups. Oral glucose tolerance AUC was lower in the IMF-HFD (~50%), whereas insulin tolerance AUC was reduced in all diet interventions (~22-42%). HPLC measurements of hypothalamic tissue homogenates indicated higher (~55-60%) norepinephrine (NE) content in the anterior regions of the medial hypothalamus of IMF compared with ad libitum fed groups, whereas NE content was higher (~19-32%) in posterior regions in the IMF-LFD group only. Relative gene expression of Npy in the arcuate nucleus was increased (~65-75%) in IMF groups. Our novel findings indicate that intermittent fasting produces alterations in hypothalamic NE and NPY, suggesting an involvement in the counter regulatory processes of short-term weight loss are associated with an IMF dietary strategy.Peer reviewe
- …
