1,524 research outputs found
Simon P. Ellis, Roman Housing,
No full textReview of Roman Housing by Simon P. Ellis (London, Duckworth, 2000
Simon P. Ellis, Roman Housing,
No full textReview of Roman Housing by Simon P. Ellis (London, Duckworth, 2000
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Direct and indirect effects of native and invasive plants on mosquito ecology
No full textContainer-breeding mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), including the vectors of human and wildlife pathogens, interact with terrestrial plants throughout their life cycles. Inputs of leaf detritus into the aquatic habitat provide an energy base for developing larvae, and plants mediate the distribution of adult mosquitoes by influencing microclimate conditions, supplying sugar-feeding sources, and altering communities of wildlife blood-meal hosts. This dissertation examines direct and indirect effects of understory shrubs, including species both native and invasive to North America, on the ecology of Culex pipiens, an important vector of West Nile virus in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Laboratory and field bioassays demonstrated that leaf detritus from different plant species in the aquatic environment alter two key components of mosquito production (i.e., oviposition site selection and adult emergence) via the abundance and composition of bacterial flora that form on different leaf species as they decompose. In particular, an invasive plant (Lonicera maackii, Amur honeysuckle) yielded high oviposition and adult emergence rates, while in contrast, a native plant (Rubus allegheniensis, common blackberry) was identified to function as an ecological trap for Cx. pipiens, attracting gravid females to oviposit and yet deleterious to larvae yielding low emergence rates. Subsequent laboratory bioassays in which first instar larvae were exposed to mixtures of leaves from different plant species revealed that while leaf resource diversity generally yields an increase in Cx. pipiens adult emergence rates, addition of high-quality resources is not sufficient to offset the deleterious effect of R. allegheniensis leaves. I then explored two integrated vector management applications of these findings. First, a field experiment demonstrated the feasibility of exploiting a naturally-occurring ecological trap (R. allegheniensis leaves) and an artificial ecological trap (L. maackii leaves mixed with Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis larvicide) for attract-and-kill mosquito control in storm water catch basins, in which gravid females are lured to oviposit in a low-quality environment. This result provides experimental proof of concept for a novel integrated vector management tool that may enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of existing mosquito abatement strategies with minimal non-target effects and reduced potential to select for insecticide resistance. A second field experiment showed that removal of L. maackii decreases abundance of adult Culex spp. mosquitoes in forest fragments within a residential neighborhood. The mechanisms underlying this reduction in mosquito abundance most likely include effects of L. maackii removal on microclimate conditions and the availability of avian blood-meal hosts. Collectively, these studies reveal multiple ecological pathways by which terrestrial plants interact with, and alter the abundance, distribution, and life history characteristics of mosquitoes, and suggest landscape modification strategies that may be used to manage an important disease vector species in residential ecosystems.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2018-05-01The student, Allison Gardner, accepted the attached license on 2016-04-15 at 15:02.The student, Allison Gardner, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2016-04-15 at 15:06.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2016-04-20 at 10:19.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #9240 on 2016-07-07 at 13:49:21Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-07T20:27:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3
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Previous issue date: 2016-04-20Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 93113
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 93113
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 93113 on 2018-07-08T09:15:27Z
Beyond Lesson Studies and Design Experiments: Using theoretical tools in practice and finding out how they work
No full textThis paper aims to illustrate how fruitful insights into the link between school teaching practice and student learning outcomes can be theoretically grounded by the variation theory from the field of phenomenography; and from this framework demonstrate how a 'pedagogy of awareness' can be implemented in the classroom. In this study, five teachers and 162 students at Primary Four level of school education in Hong Kong participated and the practice of the 'learning study' was adopted. By comparing the results of pre- and posttests, a significant gain was observed in the students learning outcomes.
Comparative genomics of Shiga toxin encoding bacteriophages
No full textBackground
Stx bacteriophages are responsible for driving the dissemination of Stx toxin genes (stx) across their bacterial host range. Lysogens carrying Stx phages can cause severe, lifethreatening disease and Stx toxin is an integral virulence factor. The Stx-bacteriophage vB_EcoP-24B, commonly referred to as 24B, is capable of multiply infecting a single bacterial host cell at a high frequency, with secondary infection increasing the rate at which subsequent bacteriophage infections can occur. This is biologically unusual, therefore determining the genomic content and context of 24B compared to other lambdoid Stx phages is important to understanding the factors controlling this phenomenon and determining whether they occur in other Stx phages.
Results
The genome of the Stx2 encoding phage, 24B was sequenced and annotated. The genomic organisation and general features are similar to other sequenced Stx bacteriophages induced from Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), however 24B possesses significant regions of heterogeneity, with implications for phage biology and behaviour. The 24B genome was compared to other sequenced Stx phages and the archetypal lambdoid phage, lambda, using the Circos genome comparison tool and a PCR-based multi-loci comparison system.
Conclusions
The data support the hypothesis that Stx phages are mosaic, and recombination events between the host, phages and their remnants within the same infected bacterial cell will continue to drive the evolution of Stx phage variants and the subsequent dissemination of shigatoxigenic potentia
Perceptions of Primary Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Effects of Weight Status
No full textBackground: Obese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are impacted by diminished quality of life (QOL), multiple comorbid conditions, and poor disease outcomes. Despite national guidelines recommending a healthy weight to improve QOL and outcomes posttreatment, support and education are not routinely provided to BCSs in primary care. To fill this gap, we assessed
perceptions of primary care received among BCSs by weight status.
Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were administered to early-stage BCSs (N ¼ 188) from 2 New Jersey cancer centers between May 2012 and July 2013. Sociodemographics, medical history, functional health status, perceived satisfaction with one’s primary care provider (PCP), and PCP involvement in follow-up care were assessed.
Results: In total, 82% of overweight BCSs and 30% of obese BCSs reported not being told by their doctor that they were overweight or obese, despite these conditions being highly prevalent (35% and 35%, respectively). Obese BCSs were more likely than healthy weight BCSs to be African American, have a higher comorbidity score, poorer functional health, and greater satisfaction with their PCPs.
Conclusion: The PCP–patient encounter may represent an opportunity for PCPs to correct misperceptions and promote weight reduction efforts among BCSs, thus improving QOL and disease outcomes.Peer reviewe
Food and eating in fiction since 1950 with particular reference to the writing of Angela Carter, Doris Lessing, Michele Roberts and Alice Thomas Ellis.
No full textPhDEating is a fundamental activity. What people eat, how and with whom, what
they feel about food, what they do or do not want to eat and why - even who
they eat - are of crucial significance in any reading of human behaviour.
In this thesis, I consider the diverse and complex uses of food and eating
in fiction since 1950, especially that written by women. I argue both that food
and eating carry much of the meaning of a novel or story and that the acts of
cooking, feeding and eating depicted are inseparable from issues of power and
control: individually, interpersonally, culturally, politically.
My discussion centres on the writing of Angela Carter, Doris Lessing,
Michele Roberts and Alice Thomas Ellis. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory,
sociology, anthropology, Foucault, Bakhtin and others, the thesis aims to
construct an interdisciplinary perspective which both resists reductive
interpretations and emphasises the centrality, complexity and diversity of food
and eating in literature in our culture.
I begin with an examination of the ambiguities of maternal feeding and
nurturing, moving on to explore the links between appetite, eating and sexuality.
I explore cannibalism and vampirism as manifestations of oppression, but also as
indicating insatiable emptiness and transgressive appetite. The body itself is
crucial, and my argument considers the paradox of not eating as
control/enslavement, also tracing self-starvation as a positive route towards
wholeness and connection. The last part of my argument focuses on social
eating, examining conventions, rituals and food itself in connection with power
relations, and finally considers how we might truly speak of food and eating in
the context of society as a whole
Observation of Uncorrelated Microscopic Motion in a Strongly Interacting Adsorbate System
No full textMisure di scattering di atomi di elio con la tecnica spin-echo permettono di individuare moti incorrelati delle molecole di CO adsorbite su platino (111). Questi risultati mostrano che le interazioni fra le molecole sono deboli
The feasibility of sodar wind profile measurements from an oceanographic buoy
No full textThesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 75).This thesis explores the feasibility of making wind speed profile measurements from an oceanographic buoy using a Doppler sodar. In the fall of 2005, we deployed a Scintec SFAS sodar on an ASIS buoy. Roughly one week of buoy motion data and one day of sodar observations were collected. Data from both this deployment, and the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory, were used in conjunction with models to predict sodar performance. Results are compared for an ASIS and a 3-meter discus buoy. We also predict the yearly average probability of sodar data availability in the presence of buoy motion. We show that buoy tilting in response to wave forcing is the main factor affecting sodar performance. Our results strongly suggest that ASIS is a suitable platform for sodar measurements at sea.by Allison M. Berg.S.M
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