A Durkheimian Sociobiology?

As conceived by Durkheim, social facts set parameters on what is of sociological interest, and subsequently how social phenomena are explained. This thesis reworks this theoretical concept to allow for biological explanations of some social phenomena. It by no means, asserts that all social phenomena can be explained by biology, but it recognizes that biological explanations of human behavior are available and are of sociological interest. The argument agrees with the main thrust of Durkheim\u27s defense of social facts, but his critique of utility, while insightful, is considered unnecessary to negate individual causality

Methods of Teaching the Holocaust to Secondary Students as Implemented by Tennessee Recipients of the Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator of the Year Awards.

Teaching the Holocaust is a challenging task. Not only do educators have a responsibility to impart the historical information surrounding these events, but issues of humanity are also an important part of the lessons. As of 2001, Holocaust education has been mandated by at least 6 states in the United States. At least 11 others, including Tennessee, have task forces or commissions responsible for promoting Holocaust education and providing professional development opportunities and materials for teaching such units. It is conceivable that additional states will enact legislation requiring Holocaust studies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore methods of teaching Holocaust education in a variety of subject areas to secondary students in grades 7 through 12, as implemented by recipients of Tennessee\u27s Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator of the Year Awards. These individuals have been recognized, through an application and committee selection process, as outstanding and successful teachers in this field. The researcher interviewed 17 of the 39 award recipients from across the State of Tennessee to determine commonalities in the resources, materials, and instructional methods used by the teachers. The participants included 4 males and 13 females, representing language arts (8) and social science (8) teachers from the middle school and high school levels. One participant taught a class in which students could obtain credit in both academic areas. The findings of this study included the importance of teacher training in this area; participants spoke of regularly attending sessions offered by reputable Holocaust organizations. This study also found commonalities in resources and materials used, such as specific titles of poetry, literature, and movie selections. Additionally, instructional methods such as group discussions, writing assignments, student project activities, and assessment strategies were frequently discussed. The importance of personalizing Holocaust history was emphasized throughout the study. The results indicate that students and teachers benefited from these lessons. While the findings of this study significantly contribute to the field of Holocaust education in Tennessee, the need for additional research is also addressed. To ensure successful, meaningful, pedagogically sound lessons, attention to this topic must be an on-going endeavor

Mathematical Modeling, Simulation, and Time Series Analysis of Seasonal Epidemics.

Seasonal and non-seasonal Susceptible-Exposed-Infective-Recovered-Susceptible (SEIRS) models are formulated and analyzed. It is proved that the disease-free steady state of the non-seasonal model is locally asymptotically stable if Rv \u3c 1, and disease invades if Rv \u3e 1. For the seasonal SEIRS model, it is shown that the disease-free periodic solution is locally asymptotically stable when R̅v \u3c 1, and I(t) is persistent with sustained oscillations when R̅v \u3e 1. Numerical simulations indicate that the orbit representing I(t) decays when R̅v \u3c 1 \u3c Rv. The seasonal SEIRS model with routine and pulse vaccination is simulated, and results depict an unsustained decrease in the maximum of prevalence of infectives upon the introduction of routine vaccination and a sustained decrease as pulse vaccination is introduced in the population. Mortality data of pneumonia and influenza is collected and analyzed. A decomposition of the data is analyzed, trend and seasonality effects ascertained, and a forecasting strategy proposed

On the Outside Looking In: A Qualitative Study of Southern Appalachian First-Generation Students\u27 Perceptions of Higher Education.

This study was designed to investigate Southern Appalachian, first-generation students\u27 expectations of higher education. Research indicates that many first-generation students drop out of college after only 1 semester; however, little research exists concerning the expectations and experiences of first-generation college students from Southern Appalachia. The study employs a qualitative methodology based in the tradition of grounded theory to highlight students\u27 experiences while encouraging the emergence of data-driven theory based on what the researcher heard. Thus, the entire study is couched in the interpretivist philosophy of research. Eleven full-time university students were interviewed for the study. They were asked to identify their perceptions of college and the effect of parents, friends, and culture on their decision to attend college. Students talked about their life goals and how a university education has helped them move toward those goals. Ultimately, students commented on the transformational aspects of higher education in their lives and how they have begun a life journey that will transform their lives for the better. The primary significance of this study lies in the fact that it addresses first-generation students from Southern Appalachia, a group of students that has been ignored by most research dealing with the issue of first-generation students generally. This study highlights issues related to first-generation students\u27 college experiences and how institutions of higher education might better serve those students and keep them engaged in the educational process through to graduation

Taken of the Land.

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University from April 28-June 25, 2009. The exhibition is comprised of 19 monotype prints on paper. The exhibition presents the artist\u27s investigation using natural materials combined with traditional printmaking techniques. Subjects discussed include ideas, methods, influences, and process of integrating natural materials that evoke a sense of place, earth, and memory

Amphibian Habitat Usage of Two Restored Bogs in Shady Valley, Johnson County, Tennessee.

Adjacent terrestrial habitat surrounding wetlands are critical for the survival and success of many species that use them. The primary purpose of this study was to determine amphibian movement from adjacent habitats into Orchard Bog, a restored bog located in Shady Valley, Johnson County, Tennessee. In addition, a secondary bog, Quarry Bog, was also studied determining baseline presence/absence data A total of 16 species from six families were observed throughout the study sites. Seven species of anurans, Bufonidae, Hylidae, and Ranidae and nine species of caudates in the families Plethodontidae, Ambystomatidae and Salamandridae were identified. Fourteen of the 16 species were found within Orchard Bog. Data collected can be used to help determine more beneficial land acquisitions and management strategies. Survey methods included pitfall traps, funnel traps, coverboard arrays, and opportunistic surveys

Student Perceptions and Expectations of Library Services Quality and User Satisfaction at Walters State Community College.

The purpose of this study was to explore students\u27 perceptions of library services offered at Walters State Community College. This research involved LibQUAL+™, a nationally known academic library assessment instrument that measures three dimensions on a scale of approximately 22 aspects of service, divided into 6 groups (Heath, Kyrillidou, & Askew, 2004, p.264). These 3 dimensions are the following: Affect of Service (AS), Information Control (IC), and Library as a Place (LP). Responses of 666 students at Walters State Community College, Morristown, Tennessee, indicated the students\u27 perceptions of acceptable minimum level of service, perceived levels of service, and desired levels of service. Each dimension was assessed by mean scores and p values to determine students\u27 level of satisfaction with the library. Independent samples t tests were conducted to analyze the association between perceived means of the 3 service quality dimensions for the following: (1) Walters State Community College compared to 4 other community colleges, (2) male and female students at Walters State Community College, (3) traditional students 22 years old and younger and nontraditional students over age 22 at Walters State Community College. Pearson\u27s correlation was conducted to analyze the relationship between library budgets and library services. Based on the findings of this study, Walters State Community College Library\u27s mean scores were higher than the other 4 community college\u27s in the 3 service quality dimensions. However, Walters State Community College\u27s results indicated substantial room for improvement in the Affect of Service dimension. The mean scores between male and female students at Walters State College showed no differences among the 3 service quality dimensions. The findings also indicated that nontraditional students over age 22 rated Affect of Service and Information Control higher than did traditional students age 22 and younger. In addition, findings indicated a fairly strong relationship between library budget and the Information Control dimension for the 5 community colleges studied. The data offered in this study provided useful information for library self-study and ideas for improving the college\u27s library services

HSPA12A Is Required for Adipocyte Differentiation and Diet-Induced Obesity Through a Positive Feedback Regulation With PPARγ

Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) plays the master role in adipocyte differentiation for obesity development. However, optimum anti-obesity drug has yet been developed, mandating more investigation to identify novel regulator in obesity pathogenesis. Heat shock protein 12A (HSPA12A) encodes a novel member of the HSP70 family. Here, we report that obese patients showed increased adipose HSPA12A expression, which was positively correlated with increase of body mass index. Intriguingly, knockout of HSPA12A (Hspa12a−/−) in mice attenuated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced weight gain, adiposity, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia compared to their wild type (WT) littermates. Increased insulin sensitivity was observed in Hspa12a−/− mice compared to WT mice. The HFD-induced upregulation of PPARγ and its target adipogenic genes in white adipose tissues (WAT) of Hspa12a−/− mice were also attenuated. Loss- and gain-of-function studies revealed that the differentiation of primary adipocyte precursors, as well as the expression of PPARγ and target adipogenic genes during the differentiation, was suppressed by HSPA12A deficiency whereas promoted by HSPA12A overexpression. Importantly, PPARγ inhibition by GW9662 reversed the HSPA12A-mediated adipocyte differentiation. On the other hand, HSPA12A expression was downregulated by PPARγ inhibition but upregulated by PPARγ activation in primary adipocytes. A direct binding of PPARγ to the PPAR response element in the Hspa12a promoter region was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, and this binding was increased after differentiation of primary adipocytes. These findings indicate that HSPA12A is a novel regulator of adipocyte differentiation and diet-induced obesity through a positive feedback regulation with PPARγ. HSPA12A inhibition might represent a viable strategy for the management of obesity in humans

Two New Species of Tardigrada From Moss Cushions (Grimmia sp.) in a Xerothermic Habitat in Northeast Tennessee (USA, North America), With the First Identification of Males in the genus Viridiscus

Background. The phylum Tardigrada consists of over 1,300 species that inhabit terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments throughout the world. In terrestrial habitats they live primarily in mosses, lichens, leaf litter and soil, whereas tardigrades in freshwater and marine environments are mainly found in sediments and on aquatic plants. More than 65 species have been previously reported in the state of Tennessee, USA. Methods. Tardigrades present in moss cushions (Grimmia sp.) collected from a xerothermic habitat on the East Tennessee State University campus, Johnson City, TN, USA, were extracted, mounted on slides, identified, and counted. Additional samples of fresh dried moss were used for integrative analyses, including morphological analysis with phase contrast (PCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as molecular analyses of COI, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and ITS-2 of the Macrobiotus and Milnesium species. Results. Five species were found, including two species new to science: Viridiscus miraviridis sp. nov. and Macrobiotus basiatus sp. nov. Viridiscus miraviridis sp. nov. differs from other members of the genus mainly by having a different type of dorsal cuticle and some other, more subtle, morphometric characters. In addition to the two new species, Viridiscus perviridis and Viridiscus viridissimus were present, and males of Vir. viridissimus were found for the first time, the first record of males in the genus Viridiscus. Macrobiotus basiatus sp. nov. is most similar to Macrobiotus nelsonae, but it differs from Mac. nelsonae mainly by the stylet supports being situated in a more anterior position, shorter and narrower egg processes, and a smaller number of areoles around the egg processes. Moreover, the identification of Milnesium inceptum was confirmed as the first record for the USA by analysis of COI