Mapping carbon nanotube orientation by fast fourier transform of scanning electron micrographs

A novel method of applying a two-dimensional Fourier transform (2D-FFT) to SEM was developed to map the CNT orientation in pre-formed arrays. Local 2D-FFTs were integrated azimuthally to determine an orientation distribution function and the associated Herman parameter. This approach provides data rapidly and over a wide range of lengthscales. Although likely to be applicable to a wide range of anisotropic nanoscale structures, the method was specifically developed to study CNT veils, a system in which orientation critically controls mechanical properties. Using this system as a model, key parameters for the 2D-FFT analysis were optimised, including magnification and domain size; a model set of CNT veils were pre-strained to 5%, 10% and 15%, to vary the alignment degree. The algorithm confirmed a narrower orientation distribution function and increasing Herman parameter, with increasing pre-strain. To validate the algorithm, the local orientation was compared to that derived from a common polarised Raman spectroscopy. Orientation maps of the Herman parameter, derived by both methods, showed good agreement. Quantitatively, the mean Herman parameter calculated using the polarised Raman spectroscopy was 0.42 ± 0.004 compared to 0.32 ± 0.002 for the 2D-FFT method, with a correlation coefficient of 0.73. Possible reasons for the modest and systematic discrepancy were discussed

The Sponge Theory: Introducing a New Interpersonal Communication Theory

Abstract Law enforcement is an extremely stressful career. In exploration of the influence of career stress on law enforcement officers’ relationships, data was collected from eighteen in-depth interviews and ninety hours of participant observation with American peace officers. The results of this research found that while all of the officers admitted to the omnipresent nature of their career stress, the majority of them repeatedly devalued the impact of present or potential detriments caused by that stress. For example, they often invalidated emotions through jadedness and dark humor, challenged the stance that their organizational culture is harmful (e.g. many officers undermined the actuality of toxic masculinity), and downplayed the benefits of honest emotional communication with colleagues, intimate partners, or therapists. From this research, the author began to develop a burgeoning communication theory called the sponge theory. This theory provides a new lens to understanding the interpersonal effects of stress by proposing four concepts that analogize highly-stressed humans with sponges: 1) absorption, 2) porosity, 3) intra-organism communication, and 4) regrowth. Through application of these concepts, the sponge theory offers an explanation of the interplay between social dynamics and organizational culture so that highly-stressed individuals may become aware of the systems and situations that affect them, and ultimately cultivate the skills necessary to successfully manage their stress

Coping Strategies of Dairy-Farm Husbands and Wives in Five Northern Utah Counties

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the coping strategies used by dairy-farm couples. The independent variables of size of farm, where the respondents grew up, off-farm employment, age, amount of formal education, and debt-to-asset ratio of the farm are analyzed to determine their impact on the use of coping strategies by the dairy-farm husbands and wives. A sample of 116 dairy farm-couples was drawn from five counties in Northern Utah. The farm husbands and wives were each interviewed separately using a structured questionnaire. Due to the racial and religious composition of the sample and to its specific nature , the results of the study cannot be generalized to other populations of dairy farmers in other states or to other types of farms. The F-COPES (Family Crisis oriented Personal Evaluation Scales) developed by McCubbin, Larsen, and Olson in 1982 were used to categorize the dairy-farm couple\u27s coping strategies into the following subscales: Passive Appraisal , Reframing, Mobilizing the Family to Acquire and Accept Help, Acquiring social Support, and Seeking Spiritual support. The results of the study indicated there were significant differences between the scores of farm husbands and wives on the coping strategies . The husbands scored statistically higher on the coping strategies Reframing, Passive Appraisal, and Acquiring Social Support than did the wives. Additional results indicated there were also significant differences between spouses in the correlation of coping strategies with the independent variables. Reframing was substantively correlated with age for farm husbands. The farm\u27s debt-to-asset ratio was correlated statistically with Reframing for farm husbands. Mobilizing the Family to Acquire and Accept Help was statistically correlated with age for farm wives. Acquiring Social Support was statistically related to the amount of formal education for farm wives

Father Grollig Legacy Collections Project

Loyola’s Anthropology Department was founded in 1959 by Father Grollig who traveled the world collecting artifacts and promoting a Jesuit education. Despite amassing a rich inventory, his collection is not well documented, nor are many of his career efforts and personal life. To address these issues, we will discuss our legacy collections project, which involves archival research and artificial intelligence to learn more about Father Grollig in an effort to provide greater context information for his collection and the foundational role played by Father Grollig in the Loyola community. Our research also emphasizes the importance of doing legacy and collections-based research, which is an often neglected aspect of archaeology

The mitochondrial phylogeny of an ancient lineage of ray-finned fishes (Polypteridae) with implications for the evolution of body elongation, pelvic fin loss, and craniofacial morphology in Osteichthyes

BACKGROUND: The family Polypteridae, commonly known as "bichirs", is a lineage that diverged early in the evolutionary history of Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish), but has been the subject of far less evolutionary study than other members of that clade. Uncovering patterns of morphological change within Polypteridae provides an important opportunity to evaluate if the mechanisms underlying morphological evolution are shared among actinoptyerygians, and in fact, perhaps the entire osteichthyan (bony fish and tetrapods) tree of life. However, the greatest impediment to elucidating these patterns is the lack of a well-resolved, highly-supported phylogenetic tree of Polypteridae. In fact, the interrelationships of polypterid species have never been subject to molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here, we infer the first molecular phylogeny of bichirs, including all 12 recognized species and multiple subspecies using Bayesian analyses of 16S and cyt-b mtDNA. We use this mitochondrial phylogeny, ancestral state reconstruction, and geometric morphometrics to test whether patterns of morphological evolution, including the evolution of body elongation, pelvic fin reduction, and craniofacial morphology, are shared throughout the osteichthyan tree of life. RESULTS: Our molecular phylogeny reveals 1) a basal divergence between Erpetoichthys and Polypterus, 2) polyphyly of P. endlicheri and P. palmas, and thus 3) the current taxonomy of Polypteridae masks its underlying genetic diversity. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that pelvic fins were lost independently in Erpetoichthys, and unambiguously estimate multiple independent derivations of body elongation and shortening. Our mitochondrial phylogeny suggested species that have lower jaw protrusion and up-righted orbit are closely related to each other, indicating a single transformation of craniofacial morphology. CONCLUSION: The mitochondrial phylogeny of polypterid fish provides a strongly-supported phylogenetic framework for future comparative evolutionary, physiological, ecological, and genetic analyses. Indeed, ancestral reconstruction and geometric morphometric analyses revealed that the patterns of morphological evolution in Polypteridae are similar to those seen in other osteichthyans, thus implying the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms responsible for those patterns were established early in the evolutionary history of Osteichthyes. We propose developmental and genetic mechanisms to be tested under the light of this new phylogenetic framework

“This is How You Navigate the World”: Impacts of Mormon Rhetoric on White Queer Members\u27 Identity Performances

The Mormon Church is one of the fastest growing and most conservative religious organizations in the world. The Church’s conservatism has meant that its rhetorics, doctrines, and discourses have cultivated a culture of queerphobia and anti-queer sentiments. By interviewing 15 transgender, bisexual, and gay Mormons who are active in the Church, I conducted a critical thematic analysis that yields insights and critiques into how Mormon rhetoric impacts the identity performances and relationships of queer members. Using queer theory and Whiteness as conceptual and theoretical lenses, the analysis revealed four major themes: 1) queerness as non-identity, 2) the primacy of divine identity, 3) paradoxes of ideologies, and 4) health issues regarding identity performance. The communicative impacts of these themes highlight the intricate influence Mormon rhetoric has on relationships and shaping the participants’ identity performances. Limitations are discussed and future directions are encouraged

Effects of habitat and location on Chipping Sparrow song characteristics

Natural History & EvolutionThe acoustic adaptation hypothesis states that animal calls should adapt to their environment: birds singing in a closed forest should have lower frequency and slower rate than birds in open habitats in order for their songs to be heard best at far distances. To test the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in Chipping Sparrow song, we recorded and analyzed maximum frequency, minimum frequency, frequency range, and trill rate of Chipping Sparrows in two different habitat types. We found no statistically significant results, but all four song characteristics slightly opposed the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. Although Chipping Sparrows may not follow the predictions of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, insignificant results should not be interpreted as rejecting the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in Chipping Sparrows as their interactions with neighboring Pine Warblers, our small sample size, closeness of sites, and little habitat differences could have altered our results.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57457/1/Brandley_Nicholas_2007.pd

Partitioned Bayesian Analyses, Partition Choice, and the Phylogenetic Relationships of Scincid Lizards

Partitioned Bayesian analyses of ∼ 2.2 kb of nucleotide sequence data (mtDNA) were used to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among 30 scincid lizard genera. Few partitioned Bayesian analyses exist in the literature, resulting in a lack of methods to determine the appropriate number of and identity of partitions. Thus, a criterion, based on the Bayes factor, for selecting among competing partitioning strategies is proposed and tested. Improvements in both mean-lnL and estimated posterior probabilities were observed when specific models and parameter estimates were assumed for partitions of the total data set. This result is expected given that the 95% credible intervals of model parameter estimates for numerous partitions do not overlap and it reveals that different data partitions may evolve quite differently. We further demonstrate that how one partitions the data (by gene, codon position, etc.) is shown to be a greater concern than simply the overall number of partitions. Using the criterion of the 2ln Bayes factor > 10, the phylogenetic analysis employing the largest number of partitions was decisively better than all other strategies. Strategies that partitioned the ND1 gene by codon position performed better than other partition strategies, regardless of the overall number of partitions. Scincidae, Acontinae, Lygosominae, east Asian and North American "Eumeces” + Neoseps; North African Eumeces, Scincus, and Scincopus, and a large group primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and neighboring islands are monophyletic. Feylinia, a limbless group of previously uncertain relationships, is nested within a "scincine” clade from sub-Saharan Africa. We reject the hypothesis that the nearly limbless dibamids are derived from within the Scincidae, but cannot reject the hypothesis that they represent the sister taxon to skinks. Amphiglossus, Chalcides, the acontines Acontias and Typhlosaurus, and Scincinae are paraphyletic. The globally widespread "Eumeces” is polyphyletic and we make necessary taxonomic change

Seven new dolphin mitochondrial genomes and a time-calibrated phylogeny of whales

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The phylogeny of Cetacea (whales) is not fully resolved with substantial support. The ambiguous and conflicting results of multiple phylogenetic studies may be the result of the use of too little data, phylogenetic methods that do not adequately capture the complex nature of DNA evolution, or both. In addition, there is also evidence that the generic taxonomy of Delphinidae (dolphins) underestimates its diversity. To remedy these problems, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of seven dolphins and analyzed these data with partitioned Bayesian analyses. Moreover, we incorporate a newly-developed "relaxed" molecular clock to model heterogenous rates of evolution among cetacean lineages.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The "deep" phylogenetic relationships are well supported including the monophyly of Cetacea and Odontoceti. However, there is ambiguity in the phylogenetic affinities of two of the river dolphin clades Platanistidae (Indian River dolphins) and Lipotidae (Yangtze River dolphins). The phylogenetic analyses support a sister relationship between Delphinidae and Monodontidae + Phocoenidae. Additionally, there is statistically significant support for the paraphyly of <it>Tursiops </it>(bottlenose dolphins) and <it>Stenella </it>(spotted dolphins).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our phylogenetic analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes using recently developed models of rate autocorrelation resolved the phylogenetic relationships of the major Cetacean lineages with a high degree of confidence. Our results indicate that a rapid radiation of lineages explains the lack of support the placement of Platanistidae and Lipotidae. Moreover, our estimation of molecular divergence dates indicates that these radiations occurred in the Middle to Late Oligocene and Middle Miocene, respectively. Furthermore, by collecting and analyzing seven new mitochondrial genomes, we provide strong evidence that the delphinid genera <it>Tursiops </it>and <it>Stenella </it>are not monophyletic, and the current taxonomy masks potentially interesting patterns of morphological, physiological, behavioral, and ecological evolution.</p

Historical museum samples enable the examination of divergent and parallel evolution during invasion

During the Anthropocene, Earth has experienced unprecedented habitat loss, native species decline and global climate change. Concurrently, greater globalization is facilitating species movement, increasing the likelihood of alien species establishment and propagation. There is a great need to understand what influences a species’ ability to persist or perish within a new or changing environment. Examining genes that may be associated with a species’ invasion success or persistence informs invasive species management, assists with native species preservation and sheds light on important evolutionary mechanisms that occur in novel environments. This approach can be aided by coupling spatial and temporal investigations of evolutionary processes. Here we use the common starling, Sturnus vulgaris, to identify parallel and divergent evolutionary change between contemporary native and invasive range samples and their common ancestral population. To do this, we use reduced-representation sequencing of native samples collected recently in northwestern Europe and invasive samples from Australia, together with museum specimens sampled in the UK during the mid-19th century. We found evidence of parallel selection on both continents, possibly resulting from common global selective forces such as exposure to pollutants. We also identified divergent selection in these populations, which might be related to adaptive changes in response to the novel environment encountered in the introduced Australian range. Interestingly, signatures of selection are equally as common within both invasive and native range contemporary samples. Our results demonstrate the value of including historical samples in genetic studies of invasion and highlight the ongoing and occasionally parallel role of adaptation in both native and invasive ranges