The Great Depression in Latin America

This book is an edited collection of essays on the effect of the Great Depression on various Latin American countries. Though not all Latin American countries are addressed, there is sufficient coverage to enable some generalizations, comparisons, and contrasts for the region, and to infer some general lessons about the enduring effect of the depression on the region. The countries addressed include Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Cuba

The Effects of Globalization in Latin America, Africa, and Asia: A Global South Perspective

Kema Irogbe’s study of the effects of globalization on Latin America, Africa, and Asia, is an informative and interesting read, but, unfortunately, it also suffers from many flaws, most of which derive from information and arguments outside the scope of the subject of globalization and its effects

The Role of Performance and Gender in Hiring Decisions

Gender is likely the first trait a person will notice when meeting someone new. Typically, there isn’t much thought behind it when it is observed. There is just a basic understanding that this new individual is either male or female. Every characteristic going forward is built on that building block of gender. What if this first observation has a much deeper effect on the outcomes going forward than just knowing someone is male or female? What if it changes the entire relationship structure going forward? This thesis will discuss findings on a gender, negotiation, and risk preferences. These findings are from an experiment that was directed solely for this thesis. We will analyze the outcomes of the experiment and speak to the effects those outcomes have on currently established theories

Speciation with gene flow in a narrow endemic West Virginia cave salamander (\u3ci\u3eGyrinophilus subterraneus\u3c/i\u3e)

Due to their limited geographic distributions and specialized ecologies, cave species are often highly endemic and can be especially vulnerable to habitat degradation within and surrounding the cave systems they inhabit. We investigated the evolutionary history of the West Virginia Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus), estimated the population trend from historic and current survey data, and assessed the current potential for water quality threats to the cave habitat. Our genomic data (mtDNA sequence and ddRADseq-derived SNPs) reveal two, distinct evolutionary lineages within General Davis Cave corresponding to G. subterraneus and its widely distributed sister species, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, that are also differentiable based on morphological traits. Genomic models of evolutionary history strongly support asymmetric and continuous gene flow between the two lineages, and hybrid classification analyses identify only parental and first generation cross (F1) progeny. Collectively, these results point to a rare case of sympatric speciation occurring within the cave, leading to strong support for continuing to recognize G. subterraneus as a distinct and unique species. Due to its specialized habitat requirements, the complete distribution of G. subterraneus is unresolved, but using survey data in its type locality (and currently the only known occupied site), we find that the population within General Davis Cave has possibly declined over the last 45 years. Finally, our measures of cave and surface stream water quality did not reveal evidence of water quality impairment and provide important baselines for future monitoring. In addition, our unexpected finding of a hybrid zone and partial reproductive isolation between G. subterraneus and G. porphyriticus warrants further attention to better understand the evolutionary and conservation implications of occasional hybridization between the species

Characterizing nutrient patterns of food items in adolescent diet using data from a novel citizen science project and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

IntroductionA healthy diet is essential for promoting good health during adolescence and mitigating disease risks in adulthood. This underscores the need for improved nutrition education and increased access to healthier food choices. However, the accuracy of dietary data poses a significant challenge in nutritional research.MethodsWe utilized and analyzed a novel dietary record dataset collected through a high school citizen science project to address this issue. We focused on nutrients rather than food groups to characterize adolescent dietary patterns. The same analyses were performed on the 2019–2021 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for comparison.ResultsBased on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily value (DV) for nutrients, the majority of food items in our citizen science dataset are low (i.e., <5% DV) in lipids, fiber, potassium, calcium, iron, sugar, and cholesterol. Only a minority of items are high (i.e., >20% DV) in macro and micronutrients. The clustering analysis identified nine food clusters with distinct nutrient profiles that vary significantly in size. The analyses on the NHANES data yielded similar findings, but with higher proportions of foods high in energy, lipids, carbohydrates, sugar, iron, and sodium compared with those of the citizen science dataset.DiscussionThis study demonstrates the potential of citizen science projects in gathering valuable dietary data and understanding adolescent nutrient intake. Identifying critical nutrient gaps can guide targeted nutrition education and the provision of accessible healthier food options, leading to positive health outcomes during adolescence and beyond

Acoustic orientation in the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus)

We carried out laboratory experiments to determine whether orientation during migration in the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) is influenced by acoustic information. Newts retrieved during the aquatic breeding seasons (adults), as well as during the terrestrial phase after breeding (adults and juveniles), were subjected to calls from sympatric (Rana temporaria and Bufo bufo) and allopatric (Lithobates catesbeianus) anurans. In addition to natural stimuli, we also used modified anuran calls (continuous sound with inter-note intervals removed), white noise with and without envelop, and a heterochthonous sound (pile driving). In a circular arena, adult newts retrieved both during their aquatic and terrestrial phase orientated towards the B. bufo stimulus, and migrated at random directions when exposed to the other calls; the lack of orientation towards the sympatric R. temporaria parallels a largely non-overlapping breeding season. Inexperienced juveniles did not orientate towards anuran calls, suggesting that phonotactic responses could be learned. Both aquatic as well as terrestrial adults significantly moved away from a white noise envelop. The results suggest different degrees of heterospecific call attraction across life stages, and provide evidence that unnatural sound might have an adverse effect on breeding migrations