EVIDENCE OF COMMUNAL OVIPOSITION AND NEST ABANDONMENT IN THE NORTHERN TWO-LINED SALAMANDER (EURYCEA BISLINEATA, (GREEN, 1818)) IN NORTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT

Most plethodontid salamanders oviposit their eggs in an individual nest and attend the clutch until hatching. Here, we describe aspects of the reproduction of Eurycea bislineata (Northern Two-lined Salamander) from three field sites in northeastern Connecticut that contrast with the typical plethodontid reproductive behavior. Rocks used as oviposition sites contained up to 296 eggs, with an average of more than 100. These numbers exceed the maximum ovarian egg counts for this species, indicating that communal oviposition is common. The lack of correlation between rock size and number of eggs, as well as the lack of discrete clutches when eggs are laid in large clusters, suggests that communal oviposition may be caused by something other than nest site limitation. Additionally, the rate of maternal attendance at nests was low. Thus, communal oviposition with high rates of nest abandonment is the dominant reproductive strategy in E. bislineata at these sites

The Believer and the Powers That Are

A Review of The Believer and the Powers That Are by John T. Noonan, Jr

It\u27s Important for Me to Get Good Light. Or Things Which are Happening

Artists\u27 book utilizing cross disciplinary media

Humans

Artists\u27 book utilizing cross disciplinary media

Untangling Operation Common Sense : Reopening and Review of Social Security Administration Disability Claims

Part I of the Note outlines how the SSA processes a disability claim and illustrates the ambiguity in the language of the reopening regulations that has caused the split in the courts. Part II examines the four interpretations of the reopening regulations created by courts. Part II begins with the Secretary\u27s interpretation and concludes that this interpretation is plainly inconsistent with the language of the regulations. Thus, courts need not defer, as they normally would, to an agency\u27s interpretation of its own regulation. This Part next examines the alternative interpretations of these regulations advanced by various courts, and describes how each interpretation fails to reconcile the language of these regulations. Barring the possibility of interpreting the regulations in a way that completely reconciles the language, the various goals of the SSA should be considered in choosing the best interpretation. Part III demonstrates that allowing sua sponte reopening in limited circumstances - under the portion of the regulations that allows reopening forever for, inter alia, fraud and similar fault - best effectuates the goals of the SSA. Absent fraud or similar fault, however, the Appeals Council should not initiate reopening, and should use other procedures to fulfill the policy goals of the SSA

Transformational Leadership and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): A Case Study of Primary Teachers at an Urban School in Bogotá, Colombia

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to establish if transformational leadership influenced teachers’ attitudes and usage of information and communication technologies in an urban public school in Colombia. Transformational leadership components were examined to determine if school leaders exhibited transformational leadership characteristics and if their leadership style influenced teachers’ attitudes and information and communication technologies usage. A convenience sample of 29 primary teachers and four school leaders participated in the study. There were 16 teachers who participated in semistructured interviews and 13 teachers who participated in a 90-minute focus group discussion. Semistructured interviews, document analysis, focus group discussion, and analytic memos were used to gather data on the scope of teachers’ attitudes and use of information and communication technologies. All collected data, including document analysis, were translated from Spanish to English and used to create themes through in vivo coding and process coding. Findings confirmed that three out of four components of transformational leadership were interdependent and affected primary teachers’ use of and attitudes toward information and communication technologies implementation. Findings also indicated that teachers motivated themselves and brought positive social change to this school during the pandemic. All participants desired professional development and more support

Kicking the Vietnam syndrome? Collective memory of the Vietnam War in fictional American cinema following the 1991 Gulf War

This thesis analyses the concept of the “Vietnam Syndrome” and its continuing manifestation in fictional American films produced after the 1991 Gulf War, with reference to depictions of the Vietnam, Gulf and Iraq Wars. Based on contemporary press reports as source material and critical analysis, it identifies the “Vietnam Syndrome” as a flexible and altering national psychological issue characterised initially as a simple aversion to military engagement, but which grew to include collective feelings of shame, guilt and a desire to rewrite history. The thesis argues that the “Syndrome” was not quashed by the victory of the Gulf War in 1991, as had been speculated at the time. Rather, the thesis argues that it was only temporarily displaced and continues to be an ingrained feature of the collective American psyche in current times. The argument is based on theories of collective memory, according to which social attitudes are expressed in cultural products such as films. The relationships between memory and history, and between memory and national identity are explored as two highly relevant branches of collective memory research. The first of these combines the theories of Bodnar (1992), Sturken (1997), Winter and Sivan (1999) and Wertsch (2002), among others, to define memory’s relationship with history and position in the present. The discussion of the relationship between memory and national identity describes the process by which memory is adopted into the national collective, based on the research of Schudson (1992) and Hall (1999). Consideration is given to the alternative theories of Comolli and Narboni (1992 [1969]), Hobsbawm and Ranger (1983) and Miller (2005) that propose a unified representation from a dominant ideology and of The Popular Memory Group (1982) who argue a counter-hegemonic popular memory. The thesis argues that both are insufficient to account for public memory, establishing a multi-sourced collective memory as the basis for its arguments, as described by Hynes (1999) and Wertsch (2002). Successive chapters provide a close analysis of films in relation to the “Vietnam Syndrome”. Each of the films shows the different approaches to the conflicts and ways the “Vietnam Syndrome” manifests itself. Chapter 3 provides a summary of Vietnam War films released prior to the main period focused upon in this thesis, in order to contextualise the post-Gulf War texts. Chapter 4 analyses Heaven and Earth (1993, Dir. Oliver Stone) as a revolutionary depiction of the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese depiction. Chapter 5 discusses The War (1994, Dir. Jon Avnet) as a late revisionist text. The focus of Chapter 6 is Apocalypse Now Redux (2001, Dir. Francis Ford Coppola), a revision of a vision, in which the additional scenes are analysed for their contribution to this later, more reflective version of the 1970s text Apocalypse Now. The last Vietnam film analysed, We Were Soldiers (2002, Dir. Randall Wallace), is the subject of Chapter 7 and is discussed with reference to post-September 11 American society and the dormant period of the “Vietnam Syndrome.” Chapter 8 brings the previous Vietnam War film analysis chapters together to form intermediate conclusions prior to the progression to Gulf War films. Chapter 9 provides a break in the film analysis chapters to consider the press coverage of the Gulf War, compared to that of Vietnam, paving the way for the following discussion of Gulf War films. Press coverage of the Gulf War influences the visual depiction of the Gulf War in both Three Kings (1999, Dir. David O’Russell) in Chapter 10 and Jarhead (2005, Dir. Sam Mendes) in Chapter 11. The reading of Three Kings also analyses the narrative as a metaphor for American concerns over the American-led coalition’s conduct during the conflict, while Chapter 11 argues the use of Vietnam War films as media templates (Kitzinger, 2000) in Jarhead. Finally, Chapter 13 brings the film analysis to a close by discussing the early representations of the Iraq War that have emerged in recent years, including: American Soldiers: A Day in Iraq (2005, Dir. Sidney J. Furie), Home of The Brave (2006, Dir. Irwin Winkler), Stop-Loss (2008, Dir. Kimberley Peirce), Lions For Lambs (2007, Dir. Robert Redford) Redacted (2008, Dir. Brian de Palma) and The Hurt Locker (2008, Dir. Kathryn Bigelow). The main, but not exclusive, features typifying the “Vietnam Syndrome” expressed through the films include: a reluctance to engage in or support foreign military intervention; use of “good war” and “bad war” discourse; signs of a collective national trauma of defeat; expressions of guilt for the consequences of American actions and failings of policy; attempts to restore the national self-image. This thesis concludes that the “Vietnam Syndrome” is still relevant to American society and that it is expressed through films in a variety of ways. It argues that the Vietnam War and the “Vietnam Syndrome” have become frames of reference for the discussion and representation of conflict and that the American collective psyche suffers a mixture of syndromes, some mutually enforcing and some contradictory, that are triggered by a variety of circumstances. The “Vietnam Syndrome” is identified as the most prolific of these and through its construction and circulation in media products, including cinema, this thesis argues it has become an umbrella term for the remnants of angst over Vietnam and new concerns over other conflicts

Impact of Roadside Maintenance Practices on Larinus minutus (Gyllenhal), a Biological Control Agent of Spotted Knapweed

Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe, is an invasive weed found throughout much of the United States. Spotted knapweed is a rangeland weed where it was originally introduced into western North America in the 1880s.Where spotted knapweed spread to the southeastern U.S., it is found mostly along roadsides. It has been the focus of a biological control program beginning in the 1960s, with 12 insects established, with the final introductions occurring in the 1990s. After the success observed in the western U.S. and Canada with one of these insects, Larinus minutus, this weevil was established in northwestern Arkansas. It is too early to assess the reduction of knapweed in Arkansas. Limits on the impact of this agent may result from the frequent disturbance of the plant and L. minutus by mowing. Field studies were conducted to measure the impact of temporal availability of floral resources on ovary maturation, egg production, and larval mortality of L. minutus. Presence of L. minutus, and spotted knapweed seed production, height, and cover were recorded. Reduced availability of floral resources and delay of access to floral resources delayed ovary development and reduced egg production. Increased larval mortality was observed in the areas of the spotted knapweed patch that had been mowed. Mowing resulted in fewer total seeds in the capitula. Both mowed and un-mowed areas had capitula containing mature seeds and seeds damaged by L. minutus feeding. The number of seeds damaged by L. minutus increased as the proportion of capitula with L. minutus increased in the patch. A survey of 2245km of highways in Carroll, Benton, Madison, and Washington counties found knapweed was present along 13.9% of the highway kilometers. Mowing times could be altered to avoid disturbance of L. minutus from late spring-summer when knapweed produces the most blooms. However, preservation of this weed biological control agent would need to become a consideration in future highway weed management decisions

A decade of car-cyclist collisions in Louisville: a spatio-temporal analysis.

This thesis has considered factors of the built environment to discover if cay-cyclist collisions display any patterns that could be used to improve cycling safety. This thesis contains an introduction, a literature review, an overview of the study area and data, a description of the methods, results, and discussion and conclusion section. This thesis is significant because it has been the first study to consider cyclist volume as an explanatory variable of the spatiality of car-cyclist dependence for Louisville, Kentucky. Through descriptive and spatial statistics, trends in car-cyclists were identified. Collisions occur more frequently in the summer, during commute hours, at signalized intersections, and near bus stops. It also evaluated the use of third-party sources as exposure measure and explanatory variables. This thesis also put forward recommendations to better the information available to study cyclist collisions, and ways to improve the safety of cyclists in Louisville

Electric Washing Machines at Home

In 1915 the women\u27s magazines were publishing articles endeavoring to prove to the homemaker that it was really an economy of time, money and energy to buy and use an electric washing machine for all home laundering