Geographical advantages and limitations affecting the development of Mexico

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityMexico has proven to be a land of great variety; both in population and resources. This variation could, if properly directed, build a unified country from the present, badly disected country. The study just concluded indicated that Nexico is now a country passing through a transition period, emerging from a semi-colonial state to one of greater industrialization and thereby attaining a higher degree of self-sufficiency. As the Republic is still essentially agricultural, with about 75% of the labor force of the country occupied with agricultural pursuits; the industrialization process naturally has to proceed at a slow pace, despite the remarkable progress realized during the past few years. However, the very fact that the Mexican economy is primarily based upon the labors of the country folk and farmers who till the soil, makes imperative the modernization of agriculture and the expansion of the cultivated area through extensive irrigation works, designed to satisfy adequately the domestic demand for foodstuffs and other agricultural products

“And We’re Happy, So Happy, to Be Modern Women”: Dissociative Feminism on Screen and in Literature

On-screen and literary works have increasingly represented a new, digital-age wave of postfeminism: dissociative feminism, which rejects happy-go-lucky, sex-positive fourth-wave feminism, instead embracing nihilism. Fleabag, the titular character of the hit BBC miniseries Fleabag (2016–9), embodies dissociative feminism, though she ultimately comes to reject this darkly relatable perspective. However, social media largely ignores this latter, essential aspect of her character arc and has taken to romanticizing Fleabag’s feminist ideology, effectively constructing a harmful and dangerous virtual echo chamber of dissociative feminism. Participants in this online discourse should instead turn to the HBO limited series I May Destroy You (2020) for guidance on exiting the dissociative feminism echo chamber, and to Fleabag for guidance on wholly abandoning the movement in favor of a more hopeful feminism: individualized feminism

Surveys of Southern Flying Squirrel Activity Following Timber Harvest in Southern Indiana

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) are gliding small mammals that are ecologically important seed dispersers and prey species across their wide range, which extends from southern Canada to Central America. Because of their reliance on forest structure for efficient movement and on forest composition for hard mast production to provide winter food items, habitat use by G. volans may be impacted by timber harvest. Responses of G. volans to timber harvests remains understudied throughout their range, and studies are especially lacking within the Central Hardwoods Region that includes Indiana. Our study in the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in southern Indiana examined responses in G. volans activity to even- and uneven-aged forestry using passive acoustic sampling. We examined data from Anabat II recorders positioned within and around harvested areas for ultrasonic G. volans vocalizations to determine activity levels in uneven-aged, even-aged, and no harvest treatments in the year following treatment. We identified G. volans calls via comparison to a library of known calls. We used the mean number of calls per night as an estimate of G. volans activity. Our preliminary results found G. volans activity in the treatment area edge and surrounding forest for all treatment types. We found the greatest activity in the interior of uneven-aged patch cuts, whereas even-aged clearcuts and no harvest treatment interiors had lower levels of activity. We found no activity in the interior of even-aged shelterwoods. These results suggest that uneven-aged harvests have less impact on G. volans activity than even-aged forest management

Ecological Responses of Midwestern Snakes to Prescribed Fire

Prescribed burning is a commonly used land management tool to reduce the risk of hazardous wildfires and improve wildlife habitat, especially for grassland ecosystems. However, prescribed fire has widely varying effects on differing wildlife taxa. The effects of prescribed fire on herpetofaunal biodiversity have been examined, but the responses of a common and wide-ranging species, the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), to fire and subsequent effects on its ecology have not been closely studied. The primary goal of this research was to evaluate differing resource use or movement patterns of common garter snakes in burned and unburned habitats. Our objectives were to evaluate habitat use by garter snakes using mark-recapture methods and compare this use between burned and unburned sites. We also collected tissue samples (blood and shed skins) to determine the diet of snakes using stable isotope analysis and compare diets between burned and unburned sites. We performed vegetation surveys to evaluate the effect of differing habitat variables on trap success. Our results suggest that snakes may select for burned grasslands because we trapped more snakes in burned grids. Large amounts of short grass (\u3c 15 cm) near a trap had a negative effect on trap success. The amount of tall grass or bare ground near a trap was not demonstrated to have any effect on trap success. Stable isotope analysis of blood and prey samples and collection of mark recapture data are still ongoing and will provide more insight on resource use of snakes in burned grasslands

Investigating the impact of invasive Asian carp on river otter diet and the native fish communities of Indiana

Invasive Asian carp (i.e., bighead and silver carp, Hypophthalmic molitric and hypophalmichthy nobilis), threaten native fish populations in Midwestern United States freshwater ecosystems. These species are primarily planktivorous, experience rapid growth rates, and have enhanced predator avoidance traits resulting in a competitive advantage over native fish species. The success of Asian carp may also threaten higher-level predators by altering prey availability, potentially causing a change in predator behavior and diet. Since the coinciding river otter (Lontra canadensis) reintroduction and Asian carp invasion in Indiana’s waterways in 1995, no studies have investigated the impact of Asian carp on higher- level predators. Our objective is to determine the role of Asian carp in the diet of a top predator in Indiana’s waterways, the North American river otter. To determine the impact of Asian carp in otter diet, we will be conducting diet analyses through two methods: gross fecal analysis and stable isotope analysis. We will compare otter diet in a carp-invaded watershed to the otter diet in a carp-free watershed. We are collecting scat at 2 different locations along the carp-invaded Tippecanoe River: Prophetstown State Park, YMCA Camp Tecumseh and 2 different locations in non-carp invaded waterways: Chain’O Lakes State Park and Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. We hypothesize that river otters will select against invasive Asian carp in preference for native species, with which they have coevolved. This result would indicate an increase in predation pressure upon already reduced native fish populations, as well as a reduction in fitness of the predator from limited prey availability. If otters do prefer Asian carp, they may serve as an effective bio control for Asian carp while also creating a positive public perception of otters

Generating a Lexicon Without a Language Model: Do Words for Number Count?

Homesigns are communication systems created by deaf individuals without access to conventional linguistic input. To investigate how homesign gestures for number function in short-term memory compared to homesign gestures for objects, actions, or attributes, we conducted memory span tasks with adult homesigners in Nicaragua, and with comparison groups of unschooled hearing Spanish speakers and deaf Nicaraguan Sign Language signers. There was no difference between groups in recall of gestures or words for objects, actions or attributes; homesign gestures therefore can function as word units in short-term memory. However, homesigners showed poorer recall of numbers than the other groups. Unlike the other groups, increasing the numerical value of the to-be-remembered quantities negatively affected recall in homesigners, but not controls. When developed without linguistic input, gestures for number do not seem to function as summaries of the cardinal values of the sets (four), but rather as indexes of items within a set (one–one–one–one).Psycholog

Parents’ Perceptions of the Philly Goat Project’s All Abilities RAMble: A Qualitative Study of Animal-Assisted Intervention for Intellectual and Developmental Disorders

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a growing population. Considering the wide diversity in IDD and the financial burden of traditional treatment modalities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) has emerged as an innovative and non-traditional treatment for individuals with a range of disabilities, including individuals with IDD. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study was one of the first to explore a goat-assisted therapy experience for children with IDD. This study explored the experiences of 23 children with the All Abilities RAMble – a goat-assisted therapeutic activity offered by the Philly Goat Project (PGP). Key themes in our study included the RAMble activating joy, RAMble as a place to practice skills, RAMble as a unique service providing transferable skills, RAMble as a personalized and child-directed program, and RAMble providing a sense of community. This research provides valuable insight into the child’s experience with goat-assisted therapy, which can inform future goat-assisted therapy interventions for children with IDD. The results suggest there are several positive impacts from the All Abilities RAMble, further supported by the literature on AAI and IDD. Additionally, the emergence of social skill(s) and communication skill development, transferability of acquired skills, and sense of community prompted provided strength in this exploratory inquiry of this specific form of AAI. Goat-assisted therapeutic activities, such as the PGP All Abilities RAMble, is an opportunity to practice skills and develop relationships that are often under-examined in this specific population. This study demonstrates the need for more empirical research on goat-specific AAI with children with IDD, and their families. Future research recommendations include exploration of siblings and parents’ experience at the RAMble and further inquiry into what contributes to outdoor or nature-based programming beneficial to people with disabilities

Evidence that two phenotypically distinct mouse PKD mutations, bpk and jcpk, are allelic

Evidence that two phenotypically distinct mouse PKD mutations, bpk and jcpk, are allelic. Numerous mouse models of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) have been described. All of these diseases are transmitted as single recessive traits and in most, the phenotypic severity is influenced by the genetic background. However, based on their genetic map positions, none of these loci appears to be allelic and none are candidate modifier loci for any other mouse PKD mutation. Previously, we have described the mouse bpk mutation, a model that closely resembles human autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. We now report that the bpk mutation maps to a 1.6 CM interval on mouse Chromosome 10, and that the renal cystic disease severity in our intersubspecific intercross progeny is influenced by the genetic background. Interestingly, bpk co-localizes with jcpk, a phenotyp-ically-distinct PKD mutation, and complementation testing indicates that the bpk and jcpk mutations are allelic. These data imply that distinct PKD phenotypes can result from different mutations within a single gene. In addition, based on its map position, the bpk locus is a candidate genetic modifier for jck, a third phenotypically-distinct PKD mutation

How Many Squirrels Are in the Shrubs? A Lesson Plan for Comparing Methods for Population Estimation

Estimating the population sizes of animals is a key skill for any student interested in ecology, conservation, or management. However, counting animals in natural habitats is difficult, and the many techniques that exist each rely on assumptions that can bias results. Most wildlife courses teach one or two of these methods, but rarely are students given an opportunity to compare approaches and explore how underlying assumptions affect the accuracy of estimates. Here, we describe a hands-on activity in which students estimate the size of a single population of animals using multiple methods: strip censuses, scat counts, and camera traps. They then compare the estimates and evaluate how the assumptions of each model (e.g., random use of habitats and animal behavior) bias the results. Finally, students submit their data to a national database that aggregates observations across multiple institutions as part of Squirrel-Net (http://squirrel-net.org). They can then analyze the national dataset, permitting exploration of these questions across a broader variety of habitats and species than would be possible at any single institution. Extensions of this activity guide students to enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of each method in different contexts and to select the most appropriate method for a given scenario. This activity and the database focus on estimating population sizes of squirrels, which are diurnal, charismatic, easily identified, and present in a wide range of habitats (including many campuses), but the same methods could be broadly used for other terrestrial species, including birds, amphibians, reptiles, or invertebrates

Squirreling from Afar: Adapting Squirrel-Net Modules for Remote Teaching and Learning

The shift from face-to-face instruction to remote teaching and learning has proven to be a challenging endeavor for many reasons, including lack of time, resources, and inspiration. Lab courses, the “hands-on” portion of many curricula, may be especially difficult to adapt to online learning given the common use of specialized equipment, materials, and techniques that require close supervision. Without the time and resources to creatively modify existing activities or create new ones, remote lab courses run the risk of becoming less effective, equitable, and/or engaging. Squirrel-Net has created four field-based activities for biology labs that are easy to implement, highly flexible for different course aims, and readily adaptable to a remote learning environment. In this essay, we briefly summarize the modules and propose several ways that each can be adjusted to accommodate online teaching and learning. By providing authentic learning opportunities through distance delivery we hope to promote widespread student engagement and creative solutions for instructors