Leadership bias: the case of the Cherokee Freedmen

Journalists inform residents living on or near Native American reservations about key policy issues. Since most tribal councils own and operate their news outlets, retaliation towards journalists working for the tribe is a real concern if the leadership does not appreciate the message. In response to the threat of retaliation, some tribes, like the Cherokee Nation, have legal protections for journalists. The Cherokee Nation’s newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, operates under the guidelines of the Cherokee Independent Press Act (CIPA) originally passed in 2000 and amended in 2009. CIPA was the first of its kind in Indian Country. This thesis analyzes the adoption of CIPA and its efficacy within the context of an issue dividing the Cherokee Nation membership

Macroinvertebrate and crayfish communities in the Meramec River drainage basin: an investigation at multiple spatial scales

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (June 27, 2007)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2006.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Fisheries and wildlife.Hierarchical classification systems have been widely used to delineate terrestrial ecounits at multiple spatial scales; however there has long been a need for an aquatic based classification system. A newly developed aquatic ecosystem classification system was tested using crayfish and macroinvertebrates at multiple spatial scales. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled from twenty-seven sites from three Aquatic Ecological System (AES) Types in the fall of 2001. Macroinvertebrate (MI) assemblages were tested for within- and between-Type similarities. DCA ordinations and similarity analyses showed that MI assemblages were more similar within AES Types than between AES Types. Regression analyses indicated that assemblages were related to large scale factors indicative of AES Type boundaries. Crayfish were sampled from the same twenty-seven sites from four habitat units (riffles, runs, backwaters, and vegetation plots) in fall 2001. Crayfish communities were similar within run and riffle habitats of the same AES Type and were similar within backwater and vegetation plots of the same AES Type. Crayfish correspondence to Valley Segment Type (VST) was related to stream size. Crayfish were captured from run habitats within three stream size classes in three neighboring watersheds in the summer of 2002. O. luteus dominated small-rivers, O. punctimanus dominated headwaters, while O. medius dominated creeks. Longitudinal distribution of crayfish was examined in summer of 2002. Crayfish were sampled from four stream sizes from headwater to big-river. Mean density of crayfish was greater in headwater and creek streams than in small- and big-river sites. Mean YOY crayfish capture was greater than adults for all species in all stream sizes. Crayfish sampling gear was tested in the summer of 2002 and 2003 for adult and YOY crayfish age classes. The semi-quantitative kick seine used in this study was compared to a quantitative to quadrat sampler. The quadrat sampler consistently captured more individuals than the kick seine, but not in a predictable manner. Regression analyses showed high variability and low correlation between the quadrat and either seine method for both years and in all age classes

Identifying the challenges and social support needs of undergraduate James Madison University students with mental health concerns.

Student success research fellow grant final report. The research explored the experiences of of undergraduate students with mental health concerns at JMU.. The research was supported by the Early Student Success Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and Center for Faculty Innovation

A comparison of skinfolds and leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance for the assessment of body composition in children

BACKGROUND: This field-based investigation examined the congruence between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance in assessing body composition in children. METHODS: Subjects were 162 female and 160 male children 10–15 years of age. Skinfold measures obtained at the triceps and medial calf and a leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance system were used to determine percent fat using child-specific equations. Pearson product moment correlations were performed on the percent fat values obtained using skinfolds and bioelectric impedance for the entire data set. Separate correlations were also conducted on gender and age/gender subsets. Dependent t tests were used to compare the two techniques. RESULTS: Percent fat did not differ between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance for the total subject pool. Bioelectrical impedance overestimated percent fat in girls by 2.6% and underestimated percent fat in boys by 1.7% (p < 0.01). Correlations between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance ranged from r = 0.51 to r = 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: Leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance may be a viable alternative field assessment technique that is comparable to skinfolds. The small differences in percent fat between the two techniques may have limited practical significance in school-based health-fitness settings

A comparison of skinfolds and leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance for the assessment of body composition in children

BACKGROUND: This field-based investigation examined the congruence between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance in assessing body composition in children. METHODS: Subjects were 162 female and 160 male children 10–15 years of age. Skinfold measures obtained at the triceps and medial calf and a leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance system were used to determine percent fat using child-specific equations. Pearson product moment correlations were performed on the percent fat values obtained using skinfolds and bioelectric impedance for the entire data set. Separate correlations were also conducted on gender and age/gender subsets. Dependent t tests were used to compare the two techniques. RESULTS: Percent fat did not differ between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance for the total subject pool. Bioelectrical impedance overestimated percent fat in girls by 2.6% and underestimated percent fat in boys by 1.7% (p < 0.01). Correlations between skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance ranged from r = 0.51 to r = 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: Leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance may be a viable alternative field assessment technique that is comparable to skinfolds. The small differences in percent fat between the two techniques may have limited practical significance in school-based health-fitness settings

Thinking with Art within Methodology

This panel provides examples of projects that combine art with methodology. The presenters will share a video installation about students’ messy data analysis interactions, illustrate methodologies through literary turns and balletic, modern, and postmodern form of dance, demonstrate Deleuze and Guattaris’ concept of rhizome with a monologue, share data interactions through visuals, and present a video re-enactment of The Best of Me: A Photographic Installation

Criteria for effective design, construction, and gene knockdown by shRNA vectors

BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) technology is a powerful methodology recently developed for the specific knockdown of targeted genes. RNAi is most commonly achieved either transiently by transfection of small interfering (si) RNA oligonucleotides, or stably using short hairpin (sh) RNA expressed from a DNA vector or virus. Much controversy has surrounded the development of rules for the design of effective siRNA oligonucleotides; and whether these rules apply to shRNA is not well characterized. RESULTS: To determine whether published algorithms for siRNA oligonucleotide design apply to shRNA, we constructed 27 shRNAs from 11 human genes expressed stably using retroviral vectors. We demonstrate an efficient method for preparing wild-type and mutant control shRNA vectors simultaneously using oligonucleotide hybrids. We show that sequencing through shRNA vectors can be problematic due to the intrinsic secondary structure of the hairpin, and we determine a strategy for effective sequencing by using a combination of modified BigDye chemistries and DNA relaxing agents. The efficacy of knockdown for the 27 shRNA vectors was evaluated against six published algorithms for siRNA oligonucleotide design. Our results show that none of the scoring algorithms can explain a significant percentage of variance in shRNA knockdown efficacy as assessed by linear regression analysis or ROC curve analysis. Application of a modification based on the stability of the 6 central bases of each shRNA provides fair-to-good predictions of knockdown efficacy for three of the algorithms. Analysis of an independent set of data from 38 shRNAs pooled from previous publications confirms these findings. CONCLUSION: The use of mixed oligonucleotide pairs provides a time and cost efficient method of producing wild type and mutant control shRNA vectors. The addition to sequencing reactions of a combination of mixed dITP/dGTP chemistries and DNA relaxing agents enables read through the intrinsic secondary structure of problematic shRNA vectors. Six published algorithms for siRNA oligonucleotide design that were tested in this study show little or no efficacy at predicting shRNA knockdown outcome. However, application of a modification based on the central shRNA stability should provide a useful improvement to the design of effective shRNA vectors

The California Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB).

INTRODUCTION: We are developing the California Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB) to provide neuropsychological assessments to patients who lack test access due to cost, capacity, mobility, and transportation barriers. METHODS: The CCAB consists of 15 non-verbal and 17 verbal subtests normed for telemedical assessment. The CCAB runs on calibrated tablet computers over cellular or Wi-Fi connections either in a laboratory or in participants homes. Spoken instructions and verbal stimuli are delivered through headphones using naturalistic text-to-speech voices. Verbal responses are scored in real time and recorded and transcribed offline using consensus automatic speech recognition which combines the transcripts from seven commercial ASR engines to produce timestamped transcripts more accurate than those of any single ASR engine. The CCAB is designed for supervised self-administration using a web-browser application, the Examiner. The Examiner permits examiners to record observations, view subtest performance in real time, initiate video chats, and correct potential error conditions (e.g., training and performance failures, etc.,) for multiple participants concurrently. RESULTS: Here we describe (1) CCAB usability with older (ages 50 to 89) participants; (2) CCAB psychometric properties based on normative data from 415 older participants; (3) Comparisons of the results of at-home vs. in-lab CCAB testing; (4) We also present preliminary analyses of the effects of COVID-19 infection on performance. Mean z-scores averaged over CCAB subtests showed impaired performance of COVID+ compared to COVID- participants after factoring out the contributions of Age, Education, and Gender (AEG). However, inter-cohort differences were no longer significant when performance was analyzed with a comprehensive model that factored out the influences of additional pre-existing demographic factors that distinguished COVID+ and COVID- cohorts (e.g., vocabulary, depression, race, etc.,). In contrast, unlike AEG scores, comprehensive scores correlated significantly with the severity of COVID infection. (5) Finally, we found that scoring models influenced the classification of individual participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI, z-scores &lt; -1.50) where the comprehensive model accounted for more than twice as much variance as the AEG model and reduced racial bias in MCI classification. DISCUSSION: The CCAB holds the promise of providing scalable laboratory-quality neurodiagnostic assessments to underserved urban, exurban, and rural populations

Relationships and Partnerships in Community–Campus Engagement: Evolving Inquiry and Practice

Inquiry and practice related to community–campus partnerships are ever evolving, with significant current momentum toward democratic engagement. To inform the ongoing development of associated practitioner scholarship, we examine the development of a tool for assessing the quality of community–campus relationships, the Transformational Relationship Evaluation Scale (TRES), as a microcosm of some underlying dynamics in previous and current work. After an overview of its conceptual foundations, we present TRES, review examples of its uses across multiple contexts, and share lessons learned from critical reflection on those uses along with associated implications for the future development of such tools. Subsequent discussion focuses on shifts toward conceptualizing both partnerships themselves and processes of inquiring into them in terms of systems and co-creation. Seeking to support readers in operationalizing democratic engagement in their inquiry and practice, we share conceptual frameworks, tangible tools, guiding questions for research, and reflective critique on our experience as practitioner-scholars of partnerships

The Vehicle, Spring 2000

Vol. 41, No. 2 Table of Contents UntitledMatthew A. Thomaspage 4 Fred\u27s PenAutumn Williamspage 5 tomatoesDave Moutraypage 6 AFRICABusinge Roger Godfreypage 7 seeking OutKim Hunterpage 8 Razorblade, Crystal I.Jason Brownpage 9 UntitledMegan Guernseypage 10 CoyoteAutumn Williamspage 11 BaptizedStephanie Carpenterpage 13 BrotherTara Coburnpage 14 My 1984Dave Moutraypage 15 what little boys and girls are made ofKristi Brownfieldpage 17 To GerriMegan Guernseypage 19 JunieJoe Raabpage 20 BeatWes Paytonpage 21 MercyAutumn Williamspage 23 TravelingDenise Fitzerpage 24 UntitledMatthew A. Thomaspage 25 a story of rapeAnnie Whitepage 26 Teddy RhexisPaul Austerpage 30https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1074/thumbnail.jp