Anthropology of the Crowd, Blog 8

Student blog posts from the Great VCU Bike Race Book

A Web of Connections: The Role of Social Capital and Trust in the Formation of Virtual Organizations

Many community based agencies engage in collaboration in order to solve community problems no one organization can accomplish on its own. One such form of collaboration is the virtual organization. A virtual organization is an organization that relies on multi-party, co-operative agreements between structural, temporal, and sometimes geographic boundaries. Looking narrowly at virtual organizations on the community level is one approach which allows for better understanding of why and how community based collaboration takes place. The objective of this research is to examine the extent to which virtual organizations are utilized by community agencies while simultaneously understanding the role both social capital and trust play in the formation of these organizations. By surveying human service agencies in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected on virtual organizations that exist in this community. Both social capital and trust appear to be two of the driving forces in the formation of virtual organizations across social service agencies. This research seeks to better understand virtual organizations as well as the associated successes and failures

Sugar-enhanced and Synergistic Sweet Corn Cultivar Evaluation for Northern Indiana, 2017

This paper reports on six bicolor sugar-enhanced or synergistic sweet corn entries that were evaluated at the Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center in Wanatah, Indiana

Tomato Cultivar Evaluation in High Tunnels, Northern Indiana, 2017

Tomatoes are a common crop grown in unheated greenhouses, commonly called high tunnels. Production in these structures has increased in recent years. This trial was conducted to evaluate varieties for their performance as a summer-harvested crop in soil-based high tunnel production systems. Five hybrid determinate varieties or line, one hybrid indeterminate, and one open-pollinated indeterminate variety were compared for yield, earliness, fruit size, and quality

Pumpkin Variety Performance With and Without Treatment for Powdery Mildew in Northern Indiana, 2017

Pumpkins are grown on 5,000 acres in Indiana with an average yield of 6.75 tons per acre. Successful pumpkin production requires the use of varieties that yield well and produce pumpkins of the size, shape, color, and quality demanded by the market. Genetic resistance to the fungal disease powdery mildew is present in some varieties. This trial was designed to evaluate performance of pumpkin varieties in northern Indiana with and without treatment for powdery mildew. The trial included fourteen orange jack-o-lantern size pumpkins, one small or \u27pie\u27 pumpkin and one specialty yellow pumpkin

Supersweet Sweet Corn Cultivar Evaluation for Northern Indiana, 2017

This paper reports on fifteen bicolor, two yellow, and two white supersweet sweet corn entries that were evaluated at the Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center in Wanatah, Indiana

Factors influencing the development of wind power in rural Alaska communities

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2010"The state of Alaska is endowed with extensive and developable wind resources. The greatest areas of class seven, "superior" wind resources in the entire United States are located in Alaska. Developing these resources has the potential to play a pivotal role in reshaping Alaska's future by providing reliable, local, and stable-priced power. Despite this tremendous natural asset and the immeasurable benefits it harbors, Alaska's wind resources remain largely untapped and underutilized. Rural Alaskan communities, classified by their remote locations, small populations, and consequent low electric demands and high electric costs, possess some of the greatest wind resources in Alaska. The challenge, however, is to overcome the current social, political, technical, economic, and environmental constraints. This thesis aims to identify factors that contribute to and constrain the successful development of wind power projects in rural Alaska and to recommend solutions to overcome specific barriers. The findings demonstrated that the primary influencing factors included leadership, coordination at local and state levels, access to information and assistance, and local human, technical, and financial capacity. Such factors must be an integral part of planning efforts in order to advance wind power development in rural communities"--Leaf iiiExperimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Fellowship (EPSCoR Alaska), University of Alaska Fairbanks Graduate Fellowship, Resilience and Adaptation Program, and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power1. Introduction to wind power development in rural Alaska -- Introduction -- Thesis question and objective -- Research considerations -- Methodology -- Literature review -- Case studies -- Surveys -- Interviews -- Thesis structure -- 2. Background and literature review -- What is wind energy? -- Wind energy: national and global context -- Rural energy development: a global overview -- Study area: rural Alaska overview -- Rural electrification in Alaska: windfall or curse? -- Electric utilities -- Past and present wind projects in Alaska -- Energy policy: a national and state context -- Energy policy in Alaska -- Main actors/stakeholders -- Federal, state and local government -- Local community -- Electric utility -- Private sector (developers, contractors, manufacturers) -- Researchers -- Nonprofit and advocacy organizations -- 3. Thresholds and barrier to wind power development in rural Alaska -- Thresholds to wind power development -- Social thresholds -- Political thresholds -- Technical thresholds -- Economic thresholds -- Environmental thresholds -- Summary of thresholds -- Survey of barriers to wind power development -- Survey development -- Response rate and methods of analysis -- Survey results -- Background information -- Level of local acceptance and support -- Commitment of leadership -- Level of local coordination -- Level of local capacity and access to information -- State-level political barriers -- Economic considerations -- Importance of environmental and cultural protection -- Technical considerations -- Barriers identified by the winder sector -- Scope of interviews -- Regulatory barriers -- Barriers to building and utilizing local capacity -- Political barriers -- Economic barriers -- Discussion of barriers identified by the wind sector -- 4. Contributing factors to rural wind power development: case studies on existing wind-diesel power projects in Kotzebue, St. Paul Island and Kasigluk -- Case study overview -- Kotzebue case study -- Community description -- Energy infrastructure -- Kotzebue wind farm: planning and development -- Influencing factors of wind power development in Kotzebue -- Setbacks and challenges -- St. Paul Island case study -- Community description -- Energy infrastructure -- St. Paul Island wind farm: planning and development -- Influencing factors of wind power development in St. Paul -- Setbacks and challenges -- Kasigluk case study -- Community description -- Energy infrastructure -- Kasigluk wind farm: planning and development -- Influencing factors of wind power development in Kasigluk -- Setbacks and challenges -- Common influencing factors among Kotzebue, St. Paul Island, and Kasigluk -- 5. Conclusion and discussion -- Influencing factors for development -- Leadership/project champion -- Local, regional, and statewide networks -- Local capacity: human, technical, and financial -- Access to information and information dissemination -- Recommendations -- Recommendations for the State of Alaska -- Recommendations for communities -- Closing -- References -- Appendix

Long-term outcome of patients undergoing liver transplantation for mixed hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma: an analysis of the UNOS database

AbstractBackgroundMixed hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma (HCC-CC) have been associated with a poor prognosis after liver transplantation (LT). We aimed to evaluate long-term outcomes in patients undergoing LT for HCC-CC versus patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or cholangiocarcinoma (CC).MethodsRetrospective analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database from 1994–2013. Overall survival (OS) in patients with HCC-CC, HCC, and CC, were compared.ResultsWe identified 4049 patients transplanted for primary malignancy (94 HCC-CC; 3515 HCC; 440 CC). Mean age of patients with HCC-CC was 57 ± 10 years, and 77% were male. MELD score did not differ among the groups (p = 0.637). Hepatitis C virus was the most common secondary diagnosis within the HCC-CC (44%) and HCC (36%) cohorts, with primary sclerosing cholangitis in the CC (16%) cohort. OS rates at 1, 3 and 5 years for HCC-CC (82%, 47%, 40%) were similar to CC (79%, 58%, 47%), but significantly worse than HCC (86%, 72%, and 62% p = 0.002).DiscussionPatients undergoing LT for HCC had significantly better survival compared to those transplanted for HCC-CC and CC. LT for mixed HCC-CC confers a survival rate similar to selected patients with CC. Efforts should be made to identify HCC-CC patients preoperatively

The Grizzly, April 7, 1997

Airband Sets Its New Fundraising Record • Ursinus Students Participate in Model U.N. • Women\u27s Health Discussed in Merck Lecture • Changes for Summer Classes • Letters: Letter of Thanks; Faculty Member Remembered • Opinion: Seminar on Post-Abortion Trauma • Pfahler Observatory Open House for Hale-Bopp Viewing • Something for Everyone in proTheatre Production of The Two Noble Kinsmen • Another Look at the Ursinus Gymnastics Team • The Dangers of Halogen Lamps • Men\u27s Tennis Wins • Courtney Named an All-American • Trecroce Named Player of the Week • Women\u27s Tennis Action • Women\u27s Lacrosse Falls to Middlebury • Softball Drops 3 in a Row • Dickinson Rallies to Take Two From the Bearshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1401/thumbnail.jp

Life In The Cold: An Investigation Of Polar Regions

Polar areas provide unique environments that, though they may seem extreme and uninhabitable, are flourishing with life. These areas around the North and South poles include deep oceans, shallow shelf regions, tundra, mountain ranges and vast glaciers. With the increasing effects of global climate change, a basic knowledge of polar regions is crucial to understand future impacts and implications. The purpose of this book is to give a broad background of polar biology, and also provide details on specific examples through case studies. Topics included throughout this book are: Ice, Life in Polar Regions, Species Interactions, and Anthropogenic Impacts. The students in the Polar Biology course (MAR 464) at the University of New England have researched and reviewed scientific literature to educate readers about these regions. The class, comprised of fourteen junior and senior Marine Science, Ocean Studies and Marine Affairs, and Environmental Sciences students, selected the different topics, presented the material, wrote the chapters, and assembled the final versions into this book. This book cannot be all inclusive, but we think it will provide an excellent broad overview of the most important aspects of Polar Biology and will stimulate the reader to dive into the material further.https://dune.une.edu/marinesci_studproj/1001/thumbnail.jp