Phylogeny of the critically endangered North American spinymussels (Unionidae: Elliptio and Pleurobema)

Lateral spines are uncommon among freshwater bivalves. The North American freshwater mussel fauna includes three taxa that exhibit spines: Elliptio spinosa, Elliptio steinstansana, and Pleurobema collina. All three taxa are endemic to the Southeastern US, and critically endangered. Currently, these species are recognized in two genera and are a source of taxonomic confusion within the unionid tribe Pleurobemini (Elliptio and Pleurobema). Because freshwater mussels exhibit phenotypically plastic shell morphology, morphologically-based diagnoses are problematic. I sequenced two mtDNA gene fragments and a fragment of the nuclear ITS-1 locus from >70 spinymussel specimens. Bayesian phylogenetic reconstructions suggest that the spinymussels do not comprise a monophyletic group. Elliptio steinstansana is sister to P. collina and these taxa form a monophyletic clade that possibly diverged from its nearest ancestor in the late Miocene. Additionally, E. spinosa forms a monophyletic clade that diverged from members of the core Elliptio lineage in the mid Pliocene, >1.5 million years before multiple radiations within the Elliptio clade. Furthermore, E. spinosa is divergent from the other spinymussels, suggesting that spines have evolved separately in two distinct bivalve lineages endemic to this region. These findings suggest a need to revise the taxonomy of this highly imperiled mussel group

External distractions or more mind wandering? : Evaluating a recent model of conscious thoughts

Mind wandering is a very exciting topic in cognitive science, and as such, different researchers have come up with different hypotheses and models to explain it. One model, introduced by Stawarczyk, Majerus, Maj, Van der Linden, and D’Argembeau in 2011, conceptualizes conscious thoughts along the two dimensions of task-relatedness and stimulus-dependency. From these two dimensions they generated a four-way model of thoughts, including mind wandering and external distractions. The current study aimed to evaluate this model, particularly regarding the empirical distinction between mind wandering and external distractions, by using confirmatory factor analyses to see how external distractions and mind wandering relate to one another and to other variables, such as working memory capacity and attentional restraint. It was found that the distinction made by Stawarczyk and colleagues – especially regarding the inclusion of interoceptive stimuli with external distractions – did not seem to hold up

Sexual dimorphism and offspring sex ratio in feral cats

This pilot study investigated several reproductive parameters including anogenital distance and intrauterine position to determine its effects, if any, on fertility factors such as litter size and sex ratio in feral cats in the NC triad. While it is known that males possess larger anogenital distances across many mammalian species, some of the first averages on anogenital distance in feral cats were calculated in this study. The average anogenital distance on male cats in this study was found to be 2.22 cm and 1.29 for females (includes all females analyzed: pregnant and normal females). The data obtained in this study indicate that there is no statistically significant correlation between body mass and anogenital distance in neither males nor females. No conclusion could be made as to whether anogenital distance affected litter sex ratio due to sample size limitations of this study. With regards to anogenital distance and an effect on litter size, no statistically significant correlation was found between the two variables. Intrauterine position results were inconclusive, once again due to sample size limitations of this study. While more information is necessary before it can be determined whether the phenomenona of anogenital distance and intrauterine position are reliable predictors of pregnancy outcomes (including litter size and sex ratios), the results of this study demonstrates the lack of correlation between several variables and indicates the relationships between variables that require more data collection. It also established the sexual dimorphism of anogenital distance in feral cats

The gendering of educational leadership styles: mentoring and the deconstruction of binaries that influence women's access to the superintendency

At the onset of this research, approximately 24.1% of superintendents in the United States and 15.7% of superintendents in North Carolina were women. These statistics indicate a national gap of 51.9 percentage points and a 68.6 percentage point gap in North Carolina for gender representation in the superintendency. To better understand the under representation of women in the superintendency, I studied the experiences of how female superintendents in North Carolina were/are being mentored, as well as how they have/are mentoring others. This study explored the mentoring experiences of seven female superintendents in North Carolina to determine the impact such experiences play in reproducing the gendering of leadership roles. The impact of mentoring experiences on subjectivity, agency, and women's access to the superintendency was also explored. Poststructural feminism served as the theoretical lens to inquire about practices that reinforce socially constructed beliefs which associate leadership styles with gender and the extent to which these may impact access for women to the superintendency. The results of the study not only contribute to recommendations for improving mentoring experiences and opportunities for women aspiring to the superintendency, but also identify ways that mentoring can support the work of both men and women in creating a more equitable system. The findings of the research suggest that current superintendents have immense power in women's access to the superintendency. As mentors, they can provide protégés with authentic job opportunities, model a variety of effective leadership practices and provide reflective and supportive discourse with and about protégés. Using these strategies positively impact the protégés subjectivity within educational leadership. The results also indicate that socially constructed patriarchal assumptions about leadership and gender are still deeply embedded and more work is needed to deconstruct these assumptions as they complicate women's access to and work within the superintendency

"In a roundabout way": Evasive, Oblique and Indirect Discourse in Allen Tate, Tennessee Williams and Lewis Nordan

Allen Tate's The Fathers, Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, and Lewis Nordan's Wolf Whistle represent a few of the numerous southern texts which demonstrate an historically evasive rhetorical style, particularly when dealing with difficult or socially taboo issues. Typically, the more important the subject, the less direct the approach. Preoccupation with hospitality, etiquette, and public appearance results in oblique discursive strategies which structure social norms and narrative practices in the American South. In each case, the author's self-identification with southern culture foregrounds his familiarity with these codes and the author's biographies, interviews and critical writings support his use of such systems. In addition, each author employs a generic device which furthers the elisions and circumventions exemplified by their characters. Tate, Williams and Nordan utilize techniques such as gothicism, plastic theater, and magical realism which blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. These conventions paradoxically distance the reader from the text, at times neglecting important matters and yet, at others, offering ambiguous spaces where contemplation of otherwise unspeakable concerns may occur

Perceived barriers limiting ascension to the principalship: identifying perceptions of assistant principals, principals, and district supervisors

This qualitative research study examined the perceptions of current and/or former assistant principals, principals and district leaders as to why certain assistant principals who aim or had aimed to become K-12 public school principals have been unable to achieve the goal of attaining the principalship. Educators who choose to pursue K-12 public school administrative positions often envision themselves becoming principals. However, there are some individuals who have been unable to achieve that goal. This study investigated perceived obstacles to promotion from the assistant principalship to the principalship. The study examined the shared experiences of assistant principals to determine if exposure and experience with certain types of activities and responsibilities better prepare assistant principals for the principalship. The study also explored the concept of being stuck in the role of assistant principal. The findings of the research support that being stuck as an assistant principal is largely a self-imposed barrier, in which assistant principals have found themselves stuck due to their own actions. These actions suggest and include damaged relationships with the principal (which could be caused by actions of the AP and/or the principal); poor decision making; patterns of mistakes made; assistant principals failing to seek additional experiences and opportunities. Although there were two study participants who felt stuck in the role of AP as a result of race and/or gender bias, these two individuals did achieve promotion to the district level, bypassing the principalship. Stuckness is hard to admit; however, the ability to become unstuck is dependent on the individual assistant principal seeking avenues for feedback and forgiveness if they have been involved in previous incidents or mistakes. In addition, school districts bare responsibility for creating opportunities for assistant principal growth and development through mentoring programs, professional development and a willingness to provide authentic feedback and support to assistant principals who seek help in getting unstuck

Weather impacts on visitor behavior: a spatio-temporal study of select U.S. metropolitan zoological parks

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts that will be submitted to peer-reviewed academic journals. The first paper is a review of the relationship between PET-derived temperature categories and daily visitor attendance at the Phoenix and Atlanta zoos. This paper discusses trends in attendance patterns and serves as a foundation for the subsequent papers. The second paper expands on the theories and findings of the first paper by expanding the study area to Indianapolis and St. Louis zoos regarding the response of attendance to PET-derived temperature categories. Additionally, this paper also explores the possible influence of admission pricing as it relates to visitor responses to the weather. The final paper implements a broader scale of climate data by using the Spatial Synoptic Classification in a review of attendance response at Atlanta and Indianapolis zoos. Use of this climate classification in the realm of tourism is one of the first studies to do so. Overall, this dissertation research provides new methodologies and illustrates findings which may allow for a better understanding of how people react to the weather. These results may assist leaders and governments to make better-informed policy and planning decisions for the future

New beings

The poems in this manuscript explore the adaptations one makes to sustain life after loss. Through concision and directness, this collection offers a study of the transformative quality of grief. The southern landscape provides a means for introspection and excavation of the speaker's fears, which compound and intervene throughout relationships with others and particularly in regard to the evolution of the self

Educational resources and facilities of Greensboro, North Carolina : industry suitable for use by schools and colleges

The use of the educational resources which are available in the community environment is becoming; increasingly important. Students are no longer limited to studying the textbook and to class discussions. They not only want to study about things, but they want to see them. After topics in the textbook have been studied, it is imperative that the community resources be utilized to make the textbook material more meaningful. Sometimes it is difficult to understand abstract material, but when one can take a trip and actually see it, he will comprehend it better. In order to stimulate the interest of a class in some special topic, the educational resources of a community should be used. Often when students do not have a desire to learn more about certain topics, the wine use of the community resources may be effective in arousing their interest

Engaging participants in a complex intervention trial in Australian General Practice

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