Using Media Equation Theory to Assess the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Technology in Organizational Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Training

The emergence of immersive virtual reality media technology is providing human beings with a new communication platform to engage beyond the traditional frameworks of video media, audio media, and static webpages on the Internet. These communication media technologies offer users an immersive environment in which they are able to communicate and interact with fellow human beings and non-human entities in life-like mannerisms. Most importantly, this technology also has the potential to bridge gaps and solve problems within the context of certain cultural and societal issues. The issue of communication deficiencies surrounding the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is one that holds significant value for many individuals, organizations, and institutions. This research study explores how the use of virtual reality media in the form of a DEIB training module can aid in more efficient and meaningful organizational training related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging communication strategies

"The warpath of empire:" preservation and interpretation of French and Indian War sites in Lake George, New York

Masters final project submitted to the Faculty of the Historic Preservation Program, School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Historic Preservation. HISP 710/711 final project, May 2012.The Military Road, built by the British in 1755 during the French and Indian War, was used to move men and supplies from the Hudson River to Lake George in upstate New York through the North American wilderness. As such, it was a vital link in the “warpath of empire” between three mighty powers: the British, French, and Iroquois. After the war ended, the Military Road faded from the landscape, but the fortifications, blockhouses, and battlefields associated with it remain part of the landscape to the present day. This project examines these sites for their preservation and interpretive history and status, and based on these observations, recommends the creation of a Military Road Trail. This recommendation, based on other successful national preservation and interpretive programs, allows stakeholder participation in creating unified narrative and interpretive themes and creates and enhanced visitor experience for the French and Indian War in Lake George, New York

Bisphenol A induces superfeminization in the Ramshorn snail Marisa cornuarietis (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) at environmentally relevant concentrations

Previous investigations have shown that bisphenol A (BPA) induces a superfeminization syndrome in the freshwater snail Marisa cornuarietis at concentrations as low as 1 μg/L. Superfemales are characterized by the formation of additional female organs, enlarged accessory sex glands, gross malformations of the pallial oviduct, and a stimulation of egg and clutch production, resulting in increased female mortality. However, these studies were challenged on the basis of incomplete experimentation. Therefore, the objective of the current approach was to bridge several gaps in knowledge by conducting additional experiments. In an initial series of experiments, study results from the reproductive phase of the snails were evaluated in the sub-micrograms per liter range. Before and after the spawning season, superfemale responses were observed [NOEC (no observed effect concentration) 7.9 ng/L, EC10 (effective concentration at 10%) 13.9 ng/L], which were absent during the spawning season. A further experiment investigated the temperature dependence of BPA responses by exposing snails at two temperatures in parallel. The adverse effect of BPA was at least partially masked at 27°C (EC10 998 ng/L) when compared with 20°C (EC10 14.8 ng/L). In M. cornuarietis, BPA acts as an estrogen receptor (ER) agonist, because effects were completely antagonized by a co-exposure to tamoxifen and Faslodex. Antiandrogenic effects of BPA, such as a significant decrease in penis length at 20°C, were also observed. Competitive receptor displacement experiments indicate the presence of androgen- and estrogen-specific binding sites. The affinity for BPA of the estrogen binding sites in M. cornuarietis is higher than that of the ER in aquatic vertebrates. The results emphasize that prosobranchs are affected by BPA at lower concentrations than are other wildlife groups, and the findings also highlight the importance of exposure conditions

Effects of BPA in snails : Oehlmann et al. respond

We welcome critical appraisals that help to provide balance; however, Dietrich et al. gave an unjustified reproach. We feel that Dietrich’s position is severely compromised because he serves as an expert for the bisphenol A (BPA) Industry Group (Brussels, Belgium). We would like to respond to the issues raised by Dietrich et al., as well as to their oversights and inappropriate interpretations of our findings..

Pretreatment and hydrolysis of agricultural residues for material biomass utilisation

Der weltweit steigende Energiebedarf und der prognostizierte Mangel an fossilen Rohstoffen führen dazu, dass Alternativen für petrochemische Produkte und für die Energiegewinnung gefunden werden müssen. Für die stoffliche Nutzung, also der Ersatz von Öl für z.B. die Kunststoff-, oder Kraftstoffchemie ist bis jetzt noch keine zufriedenstellende Alternative verfügbar, da sie im Vergleich zu petrochemischen Produkten noch zu kostenintensiv sind. (Wyman 2007, Keim and Röper 2010, Brosowski, Adler et al. 2015) Aus diesem Grund ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit eine Biomasse zu identifizieren, die für die stoffliche Biomassennutzung genutzt werden kann und nicht in Konkurrenz zur Lebens- oder Futtermittelproduktion steht. Dazu wurden verschiedene Rohstoffe (u.a. Weizenkaff sowie Weizen-, Gersten-, Soja- und Rapsstroh) untersucht da sie als Lignocellulosen viele hydrolysierbare Kohlenhydrate enthalten, in großen Mengen vorhanden sind und industriell wenig bis gar nicht genutzt werden. Zunächst wurden alle Rohstoffe charakterisiert und die theoretisch erreichbare Zuckerkonzentration mittels Säurehydrolyse (Sluiter und Hames 2006) ermittelt. Weizenkaff stellt dabei die vielversprechendste Biomasse dar, da diese aus ca. 60 % fermentierbaren Zuckern besteht. Im Anschluss an die Charakterisierung wurden verschiedene, thermochemische Vorbehandlungsmethoden (Liquid Hot Water (LHW), verdünnter Säurevorbehandlung sowie alkalische Vorhandlung mittels Natronlauge und Ammoniak (AFEX)) untersucht. Das Ziel dieser Untersuchungen war es, die verfügbaren Zucker für die enzymatische Hydrolyse zugänglich zu machen und dabei gleichzeitig die Bildung von Degradationsprodukten zu vermeiden. Diese können die anschließende Hydrolyse und eine mögliche, anschließende Fermentation hemmen. Die für Weizenkaff optimierten Verfahren sind dabei das LHW-Verfahren bei 200 °C/10 min, die saure Vorbehandlung bei 0,65 %iger Schwefelsäure und 125 °C/30 min sowie die 2 %ige NaOH Vorbehandlung bei 21 °C/15 h. Das mit NaOH vorbehandelte Kaff wurde im Anschluss für die Optimierung der enzymatischen Hydrolyse verwendet. Für die Hydrolyse wurden der Feststoffgehalt (5 – 30 %), die Rührgeschwindigkeit (5 – 500 rpm), die Hydrolysedauer (6 – 168 h) sowie die verwendete Enzymmenge (5 – 200 FPU) optimiert. Die ideale Hydrolyse erfolgt dabei bei 20 FPU, einer Hydrolysedauer von 96 h und einer Rührgeschwindigkeit von 15 rpm. Mit diesen Parametern kann ein Verzuckerungsgrad von 82 % erzielt werden.Rising global demand of energy and the predicted absence of fossil fuels leads to find alternatives for petrochemicals. The replacement of crude oil for plastics or fuel chemistry is not easy because of the lack on alternatives. All available alternatives are still too expensive compared to petrochemical products. (Wyman 2007, Keim and Röper 2010, Brosowski, Adler et al., 2015) For this reason, the aim of this work is to identify a biomass that can be used for material use and it is not in competition with food or feed production. Various raw materials (wheat chaff, barley-, soybean- and rapeseed-straw) were investigated because they contain a huge amount of hydrolyzable carbohydrates as lignocelluloses. In addition to that, lignocelluloses are present in large quantities and industry is using only some of them. First of all, all raw materials were characterized and the theoretically achievable sugar concentration was determined by acid hydrolysis (Sluiter and Hames 2006). Wheatchaff is the most promising biomass and it consists of about 60 % of fermentable sugars. Following the characterization, various thermochemical pretreatment methods (Liquid Hot Water (LHW), dilute acid pretreatment, alkaline caustic soda and ammonia (AFEX) pretreatment) were investigated with the aim of achieving all available sugars for enzymatic hydrolysis with a minimal formation of degradation products. These degradation products can inhibit the hydrolysis and a possible subsequent fermentation. The optimized procedures for wheat chaff are the LHW process at 200 ° C/10 min, the acid pretreatment at 0.65 % sulfuric acid and 125 ° C/30 min and the 2 % NaOH pretreatment at 21 ° C/15 h. The NaOH pretreated chaff was used to optimize enzymatic hydrolysis. For the hydrolysis, the solid content (5 to 30 %), the stirring speed (5 to 500 rpm), the hydrolysis time (6 to 168 h) and the amount of enzyme used (5 to 200 FPU), were optimized. The ideal hydrolysis takes place at 20 FPU, a hydrolysis time of 96 h and a stirring speed of 15 rpm. With these parameters, a degree of saccharification of 82% can be achieved

A Survey of Parents of Children in Grades Three, Six, and Nine in the Mason City School System Concerning Various Aspects of Family Life Education

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The Power of Perserverance: Creating the Roles of Hippodamia and Pythia in Atreus

This paper is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre. It is a comprehensive overview of Lindsey L. Oetken’s process constructing the roles of Hippodamia and Pythia in Atreus, produced by Minnesota State University, Mankato in early 2021. From pre-production to performance, the document covers Oetken’s artistic process through five chapters: an early production analysis, an historical and critical perspective, a journal of rehearsals and performance, a post-production analysis and a process development chapter, which encompasses the entirety of the graduate experience

THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ESTRADIOL DELIVERY METHODS ON PLASMA ESTRADIOL LEVELS IN MICE

Evidence suggests that estrogen plays a role in decreasing the risk of developing colon cancer. Numerous animal studies demonstrate possible mechanisms to explain how estradiol (E2) prevents this disease. Many of these studies involve removing the ovaries of mice and replacing E2 at a controlled dose for the length of the study. One method of E2 delivery involves compacting E2 and cholesterol into a pellet and implanting it subcutaneously on the back of the animal. While the release patters of silastic implants have been studied previously, the compressed powder pellets release patterns has not. It is unclear if the results of studies using this hormone delivery method come from a steady release of the E2 over the entirety of the study or if it is the result of a giant influx of E2 levels just at the beginning. This ten-week experiment compared the amounts of E2 released from an E2 compressed powder pellet, a silastic E2 implant and a control cholesterol implant. To observe the amount of estradiol released, female mice were first ovariectomized and received either a treatment of: E2, control, or a silastic implant of E2. Each week following the surgery, a group of mice were sacrificed from each of the three treatment groups. The blood was tested using an ELISA test to determine the levels of estradiol. The results showed that there was peak of E2 directly following the implantation of the pellet and a week after implanting the silastic E2, but the levels then remained constant