WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY AUTISM: RE-THINKING THE ROLES OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACY IN AUTISM DISCOURSE

Literacy studies are deeply intertwined with issues of identity. Olivas explores the ways that public discourses of autism have constructed an autism “Identity kit,” as defined by James Paul Gee, which harms autistic students and communities more than it helps. This is particularly true for adult autistics. Considering the growing presence of the autistic learner in the composition classroom, it is important to understand how public discourse influences classroom dynamics. Drawing heavily on her own experience as the mother of autistic sons and on Melanie Yergeau’s “Circle Wars: Reshaping the Typical Autism Essay,” Olivas explores how her children have been affected by public discourse and how her own identity as both a member of the autistic community and a teacher of composition has shaped her views on that discourse. Advisor: Robert Brook

Losing your edge: climate change and the conservation value of range-edge populations

Populations occurring at species\u27 range edges can be locally adapted to unique environmental conditions. From a species\u27 perspective, range-edge environments generally have higher severity and frequency of extreme climatic events relative to the range core. Under future climates, extreme climatic events are predicted to become increasingly important in defining species\u27 distributions. Therefore, range-edge genotypes that are better adapted to extreme climates relative to core populations may be essential to species\u27 persistence during periods of rapid climate change. We use relatively simple conceptual models to highlight the importance of locally adapted range-edge populations (leading and trailing edges) for determining the ability of species to persist under future climates. Using trees as an example, we show how locally adapted populations at species\u27 range edges may expand under future climate change and become more common relative to range-core populations. We also highlight how large-scale habitat destruction occurring in some geographic areas where many species range edge converge, such as biome boundaries and ecotones (e.g., the arc of deforestation along the rainforest-cerrado ecotone in the southern Amazonia), can have major implications for global biodiversity. As climate changes, range-edge populations will play key roles in helping species to maintain or expand their geographic distributions. The loss of these locally adapted range-edge populations through anthropogenic disturbance is therefore hypothesized to reduce the ability of species to persist in the face of rapid future climate change

Profiling condition-specific, genome-wide regulation of mRNA stability in yeast

The steady-state abundance of an mRNA is determined by the balance between transcription and decay. Although regulation of transcription has been well studied both experimentally and computationally, regulation of transcript stability has received little attention. We developed an algorithm, MatrixREDUCE, that discovers the position-specific affinity matrices for unknown RNAbinding factors and infers their condition-specific activities, using only genomic sequence data and steady-state mRNA expression data as input. We identified and computationally characterized the binding sites for six mRNA stability regulators in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which include two members of the Pumilio-homology domain (Puf) family of RNA-binding proteins, Puf3p and Puf4p. We provide computational and experimental evidence that regulation of mRNA stability by these factors is modulated in response to a variety of environmental stimuli

CAMBIOS ESTACIONALES EN LA DIETA DEL VENADO BURA (Odocoileus hemionus Crooki) EN MATORRAL DESÉRTICO CHIHUAHUENSE

The Chihuahuan Desert presents specific constrains for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations; given that mule deer are large herbivores, both forage quality and quantity play an important role in the species survival in the desert. The aim of the present study was to evaluate habitat condition of an area where mule deer inhabit. This zone, located in a region of the Chihuahuan Desert exhibits different types of dominant vegetation (medium scrubland and grassland). Vegetation percent cover, diet composition and forage nutritional value, with crude protein content (CP), were evaluated for different vegetation types in three annual seasons: moderate-dry, moderate-humid and cold-dry, during 2012 and 2013. We classified forages into three categories: trees-shrubs, grasses-herbs, and succulents. The results show diet composition changes during annual seasons, with succulents as well as tree-shrubs as the principal components. Treesshrubs exhibited in average a higher CP percentage (13.6%), for the moderate-humid season. The medium scrubland area exhibited higher density on trees and shrubs; in addition, this area presents higher hills and deeper slopes, making it a region with high aptitude for mule deer sustainment within the Chihuahuan Desert.El Desierto Chihuahuense (DC) impone restricciones específicas para las poblaciones de venado bura (Odocoileus hemionus Crooki) en cuanto a la disponibilidad y calidad de alimento y juegan un papel importante en su sobrevivencia en el desierto. En este estudio se valoraron los cambios en la dieta del venado bura en una zona ubicada en una región del DC en una zona que exhibe diferentes tipos de vegetación tales como, matorral mediano subinerme y pastizal amacollado. Se evaluaron cambios en la composición de la dieta del venado, proteína cruda (PC) en las plantas, así como, la frecuencia vegetal en tres épocas del año: templado-seco, templado-húmedo y frío-seco, durante los años 2012 y 2013. Se determinó que las plantas suculentas y árboles-arbustos, son los principales componentes de la dieta del venado; y la categoría de árboles-arbustos presentó mayor porcentaje de PC (13.6%) durante la temporada templado-húmedo y sugiere que el venado selecciona su dieta para maximizar el consumo de PC. La zona de matorral mediano subinerme exhibió mayor cantidad de árboles y arbustos, además de presentar mayores pendientes, por lo que se considera que esta zona dentro del DC tiene mejor aptitud para el sostenimiento del venado

Empirical evidence on foreign debt, investment, and growth in Mexico, 1980-2003

Under some conditions, it is possible that foreign debt can cause fixed investment in a country to decline. Under those circumstances, economic growth will turn negative. This theoretical possibility is known as the debt overhang hypothesis. This study investigates the debt overhang hypothesis for Mexico between 1980 and 2003. Parameter estimation results offer partial empirical evidence in favor of this hypothesis. Simulation results exhibit a high degree of correlation with actual sample data.Foreign debt; growth; applied econometrics; Mexico

Crystallographic Oxide Phase Identification of Char Deposits Obtained from Space Shuttle Columbia Window Debris

Analyzing the remains of Space Shuttle Columbia has proven technically beneficial years after the vehicle breakup. This investigation focused on charred deposits on fragments of Columbia overhead windowpanes. Results were unexpected relative to the engineering understanding of material performance in a reentry environment. The TEM analysis demonstrated that the oxides of aluminum and titanium mixed with silicon oxides to preserve a history of thermal conditions to which portions of the vehicle were exposed. The presence of Ti during the beginning of the deposition process, along with the thermodynamic phase precipitation upon cool down, indicate that temperatures well above the Ti melt point were experienced. The stratified observations implied that additional exothermic reaction, expectedly metal combustion of a Ti structure, had to be present for oxide formation. Results are significant for aerospace vehicles where thermal protection system (TPS) breaches cause substructures to be in direct path with the reentry plasma.

Asymmetrical transfer effects of cognitive bias modification: Modifying attention to threat influences interpretation of emotional ambiguity, but not vice versa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is well established that attention bias and interpretation bias each have a key role in the development and continuation of anxiety. How the biases may interact with one another in anxiety is, however, poorly understood. Using cognitive bias modification techniques, the present study examined whether training a more positive interpretation bias or attention bias resulted in transfer of effects to the untrained cognitive domain. Differences in anxiety reactivity to a real-world stressor were also assessed. METHODS: Ninety-seven first year undergraduates who had self-reported anxiety were allocated to one of four groups: attention bias training (n = 24), interpretation bias training (n = 26), control task training (n = 25) and no training (n = 22). Training was computer-based and comprised eight sessions over four weeks. Baseline and follow-up measures of attention and interpretation bias, anxiety and depression were taken. RESULTS: A significant reduction in threat-related attention bias and an increase in positive interpretation bias occurred in the attention bias training group. The interpretation bias training group did not exhibit a significant change in attention bias, only interpretation bias. The effect of attention bias training on interpretation bias was significant as compared with the two control groups. There were no effects on self-report measures. LIMITATIONS: The extent to which interpretive training can modify attentional processing remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the idea that attentional training might have broad cognitive consequences, impacting downstream on interpretive bias. However, they do not fully support a common mechanism hypothesis, as interpretive training did not impact on attentional bias

Plutonium pit manufacturing unit process separation options for rapid reconstitution, a joint position paper of Lawrence Livemore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory

This document addressed technical issues regarding the manufacturing processes involved in making plutonium pits. It addresses acceptable approaches from a technical standpoint as to how the manufacturing processes can be separated and distributed among different manufacturing sites. Site selections, costs, and intra-site transfers are not addressed in this document

Biocontrol of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita with Purporeocillum lilacinum and liquid bio-formulates in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) cause great losses in tomato crops. An environmentally friendly for its control is the use of predatory fungi such as Purporeocillum lilacinum, which reduces its population in the soil and mitigates yield losses. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the biocontrol efficacy of the strains of the nematophagous fungus Purporeocillum lilacinum and liquid bioformulates on the eggs of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, and the formation of galls on the tomato root. Two native strains of Purporeocillum lilacinum H2 and H3 combined with the bioformulated Extract of Beneficial Microorganisms (EPMB®) and the root exudate stimulator Exu-Root® were tested on Meloidogyne incognita eggs and tomato plants. The results obtained indicate that the Purporeocillum lilacinum H2 and H3 strains infected the Meloidogyne incognita eggs, interrupted the development of the embryos and caused their death, which significantly reduced the presence of galls in the root of the plants. In short, the maximum biological performance was presented with the treatments H2+Exu-Root® and H3+EPMB®, which had the lowest number of galls with 19.2 and 20.3 galls per plant respectively, compared to the control that presented 88 galls in the root and the treatments where the fungus was not applied (69-85 galls). Finally, it is concluded that the results demonstrate the potential of the Purporeocillum lilacinum H2 and H3 strains as biocontrol agents against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, and that, in combination with EPMB® and Exu-Root®, the efficacy can be increased to reduce its population