The Art of Questioning : Interrogations of Exceptionalist History and Cultural Mythology in the Novels of Salman Rushdie and William Faulkner

This thesis examines the ways in which Salman Rushdie and William Faulkner confront issues of exceptionalism, cultural mythology, and official history. In particular, it studies Faulkner\u27s interrogation of the southern myths such as honor, violence, and white patriarchy perpetuated by the Dunning School, as well as Rushdie\u27s questioning of nationalist memory in India and Pakistan. The aim of this study is to establish connections between writers in the Global South

Astronaut Rescue Air Pack (ARAP) and Emergency Egress Air Pack (EEAP)

Two designs for a lightweight, low profile, mobile rescue apparatus providing a 15-minute air supply and self-contained two-way communications assembly are described. Units are designed for astronaut use in hazardous environments

Influencing Factors in Degree Selection for Aviation Majors at Indiana State University

In many states the early years of this new century have brought new and varied challenges for higher education, the least of which is not ever-tightening institutional budgets. In this light it becomes prudent to utilize those resources we do have to their best and fullest extent. In many colleges and universities those resources are often allocated, to some extent, based on either a direct or indirect measure of student enrollments; numbers, for better or worse, are often king

The Effect of Changing Sea Ice on the Vulnerability of Arctic Coasts

Shorefast sea ice prevents the interaction of the land and the ocean in the Arctic winter and influences this interaction in the summer by governing the fetch. In many parts of the Arctic the sea-ice-free season is increasing in duration, and the summertime sea ice extents are decreasing. Sea ice provides a first order control on the vulnerability of Arctic coasts to erosion, inundation, and damage to settlements and infrastructure. We ask how the changing sea ice cover has influenced coastal erosion over the satellite record. First, we present a pan-Arctic analysis of satellite-based sea ice concentration specifically along the Arctic coasts. The median length of the 2012 open water season in comparison to 1979 expanded by between 1.5 and 3-fold by Arctic sea sector which allows for open water during the stormy Arctic fall. Second, we present a case study of Drew Point, Alaska, a site on the Beaufort Sea characterized by ice-rich permafrost and rapid coastal erosion rates where both the duration of the sea ice free season and distance to the sea ice edge, particularly towards the northwest, has increased. At Drew Point, winds from the northwest result in increased water levels at the coast and control the process of submarine notch incision, the rate-limiting step of coastal retreat. When open water conditions exist, the distance to the sea ice edge exerts control on the water level and wave field through its control on fetch. We find that the extreme values of water level set-up have increased, consistent with increasing fetch

Depression of aerobic metabolism and intracellular pH by hypercapnia in land snails, Otala lactea

The pulmonate land snail Otala lactea undergoes simultaneous hypercapnia, hypoxia, extracellular acidosis and metabolic depression during dormancy. We tested the effects of ambient hypercapnia and hypoxia on oxygen consumption (VO2) and on extracellular and intracellular pH of active (i.e. non-dormant) individuals. Active snails reduced VO2, by 50% within l h when exposed to 65mmHg (1 mmHg = 133.3Pa) ambient PCO2, and by 63% in 98mmHg. These levels of CO2 are within the range that occurs naturally in the lung and blood during dormancy. VO2 of hypercapnic snails remained below that of controls for the duration of exposure (up to 9 h) and returned to control levels within 1 h when CO2 was removed. Both pHe and whole-body pHi (measured using [14C]DMO) fell with increasing haemolymph PCO2 by approximately 0.7logPCO2 Critical (VO2- limiting) ambient PO2 of active snails was 90mmHg in the absence of CO2 and dropped to 50 mmHg when VO2 was reduced 45% by exposure to CO2. Estimated critical PO2 at the lower VO2 typical of dormancy is well below the typical lung PO2 of dormant Otala, suggesting that PO2 in the lung does not normally limit oxygen consumption during dormancy. These results support the hypothesis that hypercapnia or resulting respiratory acidosis depresses metabolic rate during dormancy, and argue against a limitation of VO2 by hypoxia

A Method for the Study of Human Factors in Aircraft Operations

A method for the study of human factors in the aviation environment is described. A conceptual framework is provided within which pilot and other human errors in aircraft operations may be studied with the intent of finding out how, and why, they occurred. An information processing model of human behavior serves as the basis for the acquisition and interpretation of information relating to occurrences which involve human error. A systematic method of collecting such data is presented and discussed. The classification of the data is outlined

Effects of Hypoxia on Egg Capsule Conductance in Ambystoma (Class Amphibia, Order Caudata)

Aquatic amphibian eggs frequently encounter hypoxic conditions that have the potential to limit oxygen uptake and thereby slow embryonic development and hatching. Oxygen limitation might be avoided if egg capsule surface area and oxygen conductance increased in response to hypoxia. We investigated this possibility in two salamander species, Ambystoma annulatum and Ambystoma talpoideum. The effective surface area of egg capsules increased in response to hypoxia, which increased the conductance for oxygen and enhanced oxygen transport. The ability of amphibian eggs to adjust their conductance in response to oxygen availability may increase survival in hypoxic environments

Adaptations to Host Infection and Larval Parasitism in Unionoida

Freshwater mussel larval parasitism of fish is unique among bivalves. The relationship is primarily phoretic rather than nutritive; only the smallest glochidia and the haustorial larva grow substantially while on the host. Growth of the smallest larvae suggests a lower functional size limit of ∼150 μm for the juvenile stage. Most Ambleminae, the most diverse North American clade, infect host gills by attracting feeding fish. Many species of Pleurobemini and some Lampsilini release conglutinates of eggs and larvae that resemble host food items. Many Lampsilini and a few Quadrulini use mantle modifications to attract host fish to the female. The mantle of some Quadrulini forms a posterior chamber that holds glochidia for immediate release in response to host fish. In many Lampsilini, mantle flap lures and a protrusible marsupium promote attack by the host fish and direct extraction of glochidia from the marsupium by the host. Host extraction of glochidia from the brooding female might have favored the evolution of long-term brooding in Lampsilini because glochidia need not be released by the female to encounter the host. A remarkable derivative of the host extraction strategy evolved in Epioblasma, which catch fish between the valves and release glochidia directly to the trapped host before releasing it. Host specificity is a critical feature of the evolutionary diversification and conservation biology of Unionoida. As temporary parasites, mussels must primarily evade the innate immune responses of the host, rather than the adaptive (acquired) responses. Evolution of host specificity is associated with selective encounter of host taxa, either because of host attraction strategies or because of dominance of particular host species in the habitat. The intricate relationships between mussels and fish are easily disrupted and, thus, contribute to the imperilment of many mussel species, yet they also fascinate us and compel conservation efforts