Foundations in Curating: Designing a System for Cataloging, Preparing, and Accessing MacEwan’s Invertebrate Fossil Collection

MacEwan University hosts a large collections of hitherto un-curated Upper Ordovician to Upper Mississippian invertebrate fossils, donated to the University in perpetuity by a former faculty member, which are currently housed in temporary storage by the University's Earth Sciences division. While field notes and limited provenience data were included with the donation, no standardized system of documentation or permanent storage plan currently exists in the Earth Sciences division to facilitate management, protection, and further study of these fossil specimens. The primary goal of this research project is to create a curatorial system, including accession, locality, catalog, and preparation forms and protocols, a photographic record of specimens, and an alphanumeric catalog coding system unique to MacEwan University, and to apply this system to the invertebrate fossil collection so that it might serve as a prototype for future curatorial efforts. It is hoped that a detailed analysis of MacEwan University's first cataloged fossil collection, in conjunction with the development of a foundational methodology for curating specimens, will have potential applications for collections held by other divisions within the University, which will in turn make MacEwan's collections accessible and useful to students, faculty, members of other institutions, and the public. *Indicates faculty mentor

Moment tensor inversions of icequakes on Gornergletscher, Switzerland

We have determined seismic source mechanisms for shallow and intermediate-depth icequake clusters recorded on the glacier Gornergletscher, Switzerland, during the summers of 2004 and 2006. The selected seismic events are part of a large data set of over 80,000 seismic events acquired with a dense seismic network deployed in order to study the yearly rapid drainage of Gornersee lake, a nearby ice-marginal lake. Using simple frequency and distance scaling and Green’s functions for a homogeneous half-space, we calculated moment tensor solutions for icequakes with M_w-1.5 using a full-waveform inversion method usually applied to moderate seismic events (M_w>4) recorded at local to regional distances (≈50–700 km). Inversions from typical shallow events are shown to represent tensile crack openings. This explains well the dominating Rayleigh waves and compressive first motions observed at all recording seismograms. As these characteristics can be observed in most icequake signals, we believe that the vast majority of icequakes recorded in the 2 yr is due to tensile faulting, most likely caused by surface crevasse openings. We also identified a shallow cluster with somewhat atypical waveforms in that they show less dominant Rayleigh waves and quadrantal radiation patterns of first motions. Their moment tensors are dominated by a large double-couple component, which is strong evidence for shear faulting. Although less than a dozen such icequakes have been identified, this is a substantial result as it shows that shear faulting in glacier ice is generally possible even in the absence of extreme flow changes such as during glacier surges. A third source of icequakes was located at 100 m depth. These sources can be represented by tensile crack openings. Because of the high-hydrostatic pressure within the ice at these depths, these events are most likely related to the presence of water lenses that reduce the effective stress to allow for tensile faulting

Eine Studie zur Entwicklung des akademischen Selbstkonzepts von Hauptschüler/Innen in Abhängigkeit von sozialen Vergleichen und dem impliziten Intelligenzmodell nach C.Dweck

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Entwicklung des akademischen Selbstkonzepts in Abhängigkeit vom sozialen Vergleich. Das akademische Selbstkonzept ist eine wichtige Einflussvariable für die schulische Leistung und das Wohlbefinden der Kinder in der Schule. Die Einschätzung der eigenen Leistungen und Fähigkeiten entsteht hauptsächlich durch soziale Vergleiche innerhalb der Bezugsgruppe (der Klasse). Beim Übergang in eine weiterführende Schule wechseln die Kinder in eine leistungshomogenere Umgebung. Abhängig von der Leistungsstärke der Klasse wurde in früheren Untersuchungen häufig ein negativer Effekt der Bezugsgruppe auf das Fähigkeitsselbstkonzept nachgewiesen. Diese Studie untersucht daher, welche der Variablen, die soziale Vergleiche beeinflussen können und im Bezug zur Schulleistung stehen, von Bedeutung für die Entstehung des Fähigkeitsselbstkonzepts sind. Anhand einer Stichprobe von 238 zehn- bis elfjährigen Hauptschülern in Niederösterreich wurden die Leistungen der Schüler in Deutsch und Mathematik mit einem für diese Untersuchung gekürzten Schulleistungstest (Hamburger Schulleistungstest) erfasst. Das akademische Selbstkonzept wurde mittels zweier unterschiedlicher Fragebögen (DISK-Gitter mit SKSLF-8 & SESSKO) erhoben. Zudem wurden die moderierenden Variablen der Zielorientierung (Lern- und Leistungsmotivation), der Bezugsnormorientierung und der impliziten Intelligenzkonzepte (nach Carol Dweck) mit weiteren Fragebögen ermittelt. Mittels einer Regressionsanalyse konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Orientierung am eigenen Lernzuwachs für eine positive Entwicklung des Fähigkeitsselbstkonzepts wichtig ist. Als positive Einflussvariable konnten die individuelle Bezugsnormorientierung und die Lernzielorientierung festgestellt werden. Auch Annäherungs-Leistungsziele, die für das erfolgszuversichtliche Aufsuchen von Leistungssituationen stehen, sind ein wichtiger Prädiktor für das Fähigkeitsselbstkonzept. Der positive Einfluss der Leistung selbst auf das Selbstkonzept erwies sich als nur gering. Die Lern- und Leistungsmotivation wirkte nicht über ihre Bedeutung für die Leistung, sondern war unabhängig von der Schulleistung ein wichtiger Faktor für die Entwicklung des Fähigkeitsselbstkonzepts. Negativ hingegen wirkten die Arbeitsvermeidung und die Vermeidungs-Leistungsziele. Eine positive Motivation gegenüber dem Lernen ist somit entscheidend für ein gutes Fähigkeitsselbstkonzept.This study examines the development of an academic self-concept subject to social comparison. The academic self-concept is an important predictor for the academic performance and wellbeing of children in school. The assessment of one’s own achievements and abilities emerges principally through social comparison within the reference group (the class). With the crossover into secondary school the children move into a performance-homogenous environment. Depending on the level of performance of the class, earlier studies have often demonstrated the negative impact of the reference group on the academic self-concept. This study therefore examines which of the variables can influence the social comparison and, in relation to school performance, are important for the emergence of the academic self-concept. Using a test sample of 238 10-11 year old secondary school pupils in Lower Austria, the performances of the school children in the subjects of German and Mathematics were recorded using a shortened version of a school achievement test (Hamburger Schulleistungstest). The academic self-concept was raised with the use of two different questionnaires (DISK-Gitter with SKSLF-8 & SESSKO). Furthermore, the moderated variables of the goal orientation (learning and performance motivation), the reference norm-orientation and the implicit theories of intelligence (according to Carol Dweck) were ascertained with the use of further questionnaires. With the use of a regression analysis it could be shown that an orientation towards one’s own learning growth is important for a positive development of the academic self-concept. The individual reference norm orientation and learning goal orientation could be established as a predictor. Performance approach orientation goals that signify success-confident performance situations are also an important predictor for the academic self-concept. The positive influence of achievement itself appeared to be only minor. The learning and performance motivation proved to be an important factor for the development of the academic self-concept not through its significance for performance but rather independent of the school performance. Work avoidance and the performance avoidance orientation proved to be negative however. In comparison, a positive motivation for learning is therefore crucial for a good academic self-concept

One laptop per child

Diese Diplomarbeit setzt sich mit dem Entwicklungsprojekt One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) auseinander, das 2005 vom US-amerikanischen Computerwissenschafter und MIT-Professor Nicholas Negroponte gegründet wurde. OLPC macht den Namen zum Programm: Kinder in den Ländern des Südens erhalten einen robusten, kostengünstigen und vernetzten Laptop, der von ExpertInnen aus Industrie und Wissenschaft speziell zu diesem Zweck entwickelt wurde. Der unter dem Namen 100-Dollar-Laptop (auch: XO-Laptop) bekannt gewordene Computer soll benachteiligten und marginalisierten Kindern neue Möglichkeiten gesellschaftlicher Teilhabe in einer zunehmend vernetzten Welt sowie selbstbestimmte Formen des Lernens, Experimentierens und Forschens eröffnen. OLPC ist ein Projekt globalen Maßstabs: Länder des Südens sollen ungeachtet ihrer ökonomischen, politischen und kulturellen Diversität vom Nutzen der neuen Technologien für die Verbesserung der Unterrichtsqualität überzeugt werden. Ausgehend vom Paradigma der globalen Informations- und Wissensgesellschaft wird den Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (ICTs) große Bedeutung für die Veränderung ökonomischer, politischer und sozialer Realitäten zugeschrieben. Seit November 2007 befindet sich der 100-Dollar-Laptop in der Massenproduktion. Seither wurden über 500.000 Laptops an 31 Länder ausgeliefert. Ein zentrales Anliegen vorliegender Arbeit ist die diskursanalytische Verortung von OLPC im Entwicklungsdiskurs sowie die Einbettung des Projekts in einen breiteren Kontext. Als zentrales Motiv der Arbeit kann die Kritik des Projekts unter den Vorzeichen seines positiven Technikdeterminismus bezeichnet werden. OLPC liegt eine modernisierungstheoretische Konzeption von Entwicklung zugrunde. Die Konzeption von Technologie als Motor zur Veränderung gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse führt zu einer Entpolitisierung gesellschaftspolitischer Phänomene. OLPC entwirft eine technische Lösung für soziale Probleme und verliert strukturelle Macht- und Herrschaftsverhältnisse aus dem Blick.This diploma thesis deals with One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a US non-profit organization founded by US-American computer scientist and MIT-professor Nicholas Negroponte in 2005. OLPC provides children in developing countries with a rugged, low-cost, connected laptop (the XO) developed collaboratively by experts from academia and industry. Popularized as the $100-Laptop the XO was designed to empower children of the emerging world and give them the opportunity to learn, share, create and collaborate on their own. OLPC is a large-scale project aiming at convincing developing countries of the laptop’s potential to transform educational systems and combat global poverty irrespective of their economical, political and cultural diversity. OLPC attributes the improvement of living conditions in Third World countries directly to the positive impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on development. In November 2007 mass production of the so called$100-Laptop started. Since then more than 500,000 laptops have been delivered to 31 countries. This paper approaches OLPC from a discourse analytical perspective. First the project is situated within the discourse of development. OLPC is based on dominant narratives of modernization depicting the XO as a springboard into a brighter future for the world’s poorest children. A central theme of this thesis is therefore the analysis and critique of the technological determinism shaping theory and practice of the OLPC project. It is argued that proposing technical solutions for political and social problems leads to depolitization and disregards the tremendous differences in the living conditions of the Others

Outcome of Pediatric Cataract Surgeries in a Tertiary Center in Switzerland

Purpose. To determine and to analyze the outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. Methods. A retrospective chart review of individuals aged up to 10 years who underwent cataract surgery between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2014, at the UniversityHospital Zurich, Switzerland. Results. 63 children (94 affected eyes) with bilateral (68/94) or unilateral (26/94) cataract were identified. Surgery was performed at a median age of 1.5 months (IQR: 1.3–2.6 months) for the aphakic group (45/94) and of 50.7 months (IQR: 38.0–78.4 months) for the IOL group (49/94). At the last follow-up visit (median 31.1 months, IQR: 18.4–50.2 months), visual acuity was better in bilateral than in unilateral cataract cases. Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) was diagnosed in 30.9% of eyes without a significant difference in the IOL and aphakic groups (p=0.12). Aphakic glaucoma was diagnosed in 12/45 eyes at a median of 6.8 months (IQR 2.1–13.3 months) after surgery. Microcornea (5/12) and anterior segment anomalies (8/12) were associated with glaucoma development (p<0.05). Conclusion. Laterality and timing of surgery influence the outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. PCO was the most frequent postoperative complication. Aphakic glaucoma is often associated with ocular developmental abnormalities and a poor visual outcome

Evolutionary Responses of Invasive Grass Species to Variation in Precipitation and Soil Nitrogen

1.Global climate models suggest that many ecosystems will experience reduced precipitation over the next century and the consequences for invasive plant performance are largely unknown. Annual invasive species may be able to quickly evolve traits associated with drought escape or tolerance through rapid genetic changes. 2.We investigated the influence of five years of water and nitrogen manipulations on trait values in a southern California grassland system. Seeds from two annual grass species (Avena barbata, Bromus madritensis) were collected from experimental plots and grown in a common environment over two generations. We measured 14 physiological, morphological, phenological, and reproductive traits. 3.Both species displayed phenotypic differences depending on the water treatment from which they were collected, but not depending on the nitrogen treatment. Both species displayed trait values characteristic of drought escape (e.g., earlier flowering in A. barbata and B. madritensis, lower water-use efficiency in B. madritensis) when grown from seeds collected from plots that experienced five years of reduced precipitation. Furthermore, A. barbata individuals grown from seeds collected from drought plots had higher reproductive output and higher photosynthetic performance than individuals grown from water addition plots, with individuals grown from ambient plots displaying intermediate trait values. Notably, we found no phenotypic variation among treatments for six root traits. 4.Synthesis. Trait differences were observed following two generations in a common garden, suggesting that treatment differences were genetically based. This suggests that populations were responding to selection over the five years of water manipulations, a remarkably short time period. The rapid evolutionary responses observed here may help these two widespread invasive grass species thrive under reduced precipitation scenarios, which could have important implications for fire dynamics, invasive species management, and native plant restoration in communities invaded by annual grasses

Scale-MAE: A Scale-Aware Masked Autoencoder for Multiscale Geospatial Representation Learning

Large, pretrained models are commonly finetuned with imagery that is heavily augmented to mimic different conditions and scales, with the resulting models used for various tasks with imagery from a range of spatial scales. Such models overlook scale-specific information in the data for scale-dependent domains, such as remote sensing. In this paper, we present Scale-MAE, a pretraining method that explicitly learns relationships between data at different, known scales throughout the pretraining process. Scale-MAE pretrains a network by masking an input image at a known input scale, where the area of the Earth covered by the image determines the scale of the ViT positional encoding, not the image resolution. Scale-MAE encodes the masked image with a standard ViT backbone, and then decodes the masked image through a bandpass filter to reconstruct low/high frequency images at lower/higher scales. We find that tasking the network with reconstructing both low/high frequency images leads to robust multiscale representations for remote sensing imagery. Scale-MAE achieves an average of a $2.4 - 5.6\%$ non-parametric kNN classification improvement across eight remote sensing datasets compared to current state-of-the-art and obtains a $0.9$ mIoU to $1.7$ mIoU improvement on the SpaceNet building segmentation transfer task for a range of evaluation scales

Cross-Sectional Comparison to Siblings and Peers

Objectives. To investigate self-reported health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions compared with siblings/peers. Methods. Group 1 (6 treatment centers) consisted of 74 children/adolescents aged 8–16 years with hereditary bleeding disorders (HBD), 12 siblings, and 34 peers. Group 2 (one treatment center) consisted of 70 children/adolescents with stroke/transient ischemic attack, 14 siblings, and 72 peers. HrQoL was assessed with the “revised KINDer Lebensqualitätsfragebogen” (KINDL-R) questionnaire. Multivariate analyses within groups were done by one-way ANOVA and post hoc pairwise single comparisons by Student’s -tests. Adjusted pairwise comparisons were done by hierarchical linear regressions with individuals nested within treatment centers (group 1) and by linear regressions (group 2), respectively. Results. No differences were found in multivariate analyses of self-reported HrQoL in group 1, while in group 2 differences occurred in overall wellbeing and all subdimensions. These differences were due to differences between patients and peers. After adjusting for age, gender, number of siblings, and treatment center these differences persisted regarding self-worth () and friend-related wellbeing (). Conclusions. In children with HBD, HrQoL was comparable to siblings and peers. In children with stroke/TIA HrQoL was comparable to siblings while peers, independently of relevant confounder, showed better self-worth and friend-related wellbeing