I\u27m More Than the Sum of My Parts : Multiracial Identities and the Creation of Racial Meaning

This paper examines the ways that multiracial individuals understand and give meaning to their identities. Specifically, how do we—as a culture and as individuals—conceptualize and construct multiracial identities? What is the relationship between the way people identify themselves and the way they are identified by others? What do people mean when they say they are mixed race? Through a series of in-depth interviews with 11 individuals who self-identify as multiracial or mixed race, I find that racial identities are fundamentally multifaceted; they can be asserted by an individual, ascribed by an outsider, deeply rooted in culture and heritage, employed as a way of creating community, and a source of discrimination or privilege. I go on to argue that conflict between the way that someone self-identifies and the way they are identified by others can influence the way that they construct the meaning of their own identity, and the way that they present this identity to others. I draw a distinction between the concepts of multiracial identities as a blending of cultures and mixed race as a stand-alone racial category with a unique set of experiences and characteristics, and examine the purposes that these theoretical frameworks serve

Tropical Hurwitz Numbers

Hurwitz numbers count genus g, degree d covers of the projective line with fixed branch locus. This equals the degree of a natural branch map defined on the Hurwitz space. In tropical geometry, algebraic curves are replaced by certain piece-wise linear objects called tropical curves. This paper develops a tropical counterpart of the branch map and shows that its degree recovers classical Hurwitz numbers.Comment: Published in Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics, Volume 32, Number 2 / September, 2010. Added section on genus zero piecewise polynomiality. Removed paragraph on psi classe

A Comparison of Two Methods of Quantifying Mating Success in Low Density Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) Populations

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a defoliating pest native to Europe and invasive to North America. The gypsy moth is subject to depressed mating success in low density populations, which may restrict spread of the forest pest. Research focusing on gypsy moth density as it relates to mating behavior has often used counts of males caught in pheromone-baited delta traps as a proxy to estimate the probability of female mating success. The purpose of this project was to determine whether pheromone trap counts provide accurate estimates of female mating success probability, by comparing data gathered from pheromone-baited delta traps to data gathered on mating success of tethered females. To determine the relationship between number of males caught in delta traps and the probability of successful mating, male catch counts in traps were compared to mating success of tethered females in a mass male release experiment. The relationship between delta trap catch of males and female mating success was quantified using a Bayesian framework, which explicitly incorporates uncertainties in the model. Vegetative cover in the study plots was reduced to a single measure through principal components analysis and included as an independent factor in the model. The data suggest that delta traps reduce the male’s ability to find a female by 67%; thus, results garnered from delta trap catch counts tend to underestimate the underlying ability of males to locate and mate with females. Thick understory vegetation further reduced the male’s ability to locate a female, and further reduced the effectiveness of delta traps. Future studies that seek to use counts of males in pheromone-baited traps as a proxy for mating success should consider using an adjustment factor to equate the two methods of quantifying reproductive behavior in the gypsy moth.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1271/thumbnail.jp

Seasonal Affective Disorder in Vermont

A large proportion of major depression in Vermont has a seasonal pattern. The most common form of Seasonal Affective Disorder is winter depression. Several evidence-based treatments exist for SAD including light therapy, CBT, and antidepressant medications. Adjunct therapies, like exercise and social interaction, can also help patients feel better during the winter. In the primary care setting, an educational handout/poster will aid in educating patients about SAD and treatment options, and encourage them to seek help.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1430/thumbnail.jp

Comparison of the Bacterial Community Structure of Bone Swabs to Ground Bone Recovered from Waterlogged Skeletal Remains from a Lentic Environment for Postmortem Submersion Interval (PMSI) Estimation

Postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) is an essential factor when recovering bodies from aquatic environments. Although several studies exist on postmortem interval (PMI) estimation of mammalian cadavers in terrestrial systems, the same is not true for the aquatic systems. Cartozzo et al. (11) developed PMSI prediction models using bacterial succession data associated with waterlogged skeletal remains. This study is a continuation of the Cartozzo et al. (11) study, but the aim of this study is to compare the bacterial DNA (16S rDNA) community found on the surface of swabs recovered from waterlogged bones to the bacterial DNA obtained from ground bone itself. If both sample types produce predominantly the same bacterial DNA diversity at the same ADD intervals, then it would be quicker and more efficient to process bone swabs than to grind the bone into a fine powder. This will also minimize precious sample consumption. Porcine skeletal remains (scapulae and ribs) were submerged in a freshwater lake in cages that were collected every 250 ADD (baseline + 20 collections). Swabs collected from three ribs and three scapulae after every 500 ADD were utilized (baseline + 10 collections, N=59 swabs). DNA extraction was performed on these swab samples using ChargeSwitch® gDNA Plant Kit. The variable region 4 (V4) of 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq FGx Sequencing platform. The resulting data obtained from the swab samples was analyzed and compared to the sequences obtained from the ground bone samples using mother (v 1.39.5) and R (4.0.4). For both bone types, the swab samples exhibited higher alpha diversity values compared to the bone powder samples. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant differences in the bacterial community structure between swab and bone samples, supported by distinct clustering for each sample type on a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot using Yue & Clayton distance matrix. The differences in the bacterial community structure between the swabs and bone powder samples are attributed to several low abundance taxa. Bacterial community structure did not change significantly with time/accumulated degree day (ADD) for the swab samples. The changes in bacterial structure associated with the swab and bone powder samples could be due to the influence of the surrounding environment on the swabs

COVID and the Path to Optometry

This story is about how the COVID-19 pandemic brought me to my passion of optometry

What do Physicians Know about Global Plans to Stop Tuberculosis? Interviews from Five Countries

Tuberculosis ranks alongside HIV as the leading cause of death worldwide. This fact is complicated by drug-resistant versions of tuberculosis. Furthermore, the limited availability and high cost of stronger antibiotics creates a barrier to treating drug-resistant tuberculosis. In 2000, the United Nations organized to fight tuberculosis via Millennium Development Goal six and the Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis. In an effort to understand limitations on the effectiveness of global programs, this research addresses the following question: What do physicians know about global programs for TB? Mixed methods, involving both quantitative and qualitative data, were used to obtain the results of this research. For the quantitative portion, three statistical tables were created describing 1) demographics and development; 2) tuberculosis indicators; and 3) health resources and funding. This was to provide background information on each country. Following this, five tuberculosis experts were interviewed in Japan, China, Vietnam, India, and South Africa. Interviews were condensed into core narratives and analyzed for physician knowledge about global programs for tuberculosis. Results showed evidence of disconnect between physicians and global programs. In general, physicians demonstrated dated knowledge. Three shared statistics that were removed from official documents in 2005, one cited vaguely correct information, and one did not demonstrate that they knew anything about global programs. Also, physicians described themselves as uninvolved, separate, and uninfluenced by global programs. Understanding the disconnect between physicians and global programs designed to alleviate disease burden is an area for future research