The Dilettante

The printing of this book marks the end of a year of deliberating, searching, sifting, procrastinating and finally decision making. These pages include what I consider to be some of the finest work by young artists in Cache Valley. I must admit, I am rather in awe of my contributors. I have always been frustrated by the fact that I seem to have no outlet for my creative urges. Something always seems to get lost between my brain and my pen, So, my consolation prize is the opportunity to work with some artists whose talents I respect very much. By publishing The Dilettante I hope to draw greater attention to these artists whose work I feel is deserving of greater exposure

Hypoxia adaptation and exercise performance at altitude

Hypoxia is defined as a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues, and is a common problem in critically ill patients. It is not currently possible to predict how well an individual will adapt to hypoxic conditions, and patients presenting with hypoxia are often treated with supplemental oxygen. However, this blanket-treatment approach is not suitable in all cases and a more personalised approach is required. My thesis project builds on information acquired during the Caudwell Xtreme Everest (CXE 2007) expedition, where over 200 volunteers trekked to Everest Base Camp. CXE uses studies on healthy volunteers exposed to extreme environments to aid in the understanding of the complicated issues concerned with critical illness, and aims to use these findings to improve the treatment of critically ill patients, without putting them directly at risk. My thesis project has combined physiological information acquired during CXE with biochemical information measured in plasma samples taken during CXE. Performance at altitude has been used as a proxy for hypoxia adaptation, with individuals who show a small loss of performance at altitude compared to London assumed to be adapting better compared to individuals who show a larger loss. Analysis of the physiological and biochemical data for a core group of 24 individuals has culminated in the application of multiple linear regression to produce a number of models capable of predicting the key changes in physiological response as a function of a number of biochemical metabolites. These models have been used to identify a set of biochemical metabolites to measure in a further 190 individuals, to allow validation and training of the models on a larger sample size. These models can then be adapted for use in a critical illness environment, to allow the prediction of how well an individual will adapt to hypoxic conditions

The Mass. Memories Road Show: a State-Wide Scanning Project

Running a state-wide digital history project on a shoestring budget and staffed primarily by volunteers is not only possible, but brings immeasurable rewards for the contributors, volunteers, organizers and staff while gathering priceless documentation of their communal heritage. The Mass. Memories Road Show (http://www.MassMemories.net) is a public scanning project based at the University of Massachusetts Boston which partners with local communities to digitize family photographs and stories at public events with the goal of creating a digital portrait of all the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. This article describes how the project works to ensure broad participation in the planning and execution of the project, as well as a detailed description of the logistics of a Road Show event, which could be replicated in other communities

The Mass. Memories Road Show: a State-Wide Scanning Project

The Mass. Memories Road Show (http://blogs.umb.edu/massmemories) is a public scanning project based at the University of Massachusetts Boston which partners with local communities to digitize family photographs and stories at public events with the goal of creating a digital portrait of all the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. This article describes how the project works to ensure broad participation in the planning and execution of the project, as well as a detailed description of the logistics of a Road Show event, which could be replicated in other communities

Online Social Networking for the Humanities: the Massachusetts Studies Network Prototype

The Massachusetts Studies Project (MSP) aims to create an online social network specifically for those who are involved in local studies in Massachusetts. This first, Level I phase of the project will allow us to assess a promising open source development platform called "Ning," which offers powerful new tools for building customized social networks. Building a test network on Ning, and planning and prototyping the code to add functionality tailored to humanities practitioners, will position us to take the next steps in building a full-fledged, model social network to meet the collaborative needs of educators, scholars, librarians, and local studies practitioners

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) numbers and distribution on their summer feeding grounds of the Eastern Aleutian Islands

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2010"In summer, Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of the North Pacific stock feed in Alaska's nearshore waters. My research focused on the Bering Sea between Unimak and Samalga Pass with the objectives: 1) Estimate the number of humpback whales using the study area from 2001 through 2006; 2) Determine to what extent humpback whales exhibit site fidelity; 3) Describe the distribution of humpback whales and determine if depth, slope, and chlorophyll-a can predict the humpback whale presence. To investigate the degree to which whales return to the Eastern Aleutian summer feeding ground, 1,985 whale photographs were collected and an identity matrix was created; Humpback whales exhibited a 22 percent return rate with 181 whales out of 802 total whales seen in more than one year during the six year study. Program MARK (Mark and recapture parameter estimation) was used to estimate the number of humpback whales utilizing this area, resulting in an estimate of 500 to 1600 animals. Logistic regression and random forest classification determined that depth and longitude are significant predictors of humpback whale presence. These results support other studies in the Eastern Aleutians and North Pacific and further confirm the importance of oceanographic and biological features in concentrating prey and predicting humpback whale distribution"--Leaf iiiNational Science Foundation, TASK (Teaching Alaskans Sharing Knowledge) Fellowship, Ft. Wainwright Community Spouses Club, and University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences travel grants and teaching assistantships1. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) numbers and site fidelity in the Eastern Aleutian Islands -- 2. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) habitat use in the Eastern Aleutian Islands with relation to Oceanographic features -- Conclusion -- Literature cited