Maximising HH-Colourings of Graphs

For graphs $G$ and $H$, an $H$-colouring of $G$ is a map $\psi:V(G)\rightarrow V(H)$ such that $ij\in E(G)\Rightarrow\psi(i)\psi(j)\in E(H)$. The number of $H$-colourings of $G$ is denoted by $\hom(G,H)$. We prove the following: for all graphs $H$ and $\delta\geq3$, there is a constant $\kappa(\delta,H)$ such that, if $n\geq\kappa(\delta,H)$, the graph $K_{\delta,n-\delta}$ maximises the number of $H$-colourings among all connected graphs with $n$ vertices and minimum degree $\delta$. This answers a question of Engbers. We also disprove a conjecture of Engbers on the graph $G$ that maximises the number of $H$-colourings when the assumption of the connectivity of $G$ is dropped. Finally, let $H$ be a graph with maximum degree $k$. We show that, if $H$ does not contain the complete looped graph on $k$ vertices or $K_{k,k}$ as a component and $\delta\geq\delta_0(H)$, then the following holds: for $n$ sufficiently large, the graph $K_{\delta,n-\delta}$ maximises the number of $H$-colourings among all graphs on $n$ vertices with minimum degree $\delta$. This partially answers another question of Engbers

Sunflower Insect Monitoring Projects

During the 2013 growing season, UVM Extension’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program conducted studies to document the prevalence and impact of sunflower insect pests. Understanding the pest pressures unique to this region is crucial in producing a viable crop. Surveys of sunflower fields in the Northeast have shown that though plant populations are similar to the national averages, estimated yields are lower, primarily due to pest issues. Entire sunflower fields have been lost to pest pressures such as birds, weeds, insects, and disease, but Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies can help sunflower growers mitigate these problems

Extracellular microRNAs as messengers in the central and peripheral nervous system

MicroRNAs are small post-transcriptional regulators that play an important role in nervous system development, function and disease. More recently, microRNAs have been detected extracellularly and circulating in blood and other body fluids, where they are protected from degradation by encapsulation in vesicles, such as exosomes, or by association with proteins. These microRNAs are thought to be released from cells selectively through active processes and taken up by specific target cells within the same or in remote tissues where they are able to exert their repressive function. These characteristics make extracellular microRNAs ideal candidates for intercellular communication over short and long distances. This review aims to explore the potential mechanisms underlying microRNA communication within the nervous system and between the nervous system and other tissues. The suggested roles of extracellular microRNAs in the healthy and the diseased nervous system will be reviewed

VERT VERSUS VERRE: VEGETAL VIOLENCE IN HUYSMANS'S EN RADE

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://fs.oxfordjournals.org/content/69/3/305.abstract.Beset by financial troubles, Jacques Marles and his wife flee Paris to find safe harbour in a dilapidated rural Château in En rade (1887). At first glance, this country setting seems well-equipped with the stereotypical features of pastoral fantasy; however, this article explores how Huysmans uses implicit urban rhetoric and imagery to create a wry subversion of the natural idyll. The comforts of nature are denied to the male subject as the countryside is stripped of its promise of escapism. This article examines, first, Huysmans’s use of signifiers of urban unrest to turn nature’s exuberance into a corollary for human, revolutionary violence. Secondly, it focuses specifically on glass and glass-breaking at the hands of an aggressive Mother Nature, evoking memories of urban destruction and Parisian civil strife. The association of nature with violence culminates in the invasion of the Château and its looking-glasses by green, the colour of nature — forcing this distressing natural world between man and his own narcissistic reflection. Huysmans reveals that the natural world is no more an ally than the unruly urban masses, and confronts the reader with the inexorable violence of vegetation

A Toolkit for Coaching Teachers

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Hannah M. Scott on April 14, 2021

Life after a loss to suicide: understanding social network interactions and their impact

Conservative estimates suggest that globally, 5 million people are impacted by suicide each year, making it a prevalent stressful life event, and one that has the potential to impact considerably on wellbeing. In England, professional support specifically focused on the needs of people bereaved by suicide is limited and so informal social support, the help available from family and friends, is particularly important. Little is known about the mechanisms of social support after a suicide loss, particularly its reciprocal aspect. The aim of this thesis is to explore how the social networks of friends and family bereaved by suicide informally support one another after their loss. The first project in this thesis is a systematic review and narrative synthesis of 16 studies, which showed that higher levels of social support are at least partially associated with improved wellbeing after sudden or traumatic deaths. Social support is therefore worth working to improve. A qualitative study followed this, in which 26 participants from 13 different social networks were interviewed about their experiences of support and social interactions after their loss. A novel method of analysis (based on dyadic analysis) was used to examine the similarities and differences in perspectives of participants from within the same social networks. Results showed that social networks tend to naturally adapt to cope with a loss, but can face barriers to communication which hinder supportive efforts, and relationships can be negatively impacted by mismatches of narratives of the loss and support style. Finally, a public resource aimed at social networks bereaved by suicide underwent initial development. Using findings from the qualitative study, draft material for a text-based resource intended to inform and normalise experiences, and a plan for its further development was created

Monochromatic Components in Edge-Coloured Graphs with Large Minimum Degree

For every $n\in\mathbb{N}$ and $k\geq2$, it is known that every $k$-edge-colouring of the complete graph on $n$ vertices contains a monochromatic connected component of order at least $\frac{n}{k-1}$. For $k\geq3$, it is known that the complete graph can be replaced by a graph $G$ with $\delta(G)\geq(1-\varepsilon_k)n$ for some constant $\varepsilon_k$. In this paper, we show that the maximum possible value of $\varepsilon_3$ is $\frac16$. This disproves a conjecture of Gy\'{a}rfas and S\'{a}rk\"{o}zy.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure