Augustana College (Illinois)

About: Augustana College (Illinois) is a education organization based out in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Higher education & Population. The organization has 491 authors who have published 763 publications receiving 14274 citations. The organization is also known as: Augustana College and Theological Seminary.

Grazer-resource interactions in the plankton: Are all daphniids alike?

Abstract: Daphniids have long been considered to be uniquely effective grazers in the planktonic food web of lakes, but whether all daphniid species are equivalent in this functional role is less clear. In particular, a common belief that large-bodied daphniids are more capable than smaller daphniids at controlling phytoplankton abundance has received limited testing. Using whole water column enclosures in a mesotrophic lake, we compared the ability of four common planktonic daphniids (Ceriodaphnia reticulata, Daphnia ambigua, Daphnia mendotae, and Daphnia pulicaria) to exploit a natural assemblage of phytoplankton. We established replicated monocultures of each daphniid species and allowed their populations to reach a carrying capacity determined by resources. We then compared the effects of each daphniid species on phytoplankton biomass, size structure, taxonomic composition and C : N : P stoichiometry. Populations of all four daphniids stabilized at very low birth and death rates, with larger species having a lower density but a higher biomass than smaller species. The seston C : P molar ratio was driven to equally high values (.300) in all treatments; however, daphniid effects on phytoplankton abundance and composition were quite different. The two smaller daphniids were less effective at depressing phytoplankton populations than were the two larger daphniids. This difference was associated with the persistence of a diverse assemblage of digestionresistant green algae in the Ceriodaphnia and D. ambigua treatments but their elimination from the D. mendotae and D. pulicaria treatments. Several lines of evidence, including growth bioassays, that have used juveniles of a clone of D. pulex-pulicaria, suggest that body size was not an adequate explanation for these differences in daphniid species effects on phytoplankton.

Microstructures of glacigenic sediment-flow deposits, Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

Abstract: Microstructures of glacigenic sediment gravity-flow deposits formed at the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, were analyzed to characterize flow type. These sediment flows have been classified into four types based primarily on water content and sedimentological characteristics (Lawson, 1979a, 1982). Thin sections of flow deposits show a variety of microand mesoscale characteristics that vary according to water content of the source flow. Wet-type flow deposits are characterized in thin section by a well-defined parallel and imbricated microclast fabric and thin laminations resulting from laminar to plastic flow regimes. Dry-type flow deposits are characterized in thin section by bior polymodal or random microclast fabrics, greater textural heterogeneity, and deformational microstructures associated with plastic to brittle flow regimes. Thin laminations and a “laminar flow fabric” in wet-type flow deposits may be characteristic of sediment gravity flow in a glacial environment. Characterization of these microstructures supports the contention that micromorphological analyses can be used to elucidate sediment flow genesis and the conditions of the flow just prior to deposition. Thus, micromorphology may also be useful for differentiating sediment-flow type in Pleistocene diamictons in other locations. Lachniet, M. S., Larson, G. J., Strasser, J. C., Lawson, D. E., Evenson, E. B., and Alley, R. B.,1999, Microstructures of glacigenic sediment-flow deposits, Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, in Mickelson, D. M., and Attig, J. W., eds., Glacial Processes Past and Present: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 337. 45 *Current address: Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244 type sediment-flow deposits correspond approximately to Lawson type III and IV flow deposits (high water content; Lawson, 1979a, 1982; see below for sediment flow type characteristics). Here we evaluate the use of micromorphological analysis to differentiate contemporary dry-type from wet-type sediment-flow deposits formed at the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier. This study deals exclusively with the micromorphology of sediment-flow deposits; the study of the micromorphology of tills is beyond the scope of this study and has not been undertaken at the Matanuska Glacier. Future investigation on the micromorphology of known glacial sediments will allow the further distinction between sediment-flow deposits and true tills.

Conceptual clusters in figurative language production.

Abstract: Although most prior research on figurative language examines comprehension, several recent studies on the production of such language have proved to be informative. One of the most noticeable traits of figurative language production is that it is produced at a somewhat random rate with occasional bursts of highly figurative speech (e.g., Corts & Pollio, 1999). The present article seeks to extend these findings by observing production during speech that involves a very high base rate of figurative language, making statistically defined bursts difficult to detect. In an analysis of three Baptist sermons, burst-like clusters of figurative language were identified. Further study indicated that these clusters largely involve a central root metaphor that represents the topic under consideration. An interaction of the coherence, along with a conceptual understanding of a topic and the relative importance of the topic to the purpose of the speech, is offered as the most likely explanation for the clustering of figurative language in natural speech.

Poverty Alleviation through Partnerships: A Road Less Travelled for Business, Governments, and Entrepreneurs

Abstract: While investigating the role of business and accepting that profitable partnerships are the primary solution for poverty alleviation, we voice certain concerns that we hope will extend the authors’ discourse in Alleviating Poverty through Profitable Partnerships. We present a model that we believe can serve as an effective framework for addressing these issues. We then establish the imperative of inclusive growth. Here, we engage with the necessity of formulating strategies that focus on the pace and, importantly, the pattern of economic growth, including its social and cultural dimensions. We also deliberate on the parameters of inclusive growth with the overriding objective of ensuring that multiple strata of society share the benefits of globalization. Turning to the critical role of institutions in promoting social welfare, we explore the impact of government policy vis-a-vis the leverage enjoyed by other social institutions. Despite the reality that state and private interests often operate at cross purposes, we argue that government must still be an integral part of the solution matrix. With direction from other social institutions, entrepreneurial forces can be unleashed to tackle endemic poverty prevalent in the base of the pyramid. We then provide an in-depth case study in which the availability of telecommunications in rural areas was utilized as a means to foster development and ensure inclusive growth. The conclusion examines lessons learned while operationalizing the model, and spells out the impact of our enablers at ground level.