Showing papers by "Bridgewater State University published in 2019"

Integrating Green Chemistry in the Curriculum: Building Student Skills in Systems Thinking, Safety, and Sustainability

Abstract: Chemistry educators have a responsibility to teach students about the essential role the field of chemistry has in a sustainable future for the planet. Chemical products, such as pharmaceuticals, p...

In whose interest? Gender and mass-elite priority congruence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: Do men and women representatives hold different legislative priorities? Do these priorities align with citizens who share their gender? Whereas substantive representation theorists suggest legislat...

Can Chemistry Be a Central Science without Systems Thinking

Abstract: What is the history and justification of the claim that chemistry is “the central science”? Are our students able to see and appreciate such centrality of the knowledge of chemistry in the curriculum as well as in its broader interconnections with other fields of study and with societal issues? In this editorial for the special issue Reimagining Chemistry Education: Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry, we, as guest editors, highlight the case made in the collective contributions to the special issue that systems thinking, including green and sustainable chemistry, shows promise as an approach to help chemistry students zoom out from detailed and fragmented disciplinary content to obtain a more holistic view of chemistry and its integral connection to earth and societal systems. Indeed, we ask the following question: How can we as a community of chemists and chemistry educators live up to the claim of being practitioners of the central science if we do not equip our students to engage in systems thinking? We further invite the community to make use of and build upon the contributions in this special issue and participate in a paradigm change in chemistry education that will help prepare our students to be citizens and scientists who are better equipped to deal with the grand challenges in the world.

Inferring introgression using RADseq and DFOIL: Power and pitfalls revealed in a case study of spiny lizards (Sceloporus)

Abstract: Introgression is now commonly reported in studies across the Tree of Life, aided by recent advancements in data collection and analysis. Nevertheless, researchers working with nonmodel species lacking reference genomes may be stymied by a mismatch between available resources and methodological demands. In this study, we demonstrate a fast and simple approach for inferring introgression using RADseq data, and apply it to a case study involving spiny lizards (Sceloporus) from northeastern Mexico. First, we find evidence for recurrent mtDNA introgression between the two focal species based on patterns of mito-nuclear discordance. We then test for nuclear introgression by exhaustively applying the "five-taxon" D-statistic (DFOIL ) to all relevant individuals sampled for RADseq data. In our case, this exhaustive approach (dubbed "ExDFOIL ") entails testing up to ~250,000 unique four-taxon combinations of individuals across species. To facilitate use of this ExDFOIL approach, we provide scripts for many relevant tasks, including the selection of appropriate four-taxon combinations, execution of DFOIL tests in parallel and visualization of introgression results in phylogenetic and geographic space. Using ExDFOIL , we find evidence for ancient introgression between the focal species. Furthermore, we reveal geographic variation in patterns of introgression that is consistent with patterns of mito-nuclear discordance and with recurrent introgression. Overall, our study demonstrates that the combination of DFOIL and RADseq data can effectively detect introgression under a variety of sampling conditions (for individuals, populations and loci). Importantly, we also find evidence that batch-specific error and linkage in RADseq data may mislead inferences of introgression under certain conditions.

Integrating social and environmental justice into the chemistry classroom: a chemist’s toolbox

Abstract: Although the chemical enterprise has provided numerous contributions to humanity, unintended consequences contribute to a disproportionate exposure of hazardous chemicals to certain populations bas...

Male C57BL6/N and C57BL6/J Mice Respond Differently to Constant Light and Running-Wheel Access.

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that exposure to circadian disruption produces negative effects on overall health and behavior. More recent studies illustrate that strain differences in the behavioral and physiological responses to circadian disruption exist, even if the strains have similar genetic backgrounds. As such, we investigated the effects of constant room-level light (LL) with running-wheel access on the behavior and physiology of male C57BL6/J from Jackson Laboratories and C57BL6/N from Charles River Laboratories mice. Mice were exposed to either a 12:12 light-dark (LD) cycle or LL and given either a standard home cage or a cage with a running-wheel. Following 6 weeks of LD or LL, their response to behavioral assays (open-field, light-dark box, novel object) and measures of metabolism were observed. Under standard LD, C57BL6/J mice exhibited increased locomotor activity and reduced exploratory behavior compared to C57BL6/N mice. In LL, C57BL6/J mice had greater period lengthening and increased anxiety, while C57BL6/N mice exhibited increased weight gain and no change in exploratory behavior. C57BL6/J mice also decreased exploration with running-wheel access while C57BL6/N mice did not. These results further demonstrate that C57BL/6 substrains exhibit different behavioral and physiological responses to circadian disruption and wheel-running access.

Reimagining Service-Learning: Deepening the Impact of This High-Impact Practice:

Abstract: Background: Service-learning has historically been seen as a high-impact practice that empowers undergraduates to develop essential learning outcomes. Most service-learning discussed within the lit...

Perceptions of candidate spouses in the 2012 presidential election: the role of gender, race, religion, and partisanship

Abstract: The wives, and more recently, the husbands, of presidential candidates have taken on vital roles in campaigns, acting as surrogates for their partners, mobilizing voters, fundraising, and making high-profile speeches as well as appeals to targeted groups of voters. Despite their importance, presidential candidate spouses represent an under-investigated set of political actors. This project draws on American National Election Study data to analyze public perceptions of the 2012 presidential candidate spouses, Michelle Obama and Ann Romney, and explore how these perceptions compare to attitudes about previous presidential candidate spouses going back to 1992. Since these two spouses represent historic firsts, with Michelle Obama the first Black presidential candidate spouse and Ann Romney the first Mormon presidential candidate spouse, our analysis pays particular attention to the role of gender, race, and religion in public evaluations of these two women. This study also explores how and why candid...

The 2016 June optical and gamma-ray outburst and optical microvariability of the blazar 3C 454.3

Abstract: Colgate University's Justus and Jayne Schlichting Student Research; Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics funds; National Science Foundation [AST-1615796]; NASA Fermi Guest Investigator grant [80NSSC17K0649]; Fermi Guest Investigator grant [NNX15AU81G]; Russian Science Foundation [17-12-01029]

Description of a new species of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Nilgala Savannah forest, Uva Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract: A new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 is described from Nilgala Savannah Forest in Sri Lanka. The new species is diagnosed from all other congeners by the following suite of characters: small body size (SVL< 33 mm), dorsal scales on trunk homogeneous, one pair of post mentals separated by a single small chin scale, ventral scales on trunk smooth, subimbricate, 17–19 scales across the belly. Subdigitals scansors smooth, entire, unnotched; lamellae under digit IV of pes 17 –18. Males with femoral pores on each thigh but lacking precloacal pores. Median row of subcaudals smooth, subimbricate, enlarged and in an irregular series of subhexagonal scales. This new species had been previously confused with Cnemaspis alwisi Wickramasinghe & Munidradasa, 2007. The new species differs from Cnemaspis alwisi by having 122–129 ventral scales ( versus 146–152), 7–8 supralabials ( versus 8–10), and relatively shorter SVL ranging between 31.5–32.9 mm ( versus 37.8–39.9 mm). Further, the new species is genetically divergent from Cnemaspis alwisi, the species that it closely resembles by 13.5% and 7.8% from its sister species in the ND2 gene. The present discovery highlights the need for dedicated herpetofaunal explorations in Sri Lanka, especially the intermediate bioclimatic zone and associated cave systems and rock outcrops.

Social Justice in Action: A Document Analysis of the Integration of Social Justice Principles into Teaching

Abstract: Teachers of all students, particularly English Learners (ELs), need to integrate social justice pedagogy into their lessons so that all learners are included in the learning process, thinking critically about curriculum and taking action in the face of injustice. There has been some research into teacher preparation programs focusing on how they integrate culturally responsive and social justice pedagogy into their curricula and whether there has been a positive impact on teachers’ self-awareness, social justice knowledge and classroom practices as a result (Ruffin, 2016; Thieman, 2016). However, these studies do not address lesson content. This document analysis study, framed theoretically with critical intercultural communication (Halualani & Nakayama, 2010), explored the integration of social justice principles into lesson plans developed by pre-service and in-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers who were pursuing a TESOL graduate degree (Initial License) at a university in the Northeast of the United States. The lesson plans were analyzed using a rubric aligned with the Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Biases Framework. The exploration unveiled the need for more connections to students’ backgrounds, structured in-class dialogues, support for linguistic needs and modeling of intercultural practices.

A three-dimensional model of flagellar swimming in a Brinkman fluid

Abstract: We investigate three-dimensional flagellar swimming in a fluid with a sparse network of stationary obstacles or fibres. The Brinkman equation is used to model the average fluid flow where a flow-dependent term, including a resistance parameter that is inversely proportional to the permeability, captures the effects of the fibres on the fluid. To solve for the local linear and angular velocities that are coupled to the flagellar motion, we extend the method of regularized Brinkmanlets to incorporate a Kirchhoff rod, discretized as point forces and torques along a centreline. Representing a flagellum as a Kirchhoff rod, we investigate emergent waveforms for different preferred strain and twist functions. Since the Kirchhoff rod formulation allows for out-of-plane motion, in addition to studying a preferred planar sine wave configuration, we also study a preferred helical configuration. Our numerical method is validated by comparing results to asymptotic swimming speeds derived for an infinite-length cylinder propagating planar or helical waves. Similar to the asymptotic analysis for both planar and helical bending, we observe that with small amplitude bending, swimming speed is always enhanced relative to the case with no fibres in the fluid (Stokes) as the resistance parameter is increased. For regimes not accounted for with asymptotic analysis, i.e. large amplitude planar and helical bending, our model results show a non-monotonic change in swimming speed with respect to the resistance parameter; a maximum swimming speed is observed when the resistance parameter is near one. The non-monotonic behaviour is due to the emergent waveforms; as the resistance parameter increases, the swimmer becomes incapable of achieving the amplitude of its preferred configuration. We also show how simulation results of slower swimming speeds for larger resistance parameters are actually consistent with the asymptotic swimming speeds if work in the system is fixed.

“She Is his Girlfriend—I Believe this Is a Different Situation”: Gender Differences in Perceptions of the Legality of Intimate Partner Rape

Abstract: Despite the alarming problem of intimate partner rape (IPR), there is a dearth of empirical data investigating how jury-eligible individuals perceive IPR in a courtroom setting. In particular, very little research has addressed IPR beyond the scope of marital rape. Thus, we investigated how community members perceived intimate partner rape involving both a married and non-married couple in a mock trial context. In Experiment 1, 129 participants (78 women) read a trial summary describing an intimate partner rape that differed as to whether the victim and defendant were married or in a cohabiting, non-marital relationship. In Experiment 2, which involved the same methods as Experiment 1, we gave 153 participants (79 women) four verdict options: not guilty, guilty of Rape in the First-Degree, Intimate Partner Rape, or Sexual Misconduct. In both experiments, women were more likely to render guilty verdicts than men and yielded more pro-victim/anti-defendant judgments. Participants did not perceive the case differently between the marital status conditions. In Experiment 2, the presence of other guilty verdict choices influenced both men and women’s guilt decisions. The proportion of women who found the defendant not guilty of any crime decreased by over 50% in Experiment 2, while the proportion of men who found the defendant not guilty remained stable across experiments. The results suggest that few men and women are willing to convict the defendant of Rape in the First-Degree—especially when presented with other, lesser sexual crime options—and that the victim and defendant’s intimate relationship is a mitigating factor causing mock jurors to view IPR as a lesser, sexual crime different to felony rape.

Why We Love Michelle: Understanding Public Support for First Lady Michelle Obama

Abstract: After eight years as the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama left the White House beloved in the eyes of many Americans. Being well liked by Americans is not in and of itself an unusual phenomenon for first ladies. What is remarkable about the love so many Americans expressed toward First Lady Michelle Obama is that she was able to maintain high favorable evaluations through a period of political, social, and electoral acrimony that made high approval ratings for national political figures increasingly unlikely. By drawing on a wealth of aggregate data drawn from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research archives and individual-level public opinion data drawn from the 2012 American National Election Studies survey as well as original survey data, this article identifies several important forces behind Michelle Obama's popularity.

Criminal history and employment: an interdisciplinary literature synthesis

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of research conducted over the past ten years (2008–2018) that examines the relationship between criminal record and work in the USA. Furthermore, a research agenda is presented that may help to better inform future investigations of the relationships shared between these variables.,The authors review 58 peer-reviewed research articles identified in four electronic article databases: Business Source Premier, PsycINFO, ProQuest Sociology Collection and ProQuest Criminology Collection.,Of the 58 articles fitting the final inclusion criteria, 37 evaluated employee specific related outcomes, whereas 24 took the perspective of the employer (including some overlap). Studies employed a variety of methodologies and techniques, with qualitative interviews, archival data and audit methods as the most prevalent. Few studies examined the relationships between criminal record and work in ways that demonstrated improved employment outcomes for both employer and the employed together.,This is one of the first papers to synthesize interdisciplinary literature related to criminal record and employment, including an assessment of the varying methodological treatments and perspectives used in research studies to assess this relationship. The authors believe the findings from this research effort will provide much needed research direction for investigators seeking to make contributions to improving employment outcomes.

Guild-level responses of bats to habitat conversion in a lowland Amazonian rainforest: species composition and biodiversity.

Abstract: Landscape modification represents one of the most severe threats to biodiversity from local to global scales. Conversion of forest to agricultural production generally results in patches of habitat that subdivide or isolate populations, alter the behavior of species, modify interspecific interactions, reduce biodiversity, and compromise ecosystem processes. Moreover, conversion may increase exposure of humans to zoonoses to which they would otherwise rarely be exposed. We evaluated the effects of forest conversion to agriculture, and its subsequent successional dynamics, on bat communities in a region of the Amazon that was predominantly closed-canopy rainforest. Based on a nonmanipulative experiment, we quantified differences in species composition, community structure, and taxonomic biodiversity among closed-canopy forest (bosque), agricultural lands (chacra), and secondary forest (purma) for two phyllostomid guilds (frugivores and gleaning animalivores) during the wet and dry seasons. Responses were complex and guild-specific. For frugivores, species composition (species abundance distributions) differed between all possible pairs of habitats in both wet and dry seasons. For gleaning animalivores, species composition differed between all possible pairs of habitats in the dry season, but no differences characterized the wet season. Ecological structure (rank abundance distributions) differed among habitats in guild-specific and season-specific manners. For frugivores, mean diversity, evenness, and dominance were greater in bosque than in purma; mean dominance was greater in bosque than in chacra, but local rarity was greater in chacra than in bosque, and no differences were manifest between purma and chacra. For gleaning animalivores, mean diversity and evenness were greater in bosque than in purma, but no differences were manifest between chacra and bosque, or between purma and chacra. Such results have important implications for management, conservation, and the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases. La actual modificacion del paisaje, a escalas que van de lo local a lo global, es una de las amenazas mas severas a la biodiversidad. De manera general, la conversion de bosques a areas agricolas produce parches de habitat que subdividen o aislan poblaciones, alteran la conducta de las especies, modifican las interacciones interespecificas, reducen la biodiversidad y comprometen las funciones de los ecosistemas. Mas aun, la transformacion de estos ambientes puede incrementar la probabilidad de que las poblaciones humanas interactuen con zoonosis con las que de otra manera raramente entrarian en contacto. Evaluamos los efectos de la conversion de habitat en comunidades de murcielagos en una region de Amazonia en la que la vegetacion dominante es un bosque lluvioso de copas cerradas, y en la cual los efectos de la conversion a usos agricolas sobre la biodiversidad, y la subsecuente dinamica sucesional, son aun poco comprendidos. Por medio de un experimento no-manipulativo, cuantificamos las diferencias en composicion de especies, estructura de la comunidad y diversidad taxonomica entre bosque cerrado (bosque), areas agricolas (chacra) y bosque secundario (purma) para dos gremios troficos de murcielagos filostomidos (frugivoros y forrajeadores de sustrato) durante dos temporadas (secas y lluvias). Las respuestas fueron complejas y diferentes para cada gremio. Para los frugivoros, la composicion de especies (distribucion de las abundancias) fue diferente para todos los posibles pares de habitats tanto para secas como para lluvias. Para los forrajeadores de sustrato, la composicion de especies difirio entre todos los posibles pares de habitats en la temporada seca, pero no en la de lluvias. La estructura ecologica (distribuciones rango-abundancia) fue tambien especifica para gremios y temporadas. Para los frugivoros, la diversidad promedio, equidad y dominancia fueron mayores en bosque que en purma; la dominancia promedio fue mayor en bosque que en chacra, pero la rareza local fue mayor en chacra que en bosque, y no se encontraron diferencias entre purma y chacra. Para los forrajeadores de sustrato, la diversidad promedio y la dominancia fueron mayores en bosque que en purma, pero no se detectaron diferencias entre chacra y bosque, o entre purma y chacra. Estos resultados tienen importantes implicaciones para el manejo, conservacion y epidemiologia de zoonosis.

The Effects of Modeling the Use of Technology with Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract: Multiple case study was used to explore the impact of a modeling approach on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and willingness to integrate technology into their elementary lessons. Three primary...

Identity Verification and Management of Electronic Health Records with Blockchain Technology

Abstract: We present a state-of-art design in healthcare industry with blockchain technology. In our design of the systems, an individual’s identity can be verified, and the electronic health records are processed through blockchain networks. The goal of creating such kind of systems is to facilitate identity verification, to provide ease of data access and sharing of electronic health records, and to maximize the protection of patients’ data.

Perceptions of Learning to Teach in a Constructivist Environment

Abstract: A constructivist approach to learning in teacher education has been widely accepted. Yet little is known about constructivist environments within physical education teacher education (PETE). The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of PETE preservice teachers with respect to instructional strategies designed to reflect constructivist learning. Specifically, students’ views of the pedagogical aspects employed were explored. Data sources included focus group interviews with 13 members of a field-based PETE methods class grounded in constructivist principles and course artifacts. Responses to interview questions were analyzed via open, axial, and selective coding. Trustworthiness was established through a researcher journal, an audit journal, and triangulation. Data analysis revealed four pedagogical aspects that contributed to these students’ learning: relationships, feedback, time, and active learning. Relationships included meaningful connections with class members and instructors. Feedback was described as timely insight about their teaching and work with young people from both instructors and peers. The amount of time engaged in learning was acknowledged as being significant. Engagement with elementary school students provided active learning that allowed for the translation of theory into practice. These students’ positive views of creating knowledge by applying it with elementary children may suggest a constructivist approach as a viable and powerful means for framing effective PETE programs. Furthermore, there may be an increased potential for these students to utilize similar strategies when teaching, and the cultivation of relationships may counteract the occupational socialization of beginning teachers. Subscribe to TPE

The Civic Republican Response to “Liberalism and its Critics”

Abstract: Political theory instructors are often familiar with the syllabus themed “Liberalism and its Critics.” Liberalism, however, is often narrowly and teleologically defined as the progressive expansion...

Mixing time and eigenvalues of the abelian sandpile Markov chain

Abstract: The abelian sandpile model defines a Markov chain whose states are integer-valued functions on the vertices of a simple connected graph G. By viewing this chain as a (nonreversible) random walk on an abelian group, we give a formula for its eigenvalues and eigenvectors in terms of ‘multiplicative harmonic functions’ on the vertices of G. We show that the spectral gap of the sandpile chain is within a constant factor of the length of the shortest noninteger vector in the dual Laplacian lattice, while the mixing time is at most a constant times the smoothing parameter of the Laplacian lattice. We find a surprising inverse relationship between the spectral gap of the sandpile chain and that of simple random walk on G: If the latter has a sufficiently large spectral gap, then the former has a small gap! In the case where G is the complete graph on n vertices, we show that the sandpile chain exhibits cutoff at time 1 4π2 n logn.

Successes, Challenges, and Future Directions for an Urban Full Service Community Schools Initiative

Abstract: After receiving a multiyear federal grant, an urban school district and community agency that focused on family literacy implemented a comprehensive school reform initiative called Providence Full ...