Ultra-slow spreading ridges have a full spreading rate of less than 20 mm/yr, and show deviations from the fundamental characteristics identified at faster spreading rates; however, they are poorly studied compared to faster spreading ridges. In this thesis we aim to build on previous studies in order to further characterise the unique processes occurring at the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian ridge (SWIR). This is an exploratory study utilising novel and existing bathymetry, gravity, video imagery data to understand tectonic and volcanic processes along the ridge crest from triple junction to triple junction. We conduct a series of studies which focus on the axial valley morphology, large seamount morphology, the distribution of small seamounts and large seamounts on the ridge, and admittance studies. We show that the long wavelength trends in geophysical data, geochemical data, and axial valley morphology are well correlated. These variations reflect along-axis changes in the crustal and mantle structure, governed by the thermal structure of the ridge. Seamounts provide important morphological evidence of the volcanic and tectonic processes beneath the Earth's surface. We use detailed morphological investigations to show that volcanic and erosional processes on six large seamounts are controlled by the local faulting and melt migration mechanisms. We investigate the distribution of seamounts on the ridge using a numerical algorithm, and demonstrate a lower seamount density than faster spreading ridges. We show that the seamount population statistics vary along the ridge due to changes in the degree of partial melting, magma conduit availability, and melt focussing mechanisms; the locations of three proximal hotspots coincide with increases in the estimated magmatic flux. Finally, best fit elastic thicknesses are determined using a 3D windowed admittance technique, which was tested using synthetic data. We construct a combined convection-flexure model to account for misfits between the observed data and existing flexural theoretical models. The average elastic thickness varies between 7 km and 12 km, and we show a strong dependence on spreading rate.

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The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is native to Florida and the Indian River Lagoon. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) is located in Indian River Lagoon and is frequently visited by manatees. The Manatee Project was created in 2009 to document and photograph the manatees visiting HBOI. Analyzing photographs of 146 manatee that visited HBOI showed that a majority of the injuries sustained were caused by boats. 97% of the manatee had at least one propeller injury and 31% of the manatee had at least one skeg injury. Other non-boat related injuries seen in the images included cold stress and entanglement injuries. This study looked at the prevalence of scar by anatomical region, the cause of injury, and compared injury locations between male and female manatees. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This thesis studies the West Indian press from three perspectives. The fIrst examines newspapers as economic entities, and involves an analysis of capital, equipment, patterns of ownership, and workforce. This section concludes with an examination of the social and economic standing of colonial editors. The second approach concentrates on the political role of the press during a period of tension. The relationships between the press and the component parts of colonial society are discussed seperately. The complex relationship between whiteowned newspapers and the non-white sectors of the populace is considered. Much of this section is devoted to the free coloured press. The volatile relationship between newspapers of all political persuasions and the various branches of colonial Government is examined. The third facet of the thesis grows naturally from the previous two modes of analysis, and is more implicit than explicit. It acknowledges the dangers in crudely identifying editorial columns as public opinion, but suggests that events involving the press constitute a series of snapshots exposing details of colonial life largely absent from official correspondence. The conclusion of the thesis attempts to chart some aspects of the political culture of the colonies. It argues that participatory impulses, long present in white society, received a series of stimuli during the 1820's and 1830's which greatly increased colonial political activity. For the press this led to the development of politically-motivated free coloured newspapers and a defensive invigoration of planter newspapers. Thus, there was a broadening of colonial political culture, but in ways which reflected the different priorities of the white and free coloured groups. In slavebased societies these differences generated irreconcilable conflicts, many of whIch were both revealed and sharpened by the involvement of the press.

Although British West Indian Caribbean (BWIC) immigrant students are considered to be English speaking students by U.S. public schools, many of them speak other languages. These students experience hardships and have unique remediation needs that many schools are not providing. The conceptual frameworks that guided this case study were sociocultural theory, acculturation theory, and leadership theory. These theories postulate that culture influences learning, second language acquisition is linked to adapting to a new culture, and leadership is important to implement system-wide changes. Qualitative data included interviews with 6 teachers and 3 administrators who work closely with BWIC students, New York City Department of Education English Language Test results of 512 students, and 26 BWIC student school enrollment forms. Data were analyzed through a coding process to determine emergent patterns and themes. Key findings indicated that participants identified the students' academic struggles with Standard English and that teachers experiment with various strategies to reach the students. Recommendations include development of identification and remediation programs for BWIC students and additional research on strategies to teach English to these students. Study findings may promote positive social change by encouraging school districts to work with the Caribbean-American community to help increase BWIC student retention rates.

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A stunning poem that draws the attention of the reading public, Omeros is often regarded as the most famous and most successful of Derek Walcott¡¦s works. In one sense, Omeros is the Greek name for Homer, and Walcott chose it for the title of the poem to show his ambition to be a Caribbean Homer, a poet developing an epic from a West Indian perspective. With the epic form and resonant mythic Greek namesakes, Omeros is built upon Walcott¡¦s innate love for St. Lucia. Structurally, the epic form provides the vast framework he needs to describe the multicultural Creole society. However, after a close reading of the text, we can actually find that it does not follow so much the conventions of a classical tradition, since it is not actually a heroic poem. Unlike the superhuman characters in Homeric epics, the male protagonists in Omeros are common people who endure the suffering of individual in exile and try to put down roots in a place where they think they belong. One famous critic, Robert D. Hamner, reads Omeros as an epic of the dispossessed, one in which each of its protagonists is a castaway in one sense or another. In this respect, the male characters are injured (either spiritually or physically). In contrast, the female characters in Omeros, though few in number, play the important roles of heroines to heal the wounds of the male protagonists and to help them trace their roots. This thesis will, therefore, analyze three female characters in the poem. Chapter 1 will focus on Ma Kilman, a black obeah woman. She embodies the memories of the past as well as the connection between African experience and West Indian culture. Through the practice of obeah, a holistic healing method different from Western diagnosis, she is capable of soothing wounds caused by past sufferings. Chapter 2 will examine Maud Plunkett, a white Irish housewife. She represents the physical link between Ireland and St. Lucia due to their inherent similarities ¡Vboth are being colonized with St. Lucia being divided by race and class, while Ireland is split along religious and class lines. Maud¡¦s existence symbolizes the alienation gap on the island; her death, at the end, bridges the gap and relieves historical traumas. Chapter 3 will deals with Helen, an ebony local woman. Appropriating mythical as well as historical allusions, Walcott gives new voice to this Caribbean Helen. She demonstrates her autonomy to male characters and becomes an unapproachable goddess that they attempt to possess. She reestablishes peace and achieves a new harmony in St. Lucia as a way of cross-cultural healing.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in English. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-245). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ59155.

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) live in the shallow, often turbid inland and coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Since their vision is poor (Bauer et al., 2003), other senses probably guide orientation. Previous studies have found that manatees can hear over 40 kHz (Gerstein et al., 1999) and have the capacity for rapid auditory temporal processing (Mann et al., 2005). However, it is not known if manatees have the ability to localize underwater sounds. Two Florida manatees were trained to identify underwater sound source locations using a four-choice discrimination paradigm. Three broad-band signals ( 0.2 - 20, 6 - 20, and 0.2 2kHz) were tested at four durations (3,000, 1,000, 500, and 200ms) and two tonal signals (4 and 16kHz) were tested with a 3,000ms duration. A total of 1,008 test trials were analyzed per subject. Both manatees learned the task easily, and could localize all of the test signals at a performance rate well above the 25% chance level. Within all of the broad-band conditions, performance accuracy ranged from 93% - 79% for Buffett, and 93% - 51% for Hugh. Broad-band signal duration did not have an effect on performance accuracy with Buffett who ranged from 89% to 87%, but did with Hugh who ranged from 87% - 58%. Broad-band frequency type did not have an effect on performance accuracy with Buffett who averaged 90%, 86%, and 89%, but may have with Hugh who averaged from 76%, 68%, and 65% at the 0.2 20, 6 20, and 0.2 2 kHz conditions. Both animals performed above chance levels with the pure tone signals, but at a much lower accuracy rate with Hugh at 49% and 32% and Buffett at 44% and 33% with the 4 kHz and 16 kHz conditions. Results from this experiment provide information about the manatees ability to localize different types of sounds in a controlled environment. This knowledge is important for understanding how manatees detect and localize noise generated from conspecifics and boat engines and contributes to making competent conservation management decisions about these endangered marine mammals.

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