There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

The purpose of this study was to depict and analyze the components of the process by which the Northwest Indiana Curriculum Evaluation Project was applied from a theoretical model of curriculum evaluation which had been developed by Drs. James McElhinney and Richard Kunkel of Ball State University. This task was accomplished through participant observation. In this capacity the participant observer initially recorded the events, insights, and anecdotes which occurred while at the same time, he served as the project director. These recorded observations were then used as a basis for designing a questionnaire which was administered to the team leaders of the project. This instrument, which used a semantic differential as a rating scale, attempted to solicit the team leaders' perceptions and reactions to many concepts about the project which had originally been identified through participant observation.The questionnaire and other data, which was accumulated, as well as the study itself, were organized and presented within the framework of five sequential phases. These were as follows: 1. Phase I - Training Workshops for Data Collectors 1. Phase II - Interviews and Observations3. Phase III - Administration of Questionnaires4. Phase IV - Organization of Data5. Phase V - Writing of Individual Building ReportsThe final section of the study attempted to determine how the team leaders felt about the project once their direct involvement had been completed. Attention was also accorded to what would and should be done with the final project results in the various participating school corporations.Based upon the data and findings of the study, it was concluded that the theoretical model of curriculum evaluation investigated was an effective vehicle with which to collect data and accurately describe the curricular offerings of a given school.In addition, it was determined that public school personnel can be trained to serve effectively as data collectors within the model in a relatively short period of time (In this case, a one and one-half day workshop proved sufficient). However, much of the success or failure of such an undertaking appeared to be determined by the personal and professional qualifications of the consultant who conducted the training workshops. It was also found that the potential for success of a curriculum evaluation project such as the Northwest Indiana Curriculum Evaluation Project would have been enhanced by increasing the man-day commitment of participating school corporations so as to accommodate unexpected time and personnel problems which occurred; by budgeting for more adequate secretarial services; and by providing more adequate storage and office space in which to house the permanent staff required for such a project.Beyond the initial approval which was given by the chief administrator of each participating school corporation, the attitude which the superintendent extended to the project significantly influenced the attitudes which his subordinates displayed as participating data collectors.Other conclusions obtained from the study were: communication plays a vital role in determining the success or failure of a curriculum evaluation project; certain professional public school personnel seem threatened by involvement in curriculum evaluation projects; cooperative curriculum evaluation projects possess a high potential as in-service programs; students tend to be more frank in their responses to the inquiries made by data-collectors than are teachers; professional educators recognize a need for curricular change based on systematically acquired evidence, and the advent of a curriculum evaluation project in and of itself is unlikely to foster significant curricular change.

The work of which this study is an account was carried out while the author was Deputy Leader of the British Ornithologists' Union Centenary Expedition to Ascension Island , from November 1957 to April 1959. The objects of the expedition were to investigate the general breeding biology of the resident tropical seabirds with a view to discovering how the timing of their breeding was controlled. In most temperate birds the controlling factors are changes in day-length, temperature, and availability of food; the particular interest of the eleven species at Ascension was that they were living in an environment with no seasonal change in day-length or climate, and apparently a uniform availability of food. The author was responsible for studies on three of these species, the White Booby Sula dactylatra, the Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, and the Fairy Tern Gygis alba. A few observations were also made on the ten or so pairs of the Redfooted Booby Sula sula which were present. The bulk of this study is an account of the comparative breeding biology of the White and Brown Boobies. The Fairy Tern is not closely comparable to them, and only those aspects of its biology relevant to the general problem (breeding, food, and moult) are dealt with, in an Appendix. The study is divided into nine sections, of which four deal with the breeding of the boobies, and three with other observations on the species' biology, vis, moult and food (both of which were found to have an important relation to the breeding biology), and behaviour, which had neither been fully described nor analysed before. Section I is introductory, the aims, scope, and methods of study being described, together with the habitat. Ascension Island lies roughly in the middle of the South Atlantic (8°S, 14°25'W). It is a peak of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, triangular in shape, with sides of about eight miles, and rises from coastal plains to 2,800 ft in the middle. Its volcanic origin is clearly seen in the numerous extinct craters, ash-fielda, and lava-flows, which are little weathered by the uniformly warm and sunny climate and the continuous south-east Trade-winds. Vegetation is confined to the slopes above about l,000 ft. As a result of man's introduction of rats and cats, the seabirds are no longer found on the main island and, with the exception of the Wideawake Tern, are now confined to off-shore stacks and islets. The expedition's main work was therefore done on Boatswain-bird Island, a volcanic plug some 300 ft high and 400 yds, across, about 300 yds, off the south-east corner of Ascension. Only intermittent visits could be paid to this island, and the author spent about 130 days, spaced over 15 months, on it. Section II deals with the colonies and breeding seasons. There were 1200-1300 pairs of White Boobies breeding on Boatswain-bird Island, and one or two pairs elsewhere. 600-700 pairs of Brown Boobies bred at Ascension, of which about two-thirds were on Boatswain-bird Island and the reminder on small stacks. In both species there were clearly-marked peaks of laying, with intervening periods when the number of new clutches was very small. In the White Booty breeding appeared to occur annually (only one fun season was studied, but deductions were made about the preceding and following ones), in the Brown about every eight months (two full seasons were seen, and again deductions were made about others). In both species the time taken from laying of eggs to fledging of chicks was the same, six to seven months. Individuals of both species conformed to the breeding seasons of the population, and if out of phase for some reason, they had a longer or shorter "rest" period as necessary to bring them into phase again at the next season, these two discoveries at once suggested that external factors were modifying the birds' internal physiological cycles and controlling the time of breeding. What these factors might be is discussed later in the study, in the light of subsequent discoveries about the species' breeding biology. The two species differed not only in periodicity of casual cycle but also in the time of year at which laying took place. The periodicity was such, however, that every two years the Brown Boobies would lay at almost the same time as the White. The significance of this, and its possible relation to annual variation in oceanic conditions with their origin in the melting of the Antarctic ice, is discussed, together with published information about the species' breeding seasons in other parts of the world. Section III deals with clutch-size and incubation. Both species were found to lay two eggs, with very few exceptions, but only one chick was raised. Incubation is described, and the attentive spells at the nest analysed; the attentive spells of both species were found to be variable, those of the White Booby being about 48 hours and those of the Brown about 24 hours. This probably indicated a difference in the birds' feeding range (partly confirmed by a study of their food), important in the consideration of the two species' ecologlcal differences. Some desertions occurred during the study of attention spells, and the circumstances of these strongly indicated that the birds were experiencing difficulty in finding food, this view subsequently being supported by other events. In Section IV the feeding, care, and growth of the chick are described. Records of growth rates of both normal, and abnormal chicks were obtained, and these provided further evidence of the operation of a food shortage. Losses in weight and reductions of growth rate occurred in chicks of varying ages but at roughly the sane date, August and September 1958. The second chick of the clutch hatched about five days after the first and never lived more than two or three days. The curious circumstances of this are described the smaller chick was apparently expelled from the nest by the larger, and not starved to death as a result of the larger chick's more vigorous demands, as has been shown in some other species of birds. Experiments with twins were carried, out to investigate this situation further; the larger chick's ability to establish a supremacy was found to be so strong as to operate even when the difference in size between artificial twins was very small; and some parents were able to raise twin chicks at apparently the normal rate of growth for two weeks or more. Possible reasons for this striking behaviour amongst the chicks and its relevance to clutch size and breeding success are discussed. In Section V, breeding success is described. Both species had a low breeding success, and big losses of eggs and chicks of the White Booby occurred in August and September 1958, supporting the other evidence concerning shortage of food. In one area of the White Booty colony studied only 4.5% of the eggs laid gave rise to flying young, in another area the figure being 9%. In the Brown Booby 5% of the eggs laid gave rise to flying young in one season, while in the following season the figure was 13%; the difference here was probably due to shortage of food in the first season causing late deaths among chicks. Section VI deals mainly with moult in the White Booby. Less information was obtained about the Brown Booty but the procedure appeared to be the same as in the White; in view of the Brown Booby's shorter sexual cycle, however, more information than could be obtained would have been interesting. The sequence of primary moult was discovered when examining juvenile White Boobies which had returned to the island after a post-fledging dispersal. The change from juvenile to adult plumage took more than two years, the shedding and regrowth of the primaries, from the innermost outwards, occurring in three spaced concurrent cycles.

This study explores the morphology and electrical behavior of breeding weakly electric fish. Wave-type electric fish communicate by means of a continuous oscillatory electric signal produced by an electric organ. The electric organ discharges at frequencies which are sexually dimorphic in many species of electric fish. This dimorphism is thought to be attributed to female mate choice, although to date, there is no evidence for mate choice or intrasexual competition to have driven the evolution of this signaling dimorphism in wave-type electric fish. Here, I have tracked changes in body shape and electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency of A. leptorhynchus throughout a breeding conditioning period. I find that only females alter the shape of their bodies, presumably to account for increasing egg mass, during the breeding conditioning period. Throughout this period, both females and males do not alter their EOD frequencies significantly. Gravid females were used in an unforced preference test, where they were presented with two live, male A. leptorhynchus. Female preference was indicated by a passage of the female into one of the two male compartments. I find that females show a preference for higher EOD frequency males, while no preference is shown for longer, heavier or larger-amplitude males. Further investigations are needed to dissociate the role of EOD frequency from potentially correlated male traits, such as rate and type of modulations of EOD frequency. The finding of this study that female A. leptorhynchus prefer males of higher EOD frequency establishes wave-type weakly electric fish as a promising model system for the study of the evolution and the sensory mechanisms of female choice.

Increasing levels of conflict between brown bears and rural people have been reported for Yusufeli (Artvin, Turkey). This study aimed to document the conflict, understand human attitudes and responses, determine local habitat use and daily activity patterns of bears, and evaluate available damage prevention techniques. The study was conducted within landscapes at different scales, ranging from a core area defined by a large valley system to the whole of Artvin Province. Data on close encounters, injuries and damages caused were collected through government records, published literature and open-ended interviews with the locals. Bear presence and activity were monitored through various techniques, including the capture and radio-collaring of one individual. Population density was found to range between 11-27 adult bears/100 km2. Bear activity increased during hyperphagia, with many daytime observations. Interviews (n=67) showed that almost all (95%) locals believed that bears have become more of a problem lately. Only 6% supported full protection while 38% conditionally accepted it. On more than two-thirds of close encounters, the bear and person(s) involved departed without any harm. Rare bear attacks on humans, usually provoked, sometimes caused non-fatal injuries. Several bears were found to be shot and killed within the study area in 2002-2005. Damages were mostly in late summer on field crops and orchards, and in spring on beehives. Precautions taken by villagers differed in effectiveness against bears. Bears caused a minimum of US$21,500 worth damages annually at Yusufeli County. Implementation of modern techniques of exclusion and scaring would reduce human-bear conflict in the region.

Uncoupling protein, UCP, present in the inner mitochondrial membrane of brown adipose tissue (BAT) contributes to adaptive thermogenesis. UCP functions as a proton pore and can dissipate the proton electrochemical gradient established by the respiratory chain during fuel oxidation, and thus generates heat without producing ATP. However, the brown adipose tissue thermogenesis is not likely to be a major mechanism in controlling energy expenditure for humans because adults have only residual amounts of the tissue. Two new members of the UCP family have been identified based on their high sequence homology to UCP in BAT and named UCP2 and UCP3. The original UCP was renamed UCP1. At the amino acid level, human UCP2 and UCP3 are 59% and 57% identical to UCP1, respectively. In contrast to UCP1, UCP2 is expressed in many tissues such as brown adipose tissue, white adipose tissue, muscle, spleen and macrophages. UCP3 is expressed preferentially in skeletal muscle in humans, and brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in rodents. Since their identification many functional studies, including transgenic animals and ectopic expression of UCP2 or UCP3 in yeast, showed uncoupling activity of UCP2 and UCP3. A number of studies have been done that show increased expression of UCP2 and UCP3 by fasting, high-fat diets and suckling of newborn mice. A common characteristic of these circumstances is an associated increase in plasma free fatty acid levels. This study aimed to investigate effects of fatty acids, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and other transcription factors on UCP2 and UCP3 gene expression and to explore the molecular mechanism of their regulation through analysis of the promoter of the UCP2 and UCP3 genes. The 3.1 kb and 3.2 kb 5�-flanking regions of the mouse UCP2 and UCP3 genes, respectively, were cloned and used to construct promoter reporter gene (firefly luciferase) plasmids. The cloned region of the UCP2 and UCP3 genes contained putative binding motifs for several transcription factors, including PPAR, myogenin, and MyoD. Luciferase assays of both constructs showed basal promoter activity with 20~190-fold induction for the UCP2 promoter and 1.3~23-fold induction for the UCP3 promoter in several transfected cell lines, including 3T3-L1, C2C12, L6, COS7 and HepG2. Oleic acid (0.3 mM) up-regulated endogenous UCP2 mRNA by 2.3-fold in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes but not in C2C12 myotubes, and UCP3 mRNA by 2.5-fold in C2C12 myotubes. Responsiveness of the cloned promoter to oleic acid reflected the tissue-specific responsiveness of their endogenous genes but with less fold induction, 1.4-fold for UCP2 promoter in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and 1.5-fold for UCP3 promoter in C2C12 myotubes. Forced expression of PPAR isotypes (PPARα, PPAR[delta] and PPARγ) showed tissue and isotype-specific activation of the UCP2 promoter. UCP2 promoter activity was induced by 2-fold by PPARγ in 3T3-L1 and by 2.8-fold by PPAR[delta] in C2C12. Treatment of oleic acid (0.3 mM) brought about further induction of the UCP2 promoter activity only in 3T3-L1. In contrast, all three isotypes induced activation of the UCP3 promoter in 3T3-L1, C2C12 and HepG2 cells. Treatment with oleic acid (0.3 mM) or isotype-specific agonist (10 [mu]M) resulted in further increased activity of the UCP3 promoter in 3T3-L1 and HepG2 cells. In particular, rosiglitazone (10 [mu]M) induced a 41-fold increase in UCP3 promoter activity in PPARγ transfected HepG2 cells, and this induction returned to basal level by treatment with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) (50 [mu]M), an antagonist for PPARγ. In addition, UCP3 promoter activity increased up to 20-fold 4 days after induction of C2C12 myoblasts differentiation, whereas UCP2 promoter activity increased only up to 2-fold. Forced expression of myogenin and MyoD in C2C12 myoblasts to mimic differentiation, induced UCP3 promoter activity in an additive manner, consistent with UCP3 being regulated by muscle differentiation. In the present study, it has been shown that UCP2 and UCP3 genes are regulated differently by fatty acids. The tissue-type dependence in regulation of endogenous UCP2 and UCP3 paralleled the cell type-specific effect of oleic acid on the promoter-reporter constructs, suggesting that fatty acid effects are at the transcriptional level. UCP2 and UCP3 promoters showed differences in their response to PPARs. Mediation of the fatty acid effect through PPARs has been also demonstrated, but direct binding of PPARs and particular regulatory motifs on the cloned promoter region have not yet been investigated.

Durvillaea, a kelp genus occurring only in the Southern Hemisphere, presents an ideal system for studies of marine connectivity and postglacial recolonisation. Durvillaea contains five currently-recognised species, four of which are non-buoyant. Whereas all non-buoyant species are restricted to the south-western Pacific, the sole buoyant species (D. antarctica) has a far wider, circumpolar distribution, strongly suggesting that long-distance dispersal in D. antarctica is achieved by rafting. This contrast in predicted dispersal ability among Durvillaea species provides an opportunity for natural phylogeographic comparisons, thereby assessing the effectiveness of rafting as a long-distance dispersal mechanism. Additionally, the inability of D. antarctica to survive in ice-affected areas, combined with its broad distribution, make it an ideal candidate for studies of postglacial recolonisation. Phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships within Durvillaea were here assessed using sequence data from mitochondrial (COI), chloroplast (rbcL) and nuclear (18S) DNA. Genetic data were obtained from more than 500 specimens, including representatives from across the geographic range of each recognised species of Durvillaea. Mitochondrial data for Durvillaea were found to be highly phylogenetically informative, with 117 variable sites observed over a 629 bp fragment of COI. Chloroplast and nuclear markers, on the other hand, showed less variation than COI, but nonetheless contributed useful phylogenetic information. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity were observed across the range of D. potatorum in Australia, with genetic homogeneity throughout western sites versus relatively high levels of diversity in eastern populations. Based on these results, I hypothesise that D. potatorum recolonised much of the western part of its range postglacially, perhaps being entirely eliminated from western Tasmania during the last glacial period by altered oceanographic systems. Additionally, 'western' and 'eastern' D. potatorum haplotypes formed deeply-divergent clades, likely reflecting geographic isolation on either side of the Bassian Isthmus during Pleistocene marine regressions. Substantial genetic diversity was observed across the range of the circumpolar species D. antarctica. Within New Zealand, phylogenetic and morphological analyses of D. antarctica indicate that two morphotypes ('cape' and 'thonged' forms) likely represent reproductively isolated species, with the 'cape' lineage apparently restricted to southern New Zealand. Whereas the 'cape' lineage showed little genetic variation throughout its range, the 'thonged' lineage exhibited marked phylogeographic structure, with high genetic diversity and a clear north - south genetic disjunction delineated by the Canterbury Bight. On a broader, circumpolar scale, D. antarctica showed contrasting patterns of genetic diversity, with high levels of variation in low-latitude regions (e.g., continental coasts of New Zealand and Chile), versus near-homogeneity at high, subantarctic latitudes. These phylogeographic contrasts strongly suggest that D. antarctica recolonised much of the subantarctic region only recently, most plausibly following extirpation by ice scour at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Locations of putative recolonised islands relative to 'refugial' areas indicate that Antarctic sea ice was likely more extensive at the LGM than previous studies have suggested. Latitudinal contrasts in genetic diversity were also observed among Chilean populations of D. antarctica, with a single mitochondrial haplotype detected throughout Chilean Patagonia versus high diversity in central Chile (32�-42�S). The Patagonian populations appear to have recolonised the region postglacially, following recession of the Patagonian Ice Sheet after the LGM. These populations show transoceanic ancestry, with a closer relationship to populations in the subantarctic and southern New Zealand regions than to those in central Chile. Substantial phylogeographic structure was evident across small spatial scales in central Chile, and the correspondence of major genetic disjunctions among central Chilean sites with the presence of long stretches of unsuitable substrate (beaches) strongly suggests that habitat discontinuity drives genetic isolation in this dispersive species. Broad-scale molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that the current taxonomy of Durvillaea species requires substantial revision. Previously-recognised 'morphotypes' of Durvillaea (of D. potatorum in Australia, and D. antarctica in New Zealand), for example, were here found to be genetically distinct, likely representing reproductively-isolated species. This phylogeographic research on Durvillaea kelp sheds new light on the historical impacts of climate change on Southern Hemisphere marine environments, and on the processes driving evolution in a marine macroalga.

Durvillaea, a kelp genus occurring only in the Southern Hemisphere, presents an ideal system for studies of marine connectivity and postglacial recolonisation. Durvillaea contains five currently-recognised species, four of which are non-buoyant. Whereas all non-buoyant species are restricted to the south-western Pacific, the sole buoyant species (D. antarctica) has a far wider, circumpolar distribution, strongly suggesting that long-distance dispersal in D. antarctica is achieved by rafting. This contrast in predicted dispersal ability among Durvillaea species provides an opportunity for natural phylogeographic comparisons, thereby assessing the effectiveness of rafting as a long-distance dispersal mechanism. Additionally, the inability of D. antarctica to survive in ice-affected areas, combined with its broad distribution, make it an ideal candidate for studies of postglacial recolonisation. Phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships within Durvillaea were here assessed using sequence data from mitochondrial (COI), chloroplast (rbcL) and nuclear (18S) DNA. Genetic data were obtained from more than 500 specimens, including representatives from across the geographic range of each recognised species of Durvillaea. Mitochondrial data for Durvillaea were found to be highly phylogenetically informative, with 117 variable sites observed over a 629 bp fragment of COI. Chloroplast and nuclear markers, on the other hand, showed less variation than COI, but nonetheless contributed useful phylogenetic information. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity were observed across the range of D. potatorum in Australia, with genetic homogeneity throughout western sites versus relatively high levels of diversity in eastern populations. Based on these results, I hypothesise that D. potatorum recolonised much of the western part of its range postglacially, perhaps being entirely eliminated from western Tasmania during the last glacial period by altered oceanographic systems. Additionally, 'western' and 'eastern' D. potatorum haplotypes formed deeply-divergent clades, likely reflecting geographic isolation on either side of the Bassian Isthmus during Pleistocene marine regressions. Substantial genetic diversity was observed across the range of the circumpolar species D. antarctica. Within New Zealand, phylogenetic and morphological analyses of D. antarctica indicate that two morphotypes ('cape' and 'thonged' forms) likely represent reproductively isolated species, with the 'cape' lineage apparently restricted to southern New Zealand. Whereas the 'cape' lineage showed little genetic variation throughout its range, the 'thonged' lineage exhibited marked phylogeographic structure, with high genetic diversity and a clear north - south genetic disjunction delineated by the Canterbury Bight. On a broader, circumpolar scale, D. antarctica showed contrasting patterns of genetic diversity, with high levels of variation in low-latitude regions (e.g., continental coasts of New Zealand and Chile), versus near-homogeneity at high, subantarctic latitudes. These phylogeographic contrasts strongly suggest that D. antarctica recolonised much of the subantarctic region only recently, most plausibly following extirpation by ice scour at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Locations of putative recolonised islands relative to 'refugial' areas indicate that Antarctic sea ice was likely more extensive at the LGM than previous studies have suggested. Latitudinal contrasts in genetic diversity were also observed among Chilean populations of D. antarctica, with a single mitochondrial haplotype detected throughout Chilean Patagonia versus high diversity in central Chile (32�-42�S). The Patagonian populations appear to have recolonised the region postglacially, following recession of the Patagonian Ice Sheet after the LGM. These populations show transoceanic ancestry, with a closer relationship to populations in the subantarctic and southern New Zealand regions than to those in central Chile. Substantial phylogeographic structure was evident across small spatial scales in central Chile, and the correspondence of major genetic disjunctions among central Chilean sites with the presence of long stretches of unsuitable substrate (beaches) strongly suggests that habitat discontinuity drives genetic isolation in this dispersive species. Broad-scale molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that the current taxonomy of Durvillaea species requires substantial revision. Previously-recognised 'morphotypes' of Durvillaea (of D. potatorum in Australia, and D. antarctica in New Zealand), for example, were here found to be genetically distinct, likely representing reproductively-isolated species. This phylogeographic research on Durvillaea kelp sheds new light on the historical impacts of climate change on Southern Hemisphere marine environments, and on the processes driving evolution in a marine macroalga.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Adelaide, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-150).

Thesis (M.M.C.)--Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.), 2004. / Title from document title page. Title from caption (viewed on Nov. 25, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.