Lanier and Huff-Corzine's (2006) article "American Indian Homicide: A County-Level Analysis Utilizing Social Disorganization Theory" has been referred to as a highly influential piece of literature on American Indian homicide. The study looked at American Indian homicide victimization incidents by county between 1986 and 1992 in the continental United States using the framework of social disorganization theory. Despite the violent crime drop in the 1990s, little research exists that examines current dynamics of American Indian homicide. This study provides an updated replication of Lanier and Huff-Corzine (2006) by examining the impact of social disorganization on American Indian homicide victimization between 2006 and 2012. Results differ from Lanier and Huff-Corzine (2006). Reasons for the different outcomes are explored and implications for future research are discussed.

There are extensive amounts of psychological research that highlight the needs and experiences of racial ethnic minority populations in general and more specifically minority sexual identities and genders, also referred to as non-heteronormative populations (Alexeyeff & Besnier, 2014). However, there continues to be a lack of representation in the research of Polynesians and an even greater lack of representation of non-heteronormative Polynesians and their experiences (Allen et al., 2011). Māhū, a population of native Hawaiians who identify as non-heteronormative or third gender, are almost completely absent from scholarly work. This study examines the experience of self-identified māhū and how mental health professionals can support them. Qualitative interviews of six Native Hawaiians who identify as māhū were completed. Hermeneutic principles guided the interpretation and analysis of the interviews. Analysis of the interviews produced three main themes comprising seven subthemes. Primary themes included (a) the definition of māhū has changed over time and can be dependent on personal views through a cultural lens (b) the Hawaiian culture provides safety and protection for those who identify as māhū and (c) māhū have suggestions regarding the ways in which mental health practitioners (both Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian) can serve this population.

Invasive species are generally regarded as detrimental to native communities because they cause increased competition and community structure alterations. There is therefore a critical need to understand the ecological processes underlying the establishment and spread of invasive species. While most studies to date have focused on the role of competition in species invasions, trophic dynamics may also play a fundamental role in the establishment and spread of non-natives, especially in cases when a non-native species experiences differential predation pressure relative to a native competitor. Herein I explore the potential for differential granivory pressure by a native rodent (Heermann’s kangaroo rat, Dipodomys heermanni arenae) on native shrubs and an invasive plant (Veldt grass, Ehrharta calycina). Veldt grass, a perennial tufted grass native to South Africa and introduced to California in 1929, is highly invasive, and the shift of native coastal dune scrub to a grassland, dominated by Veldt grass, is considered one of the factors that led to the decline of the federally endangered Morro Bay kangaroo rat. However, kangaroo rats are largely graminivores (consume grass seed) and are known to consume invasive grasses and other plants. Differential seed preferences for native and Veldt seed were examined by placing feeding stations containing each seed type in habitats dominated by either native plants or Veldt grass. Each feeding station was monitored using motion-activated game cameras and the amount of each seed type collected by nineteen individually-marked, wild kangaroo rats was documented. These marked kangaroo rats were monitored both in native and Veldt grass habitats, allowing for the testing of habitat origin (Native vs. Veldt), sex (male or female) and seed type on the amount of seed taken. Nine of the kangaroo rats harvested Veldt grass seed. Though females collected more seed than males, there was no difference between the amounts (% of available seed) of Veldt grass and native seed collected. Habitat of origin (i.e., habitats with Veldt grass present or habitats without Veldt grass) had no effect on the amount of seed collected or the type of seed collected. During seed station trials, kangaroo rats were also recorded removing seed heads from naturally occurring Veldt grass stalks, providing clear documentation that Heermann’s kangaroo rats do collect Veldt grass seed. Accompanying laboratory seed preference trials were also conducted to confirm the consumption of Veldt grass seed. These controlled laboratory trials revealed that Heermann’s kangaroo rats will consume Veldt grass seed, although Veldt grass seed was consumed in smaller amounts (g) than millet and sunflower seed, which were presented simultaneously. These findings indicate that non-native Veldt grass may provide an additional or alternative source of seed for kangaroo rats, which could provide a partial explanation for why kangaroo rats are able to survive in monocultures of Veldt grass.

In this mixed-methods community-based participatory research project I examine the ways in which sense of place (or lack thereof) is developed for Native Americans living in the urban Boston area, and the implications this has for physical health and social well-being. Through in-depth interviews, ethnographic data, and community photo-voice, I argue that a triad of Place, Stress, and Identity configure and act upon the bodies of urban Natives in complex ways, creating a paradoxical sense of place in the city. Each analytical chapter examines particular interactions of this triad: place as a physical and socially-experienced phenomenon, the interactions of place and stress, the process of "place-making", and social stress surrounding “urban Native” identity. Developing a framework of “place/body multiple” (Eyles and Williams 2007, Scheper-Hughes and Lock 1987; see background chapter), these chapters build toward the argument that, in contrast to “sense of place” literature that focuses on reservations (see Background Chapter), urban “sense of place” operates within what I term a “landscape of distress.” Forming an urban “sense of place” is beneficial to overall well-being because it leads to support networks and creates a proxy for “home”, building on current literature on social support and anthropological literature on Indigenous place-making. However, it is also detrimental to health because it creates an identity that is inherently separate from tribe and traditional land, creating both social and physiological distress.

WebAssembly is Assembly-like code that is created by compiling other languages into Wasm. The Wasm file can then be run on the web at near native speed. The objective of this study is to find how WebAssemblys runtime compares to JavaScript and native. The study will also see if different browsers impact WebAssembly runtime. To get the information two different methods were used. Firstly literature and articles were used to gather data on JavaScript and native runtime compared to WebAssembly. Secondly an empirical study was conducted to compare four different browsers WebAssembly runtime.  When comparing WebAssembly and JavaScript it was found that WebAssembly isn't always the fastest alternative due to many reasons but some major ones were how they were compiled and optimised.  When looking at WebAssembly compared to native we could clearly see that WebAssembly was slower. These slowdowns came primarily from the increase in code size but the virtual environment and security checks also contributed to this.  After the empirical study we could see some differences between browsers both in compilation speed and execution time. Between the chromium browsers the difference in execution time was very small and Firefox was always faster. But when looking at compilation time Chrome was faster with the other browsers having varying results. The research could conclude that WebAssembly can provide a useful boost to runtime on websites when used correctly. It is not something that is going to replace JavaScript but can be used together with it. We could also conclude that the user's choice of browser has a small impact on WebAssembly and can cause differences in runtime.

Annonsformen native advertising är ett växande koncept i Sverige. Studier har visat att det föreligger svårigheter i att skilja native från redaktionell text, samt att förtroendet till både publicister och journalistik påverkas av den. Samtidigt är annonsformen ekonomiskt framgångsrik vilket underlättat för publicister under den digitala övergången. Ett flertal medieforskare har diskuterat detta dilemma i relation till konsumenternas uppfattning. Även generationstillhörighet har belysts i sammanhanget. Därför undersöker denna studie generationerna baby boomers och millennials uppfattning av native i journalistisk kontext. Detta undersöks genom en fokusgruppstudie bestående av två grupper för att besvara de tre huvudfrågorna 1) identifiering av och 2) inställning till native, samt 3) hur detta påverkar förtroendet för journalistik. Resultaten indikerar en påverkan på förtroendet till journalistiken, oavsett generation. Grupperna skiljer sig dessutom åt i hur de identifierar native, vilket kan bero på generationstillhörighet samt kulturella faktorer.

Computer systems can fail for a vast range of reasons, and handling failures is crucial to any critical computer system. Many modern computer systems are migrating to public clouds, which provides more flexible resource consumption and in many cases reduced costs, while the migration can also require system changes due to limitations in the provided cloud environment. This thesis evaluates a few methods of achieving failover when migrating a system to a public cloud, with the main goal of finding a replacement for failover mechanisms that can only be used in self-managed infrastructure. A few different failover methods are evaluated by looking into different aspects of how each method would change an existing system. Two methods using \textit{etcd} and \textit{Apache ZooKeeper} are used for experimental evaluation where failover time is measured in two simulated scenarios where the primary process terminates and a standby process needs to be promoted to the primary status. In one scenario, the primary process is not able to notify other processes in the system before terminating, and in the other scenario, the primary process can release the primary status to another instance before terminating. The etcd and ZooKeeper solutions are shown to behave quite similarly in the testing setup, while the ZooKeeper solution might be able to achieve lower failover time in low-latency environments.

This work investigates the American-Indian policy between 1790 and 1810 through the vehicle of the American government, focusing on the 'white, sincere, religious-minded men who believed intensely in both American expansion and positive relations with the Indians.' While Indian reaction comprises an important piece of the native-white cultural encounter in the West, this study questions if scholars have the ability to address this problem in more than a very general way. In truth, each tribe was unique and different in their reaction to white legislation and settlement. There was no pan-Indian movement against settlement, and for the same reason, there is no pan-Indian history. However, it is possible to write of the white Americans as more of a single entity. They were closely united both in outlook and in goals. They had a single program which they meant to apply to all the Indians. This work will attempt to assess the piece of this policy regarding the fur trade and the Northwest. This study also links the Republican policies of Thomas Jefferson with the platforms of his federalist predecessors. Thorough investigation reveals choices in Western settlement were made by both government officials and settlers. Settlement of the Western frontier did not follow a predetermined path; private settlement and frontier violence were not predestined. Many junctures existed where it could have shifted. Lewis and Clark can be used as a case study with which to assess Jeffersonian policy. First, the men followed direct orders from Jefferson, instructed to act as the 'forward voice' of his anticipated policy. Second, the men recorded almost the entirety of the voyage, and thoroughly captured the initial contact between whites and natives. Moreover, this contact occurred in region without previous contact with whites. As such, the Lewis and Clark expedition affords a unique opportunity to eliminate some of the inherent biases which were amassed during the colonial period of contact, both with the British and the American colonies.

My research findings have implications for applied ecology and restoration policy in Ontario. I my discussions, and final chapter, I offer suggestions for the practitioner. / Restoration practitioners are tasked with recreating ecosystems using appropriate plant material that will provide ecological goods and services. However, best-practices for this type of intervention are not well developed for the southern Ontario landscape. Therefore, we evaluated approaches from four different aspects of seed-based restoration. First, we quantified the impact of seeding rate and application method on the success of grassland recreation. We also measured the impact of this restoration on the local bee community. Next, we compared a suite of native and nearly native wetland plants for their potential to prevent the establishment of invasive Phragmites australis. We measured the effect of competition on Phragmites across soil moisture and salinity gradients. Finally, we sought evidence for local specialization in a grassland forb, Monarda fistulosa, that would warrant policies to prevent the transfer of grassland seed for revegetation. In re-creating grasslands from seed, we found an interaction between seeding rate and application method. At a high rate, both methods had the same outcome, but at a low rate, a two-phase application method produced better results than a single-phase method. However, we also found that a single-phase method produced target plant cover with a higher floristic quality index after three years. In one study region, restored sites supported a greater bee abundance than un-restored sites, but bee abundance did not change after restoration in all regions. Of all the native species tested, Phragmites was supressed most by Bidens frondosa, a fast growing annual. We also found evidence that Phragmites may be less competitive at low soil moisture, and more competitive at high soil salinity. Finally, we found no evidence of local adaptation in M. fistulosa at the watershed scale; instead, we see independent effects of site and seed origin. This implies that current site conditions may not be favorable to the offspring of relic populations, and that local genotypes may not always be the best choice for restoration. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / I tested four approaches to seed-based restoration. First I found that a two-phase hydroseeding method can be more efficient at a low seeding rate. Second, I found that the response of the bee community to local restoration may depend on broader landscape factors. Next, I found that Monarda fistulosa is not locally adapted at a watershed scale. Finally, I found that native annuals may be best at resisting invasion from Phragmites, and that some native species actually can facilitate invasion.

This text reflects on the perceptions of “native” and transfer agricultural students during their time at a Mississippi land grant university through a quantitative survey to all undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University. This research used an ex post facto survey to look at perceptions of native and transfer students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University and determine if there were significant differences between the two groups in constructs of student experience. This study identified transfer and native students’ perceived collegiate experience in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University using an online survey. The findings from this study show no statistical significance between native and transfer students for any of the four constructs, but find a median value for all constructs to be higher than neutral on a Likert scale.