Sewanee: Scholarship Sewanee 2010
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Item Synthesis and Characterization of Bipyridine-Based Platinum (II) Mesogens(2010-04-15) Fried, Sarah; Taliaferro, Annie; Brahm, ErinPlatinum (II) diimine complexes display a wide array of interesting physical properties, including luminescence, photoredox chemistry, polymorphism and polychromism. By coupling these chromophores to Guerbet alcohols we have prepared a new class of metal-containing liquid crystalline materials with very low transition temperatures and wide mesomorphic temperature ranges. These materials display unique physical properties, including thermo- and vapoluminescence. Ligand substitution reactions can be used to alter the spectral properties of these complexes and to construct supramolecular architectures. The relationships between structure, phase behavior and the luminescent properties of these materials will be explored.Item Differences Between Male and Female Division III Athletes in Eating Attitudes, Body Perception, and Reason for Exercise(2010-04-15) Hague, ChristopherWith the continual focus on achievement and large training volumes, researchers have labeled collegiate athletes as a high risk group for eating disorders. Most research to date, however, has centered solely on female athletes from Division I schools, neglecting other levels of competition and males. Since both of these factors may influence eating disordered psychopathology and behaviors, the purpose of this study is to see if eating disorder pathology does occur in Division III athletes and whether there is a difference between males and females in these etiological factors. 78 male and 88 female (n=166 ) D-III athletes completed a survey evaluating psychological predictors of eating disorders (ATHLETE questionnaire), personality types associated with eating disorders, and reasons for exercises (REI scale). Results show that there was a significant difference between males and females on several eating disorder etiological factors and reasons for exercise. Psychological, etiological factors of eating disorders do seem to appear in Division III athletes with males and females differing in how they show them. Social, cultural, and psychological reasons are discussed as possible explanations for these findings.Item Latino/a Conceptions of Assertiveness: Preliminary Results from a Qualitative Study(2010-04-15) Bardi, C. Albert; Chandrasekaran, Chetna; Clark, Sarah; Croasdaile, Lauren; Mates, Hadley; McNair, Caroline; Pickett, Leigh AnneAssertiveness has been defined as the verbal and nonverbal, direct expression of feelings (Gay, Hollandsworth & Galassi, 1975) and the positive, productive expression of one's needs, feelings, preferences or opinions (Rathus, 1973). Extant conceptions and measures of assertiveness have largely been developed with predominantly white samples. Four focus groups were conducted with community members who self-identify as being of Latino/a or Hispanic heritage. Groups were given a simple model of the intersection of active vs passive modes and assertive vs aggressive behavior, and were asked to discuss their perceptions of the concepts. Transcriptions of the focus groups were created and themes were identified. Themes include "assertiveness as a product of immigrant struggle", "increasing assertiveness with newer generations", "acceptance of authority" and "the ideal of passive assertion".Item A Comparison of Pelagic Invertebrate Communities in Vernal Pools and Lakes Around Sewanee, Tennessee(2010-04-15) Loria, Stephanie; Donnell, Sarah; Hassell, Daven; Taylor, JonVernal pools are seasonally filled and therefore provide a predator free habitat for a diversity of invertebrates, such as salamanders and crustaceans that are normally consumed by fish in aquatic habitats such as lakes. We compared the abundance and diversity of pelagic invertebrates between vernal pools and lakes around Sewanee, Tennessee to determine how the seasonality of vernal pools changed local aquatic communities. From each of three vernal pools and nearby lakes, we collected four samples using a plankton net from three vernal pools and from three lakes. Under a magnification of eight, we counted and identified invertebrate orders, such as Cladocera, Copepoda, and Amphipoda in each sample. Using a t-test, we found that order diversity did not differ between vernal pools and lakes, but abundance was significantly higher in the vernal pools than in lakes. Greater abundance in vernal pools is likely due to the lack of predatory fish that would readily consume invertebrates in the open water. On the other hand, among the vernal pools, there was no difference in pelagic invertebrate abundance, but there was a difference in invertebrate diversity. Airport Pond had a greater diversity of pelagic invertebrates than any of the other ponds, likely due to the fact that this pond is regularly disturbed. The results of our study indicate that vernal pools are an important habitat for many species sensitive to predation pressures.Item Swarm Dynamics and the Evolution of Antipredator Tactics(2010-04-15) Cooper, Guy; Drinen, DouglasMy work makes use of the Boids concept devised by Craig Reynolds in 1986. Boids is an artificial life algorithm that simulates the flocking or swarming behavior of certain species such as birds or fish. Each "boid" is modeled as an independent agent responding to their immediate environment through a set of simple rules. The macroscopic complexity in flocks and swarms thus arises as an emergent property of the numerous individual agent-agent interactions over a short spatial scale. I wrote a Java program which applies the Boids algorithm to a two-dimensional simulation of predator-prey dynamics. I explore the potential advantages of the emergent swarming/flocking behavior by comparing the average lifespan and evasion success of prey populations that swarm to those that do not. In addition, I implement a genetic algorithm in order to model the long-scale evolution of flocking tactics in response to the pressure of predatory forces.