Digital Commons Network^™

Prospecting For Coal Bed Uranium In Kansas Through The Use Of Arcgis And Uranium Proxies, Logan Howell

Master's Theses

The potential implications for the discovery of coal bed uranium in Kansas not only have a significant scientific and human health interest impact, but also a possible future economic one as well. This study sought to look for coal bed uranium within the Cretaceous Dakota Formation located in north-central of Kansas. This study utilized the two coal bed uranium proxies of historic subbituminous coal production and radon, and ArcGIS to produce a field-site selection map. This map was used to pick counties within Kansas to collect samples from. Once samples were collected, they were scanned for radiation using all available …

Spatial Patterns Of Precipitation Trends In The Continental United States, 1950-2016, Shayne O'Brien

Master's Theses

Identifying trends in aspects of meteorology is becoming increasingly important to understanding how climate can be expected to change, and how those affected may plan contingencies. Analyzing spatial patterns of precipitation trends allows for associations to be discovered to better understand regional climatology. For this study, daily precipitation data were collected from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN) at stations across the continental United States, with selection based on distance from each other within a state, as well as percent completeness of observation data. Two stations per state were selected, with some exceptions for …

Effective Means Of Communication In Rural Schools, Andrew Albright

Master's Theses

The purpose of the research was to identify the preference of parents regarding the type of communication they receive from schools. Communication of general, negative, and positive information was considered in this study. Participants were parents of school-age children from a rural school district with a pre-kindergarten through high school level program. The quantitative research was designed using a survey with a Likert scale. The parents had the opportunity to participate in a parent and teacher conference event, which provided the best chance for input from most parents. The results were shared with district and building level administrators to help …

An Aerial Perspective: Using Unmanned Aerial Systems To Predict Presence Of Lesser Earless Lizards (Holbrookia Maculata), Sean Rogers

Master's Theses

Implementation of unmanned aerial system (UAS) in conservation biology has allowed researchers to extend their surveying range for monitoring wildlife. Wildlife biologists have started using UAS technology for detecting large species (i.e. elk, manatees) within their surveying range and monitoring changes and disturbance in the landscape. Despite this technological advancement, there are few studies that target smaller species (reptiles, rodents, amphibians) for UAS surveys. The primary reason for this is that these organisms are simply too small for detection for aerial surveying. However, certain species are restricted in their range because they have specific environmental requirements, and the target for …

Relationship Between Food Intake And Expression Of O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase Messenger Rna In Channel Catfish, Oaklee Abernathy

Master's Theses

Food intake regulation is a complex neural process that involves the coordination of multiple mechanisms. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) is a neural nutrient sensor that aids in regulating satiety in mammals. Compared to mammals, little is known about function and regulation of OGT expression in fish. It was hypothesized changes in food intake are associated with changes in OGT expression in channel catfish. The objectives of this study were to examine tissue distribution of OGT mRNA and determine the possible relationship between food intake and OGT mRNA in channel catfish. Screening of the catfish genome database yielded four highly homologous …

Attitude Heuristics Of Mental Illness Proneness And Sexual Orientation, Summer Mcdonald

Master's Theses

Every person unconsciously uses attitude heuristics to categorize individuals as either “good” or “bad.” The current study examines the question of whether or not age and gender play a role in the perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals being more prone to mental illness because of their sexual orientation based on the observer’s attitude heuristics. The participants for this study will be 200 anonymous online individuals from across the United States. Participants will complete a survey designed to measure their attitudes toward sexual orientation, mental illness, simple core beliefs/values, and attitude heuristics based on generalized standards of “good” …

Critical Habitat Assessment And Recovery Plan For The Kansas State Threatened Broad-Headed Skink, Allison Hullinger

Master's Theses

The Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) is listed as threatened in the state of Kansas and protected under that Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975. It is also listed as a Tier I species in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for Kansas. To be protected under the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975, a Recovery Plan must be approved by the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism. An important part of the Recovery Plan requires defining critical habitat for the Broad-headed Skink. During the summers of 2015-2017, I performed standardized …

Spatial Ecology Of The Western Massasauga (Sisturus Tergeminus) In A Large Interior Wetland, Joshua Mead

Master's Theses

Insight into the spatial ecology of a population of animals provides information valuable to the management and conservation of a species. Reptiles are facing global declines, with 1 in 5 species currently threatened with extinction. For cryptic taxa such as snakes, radio-telemetry allows for individuals to be reliably located on a consistent basis. I used radio-telemetry to investigate the spatial ecology of the Western Massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus) at Cheyenne Bottoms in Barton County, Kansas. Eighteen individuals (12 male and 6 female) were implanted with very high frequency (VHF) radio transmitters during 2016-2017 and tracked twice weekly from July to November …

Distribution Of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus (Perv) Variants In Domestic And Feral Pigs, Rashmi Acharya

Master's Theses

Xenotransplantation is considered an alternative to allotransplantation to relieve the current shortage of human organs. Due to their similar size and physiology, the organs of pigs are of particular interest for this purpose. Endogenous retroviruses are a result of integration of retroviral genomes into the genome of infected germ cells as DNA copies (proviruses), which are then carried in all cells of the offspring of the organism. Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERVs) are of special concern because they are found in pig organs and tissue that might be used for xenotransplantation. PERV proviruses, already incorporated into the pig’s genome, can be …

An Evaluation Of Trap-Neuter-Release Practices For Free-Roaming Cat Populations, Brian Gaston

Master's Theses

As of 2002, estimates of free-roaming domestic cat (Felis catus) populations exceeded 100 million individuals, throughout the United States. Many lost or abandoned cats will revert to living outdoors as free-roaming individuals. To try to control the abundance of free-roaming cats, trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs have been implemented across the United States. The goal of many TNR programs is to reduce cat populations by sterilizing the individuals to prevent breeding, while also providing food and water to the unconfined colony. However, wildlife conservationists question the effectiveness of TNR programs. The objectives of my study were to: determine the population size and …

Including Students With Special Needs In A Mainstream Classroom In Cameroon, Elie Tcheimegni

Master's Theses

This qualitative study used a survey research design to collect perception data from ten general educators from Northern Cameroon to examine the attitudes and instructional efficacy of the regular education teacher towards the inclusion of learning disabled students in the Northern part of Cameroon in grades 9 to 12. The findings of this study indicated that there is a need to train general education teachers for inclusion. Participants believe general education teachers need supports, logistics, professional development and training in inclusion practices. They all mentioned teachers need training, support and resources. Teachers should possess the skills that facilitate all learning …

Voice Pitch Influences On Teaching Evaluations And Student Learning, Thomas Augustin

Master's Theses

Prior research in the realm of marketing and voting behaviors have indicated how voice pitch can have an impact on consumers’ and voters’ perception of personality characteristics. With the rise of online lectures, this study examined the impact of voice pitch, gender of a professor, and the subject taught on professor evaluation and student learning. The study simulated an online lecture where participants listened to a prerecorded lesson of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Standard Deviation. This study looked to see if different voice pitch (high pitch, low pitch) of opposing genders (male, female) would have an effect on a student’s …

Identification And Characterization Of Tri-Colored Bat Hibernaculum In Russell County, Kansas, Angelica Sprague

Master's Theses

Caves are often essential during hibernation, a sensitive stage in the life cycle of bats. Caves offer more stable conditions, such as temperature and relative humidity, during the changing seasons when food supply is limited, and weather is unstable. As caves in North-Central Kansas are sparse, the hibernating status of tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) is not well known. Bats are experiencing substantial population declines within the United States, caused primarily by white nose-syndrome, as well as habitat loss and degradation, and increased wind-power facilities. In the winter seasons of 2015 and 2016, I studied tri-colored bat hibernacula. A man-made “cave” …

Exploring The Relationship Between The Nemaha Uplift And The Mid-Continent Rift Using 3d Mapping Visual Analysis, Faris Abanumay

Master's Theses

The present study presents and explains the relationship between Nemaha uplift and Mid-continent rift (MCR), where the understanding of the faulting systems around the study region were extremely important with regard to finding the relationship. The Nemaha is located in Kansas State in the Central United States with a total area of about 719 square miles. It was formed around the pre- Mississippian era. The compression and rifting processes that led to formation of faults, volcanoes, ridges and oceanic plates controls the faulting in the Nemaha region. The MCR system is a major tectonic feature in North America that is …

Struggles In State Building In Multi-Ethnic And Multi-Religious Lebanon And Bosnia, Zachary Ruch

Master's Theses

Lebanon and Bosnia are quite possibly the most divided nations on earth with each having multiple ethnic and religious populations. Both nations have had disastrous civil wars that included some of the most brutal killing in the 20th century. With the intervention of foreign powers both nations were able to set aside their differences and come to a peace settlement. In both cases the peace settlements accomplished its ultimate goal of ending the violence. The subsequent scholarship however created unrealistically high expectations for these settlements to foster a democratic culture and build a national consensus. This paper seeks to understand …

Osteohistology And Skeletochronology Of An Ontogenetic Series Of Clidastes (Squamata: Mosasauridae): Growth And Metabolism In Basal Mosasaurids, Cyrus C. Green

Master's Theses

Clidastes was a large marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America. Though the remains of Clidastes have been found in the Cretaceous chalks and shales for over 150 years, little is known about their growth rates.

Osteohistology is a well-documented technique used to investigate growth in extinct animals. Previous histological studies of Clidastes have hypothesized higher growth rates in basal mosasaurids than varanids due to higher vascularity. These studies focused on adult specimens but did not look at ontogenetic changes in growth rates. Isotopic studies of Clidastes indicate high metabolic temperatures, leading to speculation these …

The Experience Of A Brazilian Graduate Student In The United States In Disciplinary Writing: The Cognitive, Social, And Rhetorical Influences On A Thesis Introduction, Gilberto Pereira

Master's Theses

Eighty percent of the international students in the US are pursuing their post-graduate degrees (Institute of International Education, 2017) and studies show that the introduction of the thesis or dissertation is the most challenging section for this population to compose. However, most of these studies are based on textual analysis and overlooks the social factor and cognitive processes underlying the composition of this intricate section. Another gap in the literature is the lack of attention to how Latin-Americans develop their writing in master’s programs, especially to Brazilian students, the ninth largest international student population in the US. Therefore, this study …

The Resurgence Of American Nativism In The Early-Twentieth Century And Its Effects On Industrial Hemp Production In The United States, Roman King

Master's Theses

Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act on August 2, 1937, which officially made it illegal to handle any form of Cannabis sativa L. without adhering to mandatory taxes and registration forms. The American cultivation of industrial hemp (fibrous, non-psychoactive C. sativa L.), became non-existent by 1958 due to the strict penalties associated with the 1937 Tax Act. Industrial hemp served as a staple of American life from the arrival of the first English colonists in North America up until the textile conquest of King Cotton in the early-nineteenth century. Despite the rise of cotton and the importation of cheap foreign …

Diversity In The College Composition Classroom: A Case Study On Second-Language Writers And Early College Entrants, Moises I. De Lima

Master's Theses

Student populations in post-secondary institutions in the United States have increasingly become more diverse in the past several decades. This diversity includes students from distinct ethnic groups, of various linguistic backgrounds, and from a wide age range. English as a second language students have largely populated these classes, creating an exigency for modifications in the political, social, administrative, and pedagogical practices of these universities and colleges. Some higher education institutions have also diversified their student body by creating early acceptance programs for gifted students. Like second-language students, they might too present peculiarities that require changes in the way the university …

The Psychopath's Worldview: How Psychopathy Affects Attitudes Towards Others, Arianne Fisher

Master's Theses

Psychopathy has been related to overall negative perceptions of others in past research, but the reason for these negative attitudes is unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between psychopathy and attitudes toward others and attempted to explain these negative attitudes by testing empathy and early maladaptive schemas as mediators and social dominance orientation as a moderator for this relationship. There were 191 participants in the current study; participants first read a short story and took a scale assessing attitudes toward the characters; then, they completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the SDO7, the Young Schema Questionnaire-SF, and the Levenson Self-Report …

Incorporating Multi-Spectral Imaging Into Long-Term Upland Breeding Bird Monitoring, Kyle William Schumacher

Master's Theses

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, United States partnered with Fort Hays State University Hays, KS in 2014 to begin a collaborative research project that aimed to develop a long-term monitoring protocol guided by the Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge published in 2013. This plan identified specific wildlife taxa underrepresented in management impact assessments throughout the property. As a result of this plan, surveys were established to monitor interactions between upland breeding birds and the vegetation community. I conducted point count surveys in 2016, 2017, and 2018 for 122 observation points across four transects. I measured seventeen vegetation variables …

Mobile Mindfulness: There's An App For That!, Katelyn Haschke

Master's Theses

Previous research indicates that practicing mindfulness-based strategies over an extended period of time may positively impact individuals’ well-being, such as improved mood and cognitive performance (Chambers, Lo, & Allen, 2008; Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Mrazek, Franklin, Phillips, Baird, & Schooler, 2013). This research also indicates there may be immediate benefits to practicing mindfulness strategies; however, a majority of the existing literature on this topic has focused primarily on extended mindfulness-practices over several weeks with an in-person guide or trained researcher. The purpose of the current study was two-fold. First, how practicing one of two mindfulness-based strategies for a short period …