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Feeding Niches Of Forest Salamanders: Indirect Effects Of Gypsy Moth Pesticides On Prey Selection And Potential Overlap Between Adults Of Six Species, Sandra Raimondo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian declines and deformities are indictors of pollution and other environmental impacts. Pesticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Bt), may produce non-target effects on salamanders by impacting their food supply, ultimately resulting in population declines. Salamanders were used as an assessment tool of pesticide impacts before populations decline. Diet analysis determined if Bt affected food consumption of two salamander species (Desmognathus ochrophaeus and P. cinereus). Nine plots in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia were used in this study. Three plots were sprayed with Bt in 1997 and 1998, three were sprayed with a gypsy moth …

It Wasn't Always Like This With Me, Greg Rickard

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This work is divided into four parts, each having its own tone while contributing to the work as a whole. To emphasize this dual purpose, I chose to title each part with a phrase that both reflects the pieces included within it and contributes to the statement which underscores the thesis: “Follow me my son, beyond the truth of day to day, where redemption hides behind each fleeting smile, and damnation awaits with open arms." Though the reader will immediately notice that this statement contains contradictory aspects, upon closer perusal, he will find that both redemption and damnation are tempered-if …

Patient/Physician Communication: A Comprehensive Review Of The Medical Literature, 1989 To 1998, David L. Rodgers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Patient/physician communication is recognized as an important topic in the medical literature. The subject has steadily been increasing in the frequency of reporting in the literature. After a comprehensive review of this literature, positive patient/physician communication has been clearly linked to improved patient and physician satisfaction, increased compliance with treatments, improved health outcomes, decreased risks of litigation, as well as creating a more caring, empathetic relationship. Yet despite these advantages, patient/physician communication does not occupy a significant portion of the medical school curriculum and styles of physician communication that promote positive patient/physician communication are not readily used. This study examines …

Distribution Of The Sucker Family (Pisces: Catostomidae) In The Ohio River, Tara L. Rose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The family Catostomidae represents a major component of the fish fauna in the Ohio River. Because of their abundance, large biomass, and susceptibility to environmentally-induced anomalies, suckers are expected to significantly influence the Ohio River Fish Index (ORFIn), a biological index being developed by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) for large river systems. To correctly interpret information obtained from ORFIn, the impact of suckers upon the index must be thoroughly understood, including relative importance and uneven spatial distribution of Ohio River suckers. In this study, suckers represented 7.1 percent of the total fish captured and 36.6 percent …

Ecology And Natural History Of Rana Clamitans Melanota In West Virginia, Alison M. Rogers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Fourteen study sites were sampled with aquatic funnel traps and D-frame net sweeps in the plateau and mountain region of West Virginia to determine differences in larval period. Larval stage class abundance and larval total length and mass measurements were recorded from February to December 1997. Larval stage classes 25 and 26, the first free living stages, were absent from the plateau region from February to April, but were present in the mountain region. Pre-transformation larval stages, 40 through 44, were found from May through October, and peaked in July. Significant relationships were found with simple linear regression analysis between …

Interaction Of Laminin Beta2 With Eps8 And Desmin In Muscle Cells, Luke Xueliang Cui

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Laminin β2 is localized to the synaptic basal lamina (BL) in muscle and glomerular BL in kidney. To find interacting proteins, a mouse kidney cDNA library was screened with domain I of rat laminin β2 using the yeast two-hybrid system. Fifteen positive clones were found. The DNA sequence of three each of these clones corresponded to the phosphoprotein Eps8 (epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate clone 8, which is tyrosine phosphorylated after EGF stimulation) and the intermediate filament (IF) protein keratin. To determine if this interaction occurred in muscle cells, C2 cells transfected with the rat …

William Lowther Jackson And The Civil War In West Virginia's Mountains, Ronald V. Hardway

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

On the eve of the American Civil War one of the most prominent politicians and businessmen in western Virginia was Judge William Lowther Jackson of Parkersburg, Wood County. Jackson, a native of Harrison County and a member of one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful dans in northwestern Virginia, represented his region In the Virginia Assembly for three consecutive terms in the 1850s. He served as Second Auditor for the State of Virginia and directed the Virginia Literary Fund for public education. He had been lieutenant governor of the state during the administration of Governor Henry A. Wise. He …

The Role Of Retinoids And Protein Kinase C In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation And Function, Shaoshan Wang

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The structural and functional changes in the arterial wall of humans and animals accompany the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Hence, great interest exists in the mechanisms that govern vascular smooth muscle cell contraction and proliferation. Rat aortic rings maintained in organ culture show a significant loss of contractility; whereas, vascular smooth muscle cells in culture quickly dedifferentiate into a secretory phenotype with a marked capacity for proliferation. The addition of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and retinol to the plasma-containing medium preserved the contractile response of cultured vessels. Removal of endothelium prior to culture abolished these effects. All-trans retinoic acid …

Depression In Women With Heart Disease, Kimberly M. Ashcraft

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between anxiety and anger with depression in women with heart disease. A sample of 50 women participating in cardiac rehabilitation programs in Charleston, WV and Huntington, WV was used to evaluate the inter-relationship of suppressed, expressed, state and trait anger, state and trait anxiety and depression. This non-experimental, descriptive designed study was evaluated by using multiple linear regression and regression coefficients analyzed for the anger and anxiety scores and their interaction. Depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Anxiety and anger were measured by Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety …

A Medicinal Plant Survey In Marketplaces Of Ecuador, Pamela Bailey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A medicinal herb survey was conducted in ten major marketplaces in Andean and coastal communities of Ecuador. Collections were made during the summer of 1997. Four plant collections from each market were pressed, dried, identified, and the medicinal information for each plant was recorded. Photographs of fresh plants, market vendors and the marketplaces were taken.

Fifty three families were represented in the 112 species collected. Forty-two species (37%) were introduced to Ecuador while seventy species (63%) were native to Ecuador. Plant taxa were grouped into 22 categories of medicinal usage. The most common 3 uses were: 1. General tonic and …

In The Shadows: The Search For Identity In The Writings Of Gloria Anzaldúa, Cherrie Moraga, Sandra Cisneros, And Julia Alvarez, Marcy Wood Benincasa

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

For years, the voice of the Chicana has been silenced by oppression. Anglos, Mexicans, and Chicanos have intentionally created such an oppression upon Chicanas that they were never allowed to tell stories of their own ideas, fears, and dreams. They were merely meant to be a voiceless servant to the male gender.

This master’s thesis will examine the racial and gender oppression that Chicanas Cisneros, and Julia Alvarez — focusing primarily on their attempts to establish a gender have faced over the centuries, beginning with the days of Malintzin and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and continuing until the …

The Effects Of Music Therapy On Reducing Depression Among The Hospitalized Elderly Diagnosed With Dementia, Alan J. Blosser

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Music therapy was implemented as an affordable and accesible intervention for the hospitalized elderly diagnosed with dementia to reduce depression. Thirty hospitalized, elderly individuals diagnosed with dementia were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. The experimental group were involved in six one-half hour music therapy sessions over a three week period. Music was selected according to group preference. No intervention was provided to the control group. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to measure depression. The instrument was administered orally to both groups one week prior to treatment, within two days after treatment had been completed, and two …

The Conners' Continuous Performance Test Compared With The Attention Problems Scale Of The Child Behavior Checklist In Adhd Children, Krista J. Burdette

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the relationship between errors of omission and commission on Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and parental report of behavior ratings as demonstrated by the Attention Problems scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The study was conducted using 33 children who were clinic-referred for assessment of behavioral and/or learning problems. The CPT was administered individually to the child via computer while the parent completed the CBCL. CPT inter-item reliability was found to be borderline (.7960) for Omission Errors and unacceptable (.7748) for Commission Errors. A Pearson correlation matrix revealed significant correlations among Age and Attention Problems Scale, …

The Role Of Community In Two Novels By Barbara Kingsolver, Rebecca K. Calwell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Throughout her career, contemporary writer Barbara Kingsolver has written novels that appeal to both readers and critics. Beginning with The Bean Trees in 1988, through Poisonwood Bible in 1998, Kingsolver established herself as a rising star among contemporary writers. In a review of one of the Kingsolver’s books, one critic said, “It seems there is nothing she can’t do” (Smith 3).

Kingsolver sets herself apart from many of her peers in both her style and her themes. Raised in Kentucky, but now living in Arizona, she has a gift for storytelling. Her dialogue is strong, especially in its ability to …

Natural History Of The Northern Spring Salamander Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus Porphyriticus At The Westvaco Wildlife And Ecosystem Research Forest In Randolph County, West Virginia, Brian A. Lindley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis research was to study the natural history of the northern spring salamander Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus in West Virginia. The objectives of this study were to determine the environmental characteristics of the habitat of Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus, to determine its reproductive biology, and then examine non-reproductive aspects of the natural history of the species. Study sites were located at the Westvaco Wildlife and Ecosystem Research Forest (WWERF) in Randolph County, West Virginia. Four sites on three streams were divided into two 25m transects. All sites were examined once each month from August 1997 through November 1998 …