Digital Commons Network^™

Professional Experiences Of Women Administrators In Student Services, Christy M. Mayo

Masters Theses

The number of women pursuing higher education now outnumbers that of men. However, the number of women in administration and faculty roles does not mirror that of the student population. Instead, women are often found in midlevel and low level positions, especially within student services and student affairs. This thesis is a qualitative study that employs the phenomenological method to explore and examine the professional experiences of seven midlevel administrators in student affairs and student services at GVSU. The constant comparative method of coding was used to analyze the data, identify themes, and articulate assertions. The themes that emerged from …

Fern Community Reassembly In Secondary Forests Of Puerto Rico: Predictors, Complexity, And Niche Model Assessment, Thomas J. Schmidt

Masters Theses

Approximately 94% of Puerto Rico’s forests were converted into agricultural systems by 1950. Since then, extensive abandonment of agricultural land has resulted in a considerable amount of forest regeneration throughout the main island. Ferns are a major non-woody component of oceanic, tropical island forests comprising up to seventy percent of the flora. Consequently, the composition and community structure of ferns may be indicative of the relative richness of these secondary forests. I used Maximum Entropy (Maxent), a widely-used mathematical tool for distinguishing suitable versus unsuitable fern niche space, along with ENMTools, a tool that assists Maxent with proper model selection, …

Neuroprotective Effect Of An Α-7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonist And A Positive Allosteric Modulator In An In Vitro Model Of Glaucoma, Leah Lyons

Masters Theses

Glaucoma is one of several neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system for which a pharmacologic cure is yet to be discovered. In previous studies acetylcholine (ACh) has provided neuroprotection for retinal ganglion cells (RGC) in the mammalian retina under glaucomatous conditions (Wehrwein et al., 2004). More specifically, an α7 nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) agonist has demonstrated neuroprotection for RGCs in both in vitro and in vivo models of glaucoma (Iwamoto et al., 2014). In this study, this α7 nAChR agonist was combined with a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) in dissociated adult porcine retinas to evaluate its effect on isolated …

Structural Comparison Of Arctic Plant Communities Across The Landscape And With Experimental Warming In Northern Alaska, Jessica L. Gregory

Masters Theses

Understanding vegetation change is central to forecasting the impacts of climate change. Percent cover, determined from a point frame method, is commonly used to monitor vegetation change. Cover is influenced by canopy structure which may change with the size (growth) or number (density) of individual plants. The overarching objective of this project was to document the relationship between vegetation cover and traits representing plant growth and density and determine if these relationships changed with warming. We used regressions and analysis of covariance to detect which of several traits was most strongly related to cover in vegetation at a wet and …

Characterization Of Histidine Decarboxylase In Drosophila Using An Internal Flag Epitope, Maxwell Mianecki

Masters Theses

Histamine is a neurotransmitter in arthropods and is responsible for synaptic transmission in vision, mechanosensation, temperature sensing and sleep cycle in Drosophila. Histamine is synthesized by the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC). While histamine is detectable within tissues using current immunofluorescent labeling techniques, immunological approaches have not been successful for HDC itself, with both direct antibodies and terminal epitope tags determined to be ineffective. In order to avoid loss of the epitope tag through putative N-­‐ and C-­‐terminal proteolytic cleavage, known to occur for HDC in other organisms, an internal epitope tag that does not disrupt enzyme function was utilized. A …

Evaluation Of Natural Steelhead Recruitment In The Muskegon River, Michigan, Nicholas C. Albrecht

Masters Theses

The lower Muskegon River is one of the most heavily fished rivers in the state of Michigan and is a valuable component of the multi-billion dollar sport fishery in the Great Lakes. Although significant stocking effort has been invested to maintain and improve the steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery in the Muskegon River, natural recruitment has been severely limited due to high summer water temperatures. The goal of this research project was to evaluate the success of a diffuser system installed in 2008 at Croton Dam to moderate high summer water temperatures in the lower Muskegon River. I estimated natural juvenile …

Automated Classification Of Eeg Signals Using Component Analysis And Support Vector Machines, Priya Balasubramanian

Masters Theses

Epileptic seizures are characterized by abnormal electrical activity occurring in the brain. EEG records the seizures demonstrating changes in signal morphology. These signal characteristics, however, differ between patients as well as between different seizures in the same patient. Epilepsy is managed with anti-epileptic medications but in some extreme cases surgery might be necessary. Non-invasive surface electrode EEG measurement gives an estimate of the seizure onset but more invasive intra-cranial electrocorticogram (ECoG) are required at times for precise localization of the epileptogenic zone.

The epileptogenic zone can be described as the cortical area targeted for resection to render the patient symptom …

Effects Of Fatty Acid Structure On Endothelial Cell Expression Of Connexin43, Albert E. Sowers Iii

Masters Theses

The epidemic of obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases is linked to elevated fatty acids (FA). Epidemiological data argue that trans FA contribute to the development and progression of these disease processes. Previous work suggests the similarity in structure between saturated and trans FA may stimulate inflammation through trans FA interactions with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). To evaluate the impact of trans FA on cardiovascular health, the response of endothelial cells to trans FA was evaluated. Specifically, responses to the 18-carbon trans FA elaidic acid (EA) were compared to the same length cis FA oleic acid (OA). Endothelial cells were exposed …

Genetic Health And Population Viability Of Reintroduced American Marten In Michigan, Tamara L. Hillman

Masters Theses

American marten (Martes americana) were extirpated from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula (LP) in 1911, and subsequently from the Upper Peninsula (UP) in 1939 due to habitat loss and unregulated trapping. The species was later reintroduced in the UP in the mid-1950s, and to the LP in the mid-1980s. Previous research has determined the small founding sizes used in the LP reintroductions have resulted in losses of genetic diversity, while research in the UP has produced discordant results concerning the effects of the reintroduction methods on genetic health and population structure. Since past research of marten in the LP, no …

Predictive Modeling Of Floral Species Richness In Michigan Prairie Fen Communities, Nichole R. Mason

Masters Theses

Prairie fens contain high levels of floral biodiversity, including 19 state threatened or endangered plant species, and are classified as rare and vulnerable communities by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. The objective of this thesis was to develop multiple-regression (MR) models that reliably predict total, native, and invasive floral species richness for use by conservation organizations. Floral biodiversity surveys were conducted in eight southern Michigan prairie fens during the 2012 growing season. Simple linear regressions between fen size and biodiversity were used to optimize sampling strategy and effort (i.e., number of transects and plots per transect) in surveys conducted in …

The Nutrient Intake Of Homeless Women Of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Emily D. Popma-Metsaars

Masters Theses

Background Homeless individuals comprise about 1% of the American population with 1/3 of this particular population being women. And despite the potential for hunger, the homeless population has a similar prevalence of overweight/obese as other Americans. The Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids is a very low-income area of the city, inhabited by the poor and homeless. The Food Access in Michigan Project is studying the relationship between food insecurity and food environments in Michigan.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the diet of homeless women in Heartside. This study examined the level of food …

Attention, Hyperactivity, And Cognitive Performance In Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Brianna Elizabeth Pollock

Masters Theses

The extent to which Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity) are associated with ADHD-related cognitive impairments has yet to be understood. This study sought to examine between-group differences in activity level, performance on a sustained attention task and objectively measured attention, while controlling for anxiety and depression severity in a sample of adults with and without ADHD (N = 26). High precision actigraphs and behavioral codes of visual attention to task were used to examine the extent to which activity level and visual attention to task are related to performance on a sustained attention task (i.e., Continuous Performance …

Drd2 And Xkr4: A Genetic Approach To Fescue Toxicosis., Kristine Marie Ely

Masters Theses

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum Schreb) is the most prevalent forage in the Mid-south United States due to its observed hearty nature and ability to withstand heavy grazing. This is due to a symbiotic relationship with an endophytic fungus (Neotyphodium coenophialum). This fungus produces ergot alkaloids, which can bind to many adrenergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic receptors. One of the primary functions of dopamine is to inhibit prolactin response. Decreased growth, reproduction, lactation, and depressed serum prolactin concentrations are commonly observed in beef cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. These symptoms are collectively referred to as fescue toxicosis, and …

The Seasonality Of Two Parasitoids (Spathius Agrili And Tetrastichus Planipennisi) Of The Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus Planipennis, And A Survey For Native Natural Enemies Of The Emerald Ash Borer In Eastern Tennessee, Nicholas Andrew Hooie

Masters Theses

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennisi Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an invasive species of bark borer native to eastern Asia whose primary habitat and food sources are trees in the genus Fraxinus. EAB is a major pest of all North American Fraxinus species and is responsible for mortality of millions of trees across its current North American range of 23 U.S states and 2 Canadian providences. After the discovery of EAB in Tennessee in 2010, parasitoid releases were started under the national EAB Biological Control Program. A research project was initiated in 2012 to 1) study the seasonality …

Structural And Metamorphic Evolution Of The Haimanta Group: Insights From P-T-T-D Path Modeling Of Rocks Near The Leo Pargil Dome, Nw India, Kyle Vincent White

Masters Theses

The metasedimentary rocks of the Haimanta Group in the upper Sutlej Valley, NW India, record an extensive history of Himalayan deformation and metamorphism. Situated beneath the low-grade metasediments of the Tethyan Sedimentary sequence in the hanging wall of the South Tibetan detachment system (STDS), these poly-deformed rocks record Eocene–Oligocene burial metamorphism, crustal thickening and shortening, decompression and mid-crustal melting in the early Miocene, and exhumation along extensional shear zones related to the orogen-parallel exhumation of the Leo Pargil dome (LPD). Low-pressure assemblages (cordierite + sillimanite + quartz) overgrow Barrovian porphyroblasts in Haimanta Group rocks in the NE portion of Sutlej …

The Economic Espionage Act Of 1996: A 15 Year Review, Matthew T. Priebe

Masters Theses

It is estimated that the United States alone loses $300 billion annually to economic espionage. The purpose of the paper is to understand the occurrence and defining characteristics of economic espionage. This is accomplished through the series of proposed research questions related to the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. These questions include: occurrence rates, offender demographics, victim demographics, and victim-offender relationship. Archival data analysis of all 18 USC §1832 prosecutions from 1996-2011, will answer each proposed research question. The results will provide worldwide corporations with statistical support to help combat economic espionage. Specifically, descriptive statistics, such as mean, median, and …

Genetic Structure Of Yellow Perch Populations In Coastal Areas Of Eastern Lake Michigan, Jessica N. Wesolek

Masters Theses

Genetic population substructure is often overlooked because of discontinuities between management and actual population structure as in the case of yellow perch, an ecologically and economically important indigenous fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. A knowledge gaps pertaining to the natural history of yellow perch relates to the biological connectivity between nearshore Lake Michigan and drowned river mouth (DRM) lakes, where it remains unclear whether resident yellow perch from Lake Michigan use DRM lakes for spawning or whether DRM lakes contribute to nearshore yellow perch populations in Lake Michigan. I used DNA fingerprinting (genotyping) to explore biological connectivity between …

Detecting Tropical Cyclone Signals In Tree Rings Of Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris Mill.), Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.A., Savannah Anne Collins

Masters Theses

The study of past hurricanes to help interpret the patterns of current and future tropical storms is vital to our economy, society, and infrastructure. Understanding how hurricanes are influenced by a warm climate is critical, and hurricane reconstructions from former periods of the Holocene (the last ~11,500 yr) will be beneficial. Paleotempestology is the study of past tropical cyclones and uses historical, biological, and geological proxies to reconstruct tropical cyclone activity to create a record of historical hurricane patterns. A tropical cyclone (TC) is a chaotic weather event that is influenced by several elements, including warm ocean waters from which …

A New Approach To Optimization Of Dynamic Reactive Power Sources Addressing Fidvr Issues, Weihong Huang

Masters Theses

Dynamic reactive power (var) sources, e.g. SVCs and STATCOMs, can effectively mitigate fault-induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) issues or even voltage collapse. However, their optimal allocation in a power grid is a complicated nonlinear optimization problem since the post-fault voltage trajectories have to be solved to check constraints on voltage responses. Thus, solvers of both nonlinear optimization and power system differential and algebraic equations (DAEs) are required.

Currently, most of existing methods merely achieve dynamic optimization locally with great dependence on the initial operation point. Also, complicated algorithm and time consuming are obstacles for the practical implementation.

This thesis proposes …

Characterization Of Lithium-6 As A Commercial Helium-3 Alternative For Nuclear Safeguards And Security, Alexander Martin Okowita

Masters Theses

Helium-3 detectors are efficient, reliable neutron detectors, but their high demand has reduced their supply to a very miniscule level, making them very expensive. The goal of this project is to test and evaluate an alternative produced by industry. Current testing is being done with a Lithium Zinc Sulfide (⁶LiF:ZnS(Ag)) detector from Aspect used in their portal monitors.

There are three basic requirements for neutron detectors used in nuclear safeguards and security: 1) high absolute detection efficiency, 2) maintaining neutron detection efficiency when simultaneously exposed to a high gamma ray exposure rate, and 3) the ability to maintain …

Adomian Decomposition Of The Flowfield In A Simulated Rocket Motor, Jeisson Juliany Parra

Masters Theses

The work presents an analytic, approximate solution to an internal flowfield for a solid rocket motor. The flowfield is modeled as a wall-normal injection or suction in a symmetric porous channel with laterally expanding or contracting walls. From the effective speeds that gases are ejected into the combustion chamber of typical rocket motors, the flowfield is modeled to be incompressible. Since the flame zone occurs in a very thin space above the propellant grain surface, it will be disregarded. Assuming linearly varying axial velocity and uniform expansion (or contraction), the Navier-Stokes equations will be reduced into a single nonlinear equation …

Consumer Perceptions Of A Brand's Social Media Marketing, Taylor Michelle Smith

Masters Theses

This project seeks to inform corporate marketing efforts, as well as add to the growing body of literature on social media marketing. The purpose of this project is to assess consumer perceptions of a brand’s social media marketing. Participants were obtained from the PetSafe® brand Facebook fan page, and a total of 195 respondents completed all measures and were included in the study. The results show that brands must be actively engaging their consumers via social media in order to compete in a competitive marketplace. Engagement can be promoted through entertaining and interactive posts, useful and relevant content, word of …

Analytical And Computational Modeling Of Membrane Nanotubes, Sina Mirzaeifard

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the interplay between cell membranes and the actin cytoskeleton in cellular structures known as membrane nanotubes. Membrane nanotubes are slender membrane structures that physically connect cells over long distances, and experiments suggest that they play a role in transferring material and information between cells. Disrupting the actin cytoskeleton disrupts membrane nanotubes. Although recent studies have revealed insight into the physical properties and functions of membrane-actin systems, further research is needed to understand their behavior in biological contexts. Membrane nanotubes provide a novel system with which to investigate interactions between the cell membrane and actin.

In this thesis, …

Dendrogeomorphic Analysis Of Debris Slides On Mt. Le Conte, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, U.S.A., Maegen Lee Rochner

Masters Theses

Research conducted during the past 30 years tested the use of tree rings to date mass movement events in the mountain areas of Europe and the western and southwestern United States, but few studies have been performed in the eastern U.S., where debris flows, landslides, and rock falls in the Appalachian Mountains pose a common threat to human life and property. One area of particular interest is Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). For this study, I tested mature red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees located on or near a debris slide boundary on Mt. Le Conte (LC01) in …

Localization Of Chemoreceptors In Azospirillum Brasilense., Anastasia Aksenova

Masters Theses

In order to ensure their survival, bacteria must sense and adapt to a variety of environmental signals. Motile bacteria are able to orient their movement in a chemical gradient by chemotaxis. During chemotaxis, environmental signals are detected by chemotaxis receptors and are propagated via a signal transduction cascade to affect bacterial motility. In a model organism Escherichia coli, chemotaxis receptors, also called MCPs (for methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins) sense changes in concentration gradients by making temporal comparisons about the chemical composition of their surroundings. Decreased attractant concentration or increased repellant concentration results in conformational changes in the MCPs that culminate …

Effect Of Urbanization On Base Flow Hydrology Among Ecoregion Ii Catchments In Eastern United States, Barry Nolan Blanton

Masters Theses

Urbanization is a common parameter discussed among hydrologists and its effect on base flow hydrology and the 7Q10 [seven Q ten] statistic varies wildly. Population growth and urban development has grown at an alarming rate in recent years; especially in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic United States. This is due to the fact that 50% of the world’s inhabitants live in cities and over 500 cities house more than 1 million people. Development as it sprawls from urban centers is thought to have negative effects on groundwater recharge and the 7Q10. There are still questions as to how urbanization effects stream …

Dawning Revelation: An Examination Of Developments That Culminated In Estes Kefauver’S Emergence As Political Tv Star, Jamie Edward Bumpus

Masters Theses

Because of his role as chairman of the Senate crime investigating committee, which held widely viewed hearings in March 1951, U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver has been called television’s first political star. This research examines contemporaneous press accounts, particularly those from Kefauver’s adopted hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., to determine the extent to which such a storyline was immediately apparent. Microfilm and electronic database resources, supplemented by book and peer-reviewed journal content, form a contextual framework through which is argued the position that the Chattanooga dailies were in fact attuned to the changes being wrought by Kefauver’s probe. Ultimately, The Chattanooga Times …

Glyphosate Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri) Management Late-Season And Post-Harvest In Corn Production Systems, Whitney D. Crow

Masters Theses

The objectives of this research were to evaluate control options for glyphosate resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) latelate-season in corn systems and POST-harvest for the prevention of seed production. Our results determined that the best late-season control methods were treatments tank-mixed with dicamba plus diflufenzopyr. These tank-mixtures improved control from 10 to 46% [percent] over treatments without the dicamba premix. Tankmixtures with dicamba plus diflufenzopyr that provided weed control > [greater than] 96% 28 DAA included s-metolachlor plus glyphosate plus mesotrione and tembotrione plus thiencarbazone.

For the prevention of POST-harvest GR palmer amaranth seed production, our results …

Differentiation Of Equine Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Into Cells Of Neural Lineage And Their Application Into A Novel Model For Acute Peripheral Nerve Injury In The Horse, Claudia Cruz

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are able to differentiate into extra-mesodermal lineages, including neurons. Positive outcomes were obtained after transplantation of neurally-induced MSCs in rats, rabbits and guinea pigs after nerve injury, but the effect of these cells is unknown in horses. Our objective was to test the ability of equine mesenchymal stromal cells to differentiate into cells of neuronal lineage, and to assess differences, if any, in morphology and protein expression. Additionally, we wanted to investigate if horse age and cell passage number contributed to the ability to achieve neural differentiation.

The first part of this …

An Assessment Of Broiler Litter Bacterial Diversity Using Next Generation Dna Sequencing, Jack Liu Davitt

Masters Theses

Broiler chicken farms produce large amounts of litter, comprised mainly of used bedding and bird fecal waste, which is land applied. The regional concentration of broiler farms and land application of litter in the United States is a water quality concern. Geographically concentrated production also increases biosecurity concerns with potential pathogens and high nutrient contents as the litter is moved and land applied. Previous studies have attempted to characterize the bacterial population within litter because of these concerns. To date, this effort has not provided comprehensive information on the bacterial community structure within broiler litter. This lack of knowledge hinders …