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Long Term Population Dynamics For Rosa Multiflora In A Successional System, Stephen Eugene Banasiak

Masters Theses

There is a real need for long term studies of invasions to develop a more complete understanding of the factors that influence species spread. Rosa multiflora was chosen to study to address this issue due to its pervasiveness throughout the study site's successional history. The study-site was composed of 10 abandoned agricultural fields near an old growth forest with fifty years of annual vegetation data collection. R. multiflora colonization and extinction rates were examined along with frequency and coefficient of variance since field abandonment. Environmental factors such as rainfall, tree cover, and common species and their effects on R. multiflora …

The Influence Of Extreme Hydrologic Events On Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages In The Sangamon River, Decatur, Illinois, Catherine E. Ciak

Masters Theses

One of the most extreme disturbances to aquatic systems is river impoundment. Dams alter a river's ecological processes by changing the flow of water, nutrients, sediment, biota and energy. Anthropogenic flow variability can lead to changes in natural seasonal variation, which has subsequent effects on biological assemblages within the ecosystem. This study investigated the influence of extreme hydrologic events on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages within the Sangamon River in Decatur, Illinois. Four sites were sampled from June-August 2006 using the EPA 20 jab method. Samples were processed and macroinvertebrates were identified to family or lowest identifiable taxonomic group. Primer 6.1.6 was …

Zinc(Ii) Incorporation Into Porphyrin Cytochrome C As A Function Of Temperature, Urea Concentration And Zinc(Ii) Acetate Concentration And The Urea And Guanidine Hydrochloride Induced Unfolding Of Porphyrin Cytochrome C, Sireesha Potula

Masters Theses

The objective of this thesis is to address the question of whether the removal of the native iron(II) ion in cytochrome c (cyt c) and substitution by a different metal ion affects the overall structural stability. We have studied the incorporation of zinc(II) into metal-free porphyrin cytochrome с (H2cyt) and investigated the structural stability of cyt c in the absence of the iron(II) ion and in the presence of the zinc(II) ion by different spectroscopic techniques. Compared to H2cyt, zinc-substituted cytochrome c (Zncyt) has a significantly different absorbance spectrum, so we monitor over time the change in absorbance upon addition …

Metal-Substituted Cytochrome C: Manganese (Ii) Incorporation Kinetics And Structural Stability Studies Of Native Iron Cytochrome C, Porphyrin Cytochrome C, Zinc Cytochrome C And Manganese Cytochrome C, Vineela Gundala

Masters Theses

Metalloproteins have the capacity to bind various metal ions. In spite of this seemingly diverse choice of cofactors, metalloproteins generally bind only their cognate metal in vivo. Cytochrome c (cyt c) binds Fe porphyrin in vivo. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate why nature selects Fe porphyrin as the prosthetic group in heme proteins and how removal of the native Fe in cyt c and substitution by different metal ions affects the local coordination environment, overall structural stability, and biological function. Our goal is to prepare and characterize metal-free cytochrome c, socalled porphyrin cytochrome c (H2cyt), and …

Bio 2001g : Human Physiology, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Bio 1093g : Life Of Animals, Honors, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Bio 1003g : Life Of Animals, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Cmn 3210 : Rhetorics Of Protest, Movement, And Resistance, Communication Studies

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Rocking The Kenyan Cradle: Colonial Conditioning In Ngugi Wa Thiongo's Njamba Nene Stories, Jonathan Moore

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes Ngugi wa Thiongo's critique of the colonial influences on the Church, the British educational system and the Kenyan middle class in and around the time of Kenya's State of Emergency of the 1950s. Specifically, I examine these colonial legacies through his two children's books Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus and Njamba Nene's Pistol. More than simply exploit the poor, all three condition the people into a state of submissive acceptance of British superiority. The middle class, a self-replicating product of the first two, is of particular concern to Ngugi because, in this case, Kenyans exploit Kenyans …

Comfort Food, Anita Zimmerman

Masters Theses

Comfort Food is a work of culinary-themed creative nonfiction based on my personal and professional cooking experiences. My purposes in writing these memoirs, to preserve my family's gastronomic history and intimate my cooking experiences, are ultimately infused with a single desire: to encourage others to view food in terms of nourishment, of comfort, and not simply sustenance.

The work is divided into eight chapters; the first two focus on my family's history and my childhood on a farm in Wisconsin. The third through seventh chapters are a chronologically-organized account of each of the places I've worked: a bakery, café, supper …

Older Adults' Food Choices Associated With Cardiovascular Health, Sondra J. Clarkson

Masters Theses

The number of older adults who develop cardiovascular disease each year continues to remain high. It is important to examine possible reasons cardiovascular disease is prevalent among older adults. The purpose ofof this study was to identify the food choices older adults associate with cardiovasascular health. This study examined the differences in heart healthy food choices of male and female participants, white and black participants, and participants with and without known cardiovascular disease. A quantitative questionnaire and focus groups were used to gain insight on the foods older adults associate with cardiovascular disease. The participants were able to identify heart …

Iron Consumption Knowledge For The Prevention Of Iron Deficiency And Iron Deficiency Anemia Among College-Aged Women, Jennifer N. Vissers

Masters Theses

Iron deficiency is a serious problem affecting more than three million people nally and almost two billion worldwide. This study was performed to determine the knowledge of iron, iron deficiency, and iron deficiency anemia among college-aged women. A questionnaire consisting of 21 knowledge questions in addition to seven demographic questions was answered by 420 college-aged females at a Midwestern university. Overall, 85% of the women (n=357) in this group lacked sufficient knowledge about the subject as determined by a total knowledge score of less than fifteen. Greater iron knowledge was found in older, white students, those who consumed supplements, and …

An Examination Of Factors And Perceptions Related To Steroids/Human Growth Hormone In College Baseball, Benjamin D. Riegle

Masters Theses

This study examined the role modeling effect from professional baseball through an anonymous survey aimed at the prevalence, potential precursors, and deterrents of steroid use among 173 intercollegiate baseball players. Results indicated that 2.3% of participants admitted to using steroids, but this low incidence was not due to low access as 58.4% said they knew how to obtain steroids and 37.8% had previously been offered steroids. Just over one-third (34.1%) agreed that performance enhancement was a precursor to steroid/HGH use and a mean score of 2.53 (SD = 1.46) indicated that it was a greater precursor than improving appearance (19.7%, …

Comparison Of Avian Nest Success Among Linear Wooded Habitats In An Agricultural Landscape, Terri J.E. Thompson

Masters Theses

In the Midwest, urban expansion and more intensive agricultural practices have reduced habitat available to most species of breeding birds. Linear wooded habitats including fencerows and riparian strips are a common habitat feature in many agricultural landscapes. Changes in agricultural practices and the subsequent reduction in grasslands and fencerows have lead to greater breeding densities in species that use the remaining fencerows as nest sites. This may lead to a lower nesting success due to factors such as higher predation risk. Specifically, it is not known how such linear habitats currently contribute to avian populations in central Illinois.

We monitored …

Effects Of Food Deprivation, Body Size, And Egg Load On The Mating Behavior Of Female Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Natasha Tigreros

Masters Theses

Female condition may play an important role in the mating frequency of species that mate at foraging areas. For example, in species where feeding females are more easily encountered or less resistant to mating than females that are performing other activities, low energy levels could increase mating activity. We studied the relationship between female condition and mating activity in the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a laboratory study. We altered condition by depriving some females of food for one day and comparing their mating behavior to well-fed females. Our results showed that the effect of condition on mating …

Red Squirrel Distribution And Habitat Use In Illinois, Corinna Hanson

Masters Theses

The North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a species of special concern in Illinois due to its restricted geographic range and low numbers. This species occupies a broad geographic range in North America and is usually associated with the boreal forests of Canada and coniferous forests in the Rocky Mountain range. The squirrels also occupy deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in the eastern U.S. In Illinois, available habitat is suboptimal, and limited to pine plantations and small tracts of deciduous forest embedded in an agricultural matrix landscapе. Information on the spatial distribution of red squirrels in northeastern Illinois was …

Mating, Kinship, And Population Structure In Illinois Beaver Populations, Joanne C. Crawford

Masters Theses

The North American beaver, Castor canadensis, is an important wildlife species for a variety of reasons. As a furbearer, it provides income and recreation to trappers throughout the state. As a wetland engineer, it helps maintain functioning ecosystems (Naiman et al. 1986, McKinstry and Anderson 2002). Finally, the beaver serves as a model organism for studies of mating and kinship, as it has beed reported to be almost exclusively monogamous (Sun 2003).

Monogamy in mammals is generally restricted to the primates, canids, and rodents, and is defined as a mating system in which a pair remains together for at least …

Investigating Biodiversity: An Economic Analysis Of Global Endangered Species Loss, Kyle Baumgartner

Masters Theses

There has been a rapid increase in interest among economists to examine the economic causes of biodiversity loss. The goal of this thesis is to investigate biodiversity loss using percentage of endangered species across countries for a three year period of time. This is accomplished by developing a series of models to examine the impact of various economic factors on biodiversity loss, in this case using percentage of threatened species as a proxy.

The results indicate that the development of economic growth can impact endangered species loss. The results also demonstrate that there is a relationship between percentage of endangered …

Habitat Use And Overwintering Ecology Of The Northern Watersnake (Nerodia Sipedon) On An Artificial Levee In Central Illinois, Melanie J. Olds

Masters Theses

Several reptile species have populations that are in decline, and anthropogenic habitat loss and alteration are arguably the factors having the greatest impact on these species. More attention has been paid to understanding the activity season habitat needs in snakes than on the habitat requirements for overwintering. I examined the patterns of both activity season and overwintering habitat use by a population of northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) that inhabit an artificial levee in central Illinois. My research objectives were to determine how a population of northern watersnakes uses an artificial levee during the activity season and to determine what type …

Influence Of Fish Presence And Removal On Woodland Pond Breeding Amphibians, J. Brian Towey

Masters Theses

Predatory fish can have devastating effects on populations of amphibians, many of which are already declining around the world. Land managers seeking to restore disturbed woodland ponds to more historically-accurate conditions may consider removing fish, a potentially difficult or costly process. I report on the effects of introduced sunfish (Lepomis spp.) and black bullhead catfish (Ameiurus melas), and their removal, on the reproductive efforts of three species of amphibians: smallmouth salamanders (Ambystoma texanum), American toads (Bufo americanus) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). Using drift fences and pitfall traps around four woodland ponds, amphibians were monitored for one year prior to …

The Effects Of An Education Program On Women's Knowledge And Behavior During Menopause, Diana L. Stenger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if women's knowledge of perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues increased after participation in an educational workshop. The first objective was to determine if there was an increase in particip cipants' knowledge of physiological and psychological changes often experienced during perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues. Two further objectives were to determine if women reported learned treatment options and made any behavioral health changes to manage perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues, from attending the educational workshop, during a 3-month follow-up telephone survey. A quasiexperimental pre-test and post-test design involved a purposive …

The Influence Of Internet Pornography On Heterosexual Male University Students' Attitudes Toward Sexuality, Misty Baker

Masters Theses

The purpose of conducting this study was to explore heterosesexual male, Midwestern university students' attitudes regarding internet pornography. This study explored the use of internet pornography, with a specific focus on: a) the age of first exposure to internet pornography; b) the usage characteristics of internet pornography among heterosexual male university students; c) the sexual attitudes and beliefs toward women among heterosexual male university students;and d)the sexual activity history of heterosexual male university students. A 29-item questionnaire was designed by the researcher to explore exposure to internet pornography, sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, and attitudes toward forced sex. Fifty-five participants completed …

Communication And Authenticity: Transformations Of The Self In The Digital Age, John Dowd

Masters Theses

Through an examination of disembodied forms of communication and technological discourse, this project explores the concepts of authenticity and its implications for communication research. Situated within phenomenological notions of embodiment, authenticity can serve as an important tool for doing rhetorical criticism. It provides an ethical component to criticism that is sorely lacking within many social scientific approaches to the study of human communication, which operate under the guise of objectivity. As authenticity, subjectivity, and embodiment are inescapably connected and as all three provide the foundation for this project, chapter one provides a working definition of each. It is argued that …

Daily Eastern News: December 08, 2006, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 04, 2006, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 27, 2006, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

November 16, 2006, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 16, 2006, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 08, 2006, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

November 2, 2006, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.