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Correlates Of Marital Success A Homogamy Model, Sarah A. Raper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between five demographic homogamy variables and marital success. Throughout this paper, several questions were examined that seek to give a better understanding of the factors that impact the stability and quality of American marriages. Is homogamy an important issue in modern society, or have cultural advancements in American society made homogamy irrelevant? Do both ascribed and achieved characteristics still impact marital success? Data from wave one of the National Survey of Families and Households was used for the analysis. First, correlations between the heterogamy variables and marital success were evaluated. Next, regression models were used …

Influences Of The Loggerhead Sponge (Spheciospongia Vesparium) And The Vase Sponge (Ircinia Campana) On Nearshore Hard-Bottom Community Development In The Florida Keys, Scott Donahue

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Sponges, octocorals, and stony corals are the dominant sessile fauna within shallow, hard-bottom communities in the Florida Keys, FL (USA). The sponge component of these communities is not well studied and has been cyclically decimated from as early as 1844, most recently in south-central Florida Bay in 1991 and 1992, in apparent association with phytoplankton blooms. The purpose of this research was to examine ways in which sponges may contribute to the maintenance of hard-bottom communities. Specifically, I investigated: 1) the effect of sponges and physical structures on local sea floor scouring and thus the potential for maintenance of hard-bottom; …

Spatial And Trophic Dynamics Of A Macrofaunal Community On A High Energy Intertidal Sandflat, Sharon Ann Tatem

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Spatial and trophic interactions between macrofaunal species were studied in a high energy intertidal system during spring-summer low tides. Bioturbation by the enteropneust hemichordate, Balanoglossus aurantiacus (Girad), as evidenced by large fecal mounds, was a conspicuous feature on the sandflat Sediment characteristics were compared between ambient (non-fecal) and B. aurantiacus fecal mound types (fresh-oxidized, fresh-reduced, aged-oxidized, and aged-reduced). Fecal material was differentiated by age based on the presence or absence of mucus and the time of fecal deposition. The color of fecal material was used to assign oxidative state. Multiple isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) were used to determine the origins …

Development And Validation Of Hardware To Measure The Load-Deflection Characteristics Of Any Material, Manish Govardhanrao Kalmegh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A portable device to measure load-displacement will have applications in biomechanics and reverse engineering in the automotive and aerospace industries. Hardware was developed by attaching a load cell (LC 201, Omegadyne, Inc., Sunbury, Ohio) to a Faro Arm (Faro Technologies, Lake Mary, Florida), a portable coordinate measuring machine that accommodates standard and custom end effectors. A LabVIEW (National Instrument, Austin, Texas) program was developed to process the load cell and deflection data obtained from the Faro Arm. To validate this system, a four-inch square block, chair cushion, and head restraint of a car were tested using a material testing machine …

Numerical Simulations Of A Nonlinear Transmission Line, Stuart Rogers

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line having a voltage-dependent capacitance. The telegrapher's equations that model wave propagation along such a transmission line are derived and shown to represent a nonlinear hyperbolic system of balance laws. The Lax-Friedrichs, Lax-Wendroff, and hybrid numerical schemes for obtaining approximate solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic systems of balance laws are presented, analyzed, and applied to the nonlinear telegrapher's equations. The Lax-Wendroff and hybrid schemes are invoked to numerically simulate wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line. Simulations obtained via the hybrid scheme are used to briefly study the potential application of a …

Modeling The Seasonal Sea Ice Cycle In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Yusuf Sinan Hûsrevoğlu

OES Theses and Dissertations

A mesoscale resolution (5 km) regional ocean model (ROMS), coupled thermodynamically/dynamically to a sea ice model (CICE) and thermodynamically to an ice shelf is used to investigate Ross Sea seasonal sea ice cycle, polynya dynamics, distribution and transformations of continental shelf water masses, and bottom water formation. Daily atmospheric forcing is from the ECMWF ERA-40 dataset, and for a separate simulation, wind forcing for Terra Nova Bay is substituted from daily automatic weather station (AWS) data. Simulated Ross Sea sea ice concentration reproduces the winter lead opening events observed in the SSM/I signal; however, it underestimates open water area (rmsd …

The Effect Of Ethanol And Pfiesteria Toxins On Anxiety And Spontaneous Motor Activity In Rats, Juan Carlos Constantine

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Pfiesteria is associated with major fish kills in the Chesapeake Bay and the Albermarle-Pamlico sound and has also been associated with cognitive deficits in humans. This study consisted of two separate experiments. The first experiment was a near-replication of a previous study on anxiety in the elevated plus maze. The second study investigated the effect of ethanol on SMA in rats exposed to Pfiesteria toxins. Thirty-two rats were injected with either nontoxic water or toxic water taken from an aquarium containing active Pfiesteria shumwayae cultures and tested in the elevated plus maze. In the second experiment, ethanol (0, 600, 1200 …

The Relationship Of Teacher Route To Certification To Student Outcomes On Statewide Social Studies Assessment, Aaron L. Smith

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Public school divisions face daunting challenges today. One such challenge is the ability to recruit and retain highly qualified and effective teachers. Endemic teacher shortages coupled with escalating national education standards make it imperative that school divisions hire and retain teachers who can positively and immediately impact student achievement. Schools without effective teachers face possible sanctions, which could include re-staffing of the school, parental choice that would allow the student population to attend more successful schools and loss of funds.

At the same time, colleges and universities have begun alternative certification programs in an effort to compensate for teacher shortages …

Cannabinoids: A Novel Treatment Strategy For Retinal Neurodegenerative Disorders, Sandeep Samudre

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Synthetic and naturally occurring cannabinoids are known to decrease intraocular pressure (IOP). Glaucomatous damage to the retina and optic nerve progresses even after therapy to maintain normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Topical application of cannabinoids decreases IOP while not affecting blood pressure or heart rate. Based upon their effects on other tissues, we hypothesize that these analogs reduce IOP and may also confer direct neuroprotective effects on the retina, possibly via CB1 and/or CB2 receptors. The purpose of this study is to determine if the newly synthesized CB agonists, lipid soluble O-1812 (CB 1), and water soluble O-2545 (CB 1

The …

Analysis And Application Of Perfectly Matched Layer Absorbing Boundary Conditions For Computational Aeroacoustics, Sarah Anne Parrish

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

The Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) was originally proposed by Berenger as an absorbing boundary condition for Maxwell's equations in 1994 and is still used extensively in the field of electromagnetics. The idea was extended to Computational Aeroacoustics in 1996, when Hu applied the method to Euler's equations. Since that time much of the work done on PML in the field of acoustics has been specific to the case where mean flow is perpendicular to a boundary, with an emphasis on Cartesian coordinates. The goal of this work is to further extend the PML methodology in a two-fold manner: First, to …

Stochastic Calculations For Computation Of Radiation Effects And Cell Survivability Under Voltage Pulsing, Madhuri Ganapathiraju

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Statistical computations are an important tool for the analysis of stochastic phenomena and processes that are characterized by variability. Biological systems (e.g., cells, tissues etc.) are perfect examples wherein response to a given external stimulus can be varied and needs to be adequately considered. The Monte Carlo method of analysis has now been recognized as the most effective way of treating stochastic variability.

This thesis uses Monte Carlo based simulations to probe two problems that require the quantification and modeling of effects caused by energy deposition onto biological matter from external sources. One problem involves the probabilistic study of the …

The Application Of Innovative High-Throughput Techniques To Serum Biomarker Discovery, Izabela Debkiewicz Karbassi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry continues to evolve as a promising technique for serum protein expression profiling and biomarker discovery. As seen in our initial SELDI-TOF MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling study of serum for the assessment of breast cancer risk, many profiling strategies typically employ single chemical affinity beads or surfaces to decrease sample complexity of dynamic fluids like serum. However, most proteins, captured on a particular surface or bead, are not resolved in the lower mass range where mass spectrometers are most effective. To this end we have designed an expression profiling workflow that utilizes immobilized trypsin paramagnetic beads in …

Minutes Of The Virginia Academy Of Science Council Meeting, Virginia Journal Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Full proceedings of the Council Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science at the Science Museum of Virginia, March 29, 2008.

Topographic Factors Affecting The Tree Species Composition Of Forests In The Upper Piedmont Of Virginia, Rachael C. Brown, Todd S. Fredericksen

Virginia Journal of Science

There are many factors that influence forest species composition and many are linked to topographical features. This study, conducted on the Ferrum College campus in the Upper Piedmont Physiographic Province of Virginia revealed three major forest types associated with topographic factors using cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis . The first type of forest occurred mostly on northeastern slopes on toe slope topographic positions and was mainly composed of tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and red maple (Acer rubrum). The second type of forest was found on shoulder and side slope positions and was composed mostly of …

New Records, Biogeography, And Habitat Protection Needs Of Four Species Of Potamon (Decapoda: Brachyura) In Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes

Virginia Journal of Science

Objectives are to determine the occurrence of species of Potamon in eastern Crete and the Aegean Islands (Chios, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Tinos and Andros); generate phylogenetic relationships among species to propose a biogeographic hypothesis relative to current distributions of the four species of the freshwater crab genus, Potamon, in Greece; and comment on the need to protect habitat suitable for the survival of species of Potamon in the country. Our collections, made in areas not previously sampled by researchers, indicate the presence of Potamon fluviatile on Tinos, N axos, and Andros, and Potamon potamios from central to eastern Crete; …

The Regulation Of Endothelial And Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression In The Preglomerular Vessels By The Increase In Intracellular Calcium Concentration, Stephanie Thomas Montgomery

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to examine the regulation of endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in the preglomerular vessels of mature and immature porcine kidneys by the increase in intracellular calcium concentration. Angiotensin II can increase intracellular calcium concentrations in two ways; either through the mobilization of intracellular calcium stores or through the influx of calcium from the extracellular fluid through calcium channels. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a calcium control, a calcium-free control, L- and T-type voltage-gated calcium channel blockers, an internal calcium store release agent, KCI, and EDTA on …

Virginia Standards Of Learning: An Analysis Of Sociodemographic Effects On Exam Passing Rates, Anne E. Foster

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study proposed to analyze the effects that sociodemographic variables have on Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) exam passing rates. By analyzing Census data along with passing rates from the Virginia Department of Education, the researcher determined if the independent variables white, non-white, poverty, female-headed household and foreign born explained variance in the SOL passing rates. By using linear regressions for each independent variable as well as a regression for a combination of the independent variables, the researcher was able to show the amount of variance that was explained. The results confirm that variance was present in each test subject …

The Effects Of Thawing Procedure And Supplementation On The Motility And Viability Of Frozen-Thawed Boar Semen, B. D. Whitaker, S. Clark, Z. Crouse, W. Martin, J. W. Knight

Virginia Journal of Science

The effect of two thawing procedures on frozen boar semen and supplementations to the fertilization media were studied. Frozen boar semen was thawed using either Percoll gradient or phosphate buffered saline (PBS)procedure. Supplementations were 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) , and 1.0 mM NAC-amide (NACA). Spermatozoa were analyzed for forward progressive motility (FPM) and viability every 0.5 h for 3 .0 h post-thawing. There were significantly (P < 0.05) higher numbers of viable (76.0 ± 5.1 %) and FPM (30 .0 ± 2.4%) spermatozoa at 3.0 h post thawing using the PBS procedure compared to the Percoll gradient thawed spermatozoa (65.0 ± 3.9%; 10.0 ± 4.5 %, respectively). Supplementation of 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM NAC, or 1.0 mM NACA had no significant effect on spermatozoa viability regardless of the time post-thaw.Supplementation of 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM NAC , or 1.0 mM NACA had no significant effect on FPM up to 1.0 h post-thaw. Spermatozoa with no supplementation or 1.0 mM L-glutamate had significantly higher (P < 0.05) FPM compared to the 1.0 mM NAC and 1.0 mM NACA supplemented groups at 1.5, 2.0, 2 .5, and 3.0 h post-thaw. There was no significant difference between no supplementation or 1.0 mM L-glutamate on FPM regardless of the time post-thaw. There was no significant difference between 1.0 mM NAC or 1.0 mM NACA on FPM regardless of the time post-thaw. These results indicate that thawing procedure has an effect on spermatozoa viability and FPM but supplementation does not have an effect on the overall viability of spermatozoa during thawing, but may reduce FPM.

Exploring Interdisciplinary Prayer Research In A Health Context, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Communication, Psychology, and Sociology are three leading academic disciplines engaged in the social scientific study of prayer, the spiritual communication between a believer(s) and God, but rarely do these disciplines collaborate in interdisciplinary prayer scholarship. Possibilities for interdisciplinary prayer research in a health context are explored through a review of the literature and academic interviews. Interdisciplinary linkages in the prayer-health context are organized in an integral "all-quadrant" theoretical model, and an assessment of the viability of interdisciplinary prayer-health research is considered.

Professor Gopal Kanji's Retirement As Editor Of Journal Of Applied Statistics, M. C. Agrawal, Steven B. Caudill, S. Chakraborti, Norman Draper, Ian Dryden, Joe Gani, Steven G. Gilmour, Z. Govindarajulu, David J. Hand, Dayanand Naik

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) This. issue of Journal of Applied Statistics marks the first in its history which does not fall under the editorship of its founder Professor Gopal Kanji. Following his retirement from the role we would like to use this editorial to outline the history and development of the Journal and pay tribute to the many achievements of Gopal’s career.

Molecular Characterization And Related Aspects Of The Innate Immune Response In Ticks, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Compared to insects, little is known about innate immunity in ticks. This chapter addresses the molecular processes that recognize non-self and the cellular and molecular processes mobilized to phagocytose, engulf, inhibit or kill invaders. We discuss the receptors that recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and the putative up-regulation of regulatory cascades that lead, ultimately, to cellular or molecular responses. We describe the molecular events that activate the cellular processes and the array of humoral factors that are mobilized against invading organisms, including antimicrobial peptides, proteases and protease inhibitors, lectins, coagulation factors and others. Special attention is directed to the …

The Increasing Number Of Clinical Items Addressed During The Time Of Adult Primary Care Visits, Elmer D. Abbo, Qi Zhang, Martin Zelder, Elbert S. Huang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians report that there is insufficient time to meet patients' needs during clinical visits, but visit time has increased over the past decade.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the number of clinical items addressed during the primary care visit has increased, and if so, whether this has been associated with changes in visit length and the pace of clinical work.

DESIGN: Analysis of non-hospital-based adult primary care visits from 1997 to 2005, as reported in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 46,431 adult primary care visits.

MEASUREMENTS: We assessed changes over time for …

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Air Plasma Jet For Medical Applications, Juergen Friedrich Kolb, A.-A H. Mohamed, R. O. Price, R. J. Swanson, A. Bowman, R. L. Chiavarini, Michael W. Stacey

Bioelectrics Publications

By flowing atmospheric pressure air through a direct current powered microhollow cathode discharge, we were able to generate a 2 cm long plasma jet. With increasing flow rate, the flow becomes turbulent and temperatures of the jet are reduced to values close to room temperature. Utilizing the jet, yeast grown on agar can be eradicated with a treatment of only a few seconds. Conversely, animal studies show no skin damage even with exposures ten times longer than needed for pathogen extermination. This cold plasma jet provides an effective mode of treatment for yeast infections of the skin.

Blogging About Feminist Lnterdisciplinarity In The Study Of Communication, Language, And Gender, Cynthia Berryman-Fink, Janet Bing, Deborah Cameron, Amy Sheldon, Anita Taylor

English Faculty Publications

This article provides information about several blog posts discussed during a round-table discussion on feminist interdisciplinary studies in relation to communication, language, and gender. Topics under discussion include the nature of interdisciplinarity and its relevance to feminist studies, intercultural communication, and the study and teaching of gender in women's studies programs in higher education.

Rates Of Carbonate Dissolution In Permeable Sediments Estimated From Porewater Profiles: The Role Of Sea Grasses, David J. Burdige, Richard C. Zimmerman, Xinping Hu

OES Faculty Publications

In this study we estimate sediment carbonate dissolution rates for sandy sea grass sediments on the Bahamas Bank using an inverse pore-water advection/diffusion/reaction model constrained by field observations. This model accounts for sea grass O₂ input to these sediments, and also parameterizes pore-water advection through these permeable sediments as a nonlocal exchange process. The resulting rates of carbonate dissolution are positively correlated with sea grass density, and are comparable with previous rate estimates for Florida Bay sediments. In contrast, the advective uptake of O₂ by these sediments decreased with increasing sea grass density. This suggests that the competing …

Radiocarbon Evidence For The Importance Of Surface Vegetation On Fermentation And Methanogenesis In Contrasting Types Of Boreal Peatlands, J. P. Chanton, P. H. Glaser, L. S. Chasar, David J. Burdige, M. E. Hines, D. I. Seigel, L. B. Tremblay, W. T. Cooper

OES Faculty Publications

We found a consistent distribution pattern for radiocarbon in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and methane replicated across spatial and temporal scales in northern peatlands from Minnesota to Alaska. The ¹⁴C content of DOC is relatively modern throughout the peat column, to depths of 3 m. In sedge-dominated peatlands, the ¹⁴C contents of the products of respiration, CH₄ and DIC, are essentially the same and are similar to that of DOC. In Sphagnum- and woody plant-dominated peatlands with few sedges, however, the respiration products are similar but intermediate between the ¹⁴C contents of …

Co2 Sensitivity Of Southern Ocean Phytoplankton, Philippe D. Tortell, Christopher D. Payne, Yingyu Li, Scarlett Trimborn, Bjorn Rost, Walker O. Smith, Christina Riesselman, Robert B. Dunbar, Peter Sedwick, Giacomo R. Ditullio

OES Faculty Publications

The Southern Ocean exerts a strong impact on marine biogeochemical cycles and global air-sea CO₂ fluxes. Over the coming century, large increases in surface ocean CO₂ levels, combined with increased upper water column temps. and stratification, are expected to diminish Southern Ocean CO₂ uptake. These effects could be significantly modulated by concomitant CO₂-dependent changes in the region's biol. carbon pump. Here we show that CO₂ concentrations affect the physiology, growth and species composition. of phytoplankton assemblages in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Field results from in situ sampling and ship-board incubation experiments demonstrate that inorganic …

The Use Of Extractable Lipofuscin For Age Determination Of Crustaceans: Reply To Sheehy (2008), H. Rodger Harvey, David H. Secor, Se-Jong Ju

OES Faculty Publications

The heterogeneous mixture of metabolic by-products termed lipofuscin (LF) or age pigments has long been known to accumulate in post mitotic cells with increasing age. In crustaceans several approaches have been developed over the years to track LF accumulation and provide a proxy for chronological age. Histological approaches have been traditionally used for LF determination of crustaceans (e.g. Sheehy et al. 1994, Mar Biol 121:237-245), but over the last decade extraction approaches for neural tissues have been introduced (Ju et al. 1999, Mar Ecol Prog Ser 185:171-179) and tested (Ju et al. 2001, Mar Ecol Prog Ser 224:197-205; 2003, Fish …

Interactions Between Changing Pco2, N2 Fixation, And Fe Limitation In The Marine Unicellular Cyanobacterium Crocosphaera, Fei-Xue Fu, Margaret R. Mulholland, Nathan S. Garcia, Aaron Beck, Mark E. Warner, Sergio A. Sañudo, David A. Hutchins

OES Faculty Publications

We examined the physiological responses of steady-state iron (Fe)-replete and Fe-limited cultures of the biogeochemically critical marine unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacterium Crocosphaera at glacial (19 Pa; 190 ppm), current (39 Pa; 380 ppm), and projected year 2100 (76 Pa; 750 ppm) CO₂ levels. Rates of N₂ and CO₂ fixation and growth increased in step with increasing partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), but only under Fe- replete conditions. N₂) and carbon fixation rates at 75 Pa CO₂ were 1.4-1.8-fold and 1.2-2.0-fold higher, respectively, relative to those at present day and glacial pCO_{2 …}

A Tribute To Peter George Brewer In Celebration Of His 65th Birthday, George T. F. Wong, Robert F. Anderson, Michael P. Bacon, Hein J. W. De Baar, James W. Murray, Mary I. Scranton

OES Faculty Publications

Peter George Brewer is an ocean chemist of the rare breed that can cross back and forth over the divide between being a front-line research scientist and being a research executive. As if that is not remarkable enough, in the process, he has also demonstrated sustained growth in the depth, breadth, and diversity of his scientific endeavors. Some of his formidable contributions to ocean chemistry have already been highlighted in a profile of him as a major mover and shaker in the field (Irion, 2001). Here, we provide additional glimpses of him from the perspective of a group of individuals …