Digital Commons Network^™

A Needs Assessment Of West Virginia Environmental Educators: West Virginia Environmental Education Association And West Virginia University County Extension Agents, Amanda Rae Swecker See

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia is a state full of a variety of environmental education (EE) programs---both formal and nonformal. However, in order to be effective, educators must have the most updated and user friendly resources readily accessible through various supporting organizations or agencies. The WVEEA is a new state-wide group dedicated to improving EE programs, and supporting EE through its members.;The ultimate goal of EE programs is to improve environmental literacy and foster environmentally responsible behavior. Environmental literacy gives people the awareness, knowledge, ability, motivation, commitment and skill to work with others to resolve environmental problems and prevent new ones. EE activities …

The Effect Of Parent Education On The Home Food Environment For Overweight Adolescents In West Virginia, Kimberly N. Fisher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study is a pre and post-intervention study examining family involvement and healthy food behaviors prior to and three month post nutrition education. The intervention was conducted as part of a residential summer camp for overweight adolescents in West Virginia. Twenty-one parents were included, one parent per camper. The intervention included nine hours of nutritional instructional time consisting of lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and a grocery store tour. Data were measured to determine occurrence of positive changes within the home environment of these families. Parent education sessions were evaluated. A factor analysis and independent samples t test were used respectively to …

The Effect Of An Applied Behavior Analysis Based Treatment On The Participation Of A Kindergarten Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder In A General Education Classroom, Brandi Slider

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project was developed with the intention of helping to integrate a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder more fully into a general education classroom. The study was a single case design experiment employing a multiple-baseline design across situations intended to increase appropriate participation and decrease inappropriate participation. The Competent Learner Model was used as a tool to develop observation skills and to identify target behaviors to change for the learner. An Applied Behavior Analysis based token-economy system served as the intervention, utilizing stickers in exchange for preferred activities. The intervention was applied at three intervals across two situations with …

Implications For The Use Of Osmia Cornifrons (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) As Pollinators, Joseph Brent White

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Japanese hornfaced bees, Osmia cornifrons (Radoszkowski) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), is a key pollinator of spring blooming fruit crops such as apple, pear and blueberry. To maximize pollination efficiency, two implications must be considered. First, diapause termination of overwintering O. cornifrons adults needs to be synchronized with the bloom of the target trees because adult bees are active as pollinators for only a few weeks. Patterns of temperature-dependent diapause termination of O. cornifrons were modeled and simulated with linear and non-linear regression analyses. Results of the study indicated the upper and lower developmental thresholds, as well as the optimum temperature for …

The Identification Of Molecular Guidance Cues Necessary For Development Of The Central Auditory System, David M. Howell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Developing neurons utilize multiple guidance cues to reach their appropriate destination. Although much is known about the anatomy and electrophysiology of auditory brainstem neurons, the molecular factors directing migration of these cells and the targeting of their axons are only beginning to be explored. Ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) neurons have axons that project bilaterally to the superior olivary complex (SOC) in the ventral acoustic stria (VAS). The circumferential trajectory taken by developing VCN axons is similar to the path of spinal commissural neurons (SCNs). Therefore, we reasoned that netrin-DCC and slit-robo signaling systems may function, similar to SCNs, in the …

Effects Of Aging And Exercise Training On Enos Uncoupling And Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling In The Endothelium Of Skeletal Muscle Arterioles, Amy L. Sindler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the first study was to determine the effects of aging and exercise training on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling in skeletal muscle arterioles. The results of this study confirmed our previous findings that aging impairs endothelium-dependent, NO-mediated vasodilation and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels in rat skeletal muscle arterioles. Limited availability of BH4, as observed in old sedentary rats, may contribute to eNOS uncoupling, which decreases NO signaling and increases eNOS-derived O2- generation. Exercise training restored BH4 levels and improved flow-induced NO production in arterioles from aged rats. Furthermore, exercise training increased both NO and reactive oxygen species …

Behavioral Inhibition And Behavioral Activation In College Students: The Effects Of Aversive Control, Chad S. Brice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Negative reinforcement is utilized in many contexts in our society but its differential effects in relation to individual differences are rarely studied. It is very similar in form to punishment in that they are both forms of aversive control, and only differs in the sense that negative reinforcement is a technique utilized to increase rather than reduce a behavior. Researchers, starting with Gray, have shown that individuals higher in inhibition and anxiety are more responsive to punishment, while individuals who are more impulsive are more sensitive to rewards. The positive relation between anxiety and sensitivity to punishment suggests that individuals …

Gourd'geous, A. Noel Slowikowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Finding a voice to articulate my passion for making utilitarian pottery has been the central focus of my graduate studies. As a ceramic artist, I strive to make work that celebrates clay's tactile qualities, history, environmental responsiveness, and beauty. My research involved investigating different clay processes, fabrication methods, glazes, and contemporary/historical influences. The end result is a body of work that expresses a balanced blending of clay, nature, and history.

State Supervisors Roles In Agricultural Education Curriculum: A National Study, Becky L. Ridgeway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine state supervisors roles in agricultural education curriculum. A census survey, plus Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands were used to collect data for this study. The population included all head state supervisors employed during the spring of 2009. Of the 52 surveys sent out 36 were returned (69%). The study found that responsibility for developing and communicating career development events (CDE) and information varied by state, with the head state supervisor, executive secretary, state supervisor with FFA responsibilities or university faculty managing the events. State supervisors identified email, listserv (group email), telephone calls, …

Effects Of Response Effort, Delay, And Stimulus Changes On The Sunk -Cost Effect, James W. Diller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The sunk-cost effect is a decision-making fallacy that has its origins in the discipline in economics. In general, sunk-cost situations are typified by the presence of an initial investment that is followed by behavioral persistence, especially in the face of progressively worsening outcomes. This fallacy occurs when individuals use past expenditures (i.e., sunk costs) rather than future costs to guide decisions. Although there is a growing body of literature involving human participants, relatively little work has been done examining the variables that govern the sunk-cost effect in nonhuman subjects. The present experiments examined effects of response effort, delay, and stimulus …

Higher Education Tuition Assistance And Work In West Virginia 2008, George Hammond, Adam Hoffer

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

No abstract provided.

West Virginia Property Tax Briefing Paper, Amy Higginbotham, Arzu Sen, Tami Gurley-Calvez

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

No abstract provided.

2009 Symposium Brochure

Programs

No abstract provided.

Investigation Into Pedestrian Exposure To Near-Vehicle Exhaust Emissions, Neil A. Buzzard, Nigel N. Clark, Steven E. Guffey

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Inhalation of diesel particulate matter (DPM) is known to have a negative impact on human health. Consequently, there are regulations and standards that limit the maximum concentrations to which persons may be exposed and the maximum concentrations allowed in the ambient air. However, these standards consider steady exposure over large spatial and time scales. Due to the nature of many vehicle exhaust systems, pedestrians in close proximity to a vehicle's tailpipe may experience events where diesel particulate matter concentrations are high enough to cause acute health effects for brief periods of time.

Methods

In order to quantify these exposure …

Particle Length-Dependent Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials Toxicity And Bioactivity, Raymond F. Hamilton Jr, Nianqiang Wu, Dale Porter, Mary Buford, Michael Wolfarth, Andrij Holian

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials have considerable beneficial uses as photocatalysts and solar cells. It has been established for many years that pigment-grade TiO2 (200 nm sphere) is relatively inert when internalized into a biological model system (in vivo or in vitro). For this reason, TiO2 nanomaterials are considered an attractive alternative in applications where biological exposures will occur. Unfortunately, metal oxides on the nanoscale (one dimension < 100 nm) may or may not exhibit the same toxic potential as the original material. A further complicating issue is the effect of modifying or engineering of the nanomaterial to be structurally and geometrically different from the original material.

Results

TiO2 nanospheres, short (< 5 μm) and long (> 15 μm) nanobelts were synthesized, characterized and tested for biological activity using primary murine alveolar macrophages and in vivo in mice. This study demonstrates that alteration of anatase …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery In Rainbow Trout By Deep Sequencing Of A Reduced Representation Library, Cecilia C. Sanchez, Timothy P L Smith, Ralph T. Wiedmann, Roger L. Vallejo, Mohamed Salem, Jianbo Yao, Caird E. Rexroad Iii

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

To enhance capabilities for genomic analyses in rainbow trout, such as genomic selection, a large suite of polymorphic markers that are amenable to high-throughput genotyping protocols must be identified. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) have been used for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in salmonids. In those strategies, the salmonid semi-tetraploid genomes often led to assemblies of paralogous sequences and therefore resulted in a high rate of false positive SNP identification. Sequencing genomic DNA using primers identified from ESTs proved to be an effective but time consuming methodology of SNP identification in rainbow trout, therefore not suitable for high throughput …

Prenatal And Early, But Not Late, Postnatal Exposure Of Mice To Sidestream Tobacco Smoke Increases Airway Hyperresponsiveness Later In Life, Zhong-Xin Wu, Dawn D. Hunter, Vincent L. Kish, Katherine M. Benders, Thomas P. Batchelor, Richard D. Dey

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Cigarette smoke exposure in utero and during early postnatal development increases the incidence of asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) later in life, suggesting that a possible critical period of developmental sensitivity exists in the prenatal and early postnatal periods.

Objective

We investigated mechanisms of susceptibility during critical developmental periods to sidestream smoke (SS) exposure and evaluated the possible effects of SS on neural responses.

Methods

We exposed three different age groups of mice to either SS or filtered air (FA) for 10 consecutive days beginning on gestation day (GD) 7 by maternal exposure or beginning on postnatal day (PND) …

Predictors Of Pfoa Levels In A Community Surrounding A Chemical Plant, Kyle Steenland, Chuangfang Jin, Jessica Macneil, Cathy Lally, Alan Ducatman, Veronica Vieira, Tony Fletcher

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It does not exist in nature but has been used widely since World War II. It is present in the serum of most Americans at about 4–5 ng/mL, although the routes of exposure remain unknown.

Objectives

We examined predictors of PFOA in mid-Ohio Valley residents living near a chemical plant that until recently released large quantities of PFOA into the environment, contaminating drinking water.

Methods

We studied 69,030 residents in six contaminated water districts who participated in a 2005–2006 survey involving a questionnaire and …

Coal Dust Alters Β-Naphthoflavone-Induced Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocation In Alveolar Type Ii Cells, Mohamed M. Ghanem, Lori A. Battelli, Brandon F. Law, Vincent Castranova, Michael L. Kashon, Joginder Nath, Ann F. Hubbs

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can cause DNA adducts and initiate carcinogenesis. Mixed exposures to coal dust (CD) and PAHs are common in occupational settings. In the CD and PAH-exposed lung, CD increases apoptosis and causes alveolar type II (AT-II) cell hyperplasia but reduces CYP1A1 induction. Inflammation, but not apoptosis, appears etiologically associated with reduced CYP1A1 induction in this mixed exposure model. Many AT-II cells in the CD-exposed lungs have no detectable CYP1A1 induction after PAH exposure. Although AT-II cells are a small subfraction of lung cells, they are believed to be a potential progenitor cell for some lung …

X Chromosomes Aneuploidy Lymphocytes Centromeres Chromosomal Translocations Sex Chromosomes Etiology Fluorescent In Situ Hybridiz, Beth M. Cleveland, Stephen S. Leonard, Hillar Klandorf, Kenneth P. Blemings

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Humans, birds, and some primates do not express the uric acid degrading enzyme urate oxidase (UOX) and, as a result, have plasma uric acid concentrations higher than UOX expressing animals. Although high uric acid concentrations are suggested to increase the antioxidant defense system and provide a health advantage to animals without UOX, knockout mice lacking UOX develop pathological complications including gout and kidney failure. As an alternative to the knockout model, RNA interference was used to decrease UOX expression using stable transfection in a mouse hepatic cell line (ATCC, FL83B). Urate oxidase mRNA was reduced 66% (p < 0.05) compared to wild type, as measured by real time RT-PCR. To determine if UOX knockdown resulted in enhanced protection against oxidative stress, cells were challenged with hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) or 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1). Compared to wild type, cells with UOX knockdown exhibited a 37.2 ± 3.5% reduction (p < 0.05) in the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal after being exposed to Cr(VI) and displayed less DNA fragmentation (p < 0.05) following SIN-1 treatment. Cell viability decreased in wild type cells (p < 0.05), but not cells with UOX knockdown, after treatment with SIN-1. These results are consistent with an increased intracellular uric acid concentration and an increased defense against oxidative stress.

Alteration Of Renal Respiratory Complex-Iii During Experimental Type-1 Diabetes, Shankar Munusamy, Hamida Saba, Tanecia Mitchell, Judit K. Megyesi, Robert W. Brock, Lee A. Macmillian-Crow

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Diabetes has become the single most common cause for end-stage renal disease in the United States. It has been established that mitochondrial damage occurs during diabetes; however, little is known about what initiates mitochondrial injury and oxidant production during the early stages of diabetes. Inactivation of mitochondrial respiratory complexes or alteration of their critical subunits can lead to generation of mitochondrial oxidants, mitochondrial damage, and organ injury. Thus, one goal of this study was to determine the status of mitochondrial respiratory complexes in the rat kidney during the early stages of diabetes (5-weeks post streptozotocin injection).

Methods

Mitochondrial complex …

Shrinkwrap, Clickwrap, And Other Software License Agreements: Litigating A Digital Pig In A Poke In West Virginia, David R. Collins

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fuel Economy And Emissions Benefits From Diesel Fuel Additives, Geoffrey James Newlin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the spike in fuel costs during 2008, fuel consumption, and methods to reduce it, has come to the forefront of society, and recognition that inexpensive energy sources for mobile transportation may be a thing of the past. Even though fuel costs did significantly decrease by 75% after this spike [1], they will most likely continue to rise. Improvements to mobile transportation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are a major agenda item of the United States and many industrialized nations. New and improved technologies will be developed and employed for future transportation needs of society. However, the existing …

Functions Of Rx In Early Vertebrate Ocular Development, Brian G. Zamora

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Patterning of the optic vesicle is a crucial step in early vertebrate eye development that organizes uncommitted optic vesicle cells into distinct distal, dorsal, and proximal regions that will give rise to the neural retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and optic stalk, respectively. Originating from the same sheet of anterior neuroectoderm, uncommitted optic vesicle cells are patterned into neural and non-neural (RPE) retinal domains through the coordinated activities of extrinsic signaling molecules and intrinsic transcription factors. Neural retinal specification is driven by FGF signals emanating from the surface ectoderm and developing lens, while RPE is specified by signals from the …

Effect Of Weaning Regimen On Energy Profiles And Reproductive Performance Of Beef Cows, J. F. Odhiambo, J. D. Rhinehart, R. Helmondollar, J. Y. Pritchard, P. I. Osborne, E. E. Felton, R. A. Dailey

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Broadening Our Approaches To Studying Dispersal In Raptors, Joan L. Morrison, Petra Bohall Wood

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The commons is a theoretical formalism that is useful in understanding many diverse problems of civil society. A common (or commons) is an economic, political, social, and legal institution that enables joint, shared, mutual or collective natural or social action by agents using a “pool” of shared or jointly held or mutually controlled resources. A substantial body of work exists detailing natural common resource pools acted upon by physical or biological agents. Another large body of work on humanly-directed natural resource pools study the human-natural environment interface, interspecies conflict and population density. Studies of social commons have also looked at …

Effects Of Age And Polyploidy On Growth, Composition, Fatty Acids, And Egg Development In Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus Mykiss., Meghan Lynn Manor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Egg development (vitellogenesis) is a dominant physiological process that alters growth efficiency and compromises muscle quality in some species. Lipid mobilization from fat stores supplies energy required for this process. To study the effect of vitellogenesis on lipid mobilization, triploid (3N; sterile) and diploid (2N; fertile) rainbow trout females were derived from two families (70 and 71). Fish growth, egg development, proximate composition, and fatty acid composition of muscle, liver, visceral fat, and gonads were determined from July 2008 to March 2009. There were no differences in growth measurements (whole body weight, length, condition factor, eviscerated body weight, and empty …

The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content Of Krill Protein Concentrate Influences Bioavailability, Tissue Deposition, Peroxidation, And Metabolism In Young Rats, Kayla Marie Bridges

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objective. Krill protein concentrate (KPC) has been determined to be a high quality protein for human consumption with the advantage of being a rich source of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (o-3 PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The o-3 PUFAs in krill are mainly associated with phospholipids, which have been proposed to result in high incorporation of o-3 PUFAs into tissues and to be stable against oxidation. The study objective was to determine bioavailability, tissue deposition, peroxidation, and metabolism of o-3 PUFAs in rats fed KPC.;Methods. Young female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=10/group) were fed ad libitum isocaloric diets …

Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis In Aspergillus Fumigatus : Association With Sporulation And Clustered Genes Common Among Ergot Fungi, Christine M. Coyle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids, indole-derived mycotoxins, interact with multiple monoamine neurotransmitter receptors and cause disease in exposed individuals. They have been well studied in the ergot fungus, Claviceps purpurea, and have been reported in some closely related grass endophytes, as well as the distantly related opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. A. fumigatus, which sporulates prolifically, produces clavines, specifically festuclavine and fumigaclavines A, B, and C in association with asexual spores and the total mass of alkaloids constitutes over 1% of the spore mass. These alkaloids differ from those of most clavicipitaceous fungi, which consist of different clavines and often more complex lysergic …