Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of A Mind-Consciousness-Thought (Mct) Intervention On Stress And Well-Being In Freshman Nursing Students, Judith A. Sedgeman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An emerging "health" paradigm, Mind-Consciousness-Thought (MCT), proposes that three universal Principles, Mind (life energy), Consciousness (the capacity to be aware of thinking as "reality"), and Thought (the ability to create thinking continually), explain how psychological experience is created from the inside-out, not created from the outside-in by events and circumstances. It proposes that life comes through us, not at us. It proposes that insight into the existence and operation of those principles reconnects people to their innate mental well-being, an always accessible source of balance, wisdom, and creativity (i.e., resiliency). It proposes that accessing mental well-being is incompatible with chronic …

Attitudes And Knowledge Of Forestry By High School Agricultural Education Teachers In West Virginia, Kristin R. Lockerman Friend

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and knowledge of high school agricultural education teachers in West Virginia towards forestry. A descriptive research design was used for this study. Of the 86 West Virginia high school agricultural teachers selected for this study 40 teachers responded for a response rate of 47%. Of the responding teachers 85% wanted or needed more information on forestry. Also 57% of the responding teachers had not taken any other formal forestry training besides their college course work. When respondents were asked to react to the following statement: "agricultural education teachers need more …

Application Of The Biolog Microplate System To Monitor The Physiological Response Of Heat-Stressed Bacteria, Matthew G. Mccarroll

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The BIOLOG microplate system was originally evaluated by Miller and Rhoden (1991) for its ability to correctly identify clinical and environmental isolates. The system determines identity based on the exchange of electrons produced during utilization of a carbon substrate and subsequent respiration, leading to the reduction of a tetrazolium-based color change. Enteric bacteria ( Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium) were exposed to heat stress (52°C) and samples were removed as a function of time (0, 15, 30 and 90 min). Stressed cells were monitored with traditional viable cell counts and inoculated into BIOLOG GN plates. The …

Putative Role Of Palmitate And Akt Signaling In Attenuating Skeletal Muscle Growth In The Obese Zucker Rat, Jonathan Michael Peterson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Obese zucker rat (OZR) is a model of obesity and metabolic syndrome, with a reduced skeletal muscle mass compared with the lean zucker rat (LZR). Growth and hypertrophy of muscle fibers critically depend on activation and differentiation of satellite cells into new myonuclei, as well as the prevention of myonuclear apoptosis. Akt is known to regulate satellite cell activation and differentiation and inhibit apoptotic signaling. Akt activity is also reduced in the OZR compared to the LZR. The present study had two primary purposes; first, to observe, in vitro, the effects of the saturated free fatty acid palmitate on …

Increasing The Performance And Realism Of Procedurally Generated Buildings, Brian Sowers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As multimedia such as games and movies grow, so does the need for content. Textures, 3D models, expansive terrain, sound effects, and other data must be generated to support and enrich these multimedia productions. As this need for content continues to grow, two critical problems emerge: the cost of hiring artists to create the content becomes extremely large, as does the amount of memory needed to store and manipulate the content.;To combat these issues, procedural content generation, or content generated algorithmically rather than via an artist, has been introduced. Algorithmically generating content allows for rapid creation of large amounts of …

Feeding Behaviors And Performance Measurements In Bucks, Rams, And Bulls, Stephen John Chavez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of the study was to determine if relationships exist with feeding behaviors of bucks, rams, and bulls and efficiency or residual feed intake (RFI). Animals utilized in this investigation were either producer consigned by species or West Virginia University animals. All animals were group-housed in pens (14.6 m x 51.2 m) with 156.2 m2 under roof at the Reymann Memorial Farm in Wardensville, WV over two years. Animals were fed complete nutritionally adequate rations ad libitum to meet daily growth requirements for each species. GrowSafe radio frequency technology (GrowSafe Systems Ltd.) was used to monitor animal identification, visit …

Postpartum Sleep Disturbance And Psychomotor Vigilance Performance, Salvatore Insana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Postpartum women have high rates of sleep disturbance and commonly suffer from many of the effects of disturbed sleep, though attentional state has not been studied extensively in this population. This study assessed sleep and attentional state psychomotor performance in postpartum women to develop a better understanding of how sleep disturbance --specifically sleep fragmentation and partial sleep deprivation-- is associated with attentional state psychomotor performance. Participants were a sample of 24 postpartum mothers from a larger study. Mothers were 29.96 (SD = 7.94) years old, had a mean income of {dollar}65,808 (SD = {dollar}41,398), and had 17.04 (SD = 2.53) …

In Vitro Elucidation Of The Metabolic Fate Of The Anticancer Drug Busulfan, Islam Rasem Younis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Busulfan is a bifunctional alkylating agent that is used to treat mylogenous leukemia. The major elimination pathway of busulfan is through glutathione-S-transferase (GST) catalyzed conjugation to form glutathione sulfonium conjugate. The aim of this work is to elucidate the novel metabolic pathways of busulfan that may explain its toxicity. The observed data showed that busulfan is not a substrate for CYP450. The sulfonium ion conjugate of busulfan was found to be inactive as it did not inhibit GST in human liver cytosol, did not react with 4-(4-nitrobenzyl)pyridine, did not induce apoptosis in NCI-H460 cells, and was not stable in basic …

Effects Of Atmospheric Acid Deposition And Single Versus Mixed Leaf Litters On Foliar Litter Decomposition, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus And Calcium Dynamics In A Regenerating Forest, Prinith Sumudu Munasinghe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increases in atmospheric N deposition over the past decades have raised concerns over nitrogen (N) retention and carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. We conducted two litter decomposition studies at the Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) study at the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF) in West Virginia. In the LTSP study acid deposition is simulated by periodic ammonium sulfate additions (N+S). Other treatments include control (ref) (no additions or reference) and ammonium sulfate plus lime (lime). Fresh litter was collected from treatment plots in November. Air-dried litter was weighed, and placed in nylon litter bags. Litter bags were placed in …

Periconceptional Treatment With Growth Hormone Alters Fetal Growth And Development In Sheep, Jill Marie Koch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Altering the fetal environment can modify the composition or growth rate of the fetus, a concept known as fetal programming. A majority of the research in this area has focused on intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which has been linked to adult diseases. A few studies have attempted to ameliorate the negative effects of IUGR, by applying growth promoters late in gestation, and have only observed transient effects. Our laboratory has previously shown that growth hormone (GH) treatment around the time of breeding alters the uterine environment early in gestation and results in larger lambs at birth. Therefore there were three …

Impact Of Attribution Retraining With Students Enrolled In An Internet-Based Instructional Technology Course At A Community College, Bonnie Mccall Ordonez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explores the use of attribution retraining in a community college, distance learning course. Attribution training is a form of psychotherapy used in an attempt to shift an individual's attitude, motivation, and locus of control (LOC).;Locus of control is a measure of how one attributes success and failure. Those with internal locus of control believe they are responsible and control their fate while those with external locus of control tend to look for fault outside of themselves.;The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of attribution training, which consisted of a multimedia, interactive intervention called Just Think …

Preferential Flow And Phosphorus Translocation In Benchmark Soils Of West Virginia, Michael B. Harman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Preferential flow is a mechanistic description of water movement in a soil profile where much of the soil matrix is bypassed during periods of rapid infiltration. The occurrence of preferential flow could lead to the movement of phosphorus (P) down through the soil profile. The objectives of this research were (i) to verify the presence of preferential flow in benchmark West Virginia soil series and (ii) measure soil test phosphorus (STP) levels within the preferential flow pathways and the surrounding soil matrix to determine the effects of preferential flow on phosphorus distribution within the soil profile. A non-reactive dye (Brilliant …

Selenite Removal Using Gac Based Iron-Coated Adsorbents, Ning Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Removal of selenite from aqueous phase using iron-coated granular activated carbons (GAC) was investigated in this study. Five different types of GAC were used for iron coating by oxidizing ferrous chloride with sodium hypochlorite and tested for selenite removal. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses indicated that Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, pore size, and pore volume deceased with the iron coating. The Darco 12x20 GAC was shown to be the most effective adsorbent among the five tested GACs after iron coating. Among the different concentrations used for iron coating, the Darco 12x20 GAC coated with 0.1 M ferrous chloride achieved the highest selenite …

Evaluation Of Exhaust After-Treatment Device Effectiveness In Reducing Regulated And Unregulated Emissions From Natural Gas Fueled Heavy Duty Transit Bus, Arvind Padmavathy Thiruvengadam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The promulgation of the public transit fleet rule by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2000, has given transit fleet operators the option of choosing the alternative fuel path in order to reduce their fleet average NOx and PM emissions. Natural gas being an abundant domestic fuel, has found its way as an economically and technologically feasible alternative fuel option. Many studies have shown the clean burning nature of natural gas with lower NOx and near zero Particulate Matter (PM) emissions from heavy duty natural gas vehicles. Though natural gas fueled vehicles emit lower NOx and PM than their …

Judicial Hellholes, Lawsuit Climates And Bad Social Science: Lessons From West Virginia, Elizabeth G. Thornburg

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Wvrhc Newsletter, Spring 2008, West Virginia & Regional History Center

West Virginia & Regional History Center Newsletters

A Dog, a Gun and Time Enough, The George Bird Evans Collection

Forage Fertilization Based On Yield And Management Goals, Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

WVU-Extension fact sheet

An Economic Profile Of The Biosciences Industry In West Virginia, Tom Witt, Anthony Gergory

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

No abstract provided.

Genome Structure And Emerging Evidence Of An Incipient Sex Chromosome In Populus, T. Yin, S. P. Difazio, L. E. Gunter, X. Zhang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The genus Populus consists of dioecious woody species with largely unknown genetic mechanisms for gender determination. We have discovered genetic and genomic features in the peritelomeric region of chromosome XIX that suggest this region of the Populus genome is in the process of developing characteristics of a sex chromosome. We have identified a gender-associated locus that consistently maps to this region. Furthermore, comparison of genetic maps across multiple Populus families reveals consistently distorted segregation within this region. We have intensively characterized this region using an F1 interspecific cross involving the female genotype that was used for genome sequencing. This region …

Discipline-Specific Library Instruction For Millennial Students, Daniel S. Dotson, Karen R. Diaz

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The Ohio State University Libraries offers an introduction to library research to students in survey courses that introduce them to the university. Through an online assignment called Make the Leap, students expand their skills in finding web sites, books, and journal articles via the use of a web search engine, the library catalog, and a research database. In 2006, the assignment was retooled to target engineering students using topics and tools relevant to engineering and computer science students. This article details the pedagogies and strategies of both versions of the assignment and shows evidence for student and instructor preference toward …

Nanoparticle Inhalation Augments Particle-Dependent Systemic Microvascular Dysfunction, Timothy R. Nurkiewicz, Dale W. Porter, Ann F. Hubbs, Jared L. Cumpston, Bean T. Chen, David G. Frazer, Vincent Castranova

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

We have shown that pulmonary exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) impairs endothelium dependent dilation in systemic arterioles. Ultrafine PM has been suggested to be inherently more toxic by virtue of its increased surface area. The purpose of this study was to determine if ultrafine PM (or nanoparticle) inhalation produces greater microvascular dysfunction than fine PM. Rats were exposed to fine or ultrafine TiO2 aerosols (primary particle diameters of ~1 μm and ~21 nm, respectively) at concentrations which do not alter bronchoalveolar lavage markers of pulmonary inflammation or lung damage.

Results

By histopathologic evaluation, no significant inflammatory changes were …

Raw Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Induce Oxidative Stress And Activate Mapks, Ap-1, Nf-Κb, And Akt In Normal And Malignant Human Mesothelial Cells, Maricica Pacurari, Xuejun J. Yin, Jinshun Zhao, Ming Ding, Steve S. Leonard, Diane Schwegler-Berry, Barbara S. Ducatman, Deborah Sbarra, Mark D. Hoover, Vincent Castranova, Val Vallyathan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), with their unique physicochemical and mechanical properties, have many potential new applications in medicine and industry. There has been great concern subsequent to preliminary investigations of the toxicity, biopersistence, pathogenicity, and ability of SWCNTs to translocate to subpleural areas. These results compel studies of potential interactions of SWCNTs with mesothelial cells.

Objective

Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause of malignant mesothelioma in 80–90% of individuals who develop the disease. Because the mesothelial cells are the primary target cells of asbestos-induced molecular changes mediated through an oxidant-linked mechanism, we used normal mesothelial and malignant mesothelial …

Cloning And Characterization Of Micrornas From Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss): Their Expression During Early Embryonic Development, Raghuveer K. Ramachandra, Mohamed Salem, Scott Gahr, Caird E. Rexroad Iii, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Current literature and our previous results on expression patterns of oocyte-specific genes and transcription factors suggest a global but highly regulated maternal mRNA degradation at the time of embryonic genome activation (EGA). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding regulatory RNAs (19–23 nucleotides) that regulate gene expression by guiding target mRNA cleavage or translational inhibition. These regulatory RNAs are potentially involved in the degradation of maternally inherited mRNAs during early embryogenesis.

Results

To identify miRNAs that might be important for early embryogenesis in rainbow trout, we constructed a miRNA library from a pool of unfertilized eggs and early stage embryos. Sequence …

Spent Culture Medium From Virulent Borrelia Burgdorferi Increases Permeability Of Individually Perfused Microvessels Of Rat Mesentery, Xueping Zhou, Michael R. Miller, Md Motaleb, Nyles W. Charon, Pingnian He

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi(Bb), which manifests as systemic and targeted tissue inflammation. Both in vitro and in vivostudies have shown that Bb-induced inflammation is primarily host-mediated, via cytokine or chemokine production that promotes leukocyte adhesion/migration. Whether Bb produces mediators that can directly alter the vascular permeability in vivo has not been investigated. The objective of the present study was to investigate if Bb produces a mediator(s) that can directly activate endothelial cells resulting in increases in permeability in intact microvessels in the absence of blood cells.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The effects …

Fak, Pdz-Rhogef And Rockii Cooperate To Regulate Adhesion Movement And Trailing-Edge Retraction In Fibroblasts, M. P. Iwanicki, T. Vomastek, R. W. Tilghman, K. H. Martin, J. Banerjee, P. B. Wedegaertner, J. T. Parsons

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Unjust Exclusion Of Gay Sperm Donors: Litigation Strategies To End Discrimination In The Gene Pool, Luke A. Boso

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The New Imperialism: Toward An Advocacy Strategy For Gmo Accountability, Alison Peck

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Design And Performance Analysis Of Electric Vehicles Fed By Multiple Fuel Cells, Pardis Khayyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent advances in fuel cell developments have introduced them to many applications such as hybrid electric vehicles and heat/power cogenerations. They bring the advantage of clean energy and decrease the dependency on imported oil by providing fuel efficient devices in many applications such as electric vehicles. Conventional designs of hybrid fuel cell vehicles make use of a single fuel cell power source and a storage device to provide the base load and transients in various driving cycles. This thesis proposes a new configuration of multiple fuel cell power sources in hybrid fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cells are downsized in this …

Properties And Function Of Somatostatin-Containing Inhibitory Interneurons In The Somatosensory Cortex Of The Mouse, Yunyong Ma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

GABAergic inhibitory interneurons play a pivotal role in balancing neuronal activity in the neocortex. They can be classified into different classes according to their variable morphological, electrophysiological, and neurochemical properties, including two major groups: parvalbumin-containing (PV+), fast-spiking (FS) cells and somatostatin-containing (SOM+) cells. Using transgenic mice, we identified two subgroups, distinct by all criteria, of SOM+ cells in the somatosensory (barrel) cortex of the mouse, one (called X94) in layer 4 and 5B, and the other one (X98) in deep layers (Ma et al., 2006). We found that X98 cells were calbindin-expressing (CB+), infragranular, layer 1--targeting "Martinotti" cells, and had …

Classification Of Digital Photography For Measuring Productive Ground Cover, J D. Rotz, A O. Abaye, E B. Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.